Newbies cost issues.

[Guguluff]

We are a family of 4, my husband works online and we can spend 2month+ traveling and camping. We started to do our research about costs and we are blown away.
We are comparing Class C RV (ElMonte with 40k miles) with truck+ TT bunkhouse (Forest River Cherokee).  Any of the two would be $ 45K loan. Approximately 500$/ month.
In the first year:
The dealer tax (maybe) 300$, down payment aprox.: 4000$
Trailer hitch: 500$
Accessories (hoses...): 400$
IT equipment (antenna, router..): 400$

Yearly: Loan payments= 6000$
Property tax: 300-400$
Tags: 150$
Insurance: 1400$
Internet (Verizon Mifi): 1500$
Maintenance: ... 100-2000$ who knows
Storage: 400$
The cost per year ends up somewhere around 11k-12k, without the campground fees, gas, propane...
If we look for an cheaper TT and truck the monthly payment wouldn't be much lower. And we read so much about things that could go wrong with a trailer or RV so we are afraid of buying used ones, older models...

Where can we cut on costs and maybe, how can we avoid some of them?

 

[SargeW]

RVing is not cheap, its a life style. Much of your initial costs are one time investments. Your interest on your loan and tax payments can be tax deductable. Your insurance estimate is high. As long as you are going to do this long term it is worth while. If this is an experiment, dont spend the money.

 

[scottydl]

If we look for an cheaper TT and truck the monthly payment wouldn't be much lower. And we read so much about things that could go wrong with a trailer or RV so we are afraid of buying used ones, older models...

Where can we cut on costs and maybe, how can we avoid some of them?

You cannot do much about the ongoing maintenance costs, except doing small projects yourself... which is somewhat required with RV's or they will bankrupt you quickly.  So THE place to cut major costs is to spend less up front.  With $45k in loans (on two items that will constantly lose value) what happens if your husband loses his job/income for any portion of time?  Then you'd be up to your eyeballs in debt with no way to pay for it.  My recommendation would be to save and buy in cash, especially for your first intro into the RV world.  At least until you see what kind of rig may work best for your particular uses, and what your income potential & job security is like.

My first motorhome was a 1994 and the first two owners both fulltimed in it.  I bought it from a private seller for $12k cash when it was 13 years old.  My current RV combo is about the same investment (if you even want to call it that), bought a 3/4 ton Suburban (20 years old) for $4700 and a 32' bunkhouse trailer (7 years old) for $8500.  All of the above prices I've paid are WELL below retail value, for items that were properly cared for and maintained by previous owners.  Private purchase will save you loads of money over buying from dealerships.  It takes a lot (and I mean a LOT) of research and shopping, but can certainly be done if you are motivated to save money up front. 

And this forum can point you in the right direction with just about any aspect of the RV experience, so keep asking & talking. 

 

[donn]

Have a friend who full times with three kids.  Currently he is wintering in Central Oregon.  If you send me a PM I will foreword your email address to him.  He can answer a lot of your questions as they have been at it for at least 5 years.  You do have to remember home schooling costs too.

 

[sadixon49]

I know what you mean. I just bought my first MH last week and pick it up Thursday. I always had a little acronym for figuring the cost of ownership. It's the DIRTI MFs. That's  Depreciation, Interest, Repairs, Taxes, Insurance, Maintenance, Fuel, & Storage. Most of those are self explanatory, but I would comment on a couple of them. Even if you bought your RV with cash, you sill have interest costs, only we would call them an opportunity cost. I.E. what would you do with that money if you didn't have an RV? Would you invest in the stock market? Real estate? The money you could have made by investing in an appreciating asset, is what you should charge to the RV for investing in a depreciating asset. Maintenance and repairs are often confused, think of it this way, repairs are what you get to pay for when you don't do the proper maintenance. Changing your oil is maintenance, changing your engine because you didn't change your oil is a repair.

steve

 

[Guguluff]

Thanks y'all for your input!
The hubby is not so handy with cars but we do normal repairs around the house: painting, plumbing, electrical... That's why we lean towards the truck+TT combo. The repairs on a truck would seem much cheaper.
We have to stick with the loans because we had some big expenses moving from Europe 2 years ago... not so many savings laying around.
So definitely we have to consider buying a pre-owned TT, maybe around 16K$. Compared to the new one that was 22.500. But for the truck we can't find that many with less than 100k miles, for less that 20k$. As I said we have to pay for repairs that might come up with an older one.

Is there any difference in quality if buying from a dealer? Do they really inspect & repair them?
Where can we find an RV specialist? We searched on Google and no luck. We live in KS.

Donn, thanks! For now we won't be full timers. My stronger half isn't ready for such a big step.
Sadixon49, how about if we buy used and the problems come up soon after buying? The maintenance was someone else's job but we get to pay for the repairs...

 

[donn]

99% of the time the buyer (you) are going to be responsible for any and all maintence.  The exception would be if buying from a dealer and they give you a warrenty.  Typically purchasing any warrenties is a big waste of money.  Most of us do our own work except maybe big things.
When buying used, you need to be careful to inspect closely for signs of water leaks.  Thst will be your biggest concern.
When you find something you think will work, consider hiring someone to inspect it for you.
As for a decent tow vehicle, have you thought about a low milage F350/3500 series passanger van?  You should be able to find a decent van for less than a comparable crew cab truck

 

[scottydl]

Is there any difference in quality if buying from a dealer? Do they really inspect & repair them?

Large dealership with their own service centers, maybe.  Small dealerships, doubtful... and they don't know much about RV's either, they just know about hitting your wants/emotions in order to sell stuff.  You could easily be more educated on all things RV by spending some time here and reading as much as possible BEFORE you buy.  Be very careful trusting dealerships.  Their goal is to make a profit, and they do that by turning over their inventory quickly.  Usually they will have NO idea what kind of history the RV had.  That's another reason why I like buying from the actual owner, who can tell you all the RV's stories and provide details on repairs/maintenance (often with receipts) that they have done over the years.

Where can we find an RV specialist? We searched on Google and no luck. We live in KS.

Call around to some local campgrounds (might be closed for the season right now?) and ask them who they recommend as a mobile RV tech, or for general RV service.  They will have heard the goods and bads from their customers, in theory.  You can hire someone to inspect an RV that you are interested in buying... again, I wouldn't trust most dealerships to do that.  You think they would tell you NOT to buy a unit on their lot, or admit that as soon as you buy it that the RV will need X-Y-Z in expensive repairs?

 

[Guguluff]

We had no problems with the car bought from a local dealer so we dismissed the warnings about the RV dealers schemes. And we heard that the dealers have low prices in January so we were kind of hurried to buy...
I've searched CL for the city where we live and I couldn't find anything to soothe our needs. But just now, in the next big city I found some bargains (we are afraid of things that seem to good to be true..) like this one: https://kansascity.craigslist.org/rvs/5408169137.html
Will gonna have to find someone that knows RV's in the winter. Maybe I can found someone on RVforum from KS.
Will look for the F350/3500 series van. Thanks.

I know what all of you say about DIY. I sew (even maintained and try to repair some of my sewing machines), do gardening (growing some veggies), cooking from scratch, painting, repairing some holes in walls, hardwood, etc. It's much cheaper and better to do it yourself.

 

[SeilerBird]

We had no problems with the car bought from a local dealer so we dismissed the warnings about the RV dealers schemes. And we heard that the dealers have low prices in January so we were kind of hurried to buy...
I've searched CL for the city where we live and I couldn't find anything to soothe our needs. But just now, in the next big city I found some bargains (we are afraid of things that seem to good to be true..) like this one: https://kansascity.craigslist.org/rvs/5408169137.html
Will gonna have to find someone that knows RV's in the winter. Maybe I can found someone on RVforum from KS.

I know what all of you say about DIY. I sew (even maintained and try to repair some of my sewing machines), do gardening (growing some veggies), cooking from scratch, painting, repairing some holes in walls, hardwood, etc. It's much cheaper and better to do it yourself.

That has scam written all over it. NADA is $16,900 and they only want $10k and they claim it is towable with a half ton? Not in this lifetime. Run away.

 

[Guguluff]

This is what we are afraid of... So it'a a no go, if the price is too low. Not even with someone looking at the unit before buying?
Will do more research about buying from sellers and keep asking questions.

 

[kdbgoat]

You won't find the buyer giving out the physical location on most Craigslist scams. They want you to send a check,  wire money etc and they will ship to you. Or they may want your email address or phone number for other purposes.

 

[Charlie 5320]

You can find used if you look. Craigslist is a good place but you have to be ware there is some scams on there. If the price is too good to be true it probably is. Don't exchange any money till you inspect the unit or have someone else do it, and make sure the paper work is right before you hand over any money. Doing a fast scan in the KC area. http://loz.craigslist.org/rvs/5403920092.html  You may have to go a little older but there are plenty of trailers for sale in your area.

 

[grashley]

A couple thoughts:

Ford vans are  E350 or E250, (1 ton and ? ton chassis, respectively)  F350 is a 1 ton pickup truck.

I recently wrote a thread    http://www.rvforum.net/SMF_forum/index.php/topic,90933.0.html  explaining why to do your own research.  So far, I have not seen anything about what you plan to use for a Tow Vehicle (TV).  Make SURE your TV can safely handle the camper.  Ask questions if you are not sure how to figure this out.  It is a major concern for family safety.

 

[tvromero]

1. Make your tow vehicle your daily car as well, this will cut your expenses in half.
2. Purchase a new diesel TV and increase your resale value and little maintenance costs for 3 years. If you are only going to tow with it then maybe a low mileage lease will work for you.
3. How much money would you spend if you took vacations and not a two month trailer trip?

Good luck

 

[Quillback 424]

For a RV tech in NE Kansas call Ed Smoot at A-Z Mobile RV in Paola, KS at (913) 294-2733. The address is 32747 Lone Star Road, 66071. This is a full RV maintenance and repair shop that also has mobile techs. Don't bother with Olathe RV in Olathe. If they had any decent techs A-Z would have already hired them.

There is also at least one independent RV tech that works the Hillsdale State Park area (just North of Paola) but I don't have his card with me right now.

 

[Guguluff]

Thanks for all the info and friendly advice! On lots of forums people are not even half as nice to newbies.

Ford vans are  E350 or E250, (1 ton and ? ton chassis, respectively)  F350 is a 1 ton pickup truck.
I recently wrote a thread    http://www.rvforum.net/SMF_forum/index.php/topic,90933.0.html  explaining why to do your own research.  So far, I have not seen anything about what you plan to use for a Tow Vehicle (TV).  Make SURE your TV can safely handle the camper.  Ask questions if you are not sure how to figure this out.  It is a major concern for family safety.

It's my bad. Will read that thread. Isn't the E-350's fuel consumption worst than that of a truck? We're not such big fans of vans though.
We were told that a 1/2 ton truck will do the job and some sales reps at RV dealers/ Ford dealership, told us that F-150 will be ok for a 6000-6500lbs TT.
We test drove today a 2010 F-150 with 121k miles on it but it was a King Ranch so it was nice. But the price is still high.. everything with fewer miles is 20+k.

For a RV tech in NE Kansas call Ed Smoot at A-Z Mobile RV in Paola, KS at (913) 294-2733. The address is 32747 Lone Star Road, 66071. This is a full RV maintenance and repair shop that also has mobile techs. Don't bother with Olathe RV in Olathe. If they had any decent techs A-Z would have already hired them.

Thank you so much! We will narrow down the search and call him. We went to Olathe RV and we talk to them at the KS RVshow, last week. We liked the sales rep at LibertyRV and the Cherokee TT he was selling. That's why we wanted to go the dealership way.

1. Make your tow vehicle your daily car as well, this will cut your expenses in half.
2. Purchase a new diesel TV and increase your resale value and little maintenance costs for 3 years. If you are only going to tow with it then maybe a low mileage lease will work for you.
3. How much money would you spend if you took vacations and not a two month trailer trip?

1. We drove only sedans and small cars, just a medium sized U-Haul for 100+ miles, one time. So we have to adjust to truck driving and owning. We have one lease and one loan, both sedans. We have to ditch the lease that he loves and this makes the decision more complicated...
3. If we visit family and friend back in Europe... for 4 people (the little one is almost 2 so no more free flights) we'll pay around 4500$ round trip (6 flights). Probably if we want cheap we have to stay at home but that's not an option.  ;D
 
kdbgoat, 92GA thanks! We'll buy local so we can see it first and definitely bring an RV tech. I hope that he'll ask a fair price because if we end up not getting the trailer we'll have to pay again.

 

[Quillback 424]

I think you have pretty much acknowledged that you know very little about RVs, and as such you are seeking advice. It will take some time to learn what you need to know, but it will happen.

Just a little more friendly advice:

What is not often discussed is that someone in your position knows even less about evaluating the knowledge, skills and abilities of an RV tech and they will cost you about $99.00 per hour (including travel time) to inspect an RV you are interested in. Big bucks, and you may need them multiple times.

You would do yourself a favor by printing out the inspection documents located in the resources area above. Take the document with you the next time you look over an RV to get an idea what an experienced person would be looking at, operating and testing. The document will seem somewhat overwhelming the first time you look at it, but can be used as a guide to learn how RV's operate and what you need to research.

If you hire an RV tech to inspect a unit for you, shoot video and audio of the entire inspection and constantly ask him to explain what he is seeing. Also, ask him to give you a rough estimate of the cost of doing repairs that he suggests. He should be able to give you a range since that is what he does professionally.

Good luck and take your time.

 

[Guguluff]

Of course  I know... that I don't know. It's a learning curve to everything and RVing is not a little thing. I'll print the inspection documents and we'll check out some trailers before calling the tech guy. It's his time and our money.
I found some helpful videos: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=REQIrMvEwh4 Travel trailer inspection tools
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xx0SPexRHgo How to Spot a Lemon when Buying an RV

Where can I post questions about different finds on CL or other sites? Should I start a new topic?

Thank you all for pointing towards the "by owner" adds. We could save $$$ with some patience, more knowledge and lots of luck.

 

[Charlie 5320]

You may have to drive a little ways to find the right trailer for YOU. I just bought at the end of Nov. and had to drive 350 miles to get it. Sometimes the right one for you won't be local, but you can feel if the owner is willing to talk about it. I've found if the seller has to think about an answer most of the time they aren't being truthful. You can also lump some owners as salesmen, they'll tell you anything to sell it.