Potential newbie ... CONVINCE ME!

[FatBaldDuck]

Greetings from beautiful Tarpon Springs, FL.

The wife & I are contemplating RVing in the next couple of years as we eye partial retirement.  We went to the Tampa RV show last year and were way overwhelmed ... Went back again this year & were a bit focused ... it was still overwhelming, but much less so!  We pretty much have it narrowed down to a 5th Wheel vs class A (both toy haulers).

I understand that there are strong proponents on both sides ... my request is this ... if you strongly believe in one or the other, please give me some terse points pro & con (there's gotta be SOMETHING negative about your choice).  Alternatively, if you could point me to good 'argument' pages ...

Am excited to read posts on the forum about the myriad topics I have briefly perused ...

 

[donn]

Cost is number one!  Motor homes cost more up front, cost more to operate and maintain.  Besides that, its personal preference 100%

 

[bucks2]

Since you haven't told us how you intend to use it, we're shooting in the dark. Does partial retirement mean you're going to work the 6 winter months at the ski resort and travel during the 6 summer months? Or does it mean you're going to take several 3 week jaunts every few months? Or are you going to take 4 day weekends? See the difference?

If you're going somewhere and will stay there a month at a time a 5'r works well. If you're going to move every day or two a MH works much better. I set up at a full hookup, level and 4 slides out in about 10 minutes. I've seen 5'rs take the better part of an hour. How you use it is very important in deciding what to get.

I'm a vocal proponent of buying one rig and keeping it for a long time. Will your travel plans change in 5 years when you fully retire? Maybe you should buy a rig to fit that part of your life that also works for the current part.

What's your budget? In round numbers if you're spending $200,000 you'll probably be buying a MH. If your budget is $20,000 and you already own a suitable pickup, then you're going to probably want something towable. You've not given us any clues.

Does your wife want to drive a full size 3/4 ton pickup to town to get her nails done? Or does she prefer a Honda CRX?

Lot's of questions back I know, but they all make a difference. We have a 43' MH and tow a full size 4 door pickup. We travel south each winter for 7 months or so. We stay 1 night to 7 nights at each town for the first 2 months and then spend a month or so at each location until heading home where we generally spend 1-4 nights at each stop for a month. Setting up and taking down is easy and convenient for us and the wife likes the truck.

Ken

 

[garyb1st]

Sounds like you're not sure this is what you want to do.  Maybe you should rent an RV and give it a try.  Might not be for you.  If not you've saved a bundle of money you would have spent on a rapidly depreciating asset.  If you like it you won't need convincing, just advice on which type of RV to purchase and how to best enjoy this great lifestyle. 

 

[pantcor]

Convince you?.. My wife and I are so new, we don't even have a motorhome yet...but we are "convinced" and are selling our house, buying a diesel pusher motorhome and hitting the road in a full time operation in less than 6 months. Our initial plan is full time for a minimum of 6 months as we look for the next city/state to put down a home base at.  We presently live in NC and we like it here but who knows.  We had already planned to sell our big two story home and move into a single level ranch type and then we thought, "hey, let's just motorhome for a while".. (We are not new to pulling up roots every couple of years or so having done 30yrs in the US Navy and lived all over the world) so this is very "doable" for us. 

Now back to you...

I'm sorry my friend but no one can "convince" you to do this nor should they.  This is a big decision and only you and yours can make it. Here is what I have found in my endless research over the last couple of months to convince myself that this is something we wanted to do.
1. There are 2 main types of RV folks.  RV "owners" and "RV'ers".  In my case, there are people who "own" a motorhome and people who are "motorhomers"=(full timers).  We will be the later.
2. It is NOT an inexpensive decision.  You mentioned you attended a couple of shows (we've been to 1 so far).. Yes, it's over whelming looking at so many options,- trailer/camper, 5th wheel, MH/gas or diesel - which one, which brand, why that one, how big, how much$$$, etc.  Only you and your family can decide any of that... 
3. To use a military vernacular - make sure you go  ..ready/aim/shoot... During my research I've run across some folks who have done the old - ready/shoot/aim.......not a good way to make this kind of decision (or any for that matter)
Bottom Line:
a. Figure out what it is you want to do. Do you want to play on couple of weekends a month or go full time?.. You mentioned partial retirement so I guess you mean part time rv'ing..
b. How much commitment do you want to put into this decision (by "commitment, I mean $$$$)
c. Do your homework and lots of it. Knowledge is power to help you make the correct decision.
d. Get on all the websites/forums/blogs to see what people who "know" are saying.  You are already doing that - you're here.
e. Make a plan.. it doesn't have to be concrete but you have to have a plan.
f. Execute... either do it or at least know why you didn't.. whatever you do after the above steps IS the correct decision for you.
Some thoughts that guided me
** Someday is NOT a day of the week**
** At some point in your life, it is NOT about money you have, it's about the time you have**
Well - good luck in your decision and that's my 2 cents worth....
Tom-NC

 

[Tom]

Good advice by Tom (pantcor). To supplement this, we have several articles in our forum Library (link in the menu above).

Re-reading your message, it appears that your main decision needing help is the choice between 5th wheel and motorhome, rather than the decision to go full time. Articles in our Library and messages posted here will help with that decision.

 

[FatBaldDuck]

Thank you all for your replies ... great food for thought ... in the 2 YEAR since I first posted, a LOT happened ... but now we are getting ready to retire in a short 3 years ... will be trolling more around ... 

 

[Bill N]

Cost is number one!  Motor homes cost more up front, cost more to operate and maintain.  Besides that, its personal preference 100%

To add to that, motorhomes have engines and all the things associated with engines - air conditioners, heaters, transmissions, etc.  Fifth wheelers have none of that.  A motorhome 'normally' will also tow a car that also has an engine; therefore, two vehicles and two engines.  A 5w is towed by a vehicle with an engine; therefore, only one engine required.  I have never owned a 5w but I would imagine the insurance is lower.  I have owned truck campers, travel trailers and motorhomes.  I love the motorhome but, for my lifestyle, figure it is a bit of an extravagance because we do not use it often enough so frequency of use should be another deciding point.  I should also add that that engine I mentioned at the beginning has caused me quite a bit of expense lately to the tune of a new ac compressor and a new transmission - think about 5K extra for those.  Good luck on whatever you choose.  I should also add that if you are are a family that has a use for a 'truck', you will definitely need a good one for the 5w, whereas, a towed vehicle can be an economy type with little frills.  JMHO.

Bill

Also need to add:  Tires, usual 5W uses 4, MH uses at least 6 and they are normally larger than the ones used by a 5W.

 

[ronniebellie]

Image this scenario. You are traveling in a Class A. Something breaks down. You look for an RV dealer for service/repair. There closest one is in the next big city, 150 miles away. And then when you get your RV towed to that city, the RV shop has to order the part. It will take 1 week to arrive. Ouch.

Another scenario. You are pulling your 5th wheel with your 3/4 ton Chevy Silverado. The truck has an issue. You are in a smaller town, however, there are three shops that repair cars/trucks and there's a local Napa store. You are in and out within a few hours, a day at the most. How easy was that?

Getting a truck repaired and access to mechanics, parts, service is much easier than the same situation for a Class A.

 

[NY_Dutch]

We've never had a problem getting our motorhomes repaired while on the road over the years. Even engine, transmission, and complete rear end replacements didn't cause major delays of more than 3-4 days except for one engine swap that took a full week. And in all cases we've been able to continue living in the coach other than the actual hours it was being worked on. The only time we made other living arrangements was for a couple of days while having a coach repainted and we didn't want to endure the smell. We've also never needed to be towed 150 miles to get it repaired. Our ERS provider, Coach-Net, has always been able to find us a qualified shop, usually a heavy duty truck shop, within a reasonable distance.