RV in storage- how much do you actually use it?

[perfectchoice]

Newbie here - we are considering our first TT, and it would be required that we park it elsewhere when not in use (we live in an apartment, so on site storage is impossible).  My worry is that if it's not parked in my driveway (or at least easily accessible) that we would not use it- and thus we'd be one of the many selling a year old TT that had only been used a handful of times.
I'd appreciate any words of wisdom, actual usage stories, if you are/were in this situation? 

Thanks in advance- this forum is a WEALTH of information!

 

[1275gtsport]

Newbie here - we are considering our first TT, ..... one of the many selling a year old.......

So by the above line I am guessing your are planning on buying brand new?

Sitting in my driveway is a friends "brand new" 2010 popup camper. (he lives in an apartment) the trailer has been used a TOTAL of 8 times. It still smells new. He bought it on one of those  40 bucks a week deals. I think he still owes about 10k on the unit and he is trying to sell it......can not get a bite at selling it for under 5k. going to loose his shirt on this one.

You should go buy one of those Year old units at more then 1/2 the price and let some other poor sap that just went thru a divorce take the hit on depreciation.
that and most of us don't always get the floor plan right the first time anyway. once you use the camper for a season or two you may find that you just hate having the dinette, or the fridge should be on the other side...or something you would love to change.
buy used, try it out. It won't hurt so bad if you decide to sell next year.

 

[bucks2]

Like a lot of questions, it all depends. I watched hot tubs come into vogue 35 years ago and pretty soon there were dozens in our neighborhood sitting unused. I still use mine 5-7 nights per week when we're home. I like mine and it makes me feel better and sleep better at night.

For many years I've watched people buy things that they always thought they wanted and then they find out that after a year or two the item sat unused. Look at the iPads, tablets, e-books, laptops, boats, exercise equipment, table saws, etc. that are sitting in peoples houses that aren't being used like the folks thought they would when they bought them.

Would your TT be like those items? Maybe. Here's my take on it. If you're not sure that it would be fun or useful, then rent one a couple of times to see what type you want, and if you really enjoy it. This will give you a week or at least a couple of weekends of actual experience. Then you'll be in a better position to know if you BOTH really want one, and an idea of what style, type and size might be right for you. Do a lot of looking before you buy, sitting and talking about what items you want on your rig. And my final piece of advice is buy a used rig and take advantage of someone else paying the big depreciation on the first few years of ownership. Then if it doesn't work out for some reason, you don't lose as much money on selling it.

Wait, I do have one more thing. Buy a rig with EVERYTHING you think you'll ever want. Too many people buy a rig, pay the taxes and for the depreciation with the idea from day one that their NEXT rig will have X or Y. Buy what you really want the first time. It may happen that new things become available, the old ones wear out, and because of age and mileage the old rig needs to be replaced. When that happens so be it. But if you really want unlimited hot water, then but a rig with a Hydro-Hot and be happy everytime you take a shower instead of wishing you had one each morning. If you're happy with a 6 gallon HW heater then save the extra money and spend it on something else you really want. Buy it with the idea that it's everything you want for at least the next 10 years.

Ken

 

[DKL]

We have our motor home parked about 20 minutes or so away in an RV parking facility. We still use it about the same as we would otherwise because we just love to use it. Plus we want to justify the cost of buying it so vacations are all planned around where we want to take a trip in the RV. 

The space is close enough to make going out to clean, pack, unload, maintain, etc. on non-travel days not feel like such a big chore. Having electricity, cover and a dump station in the facility has also made life much easier because I can keep food in the fridge, use a space heater when it's cold, etc. Before we had this parking spot, we had it parked about 10 minutes further out with no cover or elec. It felt like more of a chore to drive out there so we always tried to do as few trips as possible. It was tough to pack everything we wanted to take for the RV trip into a smaller vehicle.

That's my experience, hope it helps!

Alisa

 

[ArdraF]

It all depends is the correct answer.  In almost 40 years we've had five motorhomes and two VW poptops.  With the smaller ones we were able to keep them in the driveway, but not the last larger ones.  It really doesn't matter where it's located.  When they were in the driveway we went one whole year without using one of them and it wasn't because we didn't want to go anywhere.  We were just too busy with work and school to take any trips in it, although we added time on business trips so we got some traveling - it was just in other countries.

The convenience factor hasn't seemed to make any difference to us in terms of actual use, but it certainly is much nicer to have the ability to go out to the RV to get something or to put things in it.  When ours were stored we never left anything on and we always emptied and cleaned the refrigerator (left the doors open to prevent mildew), washed the linens, cleaned the inside, etc. before putting it in storage.  We did/do all that regardless of whether it was in the driveway or a storage facility.  Then when we decide to take a trip it's clean and ready to pack.

ArdraF

 

[Lowell]

We use our TT about 3-4 times a year.  Usually about 4-5 days each use. It cost us $600 a year to store it offsite.  We have owned our TT for 8 years.  We should use it more as we are retired.  But Grandkid'e events seem to influence our decision to take off more often.

 

[DRam]

We've stored both ways and it hasn't made much difference in how much we used it.  Well, except that when stored at home it gets used as a guest house when the kids come to visit.

 

[Big Bad Allis]

We just bought our 1st travel trailer this year.  Like you we don't have a place to store is on our property.  We store is at American RV's secured outside storage lot.  It is about 20-25 minutes from our house.  If you plan trips you will use it plenty.  Just because it's not sitting near where you live doesn't mean that you won't use it.  If you are interested in using it and enjoy the life style or seeing new places you will use it.  If you aren't really into it you won't use it whether it right outside your door or a ways away at a storage facility.

I usually pick it up the day before we go camping ( I can park it in the driveway but it take up most of it).  We load most of our stuff in the night I bring it home.  In the morning before we leave we throw everything else in.  We always thoroughly clean it before taking it back to storage.

If you plan trips ahead it will at least force you to get out and use it.  By the end of this year we will have used our for 5 trips.  Next year it will be more.

 

[perfectchoice]

Thank you for all the great responses- lots of food for thought!

It seems that "usage may vary" is the bottom line- depending on the year. We have two small kids (3 & 5), and we'd like to get in some solid trips with them before they hit the teenage years.  In my mind, road trips in a TT seem far more likely to happen (more often) than one "big" holiday a year - which usually doesn't happen due to $$ and time. That plus the option of using the TT as a guest house when we travel to visit family (rather than sleeping on an aerobed in their living room!) seems downright fantastic!

On choosing a model:
I think going for a year (or three)-old-model is the way to go (for us).  I've just been a bit overwhelmed with the "buyer beware" stories!

I'm next trying to research what is a good size/weight/etc for our tow vehicle.  It seems there is a lot of "can" vs "should" when it comes to GVWR and towing vehicles.  For example, I "can" pull (max towing capacity) 7700lbs, but whether I "should" be pulling a 30ft trailer weighing 7600lbs is up for debate!  If anyone can suggest a thread to read or some other data with some clarification on this, I'd appreciate it!  (If it helps, we have a VW Touareg V8).

Cheers and thanks again!

 

[rsnyde11]

we use ours at least once or twice a month, when we don't use it I bring it home to clean or repair things but really to just be able to be in it, this month looks like we will be going just once, so if anyone around Lake Claiborne state park the 19th 20th 21st space 16 on the lake stop by ill have coffee ready

 

[Cynphony]

We are still newbies in the RV world. (2 years now)  Ours is stored in a secured, indoor area, less than 10 miles from our house. We opted to buy used, with very low mileage, and luckily got all service records, etc. that had to do with our coach. My thought was that because we bought at a great price, we would know within the first year or two, if the RV life was for us. If not, we could most likely sell it, for what we paid for it.

At this point, we take her out 4-5 times a year, for a week, each time. We are both still working full time, so that limits the time we have to travel. Turns out, we LOVE the RV lifestyle, and look forward to much more traveling, in the coming years!

No tow vehicle here, as we usually just rent a car at our destination, so the tow isn't necessary, and would be a much added cost, especially during all the months our coach is in storage.

Good luck with your decision!! 

Cynthia

 

[josara1953]

We bought a 35' 5th wheel two years ago and in two weeks, we are going on our first excursion.  The trailer spends 5-6 months in indoor storage and the rest of the year in our driveway.  It could be used as housing for visiting relatives, that's for sure.  I've stayed in it myself out there in the drive.  Our long-term use is hampered by one of our dogs.  This year, we finally said "To heck with it, how can bad can it be?", and we're going out for a week and taking him along.  I have no doubt we'll be taking long trips when our circumstances change.  But like another poster advised, don't buy a new RV.  There are so many nice used units on the market, you're sure to find a deal.

 

[Terier]

I store my TT at a storage place and use it pretty regularly all year long.  I have three years of ownership under my belt and I can't wait for the next trip.  Just because the TT is out of sight doesn't mean its out of mind.