31, F, sick of rent...payments on RV instead?

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passion-cat

New member
Joined
May 9, 2006
Posts
1
Greetings all,

For reasons that defy describing, and after protracted consideration, I'm nearly 90% certain that
I wish to eschew an apartment in favor of an RV. I fulltimed for 1 year alone in a 34 ft Carrilite
5W while hubby was misbehaving, and I reveled in every minute of it, what with all the cubbies
and gadgets, widgets and things. I was perfectly happy to never leave it, though I couldn't
tow it...rather, I just lived in it and enjoyed it. 'Trailer trash' indeed. As a writer and artist, I
found peace, of all places, in a fifth wheel.

Incredulously, I let the (now ex) hubby talk me into selling it (predicated on the promise that he would change) after 10 years of marriage. (hit head against wall here) Now, at 31 and single, alas, I miss my rig. My circumstances are different now, however. After surviving a nasty bout with cancer I can't afford a big 5th wheel, whether new or used. I recently purchased a modest half-ton with a towing capacity of 5k, and am looking for a reasonable used TT. The
notion is that I'll pay modest lot rent, live cheap and away from other people, with the flexibility of vagabonding
around Texas on weekends. I have to work and am confined (regrettably) to the state of Texas, but there are
many state parks in this whole-other-country.

So, my question to y'all, dear readers, are these: considering my situation, is this sound reasoning? Yes,
I would be in debt. Yes, it's a payment on top of lot rent, but at least it would be MY trailer, and I
wouldn't be committing the egregious sin of throwing money away on rent with the added aggravation of
having to follow the complex rules for the privilege. Young single women living in RVs are a rather
rare breed?in fact, I've never met one, and found myself explaining my lifestyle often enough that I soon
learned not to divulge it in the first place.

I am not nearly wealthy enough to afford a house in Austin's housing market, which is sizzling along
at a ludicrous 18% annually; the market appreciates faster than I can save for a downpayment. The
spectre of a mortgage is something I can't even contemplate. Really, unless I wish to sleep in my truck,
panhandle, or that four-letter scourge...RENT...what option have I? :-\

Regards,
Renae







 
Hi Renae,

I'm sorry to hear about your circumstances. Yes, it's reasonable depending upon your income. There are groups out there that cater to singles. One is Loners On Wheels. I'm sujre you can find comaraderie with folks that might be in a similar situatiion or, at least, wanting to be free of the system. You might find a used trailerl that can meet your needs with more ammenities than you might be able to afford in a new rig. I'm sure others may have info on other singles groups that might be of interest to you. Good luck in your pursuit of your dreams. 
 
I would keep in mind that the value of your trailer is going to go down a lot. If you just took the money that you plan to spend and use it as a down on a house no matter what the value, it would give you a sound investment. You can get many home loans for very little money down. Dont worry if you think that you will need to eat mac and cheese for the next couple years. Just do it and get one that is the MAX that you get qualified for nothing less.
 
Hmm.  If I were you, I would scout out the park situation around where you would like to live.  Long term RV parks can vary wildly in nature ranging from plush golf/tennis resorts to something that a redneck would hesitate to enter after dark.  The world is full of trailers for sale.  It is not full of good long term RV parks.  By the way, good long term parks can be fussy about the RV that they will accept.  Another good reason to find the park before the RV.

Once you find a decent place then consider the trailer.  You will be looking for a unit that can take full time use as opposed to a vacation trailer.  That trailer is going to have to be capable of being towed by your truck.  To determine that, you need to describe your truck.

Once the trailer has been decided upon, then you face the issue of financing.  Here there is a bit of good news.  10 year notes are not uncommon in RV and the interest rate on a loan secured by the title to the trailer is deductable as home mortgage interest. 
 
It has been suggested that if you want to buy a RV, and you are considering USED in order to save money, you should visit Florida, where all the "old folks" go when they want to move into an apartment and park the rig.  Then they die, and their kids sell off the rig, for a fraction of it's value in many cases.

Beyoned that I can't offer much... I'm 55, married, and planing on staying that way
 
Don't forget there Park models out there for sale also.  Some are older and well maintained. Sometimes it takes some looking but they are out there.
 
I'd kind of like to know what Renae ended up doing - reading her story (well-written, btw - I'll bet she's a good writer! Is there an update?
 
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