Another advice on what to buy.....but with a twist. What would you do/

[homeby5]

I will try to keep it short.

My wife and I live in The Keys. We are entering retirement real soon (probably next spring) and we have traveled enough to believe we would like to purchase a MH (maybe a TT) and leave the Keys for about 3-4 months and do the circuit out west. We plan on doing this year after year. Here is my dilemna....

My daughter is a single mom an has an 8 year old daughter herself. She has been out in Alaska the last few years and has hit rock bottom. She has asked us if she can come back and live in the Keys for sometime until she gets back on her feet. Now...I won't allow her to live in our home because of our history (another discussion entirely) but my wife and I have agreed to purchase a MH or TT and let her stay there for a while (and pay some rent).

Our plan is to look for a newer (but used) MH or TT that will suit our needs for travel. We have told her that we will buy an RV suited for us and that she can stay in it knowing that if she is still here next spring....if we want to go travel then we would use it and she could stay in our home while we are gone. This means we will be looking to purchase one within by this August.....even though my wife and I would not use it until possibly next year. But I am rethinking this and asking for opinions?

My choices are this:
We immediately buy a nicer MH or TT, suited for my wife and I, and let our daughter and granddaughter use it until next spring when we will start using it or....
We buy a worn out cheaper TT  that is big enough for my daughter and granddaughter to live in but is not suited for my wife and I to travel cross country in....... and sell it next year when my wife and I are ready to buy a nicer one for our use?

I am leaning towards the first choice because I really don't want to buy an older TT that is not suited for my wife and I. This means when my wife retires next year, I will have to sell the older TT. Also, I also am not fond of owning an older headache that I will be killing myself working on while waiting for my wife to retire.

OTOH....if we buy something suitable for my wife and I, this means that we will spend more money now (newer 25-30ft MH or TT) and letting it sit until the beginning of next summer when my wife is retired and we can use it. What concerns me is that we all know that life circumstances can change in a year and it is possible that my wife and I have a change of plans and that we will not want or be able to travel in an RV? This means I have spent a lot of money for something I am not using for leisure and is simply a place for my daughter to live. That's not thrilling me either...

Anyway....thoughts?

 

[Pugapooh]

I think the first plan may work out better.  You sound anxious to travel next summer.  What if you can't sell the one you didn't want to start with?  If you don't like it,maybe others won't either. 

Are you allowed to have an RV and someone living in it?  Where will you dump?  Will you need to add a 30/50 amp outlet? 

 

[donn]

Buy her a park model, set it up in a park and,let her move into that.  Buy yourself what you want and go.

 

[cadee2c]

Another option, buy an RV that suits you and your wife and live in it for the next year, then take off when you retire. Let your daughter live in the house.

 

[Utclmjmpr]

In my opinion,, NOTHING makes an RV go down hill faster than full time (in one place) living...It will show up at resale every time.>>>Dan  (What can your daughter do in the Key's to get on her feet  that she can't do in Alaska?  Other than live off you? >>>

 

[msw3113]

There doesn't seem to be much room in your proposals for you and your wife to take the unit out whenever you'd like, learn how the systems work (and how to take care of them), and begin to enjoy it before retirement.  I'd want to exercise that option every chance we got, however having to displace daughter (and granddaughter?) every time you want to take a weekend jaunt may hinder you from using it as much as you would otherwise.  Unconscious resentments may develop.

I sympathize with your plight, however.  You appear stuck between wanting to help your daughter (and granddaughter?) while retaining some boundaries.  Have you explored other ways to assist her to regain her feet?  RV purchase is a major step which should be undertaken only after due and careful deliberation.

However you decide, best of luck to you and your family.

 

[Isaac-1]

Regardless of the situation with your daughter, if you are planning on leaving on a big trip next year, and are going to buy a used motorhome to travel in, I would suggest you go ahead and buy it soon, as you will likely need to spend some considerable amount of time outfitting it for travel, and dealing with any deficiencies. I bought my current coach (2002 Safari Trek) in late 2016, with the intention of taking a big 4,200 mile trip in the summer of 2017, it was in overall good condition, the previous owner had just returned to Florida from Minnesota in it a few weeks earlier and I immediately drove it 1,100 miles home to Louisiana.  None the less I spent much first few months of ownership doing preventive maintenance, addressing issues that had fallen through the cracks, and provisioning it the way I wanted for travel.

This including changing all the fluids, as some had probably never been changed and the coach was 14 years old with 74,000 miles on it at that point.  This included transmission fluid, power steering fluid (which was black), radiator coolant, etc.  The previous owner had done a lot of work, did a good job of keeping up wit oil changes, and chassis lube, but had neglected to address these less frequently serviced fluids.  Since he did not drive at night, it should not have been a surprise that the high beam headlight switch did not work, or that over half the side marker lights did not function.

In addition to such repairs, the coach needed provisioning, as unlike many private party purchase motorhomes, it came with little in the way of accessory items, only  water, and sewer hoses, power adapters, and a few odds and ends (toilet tissue, a few hot pads for the stove, and some plastic ware in the kitchen).  This meant buying everything from towels to a BBQ grill for the big trip the next summer on the house side, it also meant doing some updates, installing LED lights, buying a GPS and TPMS system, as well as doing a few coach upgrades, like new shock absorbers, sway bar bushings and upgrading to LED headlights.

 

[TheBar]

My youngest daughter was 30, single, pregnant, and 600 miles away. She couldn't work for several months and never could manage money. Rather than letting her live in our MH it was better for us to pay her rent directly to her landlord and give her a small food allowance till she could work again. We had an understanding there was a hard cut off date and she would have to find her own way after that. The main thing was once she moved in we would have a hard time telling her to leave and would create lot of bad feelings between us. Kids nowadays are living with their parents until the parents have to kick them out. This way she is eternally grateful for our help and has not asked for another dime. It was worth every cent.

 

[homeby5]

Thanks guys...
As far as using the RV right now before my wife retires....yes, that's not an issue. If we took off for a week or so, she would simply house sit for us. We just don't want to live together. We all want our boundaries....
Also, no big deal with it on the property. I'm REAL handy...built two homes myself and I actually did most of the work. I could simply install an outlet and easily have the black and grey water drain to my sewage pipes.
Thanks again guys

 

[ArdraF]

Regardless of what you decide with your daughter, you still have the "TT vs. MH" issue to decide.  Because you plan on traveling quite a bit, as opposed to parking for weeks at a time, I would suggest that a motorhome might be a better choice for you and your wife.  They are easier to set up/break down when parking for the night, you can stay inside if the weather is lousy and worry about hooking up later, and it's nice to have your own facilities for pit stops and lunch breaks without running back and forth between a TT and the truck.  In either case, you'll probably need wheels.  For the TT you'll have a truck and for the MH you'll probably want a tow car to get around for sightseeing, groceries, and the like.

Good luck with doing what "you" want in retirement  and helping your daughter!

ArdraF

 

[KandT]

I dont think this is an RV issue at all.  Based on your comments this is a daughter behavior issue.  Is she really ready to rebuild her life?  Has she been given the gift of desperation where she will be willing to do whatever it takes to straighten herself up?  If she has a plan to support herself then my guess is you would help her anyway you can.  If you just cant bear to turn your back on her but deep down know she isn't ready to turn it around then buy the cheapest thing you can get your hands on and then you won't be out much when she ruins it.

 

[ChasA]

Homeby5,
I bet you weren't expecting to be posting on a family counselling site. I will abstain from that.

 

[Gary RV_Wizard]

Plenty of good advice above and lots of reasons none of these plans will work out and only a few of them specific to buying an RV. We been down the neer-do-well daughter route ourselves and have the scars to prove it. But they are still family, and sometime you have to do things that aren't in your own best interests.

The Keys, as in Florida Keys, right?  We are Floridians ourselves with plenty of Keys experience and close friends in living in Marathon.  Putting any RV on a lot there for fulltime use is going to be expensive, as is ongoing maintenance.  And taking it for a buzz for a week or so is going to involve more than driving over and hitching up.  A compromise RV in an emotion-laden social situation is just a poor bet.  By far the most sound plan would be to find her a place and subsidize the costs, then buying the RV you want if there is any money left to do so.


Notice that we haven't even talked about what size and type RV you may want, what to tow if with if a trailer, where you plan to go and how long, etc.  Sorry that this is a family counseling session rather than RVing, but it's pretty clear that the family scene will dominate any RV issues. It already has, and you haven't even broken the ice yet. Even choosing an RV is a dilemma.

 

[Pugapooh]

Homeby5,
I bet you weren't expecting to be posting on a family counselling site. I will abstain from that.

I am also trying to avoid giving family relationship advice.  That said,the idea of her living somewhere else is probably a good one.

 

[homeby5]

Thanks guy!
And I realize phrasing a question on a public forum involves dealing with the "relationship advice" comments. No biggie...

Anyways...the reason I asked the way I did is because my wife and I have decided we want a TT or MH anyway for retirement and travel next year. Our only decision is should we purchase one sooner to help her out. Believe me...if she came and stayed for one week....it isn't a big deal because again...we want one anyway.

I guess the real decision is which style should I invest in first? We are leaning towards a TT because we figure it is less startup investment as we explore this new lifestyle and if for some reason...it isn't for us...then when we sell it.....we wouldn't lose as much money? Don't know if that is correct thinking or not, though. Which styles generally hold their value more......I dunno....?

 

[homeby5]

The Keys, as in Florida Keys, right?  We are Floridians ourselves with plenty of Keys experience and close friends in living in Marathon.  Putting any RV on a lot there for fulltime use is going to be expensive, as is ongoing maintenance.  And taking it for a buzz for a week or so is going to involve more than driving over and hitching up. 

I own a house in Key Largo on a lot that is big enough for us to store our MH or TT. That isn't a problem.

 

[NY_Dutch]

I guess the real decision is which style should I invest in first? We are leaning towards a TT because we figure it is less startup investment as we explore this new lifestyle and if for some reason...it isn't for us...then when we sell it.....we wouldn't lose as much money? Don't know if that is correct thinking or not, though. Which styles generally hold their value more......I dunno....?

What vehicle do you have for towing a TT? That's a big factor in deciding on TT size and whether a different tow vehicle is needed.

 

[Isaac-1]

First off, none of them hold their value, though if you buy a used RV in good condition, it will be further down the depreciation curve, so will tend to loose less value per year than a new one.  Also when looking at the economics, don't forget to consider the cost of ownership into the equation, it is not all about simple depreciation, but also cost of upkeep, amortized expenses like tires and batteries which tend to age out, as well as insurance, etc.  Unfortunately a lot of these expenses will be higher on a used RV, so you may be trading depreciation losses, for upkeep expenses.

These ownership expenses can be considerable, particularly on a motorhome, particularly if you include the big picture items including provisioning, upgrades, etc. This year alone I suspect my (big picture) motorhome ownership cost will exceed $3,900 as I am getting close to that number and still have half the year to go.  This is on a now 17 year old motorhome which I paid just over $20,000 for in 2016.  A large chunk of this years expense is adapting my wife's car to be towed 4 down behind the motorhome when we travel, but there is also $700 for insurance, about $700 in upgrades I am doing this year (LED kitchen light, rear airlift helper air bags), as well as about $600 in repairs I am currently doing, thanks to the if it could break, it would trip we took just before Memorial day.  $250 insurance deductible for windshield thanks to a truck throwing a rock, $100 (+ several hours of DIY labor dropping the generator) for the new generator stater which died as we left on the trip, $15 for new door latch post thanks to the wind catching the door, $200 for new automatic parking brake pressure switches which failed on the drive home, ...)

If I were to sit and think about it, there would likely be more nickel and dime stuff here and there which add up, hmmm well there is that $150 mosquito screen canopy I bought in January, the $30-$40 I spent on new electrical outlets and light switches, the $300 I spent on new LED light fixtures for the shed where I keep the coach on the family ranch, ....

 

[homeby5]

What vehicle do you have for towing a TT? That's a big factor in deciding on TT size and whether a different tow vehicle is needed.

I have a van that I use to pull my boat now weighs about the same as a TT) but I will buy the truck I need depending on what RV I settle on. The only thing I have ruled out is a 5th wheel. I am not interested in anything that big....yet. I am sticking in the 25 ft range of either a TT or motorhome.

 

[Pugapooh]

25 ft will not have much room.  Not much storage space.  Will the shower be comfortable? 

What brings you to the 25 ft decision?  Why not a smaller fiver?  Just trying to understand.