Heli_av8tor
Well-known member
UTTransplant said:We will be there tonight.
Just in time for some home-grown Iowa sweet corn!
UTTransplant said:We will be there tonight.
PancakeBill said:Next time in an overnight Walmart in Lake City FL, shoppers having trouble finding their car in the empty parking lot would hit the panic button on their remote.
Well that?s one of the reasons I have an RV, I don?t want to pay $100 and more a night. Having a dog with us reduces the number of places to stay and raises the price. I also don?t need electricity, water, or any other incidentals. I?m completely self contained. All I need is a patch of land to park six tires on. I like having my own bed, bath, kitchen and living room.docj said:I've never quite understood this logic. If I didn't have the RV, I'd be paying ~$100/night to stay at a lower priced hotel these days. If you haven't looked for hotels along the interstate lately, that's a pretty common rate even using Trivago, Priceline, etc.
So if a campground charges me $30-50 for the same short, overnight stay I don't consider that outrageous. They're providing me several dollars worth of electricity plus other incidentals and a measure of security. Furthermore, I get a place to walk around in the evening that isn't simply a parking lot. JMO
Ex-Calif said:Don't get me wrong, I like my RV but it makes no sense financially compared to hotel rooms.
Let's say I finance $80k at 5% - That's $4,000 a year in interest - 40 nights in a hotel.
Let's say I pay cash - My investments make 10% so it makes even less financial sense. 80 nights in a hotel
The only way it makes sense is if you are in it for more than 80 nights a year.
Buy something in the $150k range and the breakpoint looks like 6 months... Sure we can argue the incidental costs of eating in, doing laundry in a RV etc. But I doubt any of us are buying RVs to avoid a Denny's breakfast bill...
Lou Schneider said:An RV makes even less economic sense if you include the fuel cost.
300 miles in a 30 MPG car uses 10 gallons of gas. At $3 a gallon that costs $30.
300 miles in a 6 MPG RV uses 50 gallons of gas. At $3 a gallon that's $150 for fuel.
The $120 difference right there is more than enough to get a decent motel room for the night. With money left over to eat in a restaurant if you include what you'd pay for an overnight RV space.
Right on John ! It's my money and I'll spend it as I like.jayc2640 said:But my wife and I dreamt of having a Class A for the last 25 years or so. We thought we would never be able to afford it. So we camped. First in a tent, then a bigger tent, then in a pop-up, and three years ago, we were able to achieve our dream! A 30' 2015 Monaco Lapalma gasser! We had it for a little over a year before we traded it for our current rig, a 2018 Winnebago Forza 38F. Is it responsible? No. No luxury whether it is a candy bar or a masseratti is ever responsible. But it was our dream, we've been full-timing for over 2 years and we love it! So, who cares? We're in our 60s, and we might as well spend it while we can enjoy it!
Ex-Calif said:Let's say I finance $80k at 5% - That's $4,000 a year in interest - 40 nights in a hotel.
Let's say I pay cash - My investments make 10% so it makes even less financial sense. 80 nights in a hotel
jayc2640 said:Is it responsible? No. No luxury whether it is a candy bar or a masseratti is ever responsible. But it was our dream, we've been full-timing for over 2 years and we love it! So, who cares? We're in our 60s, and we might as well spend it while we can enjoy it!
The way I look at the motorhome fuel costs is that they're partially offset by the toad that faithfully tags along at zero fuel cost. Additionally, the toad saves us substantial fuel costs when we reach our destination and can benefit from the higher MPG while the RV stays parked. Since we're parked a lot more than we're traveling in the RV, that adds up to a substantial difference. Then again, we could all save a bundle in fuel costs if we just stayed put in one place and never went anywhere...An RV makes even less economic sense if you include the fuel cost.
300 miles in a 30 MPG car uses 10 gallons of gas. At $3 a gallon that costs $30.
300 miles in a 6 MPG RV uses 50 gallons of gas. At $3 a gallon that's $150 for fuel.
The $120 difference right there is more than enough to get a decent motel room for the night. With money left over to eat in a restaurant if you include what you'd pay for an overnight RV space.