Hello! Spokane, WA Bound

[shawnpconrad]

My name is Shawn Conrad and my wife and I are buying an RV for a temporary living situation in Spokane, WA.

I am seeking information about good places to park it in Spokane, WA until we find a house we like there.

Thank you in advance for any helpful information.

The RV is a Holiday Rambler Vacationer.

Thanks,

Shawn

 

[darsben]

Hello

What year rig are you getting?

How long do you intend to stay in the RV?
Spokane has some cold nights in the winter  that drop below freezing and can make your living sort of uncomfortable.
In the low to mid 20's you have some problems with things freezing, like water lines to the motor home  and some RV's can be down right cold when it is 20 degrees or so. Some are not built for continued living in cold weather for prolonged periods.

 

[68 Whiskey1]

Welcome from Georgia. Sorry can't help with experience in your area, but perhaps RVParky or Allstays might give you some insight.

 

[shawnpconrad]

Hello

What year rig are you getting?

How long do you intend to stay in the RV?
Spokane has some cold nights in the winter  that drop below freezing and can make your living sort of uncomfortable.
In the low to mid 20's you have some problems with things freezing, like water lines to the motor home  and some RV's can be down right cold when it is 20 degrees or so. Some are not built for continued living in cold weather for prolonged periods.

1) 2018
2) Only until we find a home we like.  Not very long.
3) I will look into the rig's ability to keep us warm.

Thank you!

 

[darsben]

Can I ask what you intend to do with the rig when done?
You take a big hit the first year on depreciation.
First year troubles are quite common and these are usually rectified after a year or so. It is not uncommon for the purchaser to pay for a dealer pre-delivery inspection and still have major problems the first week or two out which will be taken care of eventually if you can get back to the selling dealer. I know you think buying new will avoid a lot of trouble but with the lack of quality control it is not uncommon for someone to buy a  brand new rig only to have it make multiple trips to the shop for repair and to sit in the repair yard for a month or more. There is no federal safeguard that states any dealer who sells your brand of RV has to service the  RV and they may or may not put you at the end of the line for service
Let the first owner deal with all those problems and the lack of quality control.  The best bet is a 2-3 year old unit and a good inspection by a qualified outside inspector.

 

[68 Whiskey1]

1) 2018
2) Only until we find a home we like.  Not very long.
3) I will look into the rig's ability to keep us warm.

Thank you!

Good thinking on keeping warm. Ours is rated to zero , we have been in west TX at 22 degrees and 20+ mph winds. We kept warm enough, but didn't use water/sewer hookups. The guy beside us his pipes froze on the outside. We were headed west to AZ for the winter and didn't take a lot of time doing it. Anyway,  you need to keep your outer pipes from freezing. There are a number of products to use for this. Plus when you get your home you will need to winterize your TT also.

 

[cadee2c]

I do know the KOA out in Spokane Valley is right next to a very busy railroad track on a road that requires the train to blow the whistle before it crosses. So unless youre really hard of hearing, you dont want to stay there. Im not sure about any of the others, though I know the location of the North Spokane RV Campground is right on Hwy 2 which is a really super busy highway right there. It is right on a main road that leads into downtown Spokane so its close to alot of places which could be handy.

If you dont mind a little drive, there are alot of lakes around Spokane with campgrounds. Ive not been to any of them in years, so I cant tell you how they are now though. Some are within a half hour or 45 mins. depending on traffic of course.

Edited to add,,,, you have a couple of months yet before it gets uncomfortably cold at night, though you might have a frosty night or two. Your coach should be good down to about 15 or so degrees which shouldnt happen up there till later in November or even December. Of course with the weather being so crazy lately, dont hold me to that.

 

[Seilerbird]

You better be out of the RV by the end of October. November, December, January and February are brutal. I would not attempt to live in an RV during those months. Yes it can be done but you will use a lot of propane and electricity and you will spend a bunch on weatherproofing and still be freezing.

Month Low High
Jan 21.7?F 32.8?F
Feb 25.7?F 39.3?F
Mar 30.4?F 48.6?F
Apr 35.5?F 57.5?F
May 42.6?F 66.2?F
Jun 49.2?F 73.9?F
Jul 54.6?F 82.5?F
Aug 54.5?F 82.6?F
Sept 45.9?F 72.5?F
Oct 35.8?F 58.5?F
Nov 28.7?F 41.1?F
Dec 21.6?F 32.8?F

 

[cadee2c]

You better be out of the RV by the end of October. November, December, January and February are brutal. I would not attempt to live in an RV during those months. Yes it can be done but you will use a lot of propane and electricity and you will spend a bunch on weatherproofing and still be freezing.

Its really not that bad. I have an older Holiday Rambler and have been in temps as low as the teens and did ok. I just filled up the fresh water tank, emptied the waste tanks and unhooked from the water and septic and made sure the hoses were drained. Yes, we did go through propane, but not outrageously. And we were quite comfy inside the coach

I can say winters arent that bad there, because I did Minnesota winters for 20+ years after doing Spokane winters most of my life.

 

[Seilerbird]

Its really not that bad. I have an older Holiday Rambler and have been in temps as low as the teens and did ok.

Being in low temps for a few days is one thing. Living in low temps full time is a whole nother kettle of fish.

 

[owgpz]

I've lived in North Idaho about 30 minutes from Spokane for over 30 years. If you are only going to stay in the RV for the rest of the year (and not keep it for the future) you'd be way better off finding a place to rent and be money ahead. 30 years ago we'd already be having weather cold enough to freeze the water lines in the RV (from personal experience  ;D ). These days we are in to November before the hard freezes come, but the aggravation of keeping the water supply thawed, and other freezing temperature concerns are quite significant.


However, if you are fully decided on an RV solution, you might check the three parks in Post Falls, ID. They are close to the freeway, and within half an hour of Spokane.

 

[BoomerD]

I've lived in North Idaho about 30 minutes from Spokane for over 30 years. If you are only going to stay in the RV for the rest of the year (and not keep it for the future) you'd be way better off finding a place to rent and be money ahead. 30 years ago we'd already be having weather cold enough to freeze the water lines in the RV (from personal experience  ;D ). These days we are in to November before the hard freezes come, but the aggravation of keeping the water supply thawed, and other freezing temperature concerns are quite significant.


However, if you are fully decided on an RV solution, you might check the three parks in Post Falls, ID. They are close to the freeway, and within half an hour of Spokane.

I grew up in Spokaloo in the 60?s and 70?s...we always had bets whether we would get snow by Halloween. 
I wouldn?t expect severe (sub-freezing) weather until after then, but definitely by Thanksgiving...and -20 isn?t all that unusual in Decembeard, Januhairy, and Februhairy...

 

[cadee2c]

I grew up in Spokaloo in the 60?s and 70?s...

Me too, but I dont remember having snow before halloween, none that stuck around anyway. Course, I dont remember alot of that stuff from that long ago.

 

[BoomerD]

Me too, but I dont remember having snow before halloween, none that stuck around anyway. Course, I dont remember alot of that stuff from that long ago.

You know what they say...if you can remember the 60's, you weren't really there.

 

[cadee2c]

You know what they say...if you can remember the 60's, you weren't really there

The 60s I remember, sorta.  Its the late 70s I have problems with.

 

[shawnpconrad]

Can I ask what you intend to do with the rig when done?
You take a big hit the first year on depreciation.
First year troubles are quite common and these are usually rectified after a year or so. It is not uncommon for the purchaser to pay for a dealer pre-delivery inspection and still have major problems the first week or two out which will be taken care of eventually if you can get back to the selling dealer. I know you think buying new will avoid a lot of trouble but with the lack of quality control it is not uncommon for someone to buy a  brand new rig only to have it make multiple trips to the shop for repair and to sit in the repair yard for a month or more. There is no federal safeguard that states any dealer who sells your brand of RV has to service the  RV and they may or may not put you at the end of the line for service
Let the first owner deal with all those problems and the lack of quality control.  The best bet is a 2-3 year old unit and a good inspection by a qualified outside inspector.

Thank you for this.  We had not considered "first year problems".

Thank you everyone for your input.

 

[darsben]

Very poor quality control, Dealers who just want to complete the sale to get the unit off the floor plan makes for a rotten way to do business.