RV Advice (not RW...)

[JDBoston 0]

One idea I've been toying with for some time next year is getting myself an old beat-up RV and spending some time on the road. Like 3-6 months plus, at least. I saw some pretty cheap Class A's out there and I like the idea of having a decent amount of living space if I'm gonna do it. My basic plan would be to hit a bunch of drop zones and try to spend at least a week or two parked someplace between the longer drives.

What I want to figure out is how much of a pain in the ass that's likely to be, in several respects. One: I'm no repair guy, yet. How much am I going to have to learn to keep the thing running and in good shape? Is there substantially more day-to-day maintenance than a car?

Also: how often do you really need to hook RVs up? Every night? If I end up having to pay $20 every night to hook it up, I almost might as well just stay in roach motels and drive my regular car. I assume if I get one with a generator that makes it less necessary to hook up every night, right?

Also, do I need to get a different class of driver's license for something that's 20-30' long?

Just some basic introductory questions...

Thanks,
Joe

[billvon 3,120]

>One: I'm no repair guy, yet. How much am I going to have to learn
>to keep the thing running and in good shape? Is there substantially
> more day-to-day maintenance than a car?

Depends on what shape the motorhome is in. If you don't care about whether the refrigerator, water pump etc is in, then there's no additional maintenance. If you want everything to work, and you are actually going to try to fix things like leaks, rattles, and squeaks, it can be a lot of work. Factory bought RV's are generally the least maintenance-intensive.

>Also: how often do you really need to hook RVs up? Every night?

Again, depends on what you want out of it. If you leave it at a DZ, put a solar system on the roof to keep the battery charged, don't want A/C, and are willing to use the DZ's shower and toilets, you can stay in one place essentially forever. If you need propane to run a heater/refrig, that's easy to refill. If you want AC, running a power cord to an outlet isn't too hard. Water and sewage are the things you need a hookup for generally, so toilet/shower usage would be the big hitters.

> I assume if I get one with a generator that makes it less necessary
> to hook up every night, right?

Generator or solar. Generator would let you run air conditioning (if you have it) but requires fuel periodically, which you have to drive to get. Solar will let you run lights, a fan etc without needing fuel.

>Also, do I need to get a different class of driver's license for
> something that's 20-30' long?

Nope. At least, we didn't.

[bvsdjumper 0]

Hi,

I bought a 1979 23ft Class C this summer. I've never owned any kind of camper before so I'm no expert. My dad helps with a lot of stuff with it. Anyway, here are some thoughts.

As for cost, they are expensive. I paid $6100 for mine and put about $500 in it. I need to get 6 tires for it and get the regulator fixed for the propane. I figure that will be another grand. It's not in bad shape and I think the things that went wrong (belts, alternator) were from the thing just sitting not being used.

Class A's are more expensive. If you want something you won't have to worry too much about, I'd think 10K minimum (even for a class C). You can find them cheaper, but you'll probably be putting money into it.

Also, gas mileage is horrible. Uphill, downhill, doesn't matter. I get a little over 9 mpg. Talking about driving, RV's are slow. They can go 70-80 mph but they are slow uphill and off the highway. I mostly baby mine (usually not much over 60). Your travel time will be increased.

As far as day to day maintenance, checking fluid levels and air pressures before going on a trip is a must. It's best to make a checklist of things to go over before driving. These aren't vehicles you can just throw some stuff in and go. You don't need a special license though (at least I didn't for mine). Also, maintenance costs are higher.

Insurance will be expensive too. State registration, inspections, and crap like that will be more expensive.

Generators: Great concept, but they are LOUD! From what I understand Onan generators are pretty quiet but I never heard one run. Mine is very loud.

I never had mine at a campground with hookups so I can't comment on that. I can say that with mine, electricity is really nice to have (lets me run the microwave and the electric heater). You don't have to hook up to water/sewage especially if the place has bathrooms.

This all sounds really bad, but it's not as bad as it seems here. RV's give you flexibility and convenience. I would guess that most drop zone would allow you to camp in it while you're there and they may even provide electric or other hookups. It is nice having the RV right on the DZ. I've done the hotel thing and the RV is much nicer.

But, if you're looking for something cheaper than driving your car and staying in hotel, this definitely ain't it.

Hope this helps. If you do some searching there are some good web sites and newsgroups (www.google.com).

Art

Sky-div'ing (ski'div'ing) n. A modern sport that involves parties, bragging, sexual excesses, the imbibing of large quantities of beer, and, on rare occasions, parachuting from aircraft.

[PhillyKev 0]

Quote

But, if you're looking for something cheaper than driving your car and staying in hotel, this definitely ain't it.

Assuming $10k for the RV vs. $50/night for a hotel. That's 200 nights at a hotel. Personally, I wouldn't bother unless you were buying new so that you're sure it will last without pouring more money into it, and planned on using it a lot every year. Not talking from the experience of having one but from the experience of thinking the same you are and deciding against it.