We just bought our current used rig and plan on keeping it for 4-5 more years, and will probably full time in it begining here soon (somewhat based in a general area as I work a long project). Then we will upgrade to a 2 or so year old rig for our continued full time experience.
Our plans are to pay cash in 5 years just like we did this past time, and we will continue to live the dream on our terms.
1999 Sea Breeze 33'
2002 PT Cruiser Toad
2006 Goldwing MotorTrike-Bushtec Trailer
& Other toys my wife finds amusing.
Patriot Guard Rider---Serving Those Who Served.
USAF Veteran 1975-1981 ATC-Giant Talk
Have been toying with the idea for a few months now. Looking at ordering a Newmar MADP. They are going to custom it with bunk beds for us that way if we ever decide to sell the stick house the kids will still have their own room. The current state of the economy for our Nation IS concerning, our personal situation appears to be different than the media presents. We tend to play on the conservative side which is why we have not yet pulled the trigger on the deal. Life will go on either way but it sure would be a nice(er) ride in a new rig.
woodhog wrote: think it is a concept that has just about come and gone for the ordinary person, it does not make sense anymore. It is also not very green which is the trend nowadays for most people.
I recently did some research on this, and actually, if you are a fulltimer, the carbon footprint of the rv is much less than a stick house. So in a sense it is green.
And no, we won't buy a new class A. Never would. We will buy a used DP later this year or next year. We have no debt, two houses and two cars paid for, so we aren't worried about the fuel costs YET.
at $9-$10 a gallon for gas most people won't be able to drive anything much less a class A. if something doesn't turn around soon that big thing in our driveways will be the least of our worries. i'm waiting for the first 30 something kid to try to boomerang back home here due to the high costs of everything. do i dare turn on the lights in the living room?
dennis and terry
2000 damon intruder 349 (The Boo-mobile)
cats Hunter and Jazz
dog Abigail (newly adopted from humane society)
1995 Saturn wagon toad
I would never/could never buy new - my tastes are high. As far as fuel prices go, we will likely take 3 trips (major, to us) this year, about 2K miles per trip - that means I budget an xtra 400 bucks for each trip. No big deal.
Dave Head
Oviedo FL
95 Foretravel U320C SE
M11, HD4060
Would I buy a new Motorhome? You bet! I bought my first in February 2008, brand new, just arrived that day from the manufacturer to the dealer. Still had the protective plastic film on the appliances. I specifically wanted one with a full body slide. Now, having learned more through ownership, I would get a 45' tag axle.
Had I known RV ownership was this much fun, I would have bought one 15 years ago.
New or used? That's your choice. I've always had new cars every 2-3 years. I suppose you can get 'more' coach by buying 'previously owned,' but I always worry about how a motor vehicle was treated. New ones have a warranty.
My advice would be - don't buy a 36 if you really want a 42. This is a major investment, so invest in something you'll be happy with for a long time. It is certainly easier to afford a less costly coach than more costly, but you also need to judge the "what will make me happy" factor! Don't buy a Class C if you will wish you had a tag axle every day.
A gas MH will get about 6.5mpg to 9.5mpg. A diesel will get around 8 to 10. All things considered, you will have about the same fuel costs for either one. People will argue and post different numbers, but the bottom line is, you are pushing a brick through the air at 65+ mph. You are NOT going to get "great" mileage. It's not a Honda.
You cannot control the cost of fuel, so don't worry about it. Gas is around $3.76 and diesel is around $4.13. Both will get more expensive before the price falls, but I believe it will fall. Supply is exceeding demand presently. The price per barrel of oil is artificially high and will plummet when these fund managers begin to take their profits, and they can't make profits until they sell. They are walking a tightrope right now, wondering how much further they can drive the price up before one of their big rivals begins to sell off and rake in the profits. When one of the big fund managers sells, all of them will, and the price will drop to $90-93/barrel, maybe less.
Further, if the price of fuel is a determining factor of your motorhome, don't buy one. You won't be able to enjoy it. When each fillup costs $500+, if it hurts your budget, you will regret your purchase.
Or, give up cigarettes and tell the wife that you're burning kerosene instead of tobacco. It's better for you. And her!
I figure that if I can afford a half-mil coach (and I can...and I did), then I Certainly am not going to worry about $5 fuel... nor $6 ...nor $7.
One only has to ask themselves, can I afford it? Do I want it? The answers are all personal in that each individual has to evaluate and look at it for themselves. It makes not a diddly bit of difference as to what I think in your regard, nor anyone else on here. These are the issues that are handled by the knowledgeable, informed individual as it relates to their own circumstances.
"Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed in the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover." --Mark Twain
stevelv wrote: The B+ that we have been looking at have varied between 17mpg and 22mph depending upon GVWR - that's a huge difference from the 7-8 for the Beaver. These are the 2.7 liter 5 cylinder Mercedes diesel engined RVs.
Since the Sprinter fits the definition of a Type B MH I don't see where they can call it a B+. A B+ is built on a much larger chassis and usually uses the same running gear as a Type A MH.
Deen - Vancouver, WA
'02 Dutch Star 4090 (41+', triple slide)
435/1200 ISC Cummins/Banks PowerPak
'08 Honda Civic/dolly
'05 Honda Odyssey/dolly
NRA Benefactor Life Member
FMCA f47302s, Life Member: Good Sam, Newmar DP Owners Group
51st yr of RV'ing
BudParrish wrote: Would I buy a new Motorhome? You bet! I bought my first in February 2008, brand new, just arrived that day from the manufacturer to the dealer. Still had the protective plastic film on the appliances. I specifically wanted one with a full body slide. Now, having learned more through ownership, I would get a 45' tag axle.
Had I known RV ownership was this much fun, I would have bought one 15 years ago.
New or used? That's your choice. I've always had new cars every 2-3 years. I suppose you can get 'more' coach by buying 'previously owned,' but I always worry about how a motor vehicle was treated. New ones have a warranty.
My advice would be - don't buy a 36 if you really want a 42. This is a major investment, so invest in something you'll be happy with for a long time. It is certainly easier to afford a less costly coach than more costly, but you also need to judge the "what will make me happy" factor! Don't buy a Class C if you will wish you had a tag axle every day.
A gas MH will get about 6.5mpg to temporary. A diesel will get around 8 to 10. All things considered, you will have about the same fuel costs for either one. People will argue and post different numbers, but the bottom line is, you are pushing a brick through the air at 65+ mph. You are NOT going to get "great" mileage. It's not a Honda.
You cannot control the cost of fuel, so don't worry about it. Gas is around $3.76 and diesel is around $4.13. Both will get more expensive before the price falls, but I believe it will fall. Supply is exceeding demand presently. The price per barrel of oil is artificially high and will plummet when these fund managers begin to take their profits, and they can't make profits until they sell. They are walking a tightrope right now, wondering how much further they can drive the price up before one of their big rivals begins to sell off and rake in the profits. When one of the big fund managers sells, all of them will, and the price will drop to $90-93/barrel, maybe less.
Further, if the price of fuel is a determining factor of your motorhome, don't buy one. You won't be able to enjoy it. When each fillup costs $500+, if it hurts your budget, you will regret your purchase.
Or, give up cigarettes and tell the wife that you're burning kerosene instead of tobacco. It's better for you. And her!
I agree with your comments.... the reason for the high fuel prices is money chasing money. This is a cycle that happens, money was chasing money in 2000 with dot.coms then moved out and stocks crashed. Then the money went into property and now it has moved onto oil and other commodities. It will correct itself eventually just like the others. Based on the experts it currently cost about $60 a barrel to extract and ship so we are currently paying double on the actual cost (again money chasing money). As long as investors are willing to pay more for future contracts then today the price will go up. But one day the fund managers will begin to sell and the price will correct (lets hope it happened sooner then later).
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