Comments on: Reader’s Corner – Should she rent before she buys?

By: Malinda

Malinda — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 04:20:17 +0000

Holly,
Also, take into mind where you would like to camp. Those 40′ diesel pushers are pretty and roomy, but some campgrounds will only allow 30′ or shorter if you like beaches, or national parks.

I would find out about the niceties that campers work around like nto generators or general noise after 10pm.

It’s not just the rv, but the lifestyle. We’ve gone to Canada and were very happy in our 32′. In fact, we wouldn’t have wanted one any longer, though a slide would have been nice. The beaches on California’s coast are breathtaking, but over 30′ and you are not allowed. We wanted the real beach experience and not an “rv camp” (and yes, we sneaked in to a couple at 32′ but generally it is not a good idea. Others uphold the rules, we all should.)

Your pets are welcome usually in rv parks so you don’t have to give up pets.

There are campground memberships, but they are spendy and maintenance on them is just as costly. We found that they did not work for us, as we wanted to be with family and friends. Many friends belonged to another co-op. It just wasn’t feasable. It’s nice to make new friends, but to keep the old ones is just as important.

When you buy, figure in “maintenaince insurance.” if it’s any class except a trailer or 5th wheel. A travel trailer with no motor is less expensive and are looking pretty good these days. That’s what we just purchased. You don’t have to tow a car or go without a vehicle on the road.Upon arrival at camp, We just park, unplug, level and are able to leave if we so desire. I love antiqueing and I have a whole truck bed to bring home my goodies.

Those are the things you wnat to learn about before buying your rv. How comfortable are you driving a 40′er or 34′ or whatever, what storage space do you need, and do you want to park under the trees on sand or on pavement? Those things really matter.

By: Ron

Ron — Tue, 23 Sep 2008 19:32:00 +0000

Holly,
Everything above is perfectly true, You want to rent first regardless, and you want to buy used to begin with. And you want to define what you’re going to be comfortable doing. Some would prefer to pull, others want no part of that. But perhaps the biggest question to be asked is what are you going want to be doing with this RV? Weekend trips? Full-time touring? Retirement lifestyle? All three of these RVing activites really require an entirely different approach to identifying what kind of coach you would want. From what I read in (and into) your request, that’s a question You’ve not really asked yet, and it is perhaps the most significant question you need to answer. RV’s are just another, smaller, portable comfort zone. They are beautiful for the first two weeks you own it, no doubt. But after the first light bulg burns out and the drawer handle breaks, reality sets in and they become a utility you have to live with. The successful utilization of an RV is totally dependant on your attention to your defined needs. Thats where you really need to “experiance” your RV needs. Anything less turns “Utility” into “Futility”. I would state that 90% of those who’ve tried Rving, and failed, never asked this question of themselves to begin with. There is a magic with living with and in an RV, but it will alays require compromize.

By: Randy

Randy — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 00:56:31 +0000

We recently purchased our first ever camper\rv. A Class A diesel pusher. I own numerous businesses and am very mechanically inclined and consider myself somewhat knowledgeable about mechanical equipment and large vehicles. I would recommend at minimum a trial weekend from the dealer. We didn’t and I wish we had. I would try and “get with knowledgable experienced” campers that can fill you in on the mechanical side of the equipment you are purchasing. Bad windows, battery age, etc. This way you have an opportunity to learn the things that may be wrong, etc. so you can make a smart buy and get your monies worth. If the dealer doesn’t offer an extended warrantee – be leary as he doesn’t want to write a bad policy and lose money on it. Ask for all service records and request full disclosure on the vehicle that way if they hide somethimg you can still hold them accountable. Once you purchase it – use it right away so you can get the “bugs” taken care of before the dealer doesn’t stand behind it…

By: Steve Owens

Steve Owens — Tue, 17 Jun 2008 14:23:31 +0000

Holly:
Answer these questions before you rent or buy;
1 Is this your home or your vacation?
If it is your home rent first the same model you are thinking of buyingor possably the unit you are looking at from a private party may rent it to you with proof of insurance and some cash as a deposit.
Vacation consider how often you will use it and where it will be stored when not in use. The second being the big one lonely units seem to atract outsiders who think they can help themselves to your things. If you have a seasonal lot somewhere you may want to look at a fifth wheel or travel trailer the cost less and are easier to maintain. I have done this many years and have loved every season. Whatever you choose have fun with it and we will see you out there.

By: Karla Gray

Karla Gray — Tue, 17 Jun 2008 12:44:54 +0000

Hi…we too were so excited to enter the RV lifestyle and jumped in before we did our homework. I think when we walked onto the RV sales lot, they saw “sucker” on our foreheads and now we are paying for it. All of the posts above are so true.

You cannot possibly know if you’re going to like the RV in the 2 or 3 hours that you spend looking at it on the lot. My head was in the clouds because I was so excited to be buying my first motorhome that I couldn’t tell you what amenities it had…only that it was big and pretty! Well…2 years later, I still find things I would have looked for and bought another unit. Also, make sure you buy a brand that is reputable and reliable. We have friends that purchased a National RV and now that company is bankrupt…what do you do for warranty work?

I also don’t think that buying new is a really good idea, as we did. The RV is not an investment because we couldn’t get near out of it what we have put into it in just 2 years.

You also have to think of the long-term obligations of owning the motorhome…maintenance, repair work (it’s so expensive), storage in the winter months (if you don’t live in it), RV insurance (OMG it’s so expensive)and a long list of other incidentals that we never thought of when purchasing our coach. And just when you think something should be covered on your extended warranty…it seems there’s always a loophole voiding the warranty so guess who pays to have it fixed…you! We have also found that there are lots of things that go wrong in owning a motorhome…we were in a hailstorm last month and it busted out 2 solar panels on top of the coach…lots of rain…lots of problems…very expensive!! I guess I think you should just have a reserve of money that can be set aside for these problems you don’t expect!

Definitely…try renting a coach that you would be interested in purchasing…maybe two or three different ones to see if you like it. Give yourself two or three trips and see if you still have that same enthusiasm for it.
Don’t get me wrong…we love being able to use our motorhome…we still have full-time jobs, but being able to go to the lake or on week long vacations in our motorhome is awesome. There’s nothing better than loading up the dogs and hitting the open road…plus you have your own bed to sleep in!!

We can’t wait to be “full-time” rvers when we retire!! Good luck to you and I hope that you find the dream RV you are looking for in the future!!

By: ontheroadrving

ontheroadrving — Mon, 16 Jun 2008 15:35:35 +0000

We rented a pop up before purchasing to see if that was the way to go after years of tent camping. We found that we were tired of waking up to find it had rained during the night and everything we had outside was wet. We loved the idea of being up off the ground. We immediately bought one. That was the only time we rented first. We eventually moved to a travel trailer and now have our first fifth wheel. There didn’t seem to be any reason to rent first for those. We already knew what we needed. We just had to find the one with the options we thought were most important.

By: ontheroadrving

ontheroadrving — Mon, 16 Jun 2008 15:35:18 +0000

Yes, I would highly recommend renting several types, sizes and etc. It is so
costly to buy one and later find out you wish you had something different. I
made that mistake of buying what I thought I wanted twice.. my suggestion is
to rent and use often and talk to other campers and see f they will let you
look through their trailer and tell you what they like and what they don’t
like. The majority of the campers I talk to have something they don’t like
or something they don’t have that they wish they did… rent-rent-rent

By: ontheroadrving

ontheroadrving — Mon, 16 Jun 2008 15:34:56 +0000

Holly of Farmington definatly rent an RV before you buy we love ours but it is a big expenditure to sit in the drive and not use you have to get ready by loading all you need and plan menu’s as the refrigerater does not hold as much we also eat out quite a lot we rented in 1977 and bought our first in1978 and were full timing for over 3 years till my husband had health problems but hope to be on the road again soon Angela

By: ontheroadrving

ontheroadrving — Mon, 16 Jun 2008 15:34:38 +0000

Reply to Holly,

What you should do is research the Rvs, figure what features are essential for you to have, then narrow it down to those rvs that have those features, find the best quality you can get for your money online then go to your local dealer to see if they will match the lowest price, they will of course.
Renting could help because some things you’ll figure out right away what you like or dislike.
We really wanted a 7 ft ceiling pano window and queen size bed 2 slide outs and full body paint.
We love our Rv.

By: ontheroadrving

ontheroadrving — Mon, 16 Jun 2008 15:34:15 +0000

From an owner who is on his 6th motorhome:

YES!!!
Rent before buying.
The total cost of owning a motorhome is hugely expensive for most normal people with a normal amount of money.
Take an “inexpensive” used $30,000 motorhome.
First year depreciation:$10,000(subsequent years about $3,000)
interest/money cost: $3,000
Maint/storage/repairs/insur/registration: $1,000 – $5,000
Fuel @ 25¢-50¢ per mile: $1,000 – $5,000

TOTAL $10,000 – $20,000 per year

Do you REALLY want to spend $10,000 , or more, per year on something that costs that much whether you use it or not?

The rule of thumb is that you need to use your motorhome at least 4 months (120 days) per year for it to be a cost-effective “investment”.

Rentals are FAR cheaper than ownership for most people, and they don’t box you into a long-term commitment. Also, renting solves the storage and maintenance problems (which are FAR greater than for normal cars).

RVs can be fun and they can be frustrating, but they are always VERY expensive. We generally enjoy ours, and it is an essential tool in our work. But RENT before you leap. Renting an RV is the cheapest and wisest thing you can ever do!

Dave