Has anyone purchased an RV/motorhome to live in?

[TurtleCrusher]

I hope I don't come off as crazy, but I've been thinking of purchasing an RV to live out of while finishing college and possibly beyond. My wife and I have spoken about it and she didn't seem against it at all. We used to live in a tiny bedroom together in a shared house, so even an RV would seem pretty big to us.

I'm seeing a bunch of mid-ninties 22-35ft motor homes on craigslist for $8-12k in completely good condition. Using this RV loan calculator, apparently I can get a 9.5k RV on a 5 year loan, 16.9% interest at $190 a month. That's much less than what I'm paying for rent. And to get into an RV park here, it's about $270 a month for utilities hookup and cable. My wife and I can change to part time jobs and still have enough for food and going out all the time with these kinds payments.

I just am not seeing the downsides to this. My wife and I keep having a battle with ourselves to get out more and do more things, and I also see this as a way to make it a necessity.

Enough rambling, anyone done it or thought about it?

 

[Hugo Drax]

Why not, better to live frugally, build up some capital and see the world while your young.

 

[manimal]

could get a cheaper double wide-park it and sell it when your done.

Right now the RV market is a shell of where is was a decade ago. There are TREMEMDOUS deals on diesel pushers Class A rigs that used to cost 40-50k.

Careful about what you buy without getting a full inspection from a place that services those. I would be especially careful about inspecting the roofs for leaks. A ton of those use Chevy 454s and ford V10s so mechanically they are bone simple.

target models that have updated generators and little used plumbing. Look for one that a family used for tailgating. Lower miles and little used plumbing.


Look for companies like Georgie boy. Tremendous rigs.

If you have a truck already you could always get a third wheel and save.

 

[xSauronx]

so my girlfriend bought herself a camper last week to do just this.

she got herself into a meh situation: she moved back home from PA, bought herself a huge old house at a steal of a price, and then agreed with her sister & brother in law to let them fix up the upstairs and buy the house from her.

in the mean time, shed live there, and then when they were ready to move in shed basically rent a room from them...because she wanted a camper to travel around in. she has a job where she can work from *anywhere* as long as she has internet access.

turns out, they moved in and acted like assholes, so she said "here, rent the whole place and ill sell it when you are ready, im gonna gtfo"

so she bought a camper from some friends, a wifi hotspot, and got the boss to trade her desktop for a laptop. her expenses will be lower, and she can go stay at a friends local, private lake most of the time, then a couple of other friends with big yards if she wants/needs to, and can go see her friends in PA, the nc mountains, or just wherever if she likes.

she bought the thing last week, so im interested to see how it works out, but for just her and her dog the 30' has plenty of room, and it'd be plenty if there were 2 adults there. i should mention that she was sort of a minimalist anyway (the huge house was a steal, and she didnt really use most of the room). she can comfortably have 3 - 5 people over to hang out inside for the evening.

and itll be cheap. she had the money to buy one used outright,but monthly itll be cheaper than the house/bills she had before. and with her job...well she can go out of town on the weekend and stay a week or two, then come home for a couple of weeks, then go somewhere else.

i guess you have to be prepared to...not want stuff. or kids. or multiple pets(She has one very, very well behaved dog). there is a pretty decent amount of storage in the things thats cleverly tucked away, but there is still only so much room. she wont be able to take all of her clothes with her, but will have the essentials and a little more and will get to take home with her any time she wants to travel.

she specifically bought a camper over an RV. she already had a truck (kinda had this in mind long term) that can tow the thing. itll be pushing the weight limit but itll handle it.

 

[RossMAN]

Here are a few pre-owned RV's to get your search started, I believe the company is based in Coburg, Oregon.

 

[Mixolydian]

pics of wife? :hmm:

 

[TastesLikeChicken]

 

[bbhaag]

How cold does it get in Portland? Most RVs need to be winterized every year or the plumbing will suffer. If it gets below freezing you might need to do some extra work to the pipes.
Otherwise I think it's a solid idea. I spent a lot of my childhood summers in an RV and have some fond memories. Personal space was always an issue though...that and the bathrooms in motorhomes really suck. They are really small. They aren't very efficient either. Most water heaters in a camper are pretty tiny so make sure you get their first that way you get the hot water. Most campgrounds have a shower room though so you can always use that. Just make sure you were your flip flops and I always found it useful to put all my personal care items in a tupper ware container so they don't get lost or placed on a less than clean surface.

 

[halik]

My wife and I can change to part time jobs and still have enough for food and going out all the time with these kinds payments.

Wow they really did base Portlandia off of real life...

 

[TurtleCrusher]

pics of wife? :hmm:

Umm, no. :awe:

How cold does it get in Portland? Most RVs need to be winterized every year or the plumbing will suffer. If it gets below freezing you might need to do some extra work to the pipes.
Otherwise I think it's a solid idea. I spent a lot of my childhood summers in an RV and have some fond memories. Personal space was always an issue though...that and the bathrooms in motorhomes really suck. They are really small. They aren't very efficient either. Most water heaters in a camper are pretty tiny so make sure you get their first that way you get the hot water. Most campgrounds have a shower room though so you can always use that. Just make sure you were your flip flops and I always found it useful to put all my personal care items in a tupper ware container so they don't get lost or placed on a less than clean surface.

In the area it hits below freezing maybe 15-20 nights out of the year, and snows 2-3 days a year. My relatives up by Seatac Airport (WA) never mentioned winterproofing theirs... ever.

Wow they really did base Portlandia off of real life...

They really did. That show is no joke about what happens here. I've been to almost every (Portland) spot on the show before they ever filmed it. The wedding scene below the St. Johns bridge is where I had my elopement wedding, and the basketball court in the high-school is where I played ball. The shop that featured the "put a bird on it" was 3 blocks from my house at the time. And the crusty fuck/dumpster diving is very alive. I often see the bicycle moving company when driving about NE Portland...

Here are a few pre-owned RV's to get your search started, I believe the company is based in Coburg, Oregon.

Those prices are kuh-razy!

 

[skyking]

Not to live in, but I have two 5th wheel trailers now. I will be selling the larger one this spring because it is a bit heavier/longer than I want to travel with. I can deliver

 

[BoomerD]

We've actually been considering it...establish a "domicile" in Montana or Texas...live in the motorhome full time...:biggrin:

It's definitely NOT for everyone.



(and we're not sure it's for us...but we're thinking about it)

 

[xSauronx]

what are summers like up there, OP? the main concern my gf has here in NC is about how well the AC will work in the summer if it has to run a lot. it gets stupid hot down here.

any camper/rv owners care to chime in on that?

 

[DrPizza]

We have a lot of friends who have retired & live in an RV at the lake we spend a lot of time at each year. Those larger and newer ones have a lot of space with all the slide outs. Our friends seem to be incredibly comfortable - they get up, go out fishing, do a little yard work, sit around relaxing, eat lunch, take a nap, go fishing, eat dinner, sit around the campfire drinking a few beers, etc. Very relaxing lifestyle.

 

[Sho'Nuff]

I haven't purchased an RV, but I used to own a fifth wheel and I currently own a travel trailer. Hopefully RV's are put together better than travel trailers, because it is SCARY how poorly most trailers are constructed.

Consistent with what others have said, I strongly recommend having an RV you are considering inspected thoroughly by someone who services them. They are notorious for having problems (roof leaks, plumbing issues, etc.) that are difficult and/or expensive to fix.

 

[OILFIELDTRASH]

We've actually been considering it...establish a "domicile" in Montana or Texas...live in the motorhome full time...:biggrin:

It's definitely NOT for everyone.



(and we're not sure it's for us...but we're thinking about it)

Living in Tex-ass? Say it ain't so

 

[waggy]

down around where my dad lives in Southern IL there are people at the lake that live in RV's nearly year around.

 

[OILFIELDTRASH]

What are the neighbors going to be like? You really want your old lady in a RV while you aren't there? Not judging anyone but I'd think that you'd have a lot of undesirables living next to you in a RV park.

 

[jemcam]

Most RV's are not built or designed to live in full time and they wear out very quickly. Things like cabinets, plumbing, etc. If you don't believe me, look at how the cabinets and floors are made.

Most of them are designed and built with lower quality materials to be able to withstand a weekend or so a month.

You have to get into very expensive motor homes if you want one to live in full time.

 

[Mixolydian]

Umm, no. :awe:

Damn!

 

[soulcougher73]

My wife and I are thinking about this as well currently.

 

[BoomerD]

Living in Tex-ass? Say it ain't so

Happily...you don't have to actually LIVE in Tex-Ass to establish a domicile there...but you DO have to deal with Tex-Ass DMV for licensing...which means going back every year.

 

[TwiceOver]

If I had a job where I didn't have to "go in" to work and felt comfortable driving such a large vehicle, hell yes I would do it.

 

[DrPizza]

Most RV's are not built or designed to live in full time and they wear out very quickly. Things like cabinets, plumbing, etc. If you don't believe me, look at how the cabinets and floors are made.

Most of them are designed and built with lower quality materials to be able to withstand a weekend or so a month.

You have to get into very expensive motor homes if you want one to live in full time.

This is sort of true, but take a look at what's available on the used market. 5th wheels with Corian countertops or granite countertops, etc. Some of them are very well built.

 

[mvbighead]

While they may not be designed to live in full time, one could do it, and just deal with the repairs as they come.

The only downsides I could see is having very little space to store food. I like to cook, and have a small chest freezer, and outdoor refrigerator, and an indoor refrigerator. You're going to have a 1/4 to 1/5 of the space of a traditional refrigerator most likely, which means you'll be going to the grocery store often if you don't eat out every day.