Class A RV makes no $$ sense

[wayne49]

Could this thread be locked, please?

The thread title is negative, divisive, and contentious. Very little useful information in the posts.

A thread could be created such as "Class A on a Budget?".

Thank you for consideration of this proposal.

-Wayne

 

[Iggy]

A lot of opinions expressed here. I'm curious if anyone's mind was changed by what they read here. Personally, I'm reminded why I've never gotten married. Because of how much I dislike arguments.

 

[buckwilk]

Actually, there was a lot of passion and some very good thoughts expressed. As long as it doesn't get too out of hand and this one didn't should be good to go. I think if it isn't your cup of tea, don't continue to follow it.

 

[GotSmart]

Just WOW!    :s

You drive what you drive, and we all look the same naked and dirty.   :blush:

Just because I can fit into a regular car space, and get 16 MPG on a downhill day, does not mean my 25 year old made from a lot of different vehicles unit is grander than that Million dollar land yacht that takes up 45 feet.  

It also does not mean they are better people because that is what they drive.  

It just means I do not get upset when the 8 year old in the next car gives me a ding from the shopping cart. 

While shopping, nobody can tell what you drive. 

 

[gcal]

We have camped in everything - tent, popup, van, little trailer, big trailer, and our current 32 ft motorhome. They all had or have the same major flaw for long term residential use. No washer/dryer. There's never enough space to store a lot of dirty laundry and we do not have that many clothes, anyway. Call me a hedonist, but I just do not feel that my rolling home is complete if I am still trudging off to the laundromat every couple days. We did not intend to fulltime this Class A when we bought it, just travel a couple months in the summer. If we ever get another unit, whatever else it does or does not have, it will have a washer/dryer.

 

[buckwilk]

gcal, your rig does have a washer and dryer-----you )<:

 

[LeeRevell]

It all, in the end, comes down to personal choice.   You choose what fits your needs, your budget, your lifestyle.  No two people have those same needs, nor make the same choices.  The industry provides different vehicles to fit those choices.  None are 'good' or 'bad'.  I'd rather have those choices available than be shoehorned into someone else's idea of what makes a proper a "RV".

 

[gcal]

It all, in the end, comes down to personal choice.   You choose what fits your needs, your budget, your lifestyle.  No two people have those same needs, nor make the same choices.  The industry provides different vehicles to fit those choices.  None are 'good' or 'bad'.  I'd rather have those choices available than be shoehorned into someone else's idea of what makes a proper a "RV".

My personal choice demands space. I need everything to have an out of sight place to be, and to be there. I can't  stand stuff laying out on the furniture  or on the counters or on the bed or on the floor. If I can see it and it hasn't  been used for 5 minutes, I have a nearly uncontrollable urge to get rid of it. I was raised by a pair of hoarders (think about what you see on the TV show). I didn't get the hoarding gene, but I did get a neurosis regarding clutter and untidiness. That requires space.

 

[accrete]

Greetings,

My vote ( : I have _one_ : ) is to leave this thread unlocked. I read from 1 > 90 and picked up some good insights.

Why am I here at Cheap RV Living forums? To learn from others. To share what is working for my wife and I...knowing we are not the only ones doing similar, and certainly not reinventing the wheel.

Why did I take the time to read the thread with "Class A RV makes no $$ sense" as a tittle? I honestly already know it doesn't, but I figured reading other's Pros/Cons might lend further insight. As others have noted, I also think that it makes little financial sense to purchase ANY RV new. BUT, again like others, sometimes buying new is the route to go for an individual/couple as their needs are better fulfilled.

Anything beyond this is just a ramble!

My wife and I have been full timing since 2011. Our first rig was a used 2006 38ft DRV Mobile suite we picked up for ~30% of MSRP. In 2014 we traded in the rig on a 2015 model year Evergreen 40ft Toyhauler that fit our lifestyle and budget and is healthier for full time living IMO. When we made the plunge to full time we were leaving behind a 3 bedroom farmhouse on a half acre plot in a quiet town on the Oregon coast. We now live parked in our RV because the county will not allow "Tiny Homes" on property...and THAT is the lifestyle we desired. So now we have our Tiny House and it is parked at a golf course. Someone else mows the lawn : )

We don't know what we will move into when we finally pull the plug from the workplace. Right now our minds are open to many of the popular RV styles. Because its the two of us (happily!) we do need room. We do boondock one week a month in our van conversion. While we do enjoy those monthly adventures, it is not the same as full time living in something we would take down the road. For that reason, several of the smaller, new class A's such as the 26ft (25.2 model) Axis/Vegas line by Thor. For a while, we tested the idea of our current van conversion pulling a small 15ft fiberglass trailer, a two room RV. That was good for a couple years until our style of boondocking put a damper on pulling. So we sold the trailer. I think we will only be happy once the cord is cut (to employment) with a class B/C/A without anything behind it and still small enough to fit in the BLM/Forestry camps we frequent.

YMMV,
Thom

 

[ZoNiE]

If you are knowledgeable, experienced, and take the time to learn from others, you are more likely to get what you pay for. If you are new to the RV world, and as you seem to suggest, think that there is a very clear, linear relationship between the pile of Benjamins you give, and the quality of the product you receive, there may be some tough lessons ahead for you. Best of luck.

Not new to RV's by a long shot, but experience and climbing in, over, and under, potential purchases, Having owned several, and total gut job refurbs to modifications has taught me a lot. It's not all about how much you pay, but what you pay for. Materials, engineering, the bones of the coach are the most important. Many $250K units are all bling, looky looky how nice kinda stuff, with very little behind the mirrored ceilings...

Yeah, $200K coaches do depreciate to $80K in a 5 or so years. Lots full of 'em in Arizona.

 

[westriver]

Yeah, $200K coaches do depreciate to $80K in a 5 or so years. Lots full of 'em in Arizona.

Guess we will have to just disagree on this. A $200K rig (MSRP) typically sold new for roughly $150K and is indeed available for that kind of money after five years. Would it be a "higher end diesel pusher?" as you claim? Unlikely. Bottom line, from owning several, is that you're back in the 2004-05 range if you want something solid, like a typical 39' Newmar or Monaco, and want to spend that little. A few minutes on RVTrader, searching in the Phoenix area, confirms that the market is no different than here on the east coast.

 

[westriver]

. For that reason, several of the smaller, new class A's such as the 26ft (25.2 model) Axis/Vegas line by Thor.
YMMV,
Thom

Thom, do yourself a huge favor. If you get serious about the Axis/Vegas Thor products, spend an hour or two alone with one, and tear through it as hard as you can, without actually damaging anything. Look underneath, on the roof, under the dash, in the cabinets, pull an access panel to view plumbing and electrical, etc..... I would be shocked if you are still interested after that experience. I looked at them pretty thoroughly at a show. IMHO, with Gulfstream out of the running, these things clearly take the prize for the biggest pile of steaming dung on the market. They are a fascinating idea, but look like they were built by drunks, out of parts they found laying around the shop.

 

[accrete]

Thom, do yourself a huge favor. If you get serious about the Axis/Vegas Thor products, spend an hour or two alone with one, and tear through it ...

THX much, really appreciated. That is how we arrived and rig 1 and now 2. Basically told the sales team that if they had any glimmer of hope in selling us anything we need alone time with it.

That said, of course you and I both know there's no _perfect_ rig, nearly everything has it's pros/cons, just hoping for more of the former than later : ) Part of the draw on a rolling home the Axis/Vegas is that my wife and I find our current rig waaay to big for the two of us. The joke when we _sold the farm_ was we were never a hug apart, so why the three bedrooms!?
Our current rig has ~27ft of living area forward the rear-sealed 12ft garage (used as mud/laundry room at this point). We've toyed with the idea of grabbing the largest van on the market and going with another custom van conversion (like we currently have)...but maybe _that_ move is one size too small ?? But that is another conversation/thread.

: ) Thom

 

[ZoNiE]

2007-2008 range, last fall, not all advertised. Lots were full of coaches hoping to be sold to Canadians, who didn't come buying this year.
Average DP's, Monacos, Fleetwoods, etc. Deals were there to be had. We looked hard at a Monaco Knight with low miles and not a speck of rust underneath for $80K. Most of what we looked at was that vintage and price ranges between $75K-100K. Sure some needed tires, etc. but forget what you see advertised, there are plenty of good deals.

 

[Mobilesport]

It may not make any $$ sense, but let's face it.  The average American has lived their whole life in a house or apartment, and has come to expect certain things in their living arrangements:  A flush toilet, a shower or bathtub, a separate kitchen, etc. 

Live in a van?  Crap in a bucket?  Clean themselves with baby wipes?  Are you kidding?

Thus, an entire industry has grown up to cater to their expectations.

Regards
John

"Clean your self with baby wipes"    Yea , I guess there asking too much to want to take a daily shower after working 8 - 12 hours a day