RVs seem to fall into that category of “if it flies, floats, or [you know the third]”, it’s almost always better to rent 
Or…make friends with someone who owns one.
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I’ll chime in on this one:
We rented motorhomes a couple times when are children were younger and made some great memories. in 2010 we decided to buy one. (Class C. Fairly basic.)
There are a few things that motorhomes really do well for travelers. Allowing someone to use a familiar bathroom, and allowing someone with special eating needs to travel with their own kitchen, are two of those things.
We bought a used 36’ Bounder that was 10 years old and had about 20,000 miles on it.
We actually flew to Florida to buy it because they seemed to sell for less in retirement areas.
It cost about $100,000 new and dropped to about $30,000 in 10 years. That is a fairly high cost per mile or per year.
A larger vehicle is also harder to get serviced. We have to drive by a couple Ford dealers to get it serviced at one who has facilities for trucks. And getting tires is strictly a truck stop type effort.
Also, the tires need to be replaced every 7 years and they aren’t cheap. Our roof needed to be refurbished also. There are a lot of systems with the batteries, roof air conditioners, slide out, and on and on.
But the wife still likes it and we couldn’t have taken my mother to see our daughter’s camp events without it.
I hope that is helpful!
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I have friends who sold their house summer of 2020 and bought one in this range, and an F250 to pull it.
Exactly. They have not had a major issue, but they have been up and down the west coast twice, and they have specialists in every state for something. There is always a warranty claim with the manufacturer (their microwave blew up, they got a combo washer/dryer that had issues), and they are always upgrading wheel bearings, the vent fans and lights, the locks — something. They have to time ordering the stuff so it arrives at the last place they will be before they head to see their specialist. Several times they’ve had to leave it for work and stay in a hotel or airBnB.
They LOVE it; were it me instead, the manager of the 2nd RV park I pulled into would have had me committed. I know my limits around the house, totally different ball game with that thing.
A (new electric) VW Bus or Ford Transit made into a mobile office with a Murphy bed — I could do. One weekend max. I’m not designed to drive my entire house from city-to-city.
We were talking about motor homes. Different warranty implications (I would imagine) than something that moves around by tug boat. 
Sounds like a headache, which is pretty consistent with my experience with motor homes too. Definitely regretted buying one when we did, but it was 10 years ago.
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In a pinch I’ll go as low as a Courtyard, but motor homes definitely do not meet my minimum requirements for lodging.
Or dining.
Or really anything.
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It’s like camping…the romance/idea is far better than reality. Folks sure spend a lot of money to pretend to be homeless. (ripped off Dolly’s ‘takes a lot of money to look this trashy!’)
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Its too early in the morning for me to take on such an ambitious project.
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I see…something to look forward to when you’re divorced?
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Well, when the most comfortable looking option is exiting the trailer, there might be a problem. Fit in a zero-gravity recliner and a kegerator, and I’ll chill.
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We have a toy hauler, and we pull it behind our 3500 nissan van. Kids can bring friends, etc.
Definitely a hassle to pull but once we get there we have all of our paddle boards or bikes or whatever, plus a fully functional vehicle. I suppose you can rent all of that stuff at a hotel destination, but that also comes with trade offs. Having your own setup is nice.
I’m still probably gonna sell it and chill for a year or so as, like @Kctham18 said above, the wife is quite Meh about camping even though the kids love it.
Wouldn’t it be easier to just rent a Trailer/Camper and have it delivered to your campground? Then no issues with hauling it.
Yeah, I did that about five times. Every single time something is wrong. It’s the worst combo… the worst parts of a hotel plus the worst parts of camping.
Example: these guys notoriously have bad 12V batteries so in the middle of the night the CO detector starts chirping. Stuff like that.
Finally bought one so now at least I know what’s wrong with it, typically. Which is pretty much every trip. Last trip to Tahoe the toilet valve was leaking and it smelled like $#@ in the bathroom. Mobile RV service was $hundreds$ and couldn’t guarantee a fix. This is why I say buyer beware.
I ended up replacing the toilet under warranty before our next trip but we dealt with that for a week in summer.
I have a new class b rv sprinter I bought in 2020. As a finance guy, I would never recommend it to anyone. As a dad, the time I get to spend with my family and dogs and being able to see the country is priceless. With that said, you need to have some maybe lot of disposal income, patience, time. We are about to do a 2500 miles trip over 2 weeks for Xmas, we use it as a travel van more than a real camper.
The only other money pit that’s worse is my race car….
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Hey all, will be looking for a shortish term RV soon, like 6 months of RVing. Preference for a travel trailer but would be open to a motor home too. Any tips or resources the RV hackrs out there can share? What are some secrets to keep TCO low? Rentals seem to cost as much per month as a nice short term rental place in a city.
Thanks in advance!
Only two best moments for an RV owner, day it is bought and day it is sold.
Joking aside, I’ve rented view Class A/C motorhomes and it is fun but clunky to get around. Are you in a cold climate? You’ll have to winterize it if you are. Also what are you towing with?
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Only need to winterize when not using right? I’m planning to use it for the duration of my ownership or lease. I‘ll only need it for 4 months ish then get rid of it for hopefully minimal loss. Will be pulling it with an F150.
Similar discussion last month
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Much of the “common” RV/motorhome market has tanked. Sounds like you are going to be doing a bumper pull travel trailer and not a motorhome or 5th wheel. If you only plan on using it for 4 months and then having at best a “minimal loss” then you have 3 “realistic” choices:
- Buy a 3-5 year old, used, run of the mill travel trailer and lose almost nothing;
- Spend big money and buy a new or used Airstream or Bowlus and lose almost nothing; and
- Buy a one-off something like a new Oliver and hope you don’t get crushed as the market keeps heading downhill.
1 and 2 are the best bets. Do not buy a new travel trailer unless it is an Airstream or Bowlus as you will take a surefire beating in 4 months, and the Oliver-type option is at 50/50.
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