Are You Getting Your Money's Worth Out Of Your Rv?

What we have noticed over the past few years is that many folks have either sold off or just parked their RVs due to the economy and the price of gas and diesel. This has effected everyone, from those driving smaller Class C units to those driving the large pushers and everything in between. Selling an RV hasn't exactly been easy during this time period also so that is one more reason why some sit as you mentioned, not being used. I'm sure there are other reasons for this happening but in our minds this is how we see it. We have friends that have all but stopped using their RV due to the higher fuel costs and also the increases in park rates over this time period. It wasn't too long ago that you could stay in a really nice park for $20 a night. Try to find one of those now...............

Regards, BankShot

 

QUOTE(mdcamping @ Sep 7 2014, 05:50 PM) [snapback]38226[/snapback]

I guess from my perspective I would think I'm in the middle of the road, I get out once a month to do some camping. Considering I hopefully have about 7 to 12 yrs of working before retirement, I would think I'm doing okay.

What puzzles me is when I drive in the surrounding area where I live I will see both new or almost new RV's that never move or I'll see some one by a nice used trailer or coach and it will sit and sit and sit. I just don't understand spending $$$$$ and not getting any or little use out of it.

Is this just me seeing this? Anyone have any additional thought to this?

Mike



Any hobby is the same I think. Boats, cabins in the woods or RVs. The first few years they are used a lot like every weekend and vacations. Then it is every other weekend and so on until they are not used at all. This is something I have noticed over the years.

We fulltimed in our Everest for 11 years so we got out moneys worth. Those were great years.

 

In the signature, see the ages of my kids. We are using it less and less than we used to when they were younger, because they all have activities that interfere. As they get older and move out, we will start using it more and more.

 

Before we went full-time RVing and were thinking about it. We would drive by this storage lot on the way to my wife's parent's house. Was amazed on how many RVs never moved. Also thought if your not going to use it sell it. We are still getting our moneys worth our of both our truck and trailer. Have owned the truck and trailer over ten years.

But we have also felt the same way about motorcycles. What was the point of owning a motorcycle unless you put on at least 5,000 miles a year. My wife bought herself a five year Harley Softail back in 1994 that only had 5,000 miles on it. The guy selling it wanted a brand new Harley Heritage Softail. Didn't understand why he was getting a brand new Harley when he hadn't even rode the one he had.

 

When we first started 11 years ago, we camped upwards of 10 weekends a season - which was routinely every weekend for a couple months. Our kids are now in college, and we are lucky if we (meaning just wife and I) get out 4 times a year. I make a decent effort to schedule camping trips between everything else going on.

Now I look for dry camping in state parks. With just the two of us, we don't need any hookups and I'd rather go for a walk/hike than "use" a resort's attractions. It is also amazing how much there is close by... I didn't know Connecticut had so many state parks / low cost campgrounds and beautiful places to hike and sightsee until I really started looking for them -- really, there is so much to see within an hours drive that fuel costs are not an issue.

I still find camping to be less expensive than using a hotel. With a hotel, you've got nightly fees which are usually at least double if not triple campsite costs and you have to eat out for every meal. And I understand that I am not including the initial cost of the camper.

A few families we know have almost stopped using their campers. They used them when the kids were younger, but now they are considering selling them (the campers, I mean).

We have been up and down the East Coast, and I feel that our kids have seen and done much more than most people we know because of our camper.

 

YES. Being semi-retired and on the road most of the time, we actually calculated when we had saved enough in motel bills for the RV to have paid for itself. That's even after deducting the cost of the RV parks. Of course the shotgun purchased at the same time has not paid for itself- but then again no-one has tried to break in to the RV.

If someone buys an RV, and only uses it once a year, it's not a problem. They have it to enjoy when they want to. Could you imagine how crowded the parks would be if the majority of those rigs you see sitting most of the time were actually out on the road on a regular basis!

 

QUOTE(mdcamping @ Sep 11 2014, 02:45 PM) [snapback]38289[/snapback]

For now it wouldn't sit well with me if I could only get out once a year. If I was in a situation where I could no longer go or if I just lost interest, I would certainly dump my trailer... it would just bother me to much knowing I would be loosing the value left in my trailer.

Mike




It would kill me to not be able to use my 5th wheel and see it sitting in the yard. I had to sell it recently after 11 years full timing and settle down into a sticks and bricks home and everytime I see an RV going down the road I get hitch itch. I really really miss being on the road. Some of the best years of my life.

 

I broke my leg in June and couldn't weight bear on it until the middle of August.....We lost the entire summer which included our annual month long RV trip..This is the first weekend since June that we have gotten out. I agree if you are only getting out a few times a year you might as well as sell the rig....The other thing we are facing is an aging parent who lives with us and broke his hip when we left on a short holiday last year. He is 88 years old and thinks he can do things that a younger person can do......It almost feels like we look after a child sometimes......DW and I have had conversations about selling the rig with the reality that we can't leave him on his own anymore. I know there are care workers but its when they leave and he is on his own that the mischief starts and I'm certain we will get a call that he has hurt himself or burned the house down.....So yes we are considering selling the rig but not because of the excessive price of fuel or campgrounds but because of our parent.

 

Back when the kids were young and we had trouble planning trips because of activities, we went seasonal. That way we could camp a lot more, at least part of most weekends May to October because we did not have to make reservations since we had a place to go. So for 10 years we camped just about every weekend or part of a weekend plus some weeks, it was great. Four years ago we started traveling again and did 20 nights the first year and 30 the second. Not as much as I wanted but the wife was good with it. Last year I got sick and made a commitment to camp more as long as I was well enough. So, last year we camped 40 nights and this year, by the time the season is over, we hopefully have between 40 and 44 nights. Camping this much, I feel we are getting all we can out of the trailer. Our friends do not camp as much, they are still at 20+ nights because they care for the 91 year old father so they stop when it get cool as grandpa does not light camping when it is cold. It is fun camping with grandpa during the summer though.

 

Got our money's worth because we bought it used in 2002 for $7500. Used it a few times a year before the kids were born. We've used it every year at least once so at this point I feel we've gotten our money's worth.

 

If I really sat down and thought about what I'll pay for the truck and trailer by the time the loans are done, there's no way I'll truly get my money's worth out of it... but I don't care. We're seasonal right now, and we go up almost every weekend, and for the four years we were on the road every other weekend May - Oct (give or take a weekend) my kids got to see things they would not have otherwise seen. Without having the camper, i doubt I'd've taken a car trip to stay in a motel in Amish Country, or to the Cape May Zoo, we just wouldn't have thought about them. Camping has afforded us the opportunity to do these things, things which my kids will be talking to eachother about long after I'm gone - in that sense, I've gotten more than my money's worth out of it.

 

Already posted on this thread but wanted to add that last year we were gone for 53 days total so we feel we are getting some decent use from our RV and from our investment in it, etc. We bought it to use and not to sit there on the pad looking good..........

Regards to all, BankShot

 

I'm pretty sure we've felt we got "our money's worth" out of every RV we've owned after the first night out in it. All the other nights (over 200 so far this year) are pure "profit".

 

You all would be pretty disappointed with me this year, only took my motorhome out for 9 days, with no plans to take it out again until next year. I hesitate to take it on a long trip until I get the tires replaced (they are 8 years old), and that cost will be $2-3k so have to save up.

 

I typically average 35 plus days using my travel trailer per year. Sometimes I do wonder if I am getting my money's worth when I include the upkeep and maintenance, but then I look at the memories I have and things I have gotten to see. To me you can't put a price on those items. I definitely get my money's worth out of my TT.

I don't worry about those RVs parked. Sometimes they remind me that mine needs to hit the road. I am usually trying to figure out how I can get away.