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Topic ClosedShould I buy?

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GlueGuy View Drop Down
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Direct Link To This Post Topic: Should I buy?
    Posted: 29 Oct 2018 at 10:43am
Originally posted by offgrid

It's all a matter of perspective.

Airplane owners count funds for maintenance of their aircraft in AMU's (aviation monetary units) 1 AMU = $1K.
That probably depends on the airplane. If you're flying a Gulfstream an AMU might be around $10K. If you're flying a Piper Malibu, the $1K AMU is about right. If you're flying a Cessna 152, an AMU is probably closer to $250. When I had my homebuilt, I used $100 as an AMU.
bp
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lostagain View Drop Down
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: 29 Oct 2018 at 9:00am
Royal, almost everything in life is a pothole into which you throw money.  The question is whether there is a commensurate amount of benefit that you receive for your money.  A nice meal at a fine restaurant goes in then a few hours goes out, but it was the going in that made it nice and worth the money.  It's just a matter of cost vs. benefit.  If you get enough benefit it's worth the cost, whether a boat, an RV, an airplane, a nice vacation; truly all the things in life that you spend money on.  

So don't worry so much about the money, it will, of necessity, be self limiting.  If you enjoy a trailer or some other kind of an RV, get one.  Just make sure the pleasure is consistent with the money and effort.
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crankster78 View Drop Down
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: 29 Oct 2018 at 8:53am
Greetings:

I think you now have enough information to make an informed decision.  Good luck and enjoy whatever your decision is.  Remember, it's only money!  
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Royal1585 View Drop Down
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: 29 Oct 2018 at 8:05am
Not thrilled with the prospects of a money pit.  I want to explore and enjoy and not be hassled with constant repairs and extensive set-up and take-downs.  This site is giving me more perspective and what owning an RV would entail.  It's not cheap to rent either, but I am accepting that RV'ing is not about gaining an economical advantage over hotels, B&B's, etc.  I'll think more on it and decide what I want to do.    
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offgrid View Drop Down
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: 29 Oct 2018 at 4:14am
It's all a matter of perspective.

Airplane owners count funds for maintenance of their aircraft in AMU's (aviation monetary units) 1 AMU = $1K.

Boat owners use Boat Bucks (1 Boat Buck = $1K).

AFAIK, there isn't the equivalent in the RV world. 

Having owned several of all three types of money pits, aircraft are by far the most expensive, boats don't even come close (there's no equivalent of the FAA for boats). And RV's are the least expensive (because stuff doesn't need to say "marine" on it).

So I look at it this way, by choosing RV's I'm already saving moneyLOL 

When I was young I had a senior engineer as a mentor where I worked. He was into all sorts of things, you name it, he'd done it. So eventually I asked him how he found the time and money for all of  that and he told me his secret, which I'll pass on. He said you can do so much more in life if you follow the 80/20 rule. You can get 80% of the results with 20% of the investment, that last 20% to get into the 99th percentile in any activity takes 80 plus % of the resources.

So, just don't do that.  The perfect RV, the perfect lawn, the top level recognition in a sport. Just don't go there. Rent first, if you like it buy used, maintain to a safe standard, skip all the unnecessary high end equipment. Don't stress about some imperfections, spend time camping instead, and have fun! 

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lostagain View Drop Down
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: 28 Oct 2018 at 8:17pm
It's a pothole in the road that you fill with your money.  

Rent first.  If you really like both camping and always fixing the RV, then you can always buy one.  From my experience, and that of others on the board, a good used RV is best.  The workmanship on all RV's in the price class of the r-Pod is awful; probably on a lot of the high end ones too.  If you buy new, you have to deal with fighting over warranty issues until everything is fixed.  If you buy good condition used, someone else has done all the fighting for you.  But even if you buy the perfect RV, you'll still be messing with it all the time because they are high maintenance, like ...well I won't go there.
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: 28 Oct 2018 at 8:10pm
Originally posted by OldNeumanntapr

You still might be better off with a motor home than a travel trailer, but definitely recommend renting first. Motor homes would be easier for tailgating, than a travel trailer. You can move around in a motor home while on the road while someone else drives (use the bathroom, fix a sandwich, etc) which you definitely Cannot do in a travel trailer.

As a bumper sticker I saw once said, 'If It F*@#s, Floats, Or Flies, It's Cheaper To Rent it.'

I guess that applies to RVs as well.
What they say about boats is "They're a hole in the water into which you pour money." What they say about airplanes is "They're hole in the sky into which you pour money."

Not sure what the trailer/RV corollary is. Confused
bp
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OldNeumanntapr View Drop Down
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: 28 Oct 2018 at 4:56pm
You still might be better off with a motor home than a travel trailer, but definitely recommend renting first. Motor homes would be easier for tailgating, than a travel trailer. You can move around in a motor home while on the road while someone else drives (use the bathroom, fix a sandwich, etc) which you definitely Cannot do in a travel trailer.

As a bumper sticker I saw once said, 'If It F*@#s, Floats, Or Flies, It's Cheaper To Rent it.'

I guess that applies to RVs as well.
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Royal1585 View Drop Down
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: 28 Oct 2018 at 4:28pm
Checked out a couple of KOA campgrounds with the wife over the weekend just so she could get a look at one and she was very agreeable!  Showed her the Rpod (in pictures) and she liked it...particularly the option of the screened tent attachment.  If I rent, I think I would like to actually rent a travel trailer...I want to see how much work is involved in hitching it up...pulling it and what that feels like...hooking it up at a campground...leveling...etc, etc.  After I go through all that, I may decide it ain't work the hassle!  We went to a college football game this past weekend and saw a couple of RV units tailgating and that is something we both think would be fun.  We talked about looking to rent something over the Thanksgiving or X-mas holidays.  We are in SE Texas, so weather is likely to not be much of an issue in terms of low temps, snow, etc.
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: 26 Oct 2018 at 10:02pm
Originally posted by Royal1585

This is all good stuff and very much appreciated.  I honestly already know I would be good with the camping life-style...I just don't know if my wife would be.  Our son is a college football coach, so using the trailer to travel to games would be something I know she'd be all-in on, but going to parks and campgrounds I don't think is much to her liking, but who knows.  We would only be late Spring to late Fall types. If the trailer A/C doesn't cool all that well, that could be an issue for me.  That's one of the pros of hotels, at least many of them, that I can crank the air down and sleep cool.   I am going to look into renting one at some point to see what we think...that's a good idea.  

I'm a life-long camper who, well, lives to camp. And to do other things too, but camping has always been one of my top priorities and I've always accomodated it with everything from backpacking to sleeping on a tarp on the ground to pickup-truck-bed sleeping to tent camping to now having an RPod. Which I wouldn't have chosen (having a trailer) but my guy came up with the idea, he did all the research, I trust his instincts & skills, we looked at and bought a 179 and we're having a blast with it. We also still do The Other Kinds of Camping (plus when I solo camp I don't take our trailer, it's just me and my truck) and we will until we can't. By which point we'll already be so spoiled by our Pod that there won't be any adjustment to make Smile 

And that said, because I am such an experienced camper (stay with me here, there's a logical path), I also know that like many things in life, it's not for everyone. And that is very understandable. So my suggestion - based on your concerns about trailering and what-not - is that you not only rent, but that you rent an RV instead of a trailer. You are certainly quite capable of driving a Class B or Class C. And you think your wife won't be interested in camping as such; so if you have a comfortable rental vehicle for those times when she's into it, I'm guessing the opportunity for fun will be really high. And we all want you and your wife to have a lot of fun with this! A Class B or C allows you to just drive something a bit larger, use the systems that you don't own or have to service and see how it goes. It will remove the stress of any concern about [edited from breaks to brakes], WDH, how often you can use it, etc. etc. And who knows - maybe you and your wife will have so much fun in a rental a few times, that you will decide to buy one. I hope this helps, and that you will keep us posted and let us know what you decide. 
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