Now this is Nice!

[hk blues]

3 hours ago, Mike J said:

On the other hand, how many hotel suites can you stay in if you saved the cost of those road beasts.  Prices start at about $100,000 and go to a million or more for deluxe or custom models.  And then you have the cost of fuel, maintenance, insurance, camp spot fees, parking/storage fees when not in use, etc.

I am reminded of the old saying about owning a boat; "The two best days of my life were the day I bought my boat, and the day I was finally able to sell the damn thing."

 

From a financial point of view, you are of course correct.  But, surely the point of mobile homes is that they are mobile and that brings with it the freedom many of us yearn for.  This would apply for travel as well as permanent living.

[Jack Peterson]

1 minute ago, hk blues said:

surely the point of mobile homes is that they are mobile and that brings with it the freedom many of us yearn for.  This would apply for travel as well as permanent living.

 Photo Really only put up as conversation Starter but nice to see it discussed, I was wondering when @JJReyes will pop up as of course he does this in Real life 24/7 and I think we all enjoy his stories of Life on the Move  I wonder if this could be the answer to @stevewool and where to live as he like to move about so Much 

[OnMyWay]

My niece (who is my age, 62) and her husband had one when we visited 2 years ago.  It was similar to the one pictured and had 2 sections that pulled out, and the thing was huge.  All the nice stuff.  So, after we left, they traded it in for a nicer one which I have never seen.  I think the got a deal because they had some issues with the first one.

I think it takes some planning when you take long trips because many cities / areas will not let you park them anywhere.  The RV parks can be very expensive in popular areas.  I'm sure JJR can speak about specifics.

Strange thing is, my niece and her husband are now going through an amicable separation.  They are still living together but planning to sell their current house and buy their own places.  They are not planning on divorce because she said it would kill them financially.

[stevewool]

The other day we was driving and this large twin wheeled one past us ,nothing like the one in the picture but still large, and yesterday we past it parked in a opening right between the trees and the river.

The back end had been raised on these blocks and the sat dish was up and the tables and chairs was all out,it did look nice and being able to sit out all night and do what you want when you want without bothering others and others bothering you must be good.

I have looked into half heartedly the cost not just buying but running it , parking it and if you are not using it storing it.

A friend has one and he pulls a small car behind it when they go anywhere and nearly every weekend they are away in it, anywhere up to 50 miles away for the two days and the annual holiday they will travel around the country but have never ventured abroad with it.

Another family member has just spent over £35000 or over 2.5 million peso for a 2nd hand VW day van, it’s god a small fridge and cooker plus a sink and fold down bed no loo and they have to stay on sites so they can use the showers there, so much money and in my eyes a waste of time, but never ever trying it ,it could be the best thing since slice bread.

[JJReyes]

There are, from time to time, ads in the Philippines offering the sale of new RVs at a 20% to 30% premium over the list price in the United States. Most are Class B which are the smaller units. I also met someone during my last trip to Manila who does van conversions. Her market are senior executives who need a bed, television or toilet during their commute to work. Nice to have a toilet handy when stuck in Metro Manila traffic for 3 hours.

The US retirement rate is 10,000 per day! Some have elected to purchase RVs to see the world (USA, Canada and Mexico). The number of RV parks have not increased which means their daily fees have skyrocketed because they now operate at near full capacity. We use to get full hookups (water, electricity, sewage plus WiFi and cable television) for around $20 per day. Now it is closer to $40 in remote areas. We have reservations at a California casino resort in Temecula and their weekday rates are $60, and for weekends it is $100. That's for a Deluxe site which is a small back-in site. The big RVs may opt for a Chairman's Premium site which is over $200. This includes a barbecue pit and lawn furniture.

The unit in the photograph is a motorhome, probably in the $500,000 to $1,000,000 range. It could also be one of those customized units for the "rich and famous" so the price tag could be $2.5 million. Lucky if you can get 5 miles to the gallon on the open road. So they are equipped with 100 gallons or more tanks. Each time you fill up, it could cost you $400. More common are 5th Wheelers which are pulled by a large pick-up or semi-truck. The 5th Wheeler remains at the campsite and you drive around in the large pick-up. You can't take the larger motorhomes into the city so the owners tow a car to drive around.

By the way, those large American motorhomes are illegal in many European countries because of their width. The same for most of Asia. You will notice that the deluxe buses used in the Philippines are narrower because the roads are smaller.

More later.

Edited April 20, 2019 by JJReyes

[Old55]

Thanks JJ.

We see nice RV’s parked around our area that never seem to be used much. I don’t get it having a huge investment just loosing value.

[canadamale]

In Canada I always see lots of RVs parked for the night in Walmart parking lots. Actually some seem to stay for quite awhile before moving on.

[JJReyes]

1 hour ago, canadamale said:

In Canada I always see lots of RVs parked for the night in Walmart parking lots. Actually some seem to stay for quite awhile before moving on.

Walmart welcomes RVers to stay for one night because the occupants buy their supplies from the store.  No hook-ups, however most RVs are designed to be self-contained for several days.  Kampgrounds of America, the largest campsite chain and others fought back claiming Walmart deprives them of revenues.  Ordinances at certain places were past to prevent Walmart from allowing overnight stays.  We have never done it, but our understanding is there are websites that mention which Walmart stores you can stay overnight.

Another place are Bureau of Land Management (BLM) properties.  You can stay for free up to 14 days.  BLM is responsible for more government land than National Park Services and US Forest Service.  These site are primitive.  No facilities.

For rest periods less than 8 hours, RVs park at highway rest areas.  The highway patrol won't both you if you extend the time a few more hours.  Better than having a tired motorist on the road.

[stevewool]

On 4/20/2019 at 4:07 PM, Old55 said:

Thanks JJ.

We see nice RV’s parked around our area that never seem to be used much. I don’t get it having a huge investment just loosing value.

A massive investment and to be used a few times that’s unless you like in it forever , no matter where you are in the world .

[hk blues]

Slightly off topic, but I watch some of these Tiny Homes TV shows - the thing that gets me is where the people put their "stuff"?  I could live in a tiny house but my stuff couldn't!