Whether you're retiring, planning a college road trip, need a temporary housing solution, or you're just on the road a lot, buying yourself an RV or motor home may be one of the best moves you can make. With our aging population, many retirees or active middle-aged North Americans are finding that while they want to see more of the continent, "roughing it" has lost some of the appeal it might otherwise have had in the past. A Recreational Vehicle allows you to get out there and see the country, while taking all the convenience, luxuries, and creature comforts of home with you. If this describes you and you want to see America in comfort and style, you might consider a Class A, Class C, or 5th wheel trailer.
Similarly, an RV makes for an excellent solution for those who live an itinerant lifestyle, whether by choice, necessity, or the nature of your work. Some people need the ability to stay mobile, but might stop for days, weeks, or months at a time in various cities or work sites. Miners and construction engineers are just one example of people who can fit this description. Building sites, television and film production companies, and traveling shows also make heavy use of trailers and motor homes for facilities, offices, and to accommodate their talent on set. Larger class motor homes are also ideal for these applications.
Sometimes, circumstances may require that you find cheap accommodation for the short or medium term, and you may not be too sure of just where you'll find yourself a few years down the track. If you're building a house and you have a family to house in the mean time , or perhaps you're in the process of hunting down an apartment, a park model trailer home might be ideal for your needs. Some of these can be very spacious compared to other motor homes, and as they appear to be a normal room or transportable building, they can be configured for whatever your needs might be.
If you're a younger American, the chances are there's an RV with your name on it somewhere too. You may want to do some camping with your young family with the affordability of a Class B camper van or folding camper, or maybe you're planning a college road trip in the comfort, style, and flair of a conversion van, either way, there's a motor home within your means at any good RV dealer. Buying a used vehicle is a great way to save money if budget is one of your concerns, and provided the vehicle is sound, you can get yourself a much better deal than you would buying new.
Motor homes represent the modern compromise between simple camping, and expensive hotel bills or short-term rental. Trailer parking is invariably cheap compared to these alternatives, and affords you most of the freedoms of having your own place, as well as the flexibility of being able to drive off at a moment's notice. A caravan-style hitched trailer can add to this flexibility by allowing you to use your current car, SUV, or truck to tow your trailer, and if need be, temporarily detach it while you're staying in one place.
With Fuel prices climbing and the economy on shaky ground, should you even consider buying an RV now or should you wait until the economy gets better? The answer to this question might surprise you.
The recent skyrocketing fuel prices and the falling value of homes have impacted both RV owners and the RV Industry. In the past 6 months 2 major RV manufacturers have shut their doors permanently. Quite a few people who recently bought new RVs at the highest monthly payments that they could qualify for are now regretting their decision to get the RV of their dreams. In other words they over bought their RV and they are now paying the price for it.
Is this all doom and gloom for RVers and potential RVers? The answer is a resounding NO! If you were ever thinking about buying an RV or upgrading to a different class of RV, now is the time to do it. Because this is where the basic concept of Supply and Demand (also known as price and demand) you learned in your Economics class in high school kicks in. To put it in RV terms, when fuel is high, the demand for RVs goes down.
With less demand, the RV dealers are going to do everything they can to get rid of those new RVs (in other words they will accept less money for them). The high fuel prices have also caused panic amongst some current RV owners. These owners have hastily made the decision to sell their RVs because they believe that they will no longer be able to afford to use them.
This has created a buyer's market for RVs. Whether you are planning to buy a new or used RV, you will be able to get a lot more for your money. Of course you are going to have to still negotiate the best price you can for what you want, but now more than ever you are in the driver's seat during these negotiations. Depending on what type of RV you are going to buy, the money you save on the purchase price could pay for your fuel for quite awhile.
In some cases you may have to finance your RV purchase. When financing, remember the finance company will give you a loan for as much as you want (based on your credit). But, just because they are going to give you that much credit does not mean that you have to use that much credit. You might believe you can afford the monthly payments. But, you need to ask yourself if you can comfortably afford the monthly RV Loan payments and still have money left over to pay for the other costs of owning an RV such as fuel, maintenance, storage and of course camping. In other words don't overbuy.
Now, let's address the concerns of the cost of going camping in your new RV. The biggest cost, depending on the type of RV you have will be fuel. This would be a major concern if you are planning a 3,500-mile cross-country trip. Now, even for the most avid RVer is not the time to spend the summer seeing the whole US (unless you have deep pockets).
Getting away from it all and camping does not require traveling 100s or 1000s of miles. Look around within a 50-, 60- or 70-mile radius of where you live and you will be surprised at all of the places there are to camp. Remember, the whole point of RVing and camping is to relax and enjoy your surroundings. I guarantee you there is no mileage limit on relaxation. Whether you are 25 miles from home or 2,500 miles from home, you can and should relax: after all, that is what the RVing Lifestyle is all about.
Our family has been RVing for 35 years, and we have been all over the US and Canada and have enjoyed every minute of it. Have we changed our RVing habits as a result of the economic crunch? YES, we are not planning to travel 1000s of miles right now. Have we given up RVing? NO, we just go camping closer to home at places we have not been to before. This change in our habits has not diminished our zeal for nor enjoyment of RVing.
You won't regret your decision about buying an RV. Just plan ahead and don't put a financial strain on yourself as this will diminish your enjoyment. More information on this subject is available on the internet.
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Both Andrew Stratton & Alan Wiener99 Alan Wiener99 are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.
Andrew Stratton has sinced written about articles on various topics from Motorola Cell Phone, Tummy Tucks Before and After and Political and Social. The Bankston family has been selling and family dreams since 1970. We have proven that we can save you money and provide excellent service.. Andrew Stratton's top article generates over 246000 views. to your Favourites.
Alan Wiener99 Alan Wiener99 has sinced written about articles on various topics from Travel and Leisure. Alan Wiener and his family have 35 years of RVing experience under their belts. Alan and his family share their knowledge and enthusiasm for RVing on