[ccjohnson]

That should cover major issue like HUGE tow bill & engine replacement. Most other major like collision damage would be covered by insurance.

[Fulltiming]

If you set a budget for a new coach and DON'T allow some serious money for contingencies, you are asking for trouble. Putting your last dollar into a coach is a singularly bad idea. Clint speaks from experience having just had what appears to be significant engine issues with his coach. Hopefully you won't have a $20-30k breakdown, but it happens and that is not the time to start thinking about how you will deal with it financially.

[arcticdude]

I usually figure twice as long and twice as much as I want it to! But, I didn't buy it because it was cheap, I bought it because I wanted it. I like burning hydrocarbons!!

[Foodsman]

Its a funny thing because the people I know who had a 30'+ motorhome or a 30'+ cruiser bought them without the ability to really afford them. And a BIG $ maintenance bill would have crippled them financially. I remember metnitoning that I had not seen them out and about for awhile and they said they couldn't afford the fuel at the moment and it was less then a $1.00 per galloon back then. But these were the same people who would tell us how broke they were and then go on a vacation two weeks later, so who knows!

But I think I may be chased away from the idea of having a motorhome if its just one problem after the next. I understand preventative maintenance and that stuff happens but sometimes I have the feeling if I make it 100 miles down the road without a mishap. I should rush to church because bad days are coming!

And from what I understand it makes little difference if I have a 2004 Newell or a 2010 American Eagle. That same 100 mile scenario is there and I'm thinking "man is having a motorhome nothing but grief"? And if it is all grief am I to believe that motorhome and boat owners are masochist? Hey that would explain a lot!

I'm retired and can tell you honestly that I haven't had to go begging on the street corner for weeks now! But that said, I don't want to be broken down on that same corner and shell out $25/30 grand for something I just paid a half a million bucks for either!

I want to enjoy myself with my wife and family and I want to travel and sleep in my own bed in my own home on wheels. I want to be able to drive 1900 miles from Asheville, NC to Cody, Wyoming with a high expectation of getting there without having to put in a new tranny in St. Louis, Missouri, swap out the diesel in Junction City, Kansas, or be put on the spot to for a new Aqua Hot in Denver, Colorado! The Lord only knows what fate could befall me in Wyoming!

I know its been me asking for all the maintenance information but it gets a little scary. And it seems even buying new has its own set of problems and mishaps. Do we motorhome to make up for the bad things we've done in our lives??? Help me guys I'm drowning here!

Hey, I've been good!

Harry

[Fulltiming]

Not trying to scare you Harry. I NEVER leave for a trip in my coach thinking I am going to break down on the way to my destination. If I thought I would break down, I wouldn't leave. Being an engineer, I believe that if you are prepared you won't be surprised. I have traveled in RVs for about 25 years. I lived in RVs for about 10 years. During that time, I have had several flat tires and two blowouts that delayed my arrival a few hours (the flat tires have always been a result of tire valve issues the blowouts were defective tires that threw their thread). I have had a blower gasket blow out which delayed our trip by 3 days and I blew an airbag that took about about 20 clock hours to resolve and get me back on the road. I have never lost and engine or transmission BUT I realize that it could and does happen. I have replaced refrigerators, air conditioners, water heaters, lights, headlights, TVs, inverters and a bunch of other things. Some of these I replaced because they failed and some because I wanted to be more confident that they would not fail.

As has been mentioned, the only thing you really need to carry with you is a credit card. That will solve most problems. But many of us like to fix things ourselves so we carry tools and like to at least try to fix issues as they arise. When that doesn't work, then the credit card comes into play.

I realize that an RV is a significant expense. It allows my wife and I to travel on our schedule, sleep in our own bed every night, enjoy comfortable and familiar surroundings, and have our dog and computer systems with us all the time.

An RV requires maintenance, a house requires maintenance, cars require maintenance. You mentioned folks that buy more coach or boat than they can afford. That is a financially dangerous thing to do and the reason I suggested that having extra funds available to take care of a major issue. I would make the same comment about a house or a car. Always have access to sufficient funds to take care of an unplanned failure.

We want our ownership of an RV to be a way to reduce stress, not increase it. We have memories of visiting friends, making new friends and seeing things we likely would not have been able to do had we not owned an RV. That is why I am willing to accept the expenses that come with an RV.

[Foodsman]

Michael thank you,

I was really getting to the point of thinking that a motorhome was nothing more than a disaster waiting to happen. Thanks for putting things into perspective for me.

I guess I must have know it or I would not be persuing it as I have. Who would want something that is all work and no play?

Thanks for keeping me straight Michael, I'll try to not make it a full time job!

Harry

[lbrachfe]

No offense anyone, but my 2 cents is that you all have it wrong. Foodsman does not understand the true benefits of this lifestyle and that is why we do this . Everything requires care from your body to your car and if you don't expect problems your delusional, but that's not what these Newell owners are about. We all love to live this way and the $$ are just there and accepted as that..Period, end of story.
So in that, ask about why we do it ? My wife Hedy and I are like the houseplant "Wandering Jews". We keep on growing and meeting new friends around the globe, one mile at a time.....

[lbrachfe]

Michael,
I see you too felt this conversation needed a different direction......Why we do it ? That's all one needs to ask and if you got the $$ you find the way. We are all very fortunate to live like this.

[encantotom]

nicely put guys. i tried to say something like that but it didnt come out that way. i just love driving the coach. i dont pay attention to fuel costs, or remember what i spent on some maintainence before i left, i just hop in the seat, and love driving and going. i was driving a long day one time and darlene asked me if i wanted to stop. i told her no because i was having a ball. she drives the coach but it is not a super fun gig for her. she drives to relieve me at times if needed or to get experience. for me, it is like driving a sports car. i LOVE driving it. then there is the being somewhere experience. i dont fulltime, but when we have been goie for a couple of months at a time i get a glimpse of what it is like to be full time. it is so awesome. i love the people i have met on the road. of course if you know me i am a social animal and love to meet people and hang out. you meet the most interesting people while out traveling.

the the ultimate side benefit has been the fellow owners and co-travelers and association with them.

happy sunday

tom

[arcticdude]

Harry,

Wyoming is heck on toilets!

Seriously though, life can be one disaster after the next. Would you sit at home worrying about it or get out there and enjoy it? It could be "where will my next disaster happen??" Can I be in Wyoming with family? Maybe south Texas with the hummingbirds? Or the peaches in Georgia? Maybe even the parking lot of the Biltmore?!!?

So you've had a disaster, but at least you get to sleep in your own bed to deal with it!!