RV Insurance and Fuel Costs

[Windtalker]

My wife and I are planning to live in a Class A motor home, beginning in a few years, so we are working on a budget. In order to do this, we are looking for information on three separate items:

 

1. Average annual cost for RV insurance in the state of Texas for a 40 ft diesel pusher and a 38 ft gas model. We also plan on towing a Jeep Grand Cherokee which will also need insurance.

 

2. Average annual cost of both diesel and gas for the units mentioned above. We plan on using RV parks as base camps for 30 days at a time while we sight-see using our tow vehicle. We expect to put 350-500 miles a month on the RV. (4,200 to 6,000 miles/year)

 

3. Average annual RV park costs if we stay at a park 30 days at a time. (12 RV parks/year)

 

Any information and insight you veteran RVers can provide would be greatly appreciated.

 

Thanks.

 

"Windtalker & Mom"

 

[Barbaraok]

No one can give you the average cost for insurance because it will be based upon value of your RV and your Jeep along with your driving records. Obviously the DP will probably cost more, assuming the units are the same year. You'll just need to get some estimates from 2-3 different agents to see what ballpark figures you are looking at.

 

Most DPs will get around 8.5 mpg (we have over 100K miles of data now, average is 8.63 mpg) if, AND ONLY IF, the foot on the pedal isn't comprised of lead which keeps the speedometer set at 70+ mph. We cruise between 62-65 (except in California where it is 55 if towing a car behind). In California we average right around 9.00 mpg.

 

Parks can be found for $300/month plus electric to $1200-$1500 month. Depends upon what you are looking for and in what area of the country.

 

Barb

[AFchap]

1 - ins cost varies widely depending on you vehicles, driving record, credit score, etc. For a late model diesel pusher I would figure $1k-$1,500/yr. One car $500/yr. (those figures may be WAY off for you...).

2 - I figure fuel cost at 50 cents/mi for the coach. Remember you will also have annual service costs. I figure apx $700/mo for that. Car fuel maybe $30/mo plus maintenance.

3 - Can vary greatly depending on the type of park you stay in. I figure $500/mo on average. We avoid resort & destination parks.

 

Fulltimer budgets vary a great deal. If you spend below avg living in a stick house, you will spend below avg in an RV. If you spend more than avg in a stick house, you will spend more in an RV.

 

Enjoy the adventure!

[mrfrank]

Full insurance coverage through State Farm on a 2012 Grand Cherokee Overland in Livingston, TX was around $1200 per year last year. Our current Wrangler Rubicon is somewhat less than that, maybe $1100. Our current 2015 42 FT DP is about $2200 per year for full timers, full replacement cost insurance, through Twin Peaks insurance. DP is registered in Montana.

 

I budget about $1000/ month for campground costs. We do some monthlys and a fair number of dailys. Monthlys can range from $250/ month all the way to $1500/ month or more in the California Bay area or South Florida in the winter. We averaged almost $1000/ month in 2014, are averaging about $800/month this year.

[nana25k]

If you are planning on dropping anchor for a month at a time the base on avg mpg. We get anywhere for on 6 to 8.8 depending on the terrain. I try not to drive over 60mph.

Can't speak to insurance as we aren't Texans. I do know ours is a little less in Madison SD

[Kirk W]

Barb is correct that there really is no average cost of insurance. There is also the issue of what sort of insurance you buy. If you plan to sell your house you need to buy insurance with a "full-time" clause on it which will significantly increase the annual cost, but adds a lot of insurance that is normally covered by a home owner's policy. Also there are options such as "complete replacement" and "disappearing deductible" clauses that play a major role in the price that you pay.

 

Fuel prices will play a major role in your fuel expenses and that factor will be far greater than the miles that you travel, based upon your estimate of miles driven per month. You also need to make some allowance for miles driven with your towed vehicle. When we first went on the road, gasoline prices in most areas were about $1.50/gallon. In the years since that time we have paid as much as $4+/gallon. Today it ranges from about $1.70 tp $2.90 around the country but there is no way that we can predict what the cost will be in the future.

 

RV parks cost also varies quite widely from one part of the country to the next. In the middle part of the country, There is one in Great Bend, KS that rents for $18/night and another in Long Beach, CA that goes for $50/night and in Santa Barbara for $70/night. In Naples, FL there are parks that range from as low as $22/night to as high as $107/night. Most of us who live all of the time in our RVs spend at least part of the time in Corps of Engineers campgrounds, state parks, county/city parks, and many other public parks which may have less in amenities but which cost less. I'd suggest that in order to estimate the cost for RV parks you should get yourself a copy of the Trailer Life Campground Guide and use that to select parks of interest to you, the visit the website of those parks to check on current rates to stay as it will show daily, weekly, and monthly rates if they have them. There are a host of other ways to save money on camping such as spending an occasional night at Walmart of a truck stop, dry camping out on the desert or in a national forest on public lands where costs are low or free. There is also the federal senior pass for those past the age of 62 and it saves 1/2 on camping in federal parks.

 

The thing that most of us do is to set our annual budget limits and then work backward from there to make all other parts fit the income we have available. Fuel costs are easy to limit by traveling less or more based upon the available funds. RV parks are somewhat the same matter as you can choose to travel into areas of lower campground prices or to stay at public parks with less amenities and even to dry camp in a parking lot for a few nights. Those are both controllable costs. For insurance prices you need to visit with your insurance agent, or get estimates from various companies by supplying them your RV information and access to your driving record. Even credit scores effect insurance premiums today. Food costs will probably be similar to what you are spending now, unless you change your habits. They do vary somewhat from area to area, but are quite manageable.

 

If you feel that it will be of some help, we have posted on our website a record of five years of fulltime expenses and also of some shorter trips as well.