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A multifactorial one for the RV mega geniuses!


Runroblarun

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Not instant, but not that difficult either. The first thing is to join the Escapees RV Club, costing $39.95/year..

 

Once you are a member, you then need to go to the mail service Get Started page and just follow the directions. You do need to decide which of the three states that you wish to claim as your domicile since there are choices. There are also three different levels of mail service(we use the middle one) which you need to select between. Once you have joined the club and then set up your mail service, download a copy of How to Become a Real Texan and just follow the steps. While it may be very slightly different if you have chosen SD or FL, all three states have pretty much the same steps.

Hi Kirk - thank you for the reply! I was wondering how being a UK resident, with a UK driving licence affects this - so much of the detail in the document seems (understandably) for US citizens. I will join the

1) Do I need an inspection if I bought off PPL and registered in Polk county, or do they have this done as part of the sale process - for example, in the UK, almost all vehicles are sold with a valid inspection in place?

2) Do I need a Texan drivers licence? I would not be able to get a US one I believe as I will only be getting a visa (to begin with) for 6 months...

3) Can I buy an RV with a UK licence - I believed I could?

4) I don't intend to receive any mail, as far as I know, do I need a mail service?

 

My list of things I think I need to do:

1) Join Escapees

2) Get an International Drivers Permit (I'd take the US test if I can, but can't find definitive yes or no on whether I'm allowed to? I've emailed the Texan authorities about this)

3) Find, register and insure an RV!

Is it that easy or am I missing huge steps? :D

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1) Do I need an inspection if I bought off PPL and registered in Polk county, or do they have this done as part of the sale process - for example, in the UK, almost all vehicles are sold with a valid inspection in place?

It should be sold with a current vehicle inspection required for registration. Usually, the selling dealer will complete the registration process for you as a part of the transaction, but you will then need to have your Escapee address in place so it can be used.

 

2) Do I need a Texan drivers licence?

You do not, but most RV owners from out of the US find that it is worth the effort to do so because it will lower the cost of insurance on the RV.

 

3) Can I buy an RV with a UK licence - I believed I could?

You are correct.

 

4) I don't intend to receive any mail, as far as I know, do I need a mail service?

You do because without that you will not have a US address to register and insure the RV, which you do need.

 

Is it that easy or am I missing huge steps?

I'd suggest that you read the story of Bruce T on our website and with any luck he will read this tread and jump in, since he has done just what it is that you plan to do.

Good travelin !...............Kirk

Full-time 11+ years...... Now seasonal travelers.
Kirk & Pam's Great RV Adventure

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There are alternative to 'all' the hassles of buying an RV. Have you considered hiring an 'Entertainer' bus? These are coach's with multiple sleeping arrangements. Sure they may sound expensive to hire but over all it may not be.

Do a Google search on them and look at the options.

 

If you go down the purchase road then keep in mind - 1/Address. 2/Insurance. 3/Purchase.

 

regards

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Hi Kirk - thanks for that amazing reply! I'm not sure if I'd be able to get a US licence on my visa - ie maybe not eligible to do the test, but I'll try and find that out. I'll get that mail address too. Great link for Bruce too!

Hey Bruce! Thanks for getting on board too - I thought about your idea, but as I'm literally betting the house on this and running for charity rather than reward I have to sell the RV afterwards. Hiring is simply not an option. If you know anyone who wants to lend me one for a while I'm all ears though ;-)

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Rob buying an RV and 'trying' to sell it afterwards may not be the most economically sound option!!! I/we are not aware of your exact route so I may be firing a blank here!!!! For many years we traveled the USA in an RV. Now we travel the USA in a pickup and use hotels. I'm a figures nut case. Kept spreadsheets on everything. Well not 'everything'!!

But over many trips and many years my figures show that the hotel option is cheaper/more economical than an RV. (Taking into account buying, selling and associated costs such as insurance and fuel). So given your route and distance is may be possible to link up hotel accommodation. There are hotel groups with good points systems. Those system can reduce your costs yet again. We use one particular hotel group whenever possible. Getting a free night every week. Just an option!

Renting an RV would also be more economical for a one off trip. But you need to do the figures and link those figures to your requirements.

 

regards

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Hi Bruce, the aim is to be all over the continental US, north, south, east, east and for up o 15 months solid, running every day, with the need to stop at unplanned locations. there are also going to be up to 8 of us, so the hotel option would just be not viable. If I purchased an RV for 20-25k, I'm sure I could get 15-20 back in a year as I have American friends who could store it until a sale occurred. I'm budgeting 5000 for fuel, based on a fuel calculator and an mpg of 10 guessed at, insurance of 1500 and a hell of a lot of boondocking and relying on the generosity of park owners as we're running for charity, wherever possible.

Cheers again

Rob

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If I purchased an RV for 20-25k, I'm sure I could get 15-20 back in a year as I have American friends who could store it until a sale occurred. I'm budgeting 5000 for fuel, based on a fuel calculator and an mpg of 10 guessed at, insurance of 1500 and a hell of a lot of boondocking and relying on the generosity of park owners as we're running for charity, wherever possible.

A motorized RV that will sell for $25k isn't likely to operate for that long with no repairs so you need to budget for that possibility. If you have not done so, you need to spend some time researching RVs in that price range to understand what you can buy. In addition, your estimate of 10 mpg is very optimistic as very few of the motorhomes in the price range that you suggest will get even close to that. A much more probable mpg would be 6-8.

 

How much time have you allotted for the purchase, registration, & insuring of this RV? This isn't something which will happen overnight and you will need to shop very carefully for an RV of that age which will be reliable. Do you have sponsors committed to support your project? That will also take time and may not even happen. As admirable as your plans are, you need to make sure that the plan is also practical and viable.

Good travelin !...............Kirk

Full-time 11+ years...... Now seasonal travelers.
Kirk & Pam's Great RV Adventure

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Rob I'm sorry if every one here seems negative. I'm sure that's not our intentions. We are all just throwing 'help' out there in an effort to make it easier for you.

 

Just a thought. BUBBLE????? Why not approach Camping World. They may make you a deal on a used RV in exchange for signage on the RV. One phone call. You never know if you don't ask.

 

Best of luck.

 

regards

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Why not approach Camping World. They may make you a deal on a used RV in exchange for signage on the RV. One phone call. You never know if you don't ask.

To amplify the thought from Bruce, consider also Good Sam Club which is a part of the same organization as Camping World and the two make up the largest RV & RV supply retailer in the US. As a company they sell pretty much everything that RV owners need from RVs to repairs, to parts, to insurance and even a social group. A good way to start the effort might be via their contact us website.

Good travelin !...............Kirk

Full-time 11+ years...... Now seasonal travelers.
Kirk & Pam's Great RV Adventure

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Once again guys, thank you so much for your help. Don't worry Bruce - I hadn't found you guys negative, just careful! I value your opinions as you've been there and done it! I'm also aware that the written word can come across in a number of ways depending on interpretation! :D To be honest, I've found your community to be nothing but helpful and I can see you're also thinking outside the box for me

To address some of the points you've made:

1) I'm aware that the 25k thing is a gamble, but I figured somewhere like PPL would have warranties available and as this is going to be hugely publicised, I'm going to say to the sales guys that passing off a lemon is NOT in their best interests and a heavy discount on a reliable model would be an attractive proposition with me putting their logo on the side!

2) MPG wise I'm thinking I may go with a Class C with an option for a secondary vehicle (either van/pick up/class B) for side missions!

3) My time scale was to land on 11th September, head to PPL or similar on the 12th and have 12-14th, ideally finalising on 13th to allow the trip to Mobile to occur on the 14th. Is this reasonable, Kirk?

4) The Camping World and Good Sam will be my next stop - I sent something similar to PPL though not heard back yet. I wonder if any of their people browse these boards? Feel the LOVE PPL (and see the opportunity)!! :D

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A couple of points on your points!

 

At around 25k I wouldn't hold my breath with getting any financially viable warranties. Best to have a few dollars stuffed under the bed for those things that will/may go wrong.

A class C may not be much better with MPG. They often have the same engines and similar chassis to a gas class A. I would budget for 5-6MPG!! Yup that's realistic given the slow mph you may be doing.

Your time line for landing, buying and hitting the road is tight. Remember you have to buy, inspect, insure, register etc etc all before you can hit the road. That's without any required repairs.

For sponsorship these guys 'may' be of some help. http://www.mhsrv.com/ They often get a use unit in that they want to see the back of. Honest folks that MAY help.

 

Just another comment! This may upset a few of our American friends. Americans aren't as generous with charity 'events' as Australians. I'm not so sure about Poms! But I know of a few cases where Australians have ventured to the USA for charity events and came away very disappointed. I think it's not because they are mean but just that they do it 'differently'! I know of one Australian who rowed down the Mississippi and collected less that $1000.00. Just saying.

 

regards

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As far as I am aware, you are doing something that is pretty unique in the way you plan it and for that reason there isn't much previous experience to go on. I agree with Bruce that you probably won't find any "extended warranty" plans available for a rig as old as you will be looking at, or they will cost far too much and pay for very little. Most companies will not write of for an RV that is more than 10 years old.

 

Just another comment! This may upset a few of our American friends. Americans aren't as generous with charity 'events' as Australians. I'm not so sure about Poms! But I know of a few cases where Australians have ventured to the USA for charity events and came away very disappointed. I think it's not because they are mean but just that they do it 'differently'!

While I have no experience trying to raise funds for charities in AU or anywhere else outside of the US, I highly doubt that statement to be accurate, but we very likely do things differently than other cultures, as is probably true of most any culture when compared to another. Because there are so many different charitable organizations, we my very well be more careful about them but when done our way we can be quite generous. I am wondering if you have considered using one of the "crowd funding" organizations on the internet to seek sponsorship's? I know two cases of the site "Go Fund Me" having been used quite successfully. Another that has a pretty good reputation is Gladitood, although I don't know any users of it. You can learn more about this method by visiting Fundable and read their guide.

 

And Bruce, me thinks your patting your own back just a little to much. Note that your homeland didn't make the top three list. :P

America, New Zealand and Canada top list of world’s most generous nations

Good travelin !...............Kirk

Full-time 11+ years...... Now seasonal travelers.
Kirk & Pam's Great RV Adventure

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Kirk a clarification on my charity statements. Australians are big on small donations. Community functions. Runs, walks, bike rides etc are always big. Big events not so popular. Where as Americans are big on the big stuff. You may remember we are NASCAR fans. Well those guys do a huge amount of charity work. Where as Australian race car drivers do very little by comparison. What I'm trying not to say is that generosity is missing in the USA. It just comes in a different ways. (At the moment I know a person, who I know well and do work with, who is trying to get sponsorship in an attempt to break a 100 year old record to ride a motorbike across the USA. Famous event. The person trying to break the record is a well know TV host. But zero responses on the sponsorship horizon).

 

Rob I'm just trying to point out the 'differences' between the attitudes in different countries. Just be aware that what works in your home country isn't guaranteed to work elsewhere.

 

Kirk that report is very vague and who knows how they measured it. What were the criteria? Does it include the fact that Australia takes in far more refugees than the USA? (Based on % of population). Does it mention that many of those generous New Zealanders actually live in Australia? So by definition what is 'charity? Anyway the debate could spiral out of control with facts and interpretations.

By the way, who's the 'young' fellow in the new avatar?

 

regards

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I'm hoping to get something that just scrapes in under the 10 year old mark - there are a few in that category on RV trader that I can see for that price range. As I said I'm going to make it clear to the dealers that their dealership will be getting a lot of publicity, so it makes sense that they give me a solid unit if they don't want to find themselves in a negative publicity sandstorm!

I'm also hoping that this does find itself in a positive situation as regards charity and I think the unique nature of it will help. I'm certainly looking forward to some good Southern hospitality! I will try the GoFundMe route, but I will wait until I'm on the road as I want to start this self funded or funded by a corporate before I rely on the generosity of people as I want to maximise the amount I take for my charities..

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. As I said I'm going to make it clear to the dealers that their dealership will be getting a lot of publicity, so it makes sense that they give me a solid unit if they don't want to find themselves in a negative publicity sandstorm!

One thing that I think you would be wise to do is to make contact with the dealers that you hope to get assistance from and let them know what your plans are. It would be unlikely that you will have any contact with the dealer/owner or even with his general manager in the course of negotiation for the purchase and so anything that you say in that process will likely be of little value in the result. Most of the dealerships that have been suggested here are quite large and have many sales people who sell the RVs but have little to do with the actual process or pricing. If you want special treatment, and that is possible to have happen, the general manager needs to know who you are and approve the special pricing before the deal is made. Many businesses in the US make what we call "gifts in kind" which means either donation of a product or service which they provide as part of their business, or that they give special pricing. It is true that the US tax system is designed to encourage charitable giving, but with so many different charities vying for the available donations, business people also like to have advance verification that the charity in question is real. You can't just walk in and expect the business people believe that you are a legitimate charity on your word, as the Australian row boat guy probably did. The business people are going to want to see something from the World Wildlife Fund to verify that you are doing this for them and that they will get the money which you raise. That is partly because there are many here who try and get charity money to avoid working for it and partly because the tax system sometimes asks for proof of the claimed tax deductions for the business to benefit. They may also ask why you have chosen to run in the US, as opposed to your homeland? Nobody here actually makes money by donating to charities, but they can make donations less costly by deducting that amount from their taxable income before the tax is determined, making the donation actually cost them less.

 

Another thing to consider is how you plan to get this publicity for the dealer who helps you? Do you have some provision in place now to advertise the support of that dealer on the RV? Advertising is very much available for the sides of vehicles but getting it does take both time and money, unless you can get that donated as well. That is going to be something that any dealer will want to know. Only the largest of dealers will get much value from your advertising once you leave the local area where they are located. On the other hand, an RV manufacturer is national in market and so would get more benefit than would any typical dealer. There are a few dealers who do market nationally, such as Paul Evert's RV Country, with 9 locations and a mobile dealership that shows RVs at most of the major RV rallies all over the country. They are present at each Escapees, FMCA, and Good Sam rally anywhere in the US. A dealer like that has much more to gain by good advertising from your proposed RV than would most other dealers.

 

Any advice given here is probably worth about what you are paying to get it, so pay attention to whatever posts you wish. I will say that while I have never solicited funds on a national scale like you propose, I have been involved in the solicitation of donations from businesses and individuals numerous times in my life as a volunteer with organizations in which I've taken part. I do not pretend to be an expert, only an individual with a little bit of experience here in the USA. I'll wish you the best of luck in your endeavor! If you have a question for me that I might be able to answer, I'm happy to respond, but if not that is fine as well. :)

Good travelin !...............Kirk

Full-time 11+ years...... Now seasonal travelers.
Kirk & Pam's Great RV Adventure

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Fantastic reply. We're having a conference call with WWF US tomorrow and I will raise this. I don't want the RV as a personal possession, happy for the WWF to have full ownership and if we got a good discount then when we sold, we may even make a profit for the WWF!

Advertising is going to be in the form of van signage, our ability to film a broadcast quality commercial as we are filming this properly and also publicity in varying media including social media. :D

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We're having a conference call with WWF US tomorrow and I will raise this. ...........

Advertising is going to be in the form of van signage, our ability to film a broadcast quality commercial as we are filming this properly and also publicity in varying media including social media.

This is the way to approach this at least in the USA. We are a country of many large, well organized charities and sponsors who have the kind of budget needed to support your effort are more familiar with that sort of thing. Single person efforts are so numerous and difficult to verify that most larger contributors just don't have the time or interest to sort through them. By going through the WWF it will give you the kind of credibility that is needed.

 

In terms of advertising for your efforts, the best might be to use one of the vehicle wrap companies to make some very attractive ways to advertise on vehicles.

Good travelin !...............Kirk

Full-time 11+ years...... Now seasonal travelers.
Kirk & Pam's Great RV Adventure

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I didn't see these mentioned, so I will add my 2 cents. I've been a member here for going on, well, HOURS now.

 

Older diesel pickups have less pollution control equipment. Newer 2008 and up have more. Based on your carbon consideration you may prefer post government regulation trucks. One 2012 or 13 Ram owner quoted some amazing mileage figures to me. I don't own one so can't offer first hand advice.

 

However I can offer advice on used vehicles here. Buy southern not northern. Southern vehicles have sun exposure problems, and some areas are prone to termites. That said, most if not all northern areas use salt or brine on roads in the winter. Corrosion is a huge factor on all truck systems not just body panels. Companies such as General Motors refuse to take responsibility for the huge repair bills that can result. I do own one of these by the way. :/

 

I suspect there may be more available used vehicles in high retirement areas in the south such as Florida and Arizona. Maybe a member with more travel experience can correct me here?

Kevin and June

2013 Volvo VNL 730    D13 Eco-Torque @ 425  Ratio 2.47 

2014 DRV 36TKSB3 

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Thanks again for the input there guys...I'm starting to think I'm getting into a minefield, but one that I'm having to cross with limited resources and with no other real alternative. Divine intervention may be the way forward!

Going on points raised by Ken and Sculptor, an inspection is the way forward. Do we have a reliable guy that the forums use to inspect in he Houston/San An areas? Any forum members in the vicinity who could do a job here?

On Sculptors points - how does buying in AZ or FL compare to the Texas experience?

 

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Hey there-! I saw your post, and some of the responses---all of which bring up some good points. But I have a different perspective to offer, and a couple of ideas that might be a bit "outside-the-box" for the majority of full-timers on here;

 

Im going to put them in separate posts for the purposes of length and clarity.

 

It might be a good idea to consider going the LLC route.

 

Thats where you set up an LLC (limited liability corportation) in a favorable jursidiction. This is brain-dead easy and can be done cheaply and legitimately via the internet.

 

So, when you buy a rig; well---- YOU dont buy the rig.

 

Your COMPANY buys the rig, and then gets it registered in its "home state" (I chose Montana). I used a service that specializes in this, and received my license place in 2 business days. No, I did not have to go to MT and I did not have to get it smogged.

 

I know this SOUNDS like a lot; but

 

Advantage 1: its actually no harder; or in some cases, actually easier and MUCH cheaper than purchasing and registering it as an individual under your own name. Its more a matter of getting your mind wrapped around the concept.

 

Some additional reasons why the LLC route might be of interest in your situation:

 

Advantage 2: It allows you, excuse me, your LLC, to get a US bank account. You go online and apply (free! And also via the internet) for an EIN number, that is basically a "social security number" for a business.

 

Advantage 2a: Put all your trip expenses through the LLC bank acct. This offers you many advantages, as you will then be able to "write off" these expenditures in the event that you end up owing, or maybe owing, tax here in the US or in your home country. People lose money on business ventures all the time; and depending on your personal situation, this may come in handy.

 

The money you transfer into this US account to purchase the vehicle etc, is a "loan". (Keep good records-!) Any amount of money that goes back into your home account, is a loan re-payment. Since you'll likely be getting back less money than you "loaned" this struggling company; that can get written off at tax time as a loss.

 

Advantage 3: Since you're a non-citizen, and presumably are coming in on a tourist visa, this structure may have additional advantages in that it might make it so that your team can do some work-camping exchanges, under the umbrella of your business. There are finer points to this and it will vary based on the situation; but it gives you more options, and a legitimate, legal way to accept payments if you make any money.

 

Advantage 4: Ease of sale when you leave the country. Its very easy to add and subtract members from an LLC, and the structure is already in place to be able to appoint a manager to conduct business on behalf of the LLC's owners. So, if you end up in the scenario where you go back home, and are relying on friends to help you sell it---well, here ya go. Easy peasy on the legal end; you"re not going to end up having to deal with paperwork.

 

Advantage 4a: You can rent it out

 

There are new websites now where you can rent out your trailer/RV airbnb style. Outdoorsy.co and RVshare.com. Outdoorsy offers the best insurance---each rental comes w up to $1 million in insurance thats not connected to the insurance you have on your vehicle--which eliminates a huge hassle right there.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Some Alternative Ideas:

 

Buy a cheaper rig than what you're originally planning on (probably from a private party seller):

 

Craiglist.com is a fantastic place to see the going rates for used rigs and whats available. Look at the 'for sale" section under "rvs and camp"

 

 

Cheaper rig =

 

Cheaper registration costs

Cheaper insurance costs

Cheaper repair costs if/when something does break

Less stress re: the lumps and bumps and little mistakes

 

I picked up a 1993, 28' Class C with on a practically indestructible 8 cylinder Ford engine and chassis for less than $6,000. No leaks, everything works. Its not fancy, and it doesnt have all the bells and whistles of newer models (less pricey things to break!), but its got more than enough of everything to be more than comfortable; and if I wanted to upgrade and have brand new media setup, that's gonna cost what, another $1,000?

 

(Note: Anything with slide-outs adds complexity and odds-of-breaking-something-expensive skyrocket. )

 

Newer doesn't necessarily mean more reliable.

 

Depending on how long its been sitting, the condition it was kept in, and also, some makes and models are just more rugged than others.

 

I bought my rig last summer, and since then, I drove from California to Florida, from Florida to Boston, from Boston to South Dakota, and I'll be continuing west shortly. So.....about 9,000 miles so far. I only had 1 mechanical issue, which was that the serpentine belt broke while I was driving on the highway near the FL/GA border. (apparently these things just sometimes happen)

 

I was able to pull over safely at a weigh station, and since this happened on a Sunday afternoon in a relatively remote area, the staff there invited me to camp for the night. (It was a Sunday evening, and all the stores which would have carried a replacement belt were closed until the following day). I spent a very comfortable night in a safe location, made dinner, walked my dog, caught up with some cleaning and organizing, and the mobile mechanic came out and patched me up the next day. Total cost including parts: $216.00. Not exactly cheap, but not a catastrophe either.

 

But lets say worst case scenario, you buy a cheap rig and it gets totalled and there's not even any salvage value. You could buy another one and be back on the road before the insurance check even hits your account; and you've STILL spent less money than you originally planned.

The things you'll need to look out for in buying a rig in your original price range are the same things you'll need to look for in a cheaper rig (no leaks, appliances working, etc). Pretty much the most expensive possible things that could go wrong would be......what? Roof leaks. Refrigerator. (Thats expensive.) Something goes wrong with the axels or the engine has to be completely replaced. We"re talking.....A couple grand? And if you just dont want to deal with it, sell it super quick for a cheap price and get yourself back on the road in a rental, and buy another one en route. You're still ahead.

 

Its also nice because you don't have to be so precious with it: This is especially good if you're a first-time RV'er. But even for experienced folks: I recently met a very nice couple who have a 2015 Class-C. They said their next destination is Alaska. I said, wow, thats wonderful-! Do you plan on doing much sightseeing in B.C"? (if you drive to Alaska from the states, you have to drive through British Columbia, Canada). They said; Oh, no! There's no WAY we would drive this to Alaska! The roads are much too rough, it completely ruins the tires. We'll be taking a cruise."

 

Of course, a cruise is nice, too. But whats the point of having an RV if you end up having to be too precious with it? I'm not saying you would be with a $23,000 rig, but how much less precious would you have to be with a $12,000 rig?

 

 

Additional Idea:

 

Rent when you arrive, and buy after you've gotten to road test a few different set-ups (trailer, class-a, class-c, etc).

 

Use SearchTempest.com to search all the cities along your route to see if there are any rigs that strike your fancy.

 

Again the websites that I know about for more affordable "rent-from-owner" websites I know about are outdoorsy.co and rvshare.com.

 

(I just listed mine here https://www.outdoorsy.co/rentals/5008 and will be making it available once I settle down in the fall)

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  • 2 weeks later...

Some Alternative Ideas:

 

Buy a cheaper rig than what you're originally planning on (probably from a private party seller):

 

Craiglist.com is a fantastic place to see the going rates for used rigs and whats available. Look at the 'for sale" section under "rvs and camp"

 

 

Cheaper rig =

 

Cheaper registration costs

Cheaper insurance costs

Cheaper repair costs if/when something does break

Less stress re: the lumps and bumps and little mistakes

 

I picked up a 1993, 28' Class C with on a practically indestructible 8 cylinder Ford engine and chassis for less than $6,000. No leaks, everything works. Its not fancy, and it doesnt have all the bells and whistles of newer models (less pricey things to break!), but its got more than enough of everything to be more than comfortable; and if I wanted to upgrade and have brand new media setup, that's gonna cost what, another $1,000?

 

(Note: Anything with slide-outs adds complexity and odds-of-breaking-something-expensive skyrocket. )

 

Newer doesn't necessarily mean more reliable.

 

Depending on how long its been sitting, the condition it was kept in, and also, some makes and models are just more rugged than others.

 

I bought my rig last summer, and since then, I drove from California to Florida, from Florida to Boston, from Boston to South Dakota, and I'll be continuing west shortly. So.....about 9,000 miles so far. I only had 1 mechanical issue, which was that the serpentine belt broke while I was driving on the highway near the FL/GA border. (apparently these things just sometimes happen)

 

I was able to pull over safely at a weigh station, and since this happened on a Sunday afternoon in a relatively remote area, the staff there invited me to camp for the night. (It was a Sunday evening, and all the stores which would have carried a replacement belt were closed until the following day). I spent a very comfortable night in a safe location, made dinner, walked my dog, caught up with some cleaning and organizing, and the mobile mechanic came out and patched me up the next day. Total cost including parts: $216.00. Not exactly cheap, but not a catastrophe either.

 

But lets say worst case scenario, you buy a cheap rig and it gets totalled and there's not even any salvage value. You could buy another one and be back on the road before the insurance check even hits your account; and you've STILL spent less money than you originally planned.

The things you'll need to look out for in buying a rig in your original price range are the same things you'll need to look for in a cheaper rig (no leaks, appliances working, etc). Pretty much the most expensive possible things that could go wrong would be......what? Roof leaks. Refrigerator. (Thats expensive.) Something goes wrong with the axels or the engine has to be completely replaced. We"re talking.....A couple grand? And if you just dont want to deal with it, sell it super quick for a cheap price and get yourself back on the road in a rental, and buy another one en route. You're still ahead.

 

Its also nice because you don't have to be so precious with it: This is especially good if you're a first-time RV'er. But even for experienced folks: I recently met a very nice couple who have a 2015 Class-C. They said their next destination is Alaska. I said, wow, thats wonderful-! Do you plan on doing much sightseeing in B.C"? (if you drive to Alaska from the states, you have to drive through British Columbia, Canada). They said; Oh, no! There's no WAY we would drive this to Alaska! The roads are much too rough, it completely ruins the tires. We'll be taking a cruise."

 

Of course, a cruise is nice, too. But whats the point of having an RV if you end up having to be too precious with it? I'm not saying you would be with a $23,000 rig, but how much less precious would you have to be with a $12,000 rig?

 

 

Additional Idea:

 

Rent when you arrive, and buy after you've gotten to road test a few different set-ups (trailer, class-a, class-c, etc).

 

Use SearchTempest.com to search all the cities along your route to see if there are any rigs that strike your fancy.

 

Again the websites that I know about for more affordable "rent-from-owner" websites I know about are outdoorsy.co and rvshare.com.

 

(I just listed mine here https://www.outdoorsy.co/rentals/5008 and will be making it available once I settle down in the fall)

Hi Wild Sage!

Sorry for the late reply - I've been having to sort out soooo much stuff, the RV had fallen down my list a bit. The RV is now at the very top!!

There are some awesome points there, especially throwing the LLC back into the mix - I'd sort of written that off! any recommendations for agents? https://www.49dollarmontanaregisteredagent.com? Thoughts?

I'm just worried about the whole cheap rig thing!! I feel like I'm the kind of guy that attracts mechanical trouble! If I could find a good one, I'd be all over it, but I have to be on the road (running) on the 15th September and I'll arrive on the 12th. It may even be I need to hire a car to start with and do some hotels while we wait for one. I also worry about buying from a private dealer (even though I got a great campervan from a private sale in Australia) in case of reliability issues...

Anyone on the forum know a good one going in the FL/AL/LA/MI/TX area? :D

P.S. Wild Sage - just checked out yours on Outdoorsy! Super cute!

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In terms of an Escapees adress - should I choose a Florida address if I'm getting a Florida RV - or does it not matter? Like say can I be registered in Florida and buy in Texas? Still weighing up LLC, but wondering if I can store the RV in California with a Montana registration? Can I store a non-CA registered RV not bought via LLC in CA?

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