The RVers Corner

[fam'o'nine]

[Russ Chastain]

What the--? But you just bought it!
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- Russ

[thewiz]

Don't let the mileage make you sell and lose money on your new baby.
Although many tell you about the great mileage they get with their rv's the great mileage seldom gets over 10mpg.
Lots of bragging about 7.8 or 8.2 or 9.6 so we didn't get them for the mileage.
We got them for a place to go to read, take a nap, go on a trip, have guests sleep over etc...
They are not the fastest either, go up the hill in the right lane sipping a soda and enjoying the music on the radio. You'll get there a few minutes later then the speed merchants. But you will be self contained.
Pull over and have a meal, use your toilet, take a nap read the map.
Forget the mileage and enjoy the new lifestyle. Slow down.
Hope you reconsider about selling but if you do we wish you the best.
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John in sunny Clyde, Ca.

[fam'o'nine]

It's been eating at me since the day I drove it home. I feel I made a big mistake, ignorant as I was and believing the guy that it got 17 mpg on propane. We really wanted a trailer, but thought this was a good deal, and the 17 mpg really sold us. Then the cost of insurance is not cheap, too.

[Mickey]

Sorry you feel you were an uninformed buyer. If you do sell your rig are you going to do without or will there be another uninformed purchase? It does take time to become informed and one needs to consider ALL the implications. There will always be insurance costs, place to park the rig when not in use, maintenance cost, operation cost, etc.

My 89 rig that is otherwise sim to yours gets a lot better mileage than what Jay reported. Over the years I've tended to get in the 9-10 mpg range. After all this is not a car you're hauling around, it's a 5-6 ton brick with the aerodynamics of a shoe box.

What I'd hope you do is give some pause, give though as to how much you may loose if you sell now and what it would cost to replace and what the differential cost of the current MH Vs the cost of what replaces it. Does the overall ownership/use cost of the replacement and possible loss from selling what you have turn out to be better over say a 5 yr period.

Don't get discouraged, live and learn and enjoy the time with your family.

Best of luck.

[fam'o'nine]

As long as we can get what we paid for it, we'll sell it. We're not that desperate to get rid of it. It IS a nice machine.

We might rent a trailer for a week at some point, before buying one - get a feel for what it's like to tow one around and live in it. But can't do that until we sell the motorhome as funds will not permit even renting one till we have the money to do so.

[Russ Chastain]

My opinion - for what it's worth - is that you should use it for a while. I mean, you bought it - so use it and see what you like and don't like about it.

This will give you something that you can't get any other way - experience - which will give you REAL LIFE knowledge of what kind of fuel mileage it gets, familiarize you with RV systems like water heaters, converters, awnings, and such, and make you a heck of a lot better prepared for your next purchase - if it turns out that you don't like this motor home.

Towing my 28' travel trailer with my truck, I only get about 10 MPG. Mileage ain't everything.

Also, buying enough truck to tow a trailer for nine people (not to mention having seating for all 9 while you're driving, plus the cost of the trailer) would likely cost more than you have already invested in your MH.

So, give it a try while you've got it. It would be a terrible shame to pass up the opportunity to use it (for a learning experience, if nothing else), while you own it.

One of Dad's favorite sayings was, "You can't rush into these things." He applied to almost everything. i think selling your rig falls under that category.
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- Russ

[fam'o'nine]

We did take it on one camping trip, to an RV park at a lake about half an hour from here. I don't know how many miles we actually get to the gallon, but I could almost see the needle going down as we drove, it went down that fast.

One problem for us with the motorhome is we can't figure out how to safely travel with our youngest kids. Youngest son is almost three, and youngest daughter is only 17 months, so they need to be in child-secure seating for some time yet. At least in our Suburban, everyone's got a seat, plus there's the DVD player which is nice. It seats eight, but all nine of us won't be going anywhere together. My oldest is 17 and she's in the process of branching out on her own.

Then there's the cost of insurance at over $100/mo, and engine maintenance. Trailer insurance is a lot less, and no engine to maintain.

I think maybe in future years we might appreciate a motorhome more. While we are young and poor, it probably wasn't the best choice. Hoping it'll sell within the year and we can try out a pop-up trailer and/or a travel trailer. Our hope is to get to Saskatchewan next summer to see my husband's family. He's not seen them in many years, and I've yet to meet them in person.

[Russ Chastain]

I can see that you've gone into it thoughtfully, which is smart. Glad you got to take it on one outing anyhow.

It also sounds like you're already set when it comes to a towing vehicle, so if you find something your Suburban can handle, you'll be in good shape.

Around here (Florida, USA), you don't have to insure a trailer. That makes it even more appealing.

Best of luck to you and yours, no matter what!
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- Russ

[Eric J]

when pulling mine I get 7 to 11 miles to the gal, pulling 6500 to 8000 pounds, depends on if their is 4wheelers inside it or not, its ruff with the price of fuel today, when I had a pop-up I hardly new it was behind me and that was great, but if I had to leave and it was raining or it was wet I had to re-pop it back up at home so it would not mold.
I do carrie insurance on it for 75.00 dollers a year, but that will not cover anything that did not come with the camper from the factory, anything else would be considered under home owners insurance which leads into another deductible.