Motor H Ome for $450,000!!!
 

Just visited Costco and they had a motorhome in the parking lot that was on sale for $450,000. It was pretty fancy inside with a diswasher, two sinks, lots of finery, leather,etc. but do people really pay that for this sort of thing? What is the point? Is that roughing it, or camping to anyone's mind? wow! But don't they depreciate faster than a snake in the grass? And what about fuel costs in the future. You folks who have one, tell me what you like and why you buy? You can stay in a lot of nice hotel rooms for that kind of money.

I can't answer that samting, but funny that it was parked in Costco.. sort of a tease wouldn't you say?

My poor relations only own the lowly Class A type, which aren't shabby either..

I'd rather own a private jet myself, but to each their own.

Lots of people love motor homes and I have even considered getting one myself - but the cost factor is the obvious drawback. Like a lot of travel decisions, I see it as a lifestyle rather than financial choice. Over the long term it really would be cheaper to stay in moderate priced hotels, unless you use the RV constantly. People tell me it forces them to travel or go places they would not usually go.

I can't resist getting in on this one. We spend our winters in the south and bought a townhouse there. When we were driving there one winter we passed a lot of beautiful motorhomes. My DH asked if I would ever be interested in doing that. I replied that I can get into enough trouble with him with a little back seat driving. Trying to park one would really be a nightmare. A little later when we stopped for gas there was a huge motorhome just maneuvering up to the pumps. The wife was out directing - the screaming and yelling that ensued was hilarious. I just looked at my husband and said "I rest my case!!"

I'm sitting in my motorhome right now. Of course a $450K expenditure is a luxury, just as a $450K home is in most parts of the country. There's no need to justify the purchase of luxuries that you can afford; we don't challenge people who buy homes or cars that are larger or more comfortable than absolutely necessary.

Many RV owners aren't "campers", they are "travelers" who want all the comforts of home and would never dream of undertaking more rustic forms of camping-style adventures.

I love being able to travel wherever I want, whenever I want, and have all my stuff with me. When I read the threads about gross hotel rooms, lost reservations, or surly hotel staff, I can just laugh!

As for the driving, parking, gas stations, etc., there are plenty of appropriate driving schools for RV owners and those who don't take advantage of them are an embarassment and possibly even a menace, just like unskilled auto drivers are.

Sounds like one of the kind they use for movie or TV stars on location. Not supposd to be roughing it - but as close as you can get to a deluxe hotel suite on the shooting site.

Home and Garden channel has a program every year..forget what it's called...on the latest and greatest in recreational vehicles. Yes, people do buy them, some are custom made and run up to a million dollars, and yes it's a life style.

Also, there are many retired people who have sold their homes and their motor home IS their home. With the internet, etc, it's easy for them to keep in touch, they do internet bill pay etc. and if needed have a PO box, mail drop in some fairly central location. They travel around, meet others like themselves and seem to just have a ball.

That is not my style, but these people love the life they have chosen to live.

Definitely a lifestyle choice and you either getit or you don't....I don't!

And RV-ing is an American phenomenon....you just don't see RV vehicles in Europe or anywhere else in anything like the numbers over here. Is it because the US is big so there are plenty of places to go without crossing borders/ hitting the ocean...?

I crave new experiences when I travel so staying in the home from home doesn't do it for me and I really like living out of a suitcase/ backpack for a week or so without the so called creature comforts of home....

I've never camped and I'll never have an RV and I think there's a link between the two.
I think RV owners are often ex-campers that have reached their golden years and now need more that a tent.

Are there any young RV owners out there? Any RV owners that weren't campers?

I don't qualify as "young" any longer and I do not own an RV now either, but I did when I was young. Unfortunately, it was no palace on wheels but it was comfortable and the family enjoyed it immensly.

As others have said, it allowed us to go places and see things with a modicum of comfort and we used it a lot. We were a family that would not have tent-camped so it was either the RV or hotels. With $0.25 per gallon gasoline back then and no need to continually eat out, the RV was less expensive than the same trips would have been in hotels.

It was a life-style choice that was right for us then. I rented an RV camper in Alaska last year and found that, now that I'm in my 60's, I did not enjoy that life style as much as I once used to. Now I think roughing it is staying at the Marriott instead of the Ritz Carlton.

I've known several older couples who after retirement, sell their homes and buy a motorhome. Then they travel around North America to see all the sights.

I think those are the folks that a $450,000 motor home is directed at.

Apparently, Walmart allows motorhomes to park in their parking lots for extended stays also. That image of a motorhome in the parking lot with the wading pool, beach chairs and barbeque isn't make believe... people really vacation at Walmart.

People buy the craziest things for the craziest amounts*.

I could see a retired couple with a good amount of money buying such an item if they plan on living on the road for a few or more years.....

But then again, a celeb could ask for that just for when they are shooting a film.

What is creepier at Costco is the coffins for sale...and yes, they have to ship it to you when you buy it, and YOU have to store it...well....until it is needed... :(

I don't begrudge anyone for doing what they enjoy.
Last summer we joined my partner's brother and his wife for a two day trip in their very luxurious motorhome. They had met us at Ashland, Oregon for the theatre festival, and then we returned with them for the drive to their home in Tahoe. We spent a night near Lassen.
They love it! But after spending an hour doing the disconnect so we could get on the road, an hour doing the reconnect that evening, and another hour the next day doing the disconnect I had had enough to last me a lifetime. Each time involves some contact with the nasty sewer line. No matter how you do it, the smell and the liklihood of some "splash" is inevitable. Our beds were really god awful -- if you got those beds in a hotel you'd raise bloody hell. Their bed is very nice, however. The bath and shower while adequate are not like staying in even a motel 6 -- no 20 minute shower if you want, and certainly no generous space to relax in.
They realize they weren't doing it for savings and were well aware that they could travel much cheaper other ways. Anyone who thinks the idea is to save money when traveling is probably kidding themselves. But that's not why they got one -- they love to travel that way. Meanwhile, they've now had it two years. This year the insurance went way up. They had to put new tires on the whole thing -- ouch! There were two major repair bills. Their storage bill for it when not using it went up. And the sites they stayed in have started upping their prices a lot. Then comes the high cost of gas this year. To make a long story short, they're thinking of giving it up. But of course you can only get a very small fraction of what you paid for it.

Meanwhile since Costco only takes American Express, I'm wondering if you can really put the full $450,000 on the AE card?

We don't regret our RVing years...three motorhomes overall. Sure, getting hooked up is a hassle, but most RVers are not operating on a schedule.

It was only when the annual use went down and the cost of operations went up that we decided to let it go.

"after spending an hour doing the disconnect so we could get on the road, an hour doing the reconnect that evening, and another hour the next day doing the disconnect I had had enough to last me a lifetime. Each time involves some contact with the nasty sewer line. No matter how you do it, the smell and the liklihood of some "splash" is inevitable. "

Yikes, if my RV involved all that, I wouldn't find it very appealing, either.

Most that own the large expensive class 'A' RV's are no different than others that travel. They just like to take their home away from home with them. Its not an uncommon thing to see a $500,000 motor home next to a tent camper in one of our National Parks or Forest Service Campgrounds. Each enjoying themselves in their own way.

I forgot my favorite part. Once we had hooked up, extended the extensions and awning, set up table and chairs, and done all our work, we sat down with drinks and some cheese. Just then another big one pulled into the space next to us and started its hookup. When the guy went to attach his line the open sewer smell chased us inside. The smell didn't go away for at least a half hour or 45 minutes. So much for our peaceful cocktails by the pretty lake.

Yuck. I avoid full-hookups areas for this very reason. the idea of having somebody's sewer pipe just feet from my picnic table is revolting, even if it didn't smell.

Most campgrounds have areas with just water and electricity, and a separate dump site where you can go when your tanks are full (for me, that's once a week). And BTW, that "splash" is certainly not inevitable; I have't been splashed yet.

Here's something funny...we were in our little camper with friends and it was hot and sunny by the door, so we all went around back of the camper and set up a circle of chairs, chatting quietly. A lady came out of a huge RV and said "you are sitting in my shade". I said "your shade?" and she said yes. So I said, "well, we are pretty friendly, so come have a beer with us". She smiled a tiny smile, and finally relaxed a bit. When they moved the next day I told everyone "wow, she is leaving and taking her shade with her." Not funny, they said...cause it's hot now.

Well, I guess those "Pavement Princesses" are good for something, after all.

Just visit any NASCAR race. They had a tour of them in Charlotte a couple of months ago.