I am going to retire in couple years. No wife , no kids , health not that great. Both knees Replaced , one did not turn out good. Anyway the $100,000 -150,000 question ha ha ha which is the truth , can you really live in a RV and does it make since ? I never owned a RV but when I look at the new 5th wheels or bumper jobs ( I will go with bumper job so I can still drive Pickup when I park RV. I just don’t see the pluses of living in one permanent.
1....price of new 3/4 ton truck , $55,000 min
2..... price of the RV, one I am looking at is a 4 season 35 ft. $60,000
3....... you have to park it some were , every one I talked to says don’t let people tell you about all the free places you can stay at. They are free for a reason and all are short term 2 to 3 weeks or so. RV parks the salesman told me are $30.00 to $45.00 a night ! I want to retire Back in ND from April 1 to Nov 15 and then Nov 15 to April maybe in Southern Utah or Southern Nevada ( not Vegas ) maybe Mesquite NV. Not ruling out NE AZ.
I watch this cable TV show all the time showing all these folks looking at RV’s trying to pick out the one they like best. When I run the numbers and look at my health I just don’t see how it would make since. In ND you can still find really nice 6 month apt housing for 500.00 a month. I will say UT , NV , AZ it might be a lot harder to find 6 month apartment to rent. I was think keeping a small 10x10 storage unit in each location for 2 rifles , shotgun and hunting clothes , predator call , etc. The RV dealership told me it’s their best year they have had in 20 years on sales ! People are tired of high taxes , looting and everything that goes with it. So does it make since to buy and live in a RV permanent for a Single retired working man that’s not rich ? Your thoughts Thanks. MD

I would say no. Unless you plan on dying in 5 years.
They depreciate in value to nothing almost instantly. The wear and tear is guaranteed fast.
I really think you would regret it.

There’s more hassles that will come that you won’t even think of. Then BAM! It’ll hit you right in the face.

They are built terribly typically, they do not hold their value well.

You can work for the KOAs and stay for basically free, I've met a few people who do that, work a few days a week, make some extra money and have a free place to stay. I can't see it penciling out if you are buying a brand new truck and RV.

It really depends on your lifestyle, and the amount of money you have. It’s not for everyone, but there are people who do it and love it. It can be cost effective, done right, but that’s not the issue you should consider first. If I were you I would buy a used camper and a used pickup and try it out for a time. A year maybe. If you like the life, upgrade, if not, go back to your home. Your retirement should be built around the life you want to live, not around the cheapest way to live.

A budget route may be to buy a van and convert it into a Camper, that is something I am looking to do right now. I am looking for an AWD Chevy Astro van and I am going to convert that into a camper for when I have time off in the winter. Should have less than 10k into a really nice van set up, far less into a less than perfect setup. May not be a good long term solution for living in but you wouldn't lose so much to depreciation and would offer you a chance to try out the lifestyle.

I stayed in them when I was tramp mining, all I can say is I'll never live in one.
Rent one for a month and take off, see what you think.

Buy a little piece of land in ND and put in a tiny house or small cabin. You could do the same in NV or find an RV park there and keep it there or in storage while in ND.

I think you already know the answer.
I have a SIL and her husband who do live in a large RV. They spend a lot of time in Mesquite, NV. The only good thing IMO is that there is a skeet range close by.

But as JP said above ,you are buying a depreciating asset. Might be better to buy a small place as a base of operations and then travel from there.

my grand parents lived in a Pace Arrow well 2 of them from about 1988 till 1998 full time then just the winter for a few more years then they purchased a park model i n Yuma.

yes you can live out of one

helps if you go warm places for the winter.

Depends if it comes with or without.

Some RVs are much, much better than others. I have a friend, Mike, who owns a company that repairs and refurbishes RVs. Some are junk from the get go and some, like Airstreams, are good for many years. You should do your research and then rent the ones you are interested in, before buying one.

Keith

Yes you can but would it fit your lifestyle and health issues? One word of advice DO NOT keep your guns in storage. My storage was hit twice in 1 month. Keep photos of everything you put in storage. I'm still fighting with insurance.

I have a few friends who lived in school buses they converted into "homes", would travel then park for a month or so all while raising kids. Some lasted a year, others lasted about 3 years before they decided to buy or build a house.

All in what you like. I know a guy about the same as you, that lives in one. Paid $4000.00 for a diesel pusher with a blown engine 5 years ago in yankee country with snow flying. Paid a tow truck $650 to move it.
Works out great if you have a place to park it.

I live right beside a trailer park that has been converted to a RV park. The last couple of years, it has been full of windtower workers. We have over 400 towers in our county. Many of them live full time in them and quite a few have spent the winters here. There is a huge difference in quality, you get what you pay for. There has been a toy hauler here since a year ago October that has a family with three kids that are home schooled. A large percentage are toyhaulers and I wondered if why as they don't have atv or anything. One guy told me that they put washers and dryers back there as well as deep freezers. Makes sense now. I think it would be fun to do as your thinking, although not everyone could.ir would do it.

A buddy of mine had a small piece of raw land in the Adirondacks. He bought a crappy 20+yo RV. Drove it up to his place and parked it. It had a 427cid V-8 in it. He pulled the engine and brought it back in a pick-up. Sold the engine for just shy of the cost of the RV. He was into the RV for about $500 with the sale of the engine. Nice super cheap campground with a good structure (RV) that he had put in a crude septic system and got a water supply and a crude generator set-up.
Less than 5k invested including land. Good bug-out site/campsite for real cheap. Plus super low taxes.

Will after reading every ones good comments here I think it would be a huge loss of money if I did not like it.
Could be 3 months or 3 years and I might say I had enough. Might rent one for 3 months when the time comes see if I like it. I know one thing I don’t want to work in a RV Park 3 days a week so I can pay out $35.00 a day or $1000.00 a month to park my RV. When I retire I want to retire. Ha ha ha. You guys are making a lot of sense. Ha ha ha. Thanks for the good advice. MD

martyd
If you go, go cheap with something that won't kill you with tow bills. I read about a guy from Alaska that goes to Ehrenburg, Az. for the winter. He has a regular van and tows a small trailer with a Honda Rebel bike and his extra camping stuff. He stays on BLM ground which is free. Rides his bike to town for groceries and laundry, so he doesn't lose his campsite.
After living in a truck for close to 40 years, a motor home is like a castle.

Do you have a house to sell to help with the purchase?

Anyway, $35/nite is if you pay by the day BUT NOT THE MONTH OR QUARTER, then it is bout 1/2 price.

NEVER buy a new camper. Get one off CL or any of the other sites where they sell, a few-10 yrs old.
We bought a 12 yr old 36' 5th wheel for $12k and live in it NOW, with 2 rats/cats and a 105 lb dog, but we own the land and have power and water and septic.

Here is where you go for Workamping jobs at campgrounds! https://workampingjobs.com/workampingjobs.php some you get free utilities with a salary even, but not all.

We have had 4 campers over the yrs and still have a 34' travel/pull trailer as well as the 5th wheel we live in.

A dealer here, Bill Plemmons, in NC offers LIFETIME WARRANTY even on used campers. See if you have a guy like that nearby. If NOT it'd pay to get 1 here in NC. Ask if it still applies if living out west and if you have to take to their preferred service place or what if/when something needs repaired.

AVOID Camping World at ALL COST.

join us at www.irv2.com to talk to folks who live in them full time for more info!

Eventually we will be summering in Maine or Idaho or NH and wintering here in NC.

I guess you could give all your stuff to your kids. Keep 3 guns and four fishing poles. Traveling to see what you never seen I get, but deciding to be a gypsy I do not. What are you hoping to find?

I live in a camper a few moths out of every year when I'm on the road working. I work 12 hour shifts sometimes more. 7 days a week usually. That means I'm awake in my camper 4 or 5 hours a day. All I can say is DON'T DO IT! It gets old quick. I do it for economic reasons, it's usually have the cost of a motel, I can cook and I don't have to worry about the maid going through my stuff. I would never choose to live in one rather than a home.