Question How expensive is it to RV?

[Fish]

Insurance round up to $1600 a year.
Lot cost $4000 a year. Electricity $150 x 6 months is $900 (that would be the high end)
Fuel cost 7mpg for 2300 miles x $3 diesel = $1000
That's $7500 and all I've done is drive to our Florida lot, stay 6 months and come back.

More if we take a summer trip plus money for maintenance. Also more to travel around Florida while we're there.

 

[Kevin D Pem]

We full time. We do travel some, but mostly we travel for temperature. This means though we have A/C and a heater we don't feed them much (your mileage may vary). Most of the time we camp in the forest at no cost and winter at the BLM LTVA season pass,$180. we stay about 5mos.
Because we must move every 14 days in the summer months, we do our shopping as we move. Two trucks both average 13 MPG while towing. Each move the mileage is 6.5 MPG.

We average 30 gallons per year to run a generator, for the most part 2000w of solar keeps us in all the conveniences we were accustomed to back in 1999.

The cost of RVing, is considerably more costly than it was sailing in Mexico, and staying at anchor. That said, it still is considerably less costly than S&B, With much more joy.

 

[bpaikman]

We budget 2/3 initial purchase, 1/3 maintenance and ownership exoenses. We just purchased a well-maintained nearly 8 yo diesel, and immediately spent 3300 on new tires (which were surprisingly difficult to get, must take that into account - we were unable to get the brand we preferred), and also discovered a 1% additional tax because it is diesel and weighs more than 14,000 lbs…. stuff like that. Sales tax, title etc, equipping it (we already owned some equipment), outfitting a tow vehicle (we already had one with hitch plate)… it goes on and on. (can’t think of everything right now).

 

[STANDERSON]

Insurance round up to $1600 a year.
Lot cost $4000 a year. Electricity $150 x 6 months is $900 (that would be the high end)
Fuel cost 7mpg for 2300 miles x $3 diesel = $1000
That's $7500 and all I've done is drive to our Florida lot, stay 6 months and come back.

More if we take a summer trip plus money for maintenance. Also more to travel around Florida while we're there.

That's a lot for insurance. Our 2015 28Z is about $120 a year.

 

[redbaron]

That's a lot for insurance. Our 2015 28Z is about $120 a year.

My 2019 DSDP was $3100. Texas insurance is outrageous

 

[AbdRahim]

2020 Bay Star 3626 $1300, w $5000 deductible.?

 

[FL-JOE]

Insurance costs can be all over the place. Value of the RV, are you insuring it for actual replacement value or fair market value? $5,000 deductible or $500 deductible? Are you insuring it as a full time RVer or part time RVer?

 

[SaltyVetAdventures]

Someone mentioned that fuel costs can't be avoided. I tend to disagree...at least a little. The more often you move the more often you fill up. Campgrounds back east are pretty much unavoidable but out west there are limitless possibilities for free camping (BLM and National Forests).

It really boils down to what you want to do. Eat out a lot? See lots of attractions that cost money? Or cook in the RV and take lots of free hikes and other no cost attractions. There isn't a right or wrong answer and I guess most people will fall in the middle somewhere.

 

[redbaron]

Is it necessary to have an insurance? I do not want to have an annual insurance because my lender can cover those repairs easily. I want your suggestions. RV Roof Magic - Winter Liquid RV Roof Rubber Repair Solution, RV Roof Sealant & Coatings Liquid RV Roof Magic Rubber Roof Sealant for RV Roof Repair. Apply Today Drive Tomorrow! Fix RV, Mobile Home and Trailer Leaks the First Time. RV Roof Magic is a perfect winter solution for rv roof sealant and coatings that waterproofs immediately and specially formulated system specifically... www.rvroofmagic.com

Your lender will require you to have full coverage with a minimal deductible

 

[Uncle_Joe]

For the past 12 years or so I have been camping every winter for 5 to 6 weeks down in the Southern California desert or in AZ. Ninety-eight percent of the time I boondock in areas where it's free to do so. Eliminating the campground fee goes a long way toward making RVing very inexpensive. In fact, when I first started doing this I was still tracking all of my expenses (something I started doing 30 years ago) and the time I was camping in the Southwest was always the least expensive part of the year for me.

The rig I take down there is an old truck camper - specifically, a 1987 Six-Pac camper that sits atop a 1993 Dodge D250 with 5.9 Cummins 12v diesel engine. I paid a grand total of $8,100 for the truck and camper 14 years ago, then spent another $900 adding solar to the camper (which could be done for quite a bit less now). Five or six years ago I renovated the interior of the camper, which cost me around $600 or so (paint, vinyl flooring, fabric, labor for the guy who sewed the new upholstery together, etc.).

These trucks are known for their excellent mpg, and depending on the number of hills, the winds, etc., I get anywhere from 13 mpg to 18 mpg, with the camper loaded and while towing a Corolla behind. While there, I drive about once a week to dump tanks and refill fresh water and propane, a 20-mile round trip or so. For sightseeing, shopping, travel to trailheads, etc., I drive the Corolla which gets 30 mpg in the city and 36 on the freeway.

I like my little old truck camper quite a bit and have no desire to replace it with a big fancy rig, even though I could easily do so if I wanted to. I enjoy repairing my own rigs and I enjoy living frugally. And I especially enjoy boondocking in areas where the rigs are spread out a hundred yards from each other. And with solar, there's no gas or oil to buy or carry around. And there's also no noise associated with it, which I love.

As others have already said, Rving can be very expensive or very inexpensive, depending on your preferences.

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Ain’t that amazing…
How’s the ‘87 pickup holding up?
Do you do all of your mechanical maintenance by yourself?