Motorhome

Kicking around the idea of a motorhome to use at the track to keep SWMBO happy and allow me to go racing more. Stumbled upon one about 5 miles from my house that has "buy me" written all over it. Problem is it is a 2005 and all the lending institutions stop giving RV loans at 2007 or 2008 age and I can understand that. I could get a conventional used car loan from my credit union but cannot swing that short of payback. Anybody found a way to purchase a motor home older than 8 years old using conventional RV financing?

Pay cash for a top of the food chain older one and enjoy muuuuch higher build quality and no payments. Ours war 300 grand new and I paid 13 for it and it is still a great rig that does everything we ask of it and looks cool doing it...

or talk to a credit union. i think i looked into getting a load from one and they were at least willing.

Line of Credit with house as collateral (in effect a 2nd mortgage).

I also have been looking at motor homes and one of my biggest concerns is the horrendous rate at which they depreciate. That is probably the reason financing is so difficult for older units. I have seen RV's that sell new in the high 90K range selling for half of that 3 or so years later. Most all motor homes have what you would consider low mileage or barely broken in if it were a car or truck. So I would guess it is the systems going bad (electrical, plumbing, etc) that cause the depreciation.I have been told one of the biggest problems as RV's get old is water leaking in the roof system and the resulting rotting of wood in the ceiling and wall construction which is very difficult to fix. Would like to hear more about others experiences.

This is why you buy a really good old well-mainatined one. Cuz yeah waterleaks kill these things. The well built ones are less susceptible to such issues. I think as a luxury item they depreciate fast because rich people want the latest and greatest, which is why we can pick up things like E55's for so cheap these days.

I have been looking at mostly Class "C"s because I like they may be a bit safer in the cab enclosure driving down the road. What would be considered some of the better brand names?

Nine years ago we purchased a 1987 Pace Arrow, 31 foot two owner coach. Paid for it with a loan from USAA. The second owner had it painted in 1996 and built a barn to keep it out of the sun. We do not worry about rain in Southern California. It still lives inside when not in use.

This has turned out to be our family gateway to racing weekends. We run support at Hobbie Cat regattas and SCCA autocross weekends. My wife would not be part of these events without our "coach".

I have yet to nail down what kind of gas consumption I am living with. I really do not want to know, but everyone knows the coffee is fresh when they here the generator fire up first thing in the morning. Just bring your cup.

The next event is the weekend of August 8th and 9th at El Toro CA. This will be the seventh event we have used it this year. Man, I do love that fresh cup as the sound of cars are warming up in the morning.

USAA Is the only place that I found that does indeed lend $$ for a 2005 unit. Not sure how far they go back but they would do a 2005. Problem is I am not a vet or work for the government so I don’t qualify. The lady on the phone was very helpful trying to figure out a way to get me enrolled but no dice. The MH I was hoping to snag was a “super C”. 10k lb towing capacity. I could tow to my heart’s content with that one but no dice. :)

Super C would do the job but yeah... price tag. I am not much up on the regular class C rigs, but Lazy Daze is well regarded 'round the fire ring. I sorta got pushed into the giant 36' diesel pusher because of what it had to be able to do, most of which involved storage, amps, and tankage. Something very important to consider is gross vehicle weight. Many of the lower end RV's and way too many of the spendy ones, are loaded up such that they are very near max weight for the chassis, as it sits in the showrooom. Load it up with fuel and water, climb aboard, and you're overweight and golly, why do we keep blowing tires? The data plate where the VIN is is supposed to give you max axle loads and max gross, and it should give you enough info to find out how much stuff you can carry before things get dicey. This current road castle we have here lets me tow the rallykar and bring all my tools and spares and enough sundries to keep us fed and happy for the weekend as well as letting us boondock for days between dumping tanks, so mission accomplished..

There's a house I drive past every morning who is a drag racer. A couple of years ago he bought an older Class A to (presumably) tow his drag car to races. I'm guessing he quickly found out it was much cheaper to tow the car with a truck and stay in a local motel, after the difference in gas and maintenance is factored in.

As jr02518 mentioned, the convience is very nice, but you will pay for it dearly. Doesn't stop me from wanting one for mtn biking...

We had a 99 class C with a Ford V10, would get 7.5 mpg at 70, 10 at 55. Had a 55 gallon tank. We used it for camping, going to the beach and going to races. The convenience of having a bathroom, being able to cook on a stove as opposed to a camp fire was worth the expense. Every problem we had with it was with the "house" part of it. You better be a handyman if not the RV service can get expensive.

My wife still misses it. She wanted a house with a pool so the RV had to go.