Full time in coach or rent

[CFleck]

Hi,my wife and I are going to retire soon. We are looking into buying a Prevost, but I have read alot of posts here and I was surprised at the cost of owning a coach. So now I am woundering if it would be cheaper and alot less hassel if we would just rent a condo for a month at the locations we want to see. Then move somewhere else for a month or longer and just continue to stay in places we want to see. Our plan was to buy a coach and travel, then I heard of the monthy upkeep and started thinking it may be better to have nice SUV, load it up and hit the road.Can anyone help me make the right choice.:confused:

[Kevin Erion]

The experience is priceless! Dive in with your eyes closed and start swimming.

[jelmore]

CFleck, I'm sure you will get lots of opinions. We're full time and travel all the time. Had I known better two years ago, I would have continued to look for a coach in better condition. However, we found the coach with the features that would let us spend a a great deal of time with it. Getting it right took some money (and an education). It's just right now, very dependable and easy to take care of.

Traveling is fun, but taking your home with you makes it great fun. Always on your own sheets, in your own bath, your own laundry, a complete kitchen with you, all the "stuff" you need.

And there's a terrific community of owners you'll be part of.

Find a coach that has been well taken care of, has been used regularly, is well documented and has been looked at carefully and your expenses will be relatively modest. Improvements are made by Prevost and the converters every year so newer will generally be better.

Join the club!!

[CFleck]

Thanks for the advise, have you ever rented from place to place.

[Will Garner]

Cfleck,

Renting condos monthly in a new location each month sounds too much like work to me. Now admittedly we have not tried doing that. I just know I like only having to pack when leaving on a trip and unpack upon arriving home. None of this repeated packing and unpacking at every stop along the way.

In June 2008, at the end of a 7,000 mile trip around America my wife suggests we sell the house and go full timing. I was the reluctant one to make that commitment. It is becoming more attractive to me as time goes by.

So just ditto to what others have said. Yes there are costs associated with coach ownership. NBC's Today show yesterday had vacation suggestions. Go RVing was one that they said had documented cost savings of 61% over hotels and airline tickets.

So, take your time looking and learning as well as reading all the POG Forum postings and when you see "The Coach" you will have a knowledge base to make an informed offer taking into consideration some of those ownership costs you referred to. For Carole and I the hunt was almost as much fun as the ownership experience. All those car trips and motel stays sure made me wish I had a Prevost!

[jelmore]

We've never rented from place to place. Are monthly rentals something that can be done? You'd be on their furniture, in their bed and bath, you'd be packing up and moving every month. Lots of day trips. I guess that could be fun in its own way. Maybe tow a trailer so you can explore the area a little more? We've thought about staying places 3 months at a time (Ventura, Seattle, Mobile, etc.) if we had an Airstream so we could camp. But the moving, I just don't know about that.

We really enjoy staying some places one night, some places a few nights, a few places a week. Sometimes in a campground and sometimes not. We joke, but there's some truth to this: one night for each 25,000 population will get you a good feel for the town.

[lloyd&pamela]

CFleck, Pamela and I have been fulltiming for the past 17 months and love it. If you are going to travel full time for an extended period I do not know of a better way to travel. No packing and unpacking, that is a big advantage for me. All of North America is our back yard. We do not think it would be any cheaper to rent condos and the convenience of having everything with us is nice. Remember there is only the two of us, no children or pets so we have a lot of freedom. We will be happy to answer any questions we can. Best to you in your decision.

[garyde]

First things first. RVing is a lifestyle , not just a travel accomodation. Prevosts are part of that lifestyle but also owners have an over riding desire to own a Prevost rather than a plastic coach. Plastic Coaches are fine, Prevosts are the ultimate.
I own several Condo's by the beach and rent monthly and weekly. The minimum is $3000.00 a month in winters and $6000.00 to $8000.00 during the summer.
It is by far less expensive to own, drive, and live in an RV. The ability to move anytime you wish is also of great benefit.
One final thought, you meet the greatest people in POG.

[rfoster]

Cfleck: Have you ever lived in a Condo? Me neither. Just think - in a bus if you don't like your neighbors, you can move immediately. In a condo you might be stuck for 2', 3 weeks or more. The neighbors may have 4 kids and 4 yapping dogs. That take a dump on your porch.

There is no ROI on either, but you will have a bus to show for your money.


Like the fulltimers point out - you are sleeping in your own bed, using your own bathroom, and have your stuff with you without loading and unloading.

What about the fun of ownership - you just can't imagine till you pull the trigger.

It's a no brainer to me.

[Ray Davis]

To me the question comes down to what is more important, the destination, or the journey. If you are thinking of the Prevost simply in comparison to jumping in an SUV to hi-tail it to the next destination, then this isn't the lifestyle for you.

Owning a Prevost is all about the journey. It's about being completely flexible, and traveling when you want, and staying longer because you met some great people at one of your stops.

It's about living in YOUR bed, in YOUR sheets, with everything you love to bring with you. It's about the friends that will travel with you, or that you'll run into at the various places you stop.

Obviously cost has to come into any decision, but if you are thinking of the SUV and condo as a cheaper alternative, I think you are short changing your possibilities.

I have met some of the best people via this forum, and have had the opportunity to spend time with a number of them, whether here in my area when they come through, at rallies, or even when I'm traveling through the country, stopping with friends along the way, all POG members.

I was able to drive back from New York to CA last October, and other than a sudden change of plans due to weather and a leaky window (easily fixed), we would have made it all the way cross country, only paying for lodging in one location. The rest were staying with POG friends.

For me, personally, it's the journey, and the friends I've made along the way. Unfortunately, I'm a ways from retirement, but when it comes, I'm ready for the road.

Ray

[Darrell McCarley]

Prevost ownership or any other high line motorhome is a lifestyle unlike any other. It about traveling in luxury and pride of ownership. Our Prevost are the best maintained motorhomes on the road because of that pride of ownership. I do not think a rented condo would compete with our Prevost at any cost. We did not buy these Prevost to save money. We bought because we wanted the best. Go ahead, Charlie, buy your bus. You will never look back.

[BrianE]

Retired or not, Ray has hit the nail on the head. If you've never toured in an RV before, you can't even imagine how the journey can be the best part of a vacation. When we retired 10 years ago (good grief), we knew we wanted to see our great country up close and personal but we had no clue how much fun the ride could be.

Our first coach was a very nice 36' Country Coach with all the amenities and comforts of home, it was an eye opener to learn how much more fun traveling could be when you take your own bed and kitchen along with you. The subsequent purchase of our first Prevost truly put the icing on the cake. For us, the advantages far outweighed the cost. And as to cost, owning a Prevost is certainly no more expensive or time consuming than maintaining a house on the lake or a condo in Florida.

The experience is one you'll never know if you don't jump in and try it.

[Darrell McCarley]

CHARLIE...........When you go, your house and car are always with you. What more would you want? Life could not be better.

[dalej]

Charlie,

I believe that when you read all or most of the posts on here it just sounds like it costs a lot to maintain a bus conversion. Because you are hearing about everyones little breaks and fixes. If you just take one persons bus, you'll find that it's not near the cost to maintain it that you are perceiving.

I have the perception that the 60 series bus's are more expensive to maintain, because I think, more have them and post about them.

One of the latest post on replacing a Aqua Hot for $10,000+ scared me. But that is the first time I have read a post about total replacement of one.

As you have been reading, there have not been any posts discouraging you from buying one of these wonderful build machines.

Best of luck in your decision.

[JIM CHALOUPKA]

Charlie, for most here it's the other way round. We have the illness MPD, (must have Prevost disease) I don't think you have it yet, and maybe your immune and will never get it.:eek:

Nevertheless you need to go bus shopping and see if anything grabs you, or better yet come to the rally at OKC.

This would be both sides of your question in one location. You and your wife stay in a cabin and we will be in our buses. You will have first hand experience of which is the better way to go. (arrive a day early and leave a day late, then you will see everyone pull in and pull out. If you still have your question, don't buy a bus)

All the comments so far are right on the money and that's the only kind you will hear from us. For the other side of the question you will have to go to the must have condo forum :D

Some of us like the bus for what it is as much as what it does and enjoy the tinkering and poking around looking for something to do. There are POG members that don't post and are content with their bus with competent professional maintenance. (you don't have to be technical, mechanical or a grease monkey. you do however have to like to eat and suffer sheep)

Come to the rally, you won't regret it!

:)JIM

[JIM CHALOUPKA]

And besides Charlie, how could you justify all your tools with a condo.

JIM :D

[phorner]

Charlie,

We retired in '02, sold the house, the toys, everything that we generally couldn't take with us..... and hit the road.

The idea was to travel and see the USA to determine where we might want to buy/build our "retirement" home. By being in a motorhome, we could spend considerable time in any given area to get a real feel for it.

Well, we've been living full time in the coach for 7 years now, and we're not even close to being ready to give up this lifestyle. The travel experiences we have had and the folks we have met and formed friendships with would never have been duplicated in hotels or condo's. How often do you socialize with your neighbor in a hotel or condo? I've never made a good friend of the guy staying next to me in a hotel.

The experience of the RV lifestyle simply cannot be duplicated. You may not extend your stay as long as we have, but you will always wonder what you missed out on if you don't try it.

Buy the best maintained and best condition bus from a major converter in a floor plan that works for you that you can find. It's a buyers market, so take your time finding just the right one.... you'll know it when you find it!

Good luck in your retirement adventure.

We're having the time of our lives, and enjoying experiences and friendships that few get to realize.

[HarborBus]

Charlie, I know you had a bad experience with the bidding on the Prevost on eBay. You dogged a bullet on that because you had the "cart before the horse". Very possibly the purchase could have turned out very well but because of you lack of knowledge of the coach you decided to pull the plug on the purchase. Generally I wouldn't buy any motor vehicle on eBay or anywhere for that matter without checking it out in person or having it checked out. That is all part of the journey everyone is talking about. Right now there are some great buses out there at some great prices, you just have to find that one perfect bus for you. Don't get discouraged, arrange to go to the rally and jump back in with both feet, YOU WON"T BE SORRY YOU DID.

[dalej]

And to top it all off!

If your looking a coach between the 96 and 98 model year... we know of a great one right here on POG.

Just ask when your ready.

[just2]

We are full-timers and have been for the past two years. Here are a fews costs that might help you decide on whether to rent condos or travel in a RV. We are golfers and never spend more than a week to 10 days anywhere. Over the past two years we spend about 1K a month for our RV sites, we could cut that about 20% if we stayed a month at a time. We were in 26 states and three Canadian Providences last year. We did all of the northeast. Our fuel cost averaged around $500.00 a month, and that was when fuel was at it's all time high. We are now traveling the central part of the US and our RV sites are costing about the same but our fuel cost are now about $300.00 a month. Best way in the world to travel for all the reasons that have already been posted. One our biggest expenses are our Green Fees. We spend about 2K a month on that. Good luck in your travels.

Gary and Dani Moss

[PLSNTVLE2]

2K a month on golf! You guy's are animals. See you at OKC. P.S. I will bring my clubs this time.

[dalej]

Terry,

They pay so much in green fees because they have to charge Dani so much extra since she really tears up the course i.e. fairways, greens and carts. :)

[jelmore]

If your looking a coach between the 96 and 98 model year... we know of a great one right here on POG.

And if you're looking for a 2000 model . . .

[bonhall41]

We live on the beach and there's nowhere else I'd rather be but...we still do travel and when we do there's no better way than in the Prevost. We have owned numerous RVs and have a very nice 2006 sitting in our driveway that I'd make you a very good deal on but I can't imagine traveling in it anymore. The Prevost experience is like no other. I have driven every RV we have owned and, again, the bus is a completely different animal. If economic disaster struck, I would give up a lot of things before the coach. It is an investment but the dividends are worth it. We have done a lot of traveling over the years and I appreciate not having to pack and unpack moving from place to place and, most of all, I like having my own "stuff". If you're not sure the Prevost lifestyle is for you, you might not be ready for the investment of both time and money. Good luck in whatever road you choose to take.

Bonnie

[CFleck]

:)I want to thank all of you for responding to my question. My wife and I have never owned a rv before, so we don't know what we don't know. Our dream was to own a motorhome and travel and see this great country of ours. And yes the journey is part of that. But when I read that it cost about 1.00 dollar a mile, I started doing the math and thought ,wow! So I thought a beach condo for 3 months for about 6,000.00 dollars would not be to bad. But I have never rented a beach condo either. So I thought I would use a life line and phone a friend (all my POG family) to get there take on my question. We are going to OKC and we are looking forward to meeting all of you. We will be a big pain in your butt, so many question ,so little time. Please continue to answer our questions your experience is very much appreciated. Thanks again for your help. Charlie

[phorner]

I haven't a clue as to whether your estimate of $1 per mile is accurate. It certainly depends on a number of factors.

But the benefit of the full-timing lifestyle is that you can choose how many miles to travel in any given season, or fiscal year, or times of boon or bust.

That is but only one benefit. Getting to move your house out of the path of a hurricane bearing down on your little piece of paradise is another.

Endless summers or whatever you like are another as you are free to let the weather influence where you happen to call home at the moment.

You also get to make the greatest of friendships that extend all across this wonderful country.

Lastly, you get to see the neatest things in little out of the way places that you never even knew existed. Few get to experience this lifestyle.

It is, quite honestly, impossible to place a price tag on :)

[hhoppe]

The most important first concideration is how comfortable do you think you will be driving the big machine. Ive heard horror stories of people making the big purchase, climbing behind the wheel, and taking their first trip almost petrified with fear, :eek:and imediately selling at a loss. Thats an extreme and rare. If you enjoy driving something very special, than you can't do better than a Prevost. Full driving skills can be learned, even though some of us never get it 100% of the time. As far as living and expenses the above posts have covered that very adequately. Come to OKC and you'll be hooked.