Full time in coach or rent

[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.

[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, 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.