A Women's RV Forum run by Women RVer's!

hi!
i dont know how much info to say...my name is elizabeth and i have been in love with roadtrips all my life. i hate the point where its time to turn around and go home. recently i have had some major life difficulties and i am currently homeless (tho not actually on the streets - couch surfing sigh). many of my life difficulties have stemmed from mental health issues and i am working on getting ssd/i. that said in the midst of these difficulties i have come upon an opportunity to purchase a RV for 1000. i knew the owner and that he kept up on the care even if he didnt use it as much as he wanted. i think he hoped to use it in his old age and sadly that didnt happen for him. now for what led me to this site... am i being silly in seeing this as an opportunity? i have 4 cats that mean the world to me who are well behaved, get along, and are very good at coming when i call. i cant imagine them not in my life. i enjoy being frugal - really i like to see what i can do without. i have never even been in an RV let alone know if i can drive such a big thing! my first thought on this was wow!! great deal my prayers have been answered. then i started to research and i must say i feel very overwhelmed at the idea of doing this on my own. theres a part of me that very much wants to prove that i can - to others, of course, but mostly to myself. well now i feel like ive said too much so i will say thanks for reading and see what anyone else has to say. ~elizabeth

Welcome, Eliza. You've found a good place for support and wisdom. There are a lot of ladies here who have been RVing for a long time. What kind of RV are you looking at? I recommend reading as much of the archives as you can. Not long ago, Mitch posted links to threads about how some of the women chose their rigs. I think those threads are good places to start. I can't remember where Mitch posted them, but I'll look. They're probably in one of the introduction threads. Only you know if RVing is a good decision for you. Ask questions. I'm a newbie, so I don't have any advice except go slow and do lots of research.

Nikki

im glad i found a place to ask questions and get advice! most people i mention this idea to look at me like im crazy for thinking of doing this let alone a lone. and thank you for the advice i have read some of the newbie threads and lots of info for sure. my trouble is that i am clueless!! i even had to look up what type of class it is. and its a class A RV. i forget the name and year...but it is not new. probably from the 80s it has low mileage and some newer improvements like a new generator and new hoses (for what tho i have no clue). i have been told it will need an oil change and maybe a battery or a good jump they werent sure. after dale passed it has sat. going on 2 yrs now that i havent seen it moved. so that has me nervous. i have been reading a lot of websites and there seems like so much to know even the beginner sites seem to think you know something before you start....

Welcome Eliza. If the rig has sat that long there may be many issues that need attentions from the ones you mentioned to the roof (checking for leaks) and tires (an expensive proposition at any time) If you know of anyone who can go with you to evaluate what condition the rig is in would be a big help. Only then would you even have a chance of trying to figure out if you are in a position to financially take the rig on. As anyone will tell you the "free horse" is just the beginning of the expensive of owning a horse. Finding somewhere that you can park it and have access to water, electric and sewage is another question that needs to be explored. Driving it is a skill that can be learned but even if your house has wheels it needs a place to park. Good luck with your research and decision making process.....

I knew absolutely NOTHING about rv's when I bought mine and moved into it. So, yes, the clueless can learn (saying that now that I'm into my 9th year). There will be issues (as Tina just stated) with an older rv like that. And it will require some money (like if the rv has been sitting for 2 years - the tires probably need to be replaced. And even if the generator is new, do they mean new 2 years ago or new now and are they exercising it (running it). At the price, all those things might be okay - knowing that more money will be required to make sure ... and if you know these folks, ask them to go through it all with you. And if there is someone local (maybe a mobile rv repair service) who might be willing to come out for a charge and do a complete check of the rv for you ... that might be worth the price.

As to whether or not rving is for you or not ... only you can answer that. I had no clue if it was for me, but took the plunge and have never looked back.

Welcome Elizabeth! Hmmm, change is most always a bit frightening--whether it's intentional or resulting from things out of our control Bottom-line: you've found the right place to get information & support to do this! Keep asking questions, & as I found out, there is never a "dumb" question--these ladies are great!!!

thank you for the welcome and advice. i have been doing even more research and i really do think that i could love this type of life and i reallly want to give it a try. i just need to decide on the vehicle. i know how bad it is for cars to sit and can only imagine that its just as bad for an RV. now this RV that im looking at has sat for going on 2 yrs i know that the girl taking care of it has too many emotions with it and hasnt done the regular starting of it or driving of it that her dad did. but i do know that the generator was new new when he put it in 2 yrs ago. with out being used will this be a problem? also it is big, i have no clue on the gas mileage on one of those and that has me nervous that i might be going way to big. but the price!! ive looked up other RVs and nothing is comparable to this offer i have. but if im going to spend tons to get it ready and then find that i cant afford it or drive it (size) then what?! also i have been thinking that i wouldnt mind not using the restroom/shower because the whole removal process is waay beyond me at least right now. when i go camping i tend to go primitive (unless someone else requires more) and LOVE it i wonder can you RV primitive-style... but thats also beyond where im at in this process - lol i loove to jump over the hard parts and get right to the fun!! how difficult is the driving of an rv in comparison to a regular sized vehicle? i have always had station wagons (cuz you can stretch out in one on roadtrips lol) and have driven minivans and big suvs on occasion. i love driving so im not too worried about being the one behind the wheel if i can get past the size! the thing that has me concerned is the being alone. not that i mind it. quite the opposite in fact. the less im around people the less likely i am to go around them at all. i know now that this is not beneficial to my mental health, so that leaves me wondering how interactive are you on the road? grrr!! i am ready to go now!! lol and wish i had all the money so i could just do it!

A generator needs to be run MONTHLY under a load for a minimum of 2 hours. That generator might be new, but if that wasn't done, might not be any good.

Most of us could learn to drive most anything! The question is whether we want to! Larger vehicles are more limited to some camping areas because they don't always fit. Out west it is a little easier to find boondocking areas so depending upon where you plan on living finding a parking place gets complicated even if hunting for the freebies. And there is being able to either drive to a dump station or having sewer hook ups.....

uh oh! i am really sure that the generator hasnt been run. so that would mean a new generator or repair to the new/old one? so much to know!!!

eliza420 wrote:uh oh! i am really sure that the generator hasnt been run. so that would mean a new generator or repair to the new/old one? so much to know!!!

The generator might be ok with a service call ... but you would need to have it looked at. You need to look at all these factors. For the price you are being offered to buy, it could still be worth it - but there will be money that will have to be spent. And that's true of all used units. Heck, it can be true on new ones.

also check with insurance and see what that adds to your budget

Welcome!