[Quilla]

I'm an accountant at an RV company. Most of our customers are retirees, many of whom pay cash for motorhomes, fifth wheels, and travel trailers. Those that don't pay up front usually finance for 12 years or more making their payments quite affordable. A $30K RV's payments will be around $300, $40K around $400, etc. Conversely, if you vacation in a nice hotel the room rate could easily be $250-300 per night. A week long vacation equates to seven monthly payments. (At least that how some of our sales associates help justify purchases.)

If you take nothing away from my post, please remember one thing. RV's tear up and fall apart like nothing I've ever seen. Therefore, never buy an RV without purchasing the extended warranty. The RV company makes a nice profit off this warranty so a savvy customer can negotiate the cost of the warranty reducing it by at least 50%.

[yetidog]

“I’m an accountant at an RV company........”

Good, honest and informative post. Thanks.

[hecticskeptic]

I'm an accountant at an RV company.

I have a question for you…. What do you think the depreciation rate should typically be on something like a 35 foot 5th wheel? I just bought a recreational property that has a 35 foot 2013 Sprinter by Keystone on it and came as part of the package. It has essentially never been used and sits under a roof. I’m going to use it for a few months while I build a cabin on the property and then I intend to get rid of it. I don’t know what the original owner paid for it but regardless, any thoughts on what percent of depreciation I should expect if I was to put it on the market?

[RightField]

We're retired, have had modest motorhomes for the past 35 years. Our motto is, "If it's moving, it's breaking." That said, how else could we travel around this great country for less than $1800 per month, sleep in our own bed every night, eat home cooking, and not have to schlep suitcases in and out of hotel rooms.

We afford it by having no mortgage on our house, no debt other than the new motorhome, a decent pension, and we use most of my social security income for the monthly payment. So far it's working for us. We travel about 6 months out of each year.