Running costs of an RV? (1 Viewer)

[tambo]

You asked "Can you go here" I simply said "yes" and having been asked "If I could" I went on to say I wouldn't want to

Perhaps the question would be better asked on RVOC

Just for the record, the turning circle on my RV is excellent, and I drive more motorhomes than most in my job

There not for everyone, but, you should over look them for the right reasons.

I did overlook them for the right reasons .....as I said they wouldn't go where I'd want it to go .....i didn't say maybe it wouldn't i said it wouldn't.

Not sure why people get so defensive on their vehicles......i already said earlier that it depends on where and how you use the vehicle as to whether it suits or not , if it suited my needs I'd have one the fuel consumption doesn't bother me the overall practicality does

On the roads im talking about it isn't just down to turning circle it's a mix of everything width, length, turn circle, rear overhang etc ......if the roads are unsuitable for a bus or a truck and the motorhomes the same length then it's a safe bet its unsuitable for that too.......you get it wrong and it causes mayhem nowhere to turn and it's a long way to reverse......I'd rather not take the chance

 

[eddie]

Well, I don't know if I could drive my RV to either of those spots, I've never tried. Maybe I will one day, maybe I won't

But until I try I wont know.

 

[Concord Pilot]

Yes, absolutely no problem! But would I want to ;-) My RV is about as wide as your wing mirrors, so if you didn't smash your wind mirrors off getting there, I could drive there too!

But not every one wants to go to solitary beaches and idylls! I enjoy going to such places, in a car, with our dogs, for a couple of hours, before I get bored.

This weekend we are going to a site, on a beach, where they have super pitches, so we have city water, black and grey dump on the pitch, 16 amp electricity two, or three pubs with excellent ale and locally sourced food within walking distance, WiFi and a fantastic fish and chip shop down the road!

I own a campsite and if you saw what we see with motorhome drivers, you really would come to realise that size for some, isn't the limiting factor as to what they can, or cant do, or where they can or can't go: They are lol

Which beach is that, Eddie ? Cheers Rob

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}

 

[Concord Pilot]

So far posters seem to have omitted to mention diesel RV's. Leaving the large diesel pushers aside for now, mine is similar to Larrys - a "B" Class on a Ford E450 chasis, but with a 6.0 diesel engine. 300hp, more than adequate performance. In a year and a half of weekend / holiday use I am getting early / mid 20's mpg which is not too shabby. I chose the diesel option deliberately. As others have said maintenance and parts is no problem. So dont discount an RV on the basis of fuel economy and with 2 slides, a decent Queen bed and a more than reasonable bathroom its comfortable too. Cheers Rob.

 

[Geo]

Now even I don't believe Mid 20s Thats the highest figure I think ive ever seen claimed for any size RV

 

[Snowbird]

Now even I don't believe Mid 20s Thats the highest figure I think ive ever seen claimed for any size RV

I had American pickup trucks that I couldn't get mid teens out of,never mind mid twenties.

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}

 

[errpaul]

Thanks for all the replies so far

I saw an advert for a diesel rv and they claimed 22mpg which seemed a tad optimistic!
With the trailer we get 19mpg from our euro a class van.

The question was originally posed as although I can understand the 'if you have to ask you can't afford it' line, to me everything is about value for money rather than the actual £.
But you still need to know the figures to weigh it all up and decide from there.

I spoke to a dealer who had sold rvs in the past and he completely put me off with talk of £1000 plus for a service, same for a cam belt, very hard to get insurance etc etc.

I trust the opinion and experience of people on fun and they have nothing to gain or lose no matter what we decide.

I know that you can't take an rv a lot of places and we looked at everywhere we have been in the past since motorhoming and there are very few places that we would've had an issue. Our current van is 24ft long and we tow a box trailer, which although not the same as it is separate, does still add around 11ft, and requires more width to reverse.

 

[Jim]

Not sure why people get so defensive on their vehicles.....

I don't drive an RV, my motorhome is >6m, so not being defensive. Fact is, if your motorhome is on those roads then plenty of RVs could be on them as well. Not all of them of course, but then some Europeans might struggle there too.

 

[Forestboy]

Thanks for all the replies so far

I saw an advert for a diesel rv and they claimed 22mpg which seemed a tad optimistic!
With the trailer we get 19mpg from our euro a class van.

The question was originally posed as although I can understand the 'if you have to ask you can't afford it' line, to me everything is about value for money rather than the actual £.
But you still need to know the figures to weigh it all up and decide from there.

I spoke to a dealer who had sold rvs in the past and he completely put me off with talk of £1000 plus for a service, same for a cam belt, very hard to get insurance etc etc.

I trust the opinion and experience of people on fun and they have nothing to gain or lose no matter what we decide.

I know that you can't take an rv a lot of places and we looked at everywhere we have been in the past since motorhoming and there are very few places that we would've had an issue. Our current van is 24ft long and we tow a box trailer, which although not the same as it is separate, does still add around 11ft, and requires more width to reverse.

So much crap talked about RVs usually by people who've never owned or used one or those who have a vested interest.
Our 2004 34ft A class diesel RV did between 12mpg and 15mpg depending how hard I drove it.
Our 2007 petrol 35ft A class did 7mpg to 10mpg towing a car in USA
Our 2008 petrol 28ft C class did 7mpg to 12mpg
Insurance hard to get !! rubbish !! same price as my Hymer from same insurer Safeguard
Servicing expensive !! rubbish !! same price as my Hymer same mechanics do the Hymer as did the RVs.
Turning circle on both A classes was better than on my Hymer as was grip on slippery ground or steep banks.
Build quality on the older 2004 A class was far superior to the later A class and massively superior to the C class. However build quality on my 12 year old Hymer is light years in front of the later 2 and much better than the first.

Hope this helps.

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}

 

[Puddleduck]

I can only go where Dustbin Lorry's can get!!
Do you get those up your street? Well say no more

No, full size dustbin lorries don't come here.

 

[Jim]

No, full size dustbin lorries don't come here.

That's good, I'd hate meeting them when in the RV

 

[olley]

If you look at this vid on youtube at 11 mins you join a lorry in a passing place so another can get passed you. The lorry that's going passed is I reckon 30' and 12ton.

If he can I can.

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}

 

[jdk62]

Everybody has a choice I guess, but it is interesting how passionate people feel about their favoured vehicles...

At the end of the day, the majority of people on this site just love the freedom of Motorhoming..

Gin and tonic anybody...

 

[Larrynwin]

I'm not defensive about the RV I own , for us it is absolutely perfect and would not trade it for anything other than another RV
What is annoying is the criticism , misinformation and guess work from some that have never owned an RV.
What appear to be anti RV posts periodically appear, but do us RV owners continually " rub it in" about the Fiat reversing uphill fiasco and the Autotrail quality etc, no, probably because us RV owners are happy with our lot and perhaps do not need to know our MPG as we probably don't give a toss

In the end we all drive Motorhomes of our choice for the same recreational end , happy travels folks !

 

[Geo]

No, full size dustbin lorries don't come here.

Thats cos I dont drive em

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}

 

[SuperMike]

Fuel will be more depending on engine etc, but what about insurance, parts, servicing of engine and habitation parts etc?

Insurance, with agreed £90k value, £743 with NFU.

Parts, similar, as all RV manufacturers use a chassis that is assembled using standard engine and running gear parts. Ours for example uses the Chevy Big Block that has been around, it seems, forever and an Allison transmission. They are built for more miles than we will ever put on them. The brakes are made by Bosch. So all in all they have very similar part costs.

Servicing, well now, there is a question. We bought ours new, four years ago, and each year, a change of oil and filter on engine and generator and to grease the chassis would work out around the £300 mark. Bare in mind she holds almost two gallons of synthetic oil. It is very easy to do yourself. Even the engine oil drain is a tap. Take off the lock, turn the tap and away it goes. Greasing the chassis only means rolling around underneath to get at the 13 odd grease points. This year we had a major service, which was as above, but off came all the wheels and the brakes were cleaned and checked and a full hab service, including the water heater, fridge, both hab aircons, and various other internal bits and bobs. That together with an MOT cost a few shillings under £900.

Hopefully that gives you some idea. Bear in mind that as I said they will run for long periods without even breaking up a sweat. At 56mph the engine is at about 1500rpm which is not much faster than tick over. The ability to climb a hill with load is easy. The four wheels at the back allow for much traction. A couple of Christmas's ago when we went away, the weather was evil for the journey, but we just plodded along, going past all the cars who at times on the inclines, on the motorways, we're just stuck.

They, like anything, are not for everybody, but I will only get rid of ours, when they take my license away.

 

[barearse]

I hope to be @ "Stars and Stripes" next week for a look see. Am reading "When Katie Pulled Boris" for research too!. I am ,at present, fascinated by the concept of these true "motorhomes". My Merc, at 27.5 feet is also truck based and has all the amenities, but I would only ever describe her as a campervan. A relatively small R V @ 28 feet still can come with a proper bedroom. Now that to my mind is traveling in style! At present, we keep our bed down permanently and live with this constraint. I saw the new Merc conversion in MMM,starts at £59.k.As featured, it cost £79.k! .We all compromise somewhere.

 

[Snowbird]

I hope to be @ "Stars and Stripes" next week for a look see. Am reading "When Katie Pulled Boris" for research too!. I am ,at present, fascinated by the concept of these true "motorhomes". My Merc, at 27.5 feet is also truck based and has all the amenities, but I would only ever describe her as a campervan. A relatively small R V @ 28 feet still can come with a proper bedroom. Now that to my mind is traveling in style! At present, we keep our bed down permanently and live with this constraint. I saw the new Merc conversion in MMM,starts at £59.k.As featured, it cost £79.k! .We all compromise somewhere.

I run a Merc based van at 7.6 metres and 7.5 ton. It not only has a proper bedroom but lounge and dinning room. Full sized shower similar to a household shower and ceramic sinks and toilet. It also returns around 20 MPG and will happily cruise at above the speed limit. It can be serviced and any necessary repairs can be done on any street corner anywhere in the world. No compromises here.

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}

 

[Geo]

Insurance, with agreed £90k value, £743 with NFU.

Parts, similar, as all RV manufacturers use a chassis that is assembled using standard engine and running gear parts. Ours for example uses the Chevy Big Block that has been around, it seems, forever and an Allison transmission. They are built for more miles than we will ever put on them. The brakes are made by Bosch. So all in all they have very similar part costs.

Servicing, well now, there is a question. We bought ours new, four years ago, and each year, a change of oil and filter on engine and generator and to grease the chassis would work out around the £300 mark. Bare in mind she holds almost two gallons of synthetic oil. It is very easy to do yourself. Even the engine oil drain is a tap. Take off the lock, turn the tap and away it goes. Greasing the chassis only means rolling around underneath to get at the 13 odd grease points. This year we had a major service, which was as above, but off came all the wheels and the brakes were cleaned and checked and a full hab service, including the water heater, fridge, both hab aircons, and various other internal bits and bobs. That together with an MOT cost a few shillings under £900.

Hopefully that gives you some idea. Bear in mind that as I said they will run for long periods without even breaking up a sweat. At 56mph the engine is at about 1500rpm which is not much faster than tick over. The ability to climb a hill with load is easy. The four wheels at the back allow for much traction. A couple of Christmas's ago when we went away, the weather was evil for the journey, but we just plodded along, going past all the cars who at times on the inclines, on the motorways, we're just stuck.

They, like anything, are not for everybody, but I will only get rid of ours, when they take my license away.

Which wont be long Ive seen your drivin

 

[buttons]

I'm not defensive about the RV I own , for us it is absolutely perfect and would not trade it for anything other than another RV
What is annoying is the criticism , misinformation and guess work from some that have never owned an RV.
What appear to be anti RV posts periodically appear, but do us RV owners continually " rub it in" about the Fiat reversing uphill fiasco and the Autotrail quality etc, no, probably because us RV owners are happy with our lot and perhaps do not need to know our MPG as we probably don't give a toss

In the end we all drive Motorhomes of our choice for the same recreational end , happy travels folks !

Fiat revtersing up hill fiasco, must have missed that. What was that all about.

 

[SuperMike]

Which wont be long Ive seen your drivin

Thank you, so kind.

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}

 

[Larrynwin]

Fiat revtersing up hill fiasco, must have missed that. What was that all about.

You are kidding Buttons, are you??