Current Events > Anyone else ever consider buying an RV instead of a house renting an apartment?

(+) Yeah! (+)

Just giving up on the idea of paying rent, mortgage, and utilities? Selling all your assets and buying an RV and living on the road while working from your laptop? Assuming you work from home that is.

I sometimes wonder what the yearly costs for such a life would be and if its actually manageable to live your life on the road.

That's what I did, and I love it. I used to have a rent house living paycheck to paycheck. The kicker though is I already had land. Now I'm pocketing over 80% of my income.

Haven't had to do any repairs either.

modena posted...

That's what I did, and I love it. I used to have a rent house living paycheck to paycheck. The kicker though is I already had land. Now I'm pocketing over 80% of my income.

Haven't had to do any repairs either.

Thats awesome! How long have you been doing it? I was looking up for one the best RVs in my area and it was around $170k range which is cheaper than renting a house or apartment in my area especially after considering the utilities and extra bills I pay now. Or at least it said the monthly payment would be like $1200. This is for the wife and I who work from home. This is also not even thinking buying land but just either staying with a family member or parking in Walmarts or campgrounds most nights while getting to travel the country whenever we want.

Can you do it cheaper than living in a house? Yes. Can it be more expensive than living in a house? Yes.

I've looked into it quite a bit at times. I work in the RV industry and while it can work for some, it can be a headache for others. My best advice is to plan plan plan and watch some youtube videos from people that are willing to go into the pros and cons extensively, and not just the ones that show the glamourous side of it.

Remember an RV is a home that shakes and vibrates every moment it's moving. Everything breaks down eventually in this scenario. Things you can do yourself to fix it are a boon, but you can't always fix everything yourself. Also, whatever you buy will be worth less and less over time. It's not a house that increases in value in general.

Staying at RV parks can add up over time. Finding ways to boondock as much as possible can help, but there are times where you may need to stop, refill water, dump waste, recharge batteries and that expense will add up.

Internet access can be a challenge, although that issue is probably getting better with more extensive cellular networks.

There are a lot of things to think about, those are just a few off the top of my head. Personally, I would love the opportunity to do it, but things have been in the way of working it all out financially and logistically...

I've been doing it 2 years now. Everyone's situation is different but I keep mine parked. I could drive it for vacations but I don't want to risk breaking down from some crazy problem.

I have a friend who did the convert a bus to a tiny home thing and it's going well he says. They live comfortably from the sound of it (haven't seen it myself), have all the basic necessities and good internet. It sounds pretty enticing sometimes tbh, but it's a lot more work than just "buy rv and drive".