Oddball idea: Living in an RV at a young age

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the concept of living in an RV at a young age, exploring both the potential benefits and drawbacks of this lifestyle choice. Participants share personal experiences, alternative living arrangements, and considerations regarding practicality, legality, and economic factors.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Debate/contested
  • Conceptual clarification

Main Points Raised

  • Some participants highlight benefits such as mobility, lower costs compared to traditional housing, and the ability to travel easily.
  • Concerns are raised about practical issues like parking restrictions, legal residency requirements, and the depreciation of RVs as assets.
  • Participants mention alternative living arrangements, such as narrowboats and pre-fab housing, as potentially more viable options.
  • Experiences shared include living in RVs or similar setups, with varying degrees of success and challenges, such as maintenance and lack of amenities.
  • Some participants discuss the economic implications, including costs of RV ownership, campsite fees, and insurance, suggesting that these can be significant.
  • There are differing views on the feasibility of living in an RV, with some expressing skepticism about its practicality and others sharing positive anecdotes.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express a range of opinions, with no clear consensus on the viability of living in an RV at a young age. While some see it as a feasible lifestyle, others raise substantial concerns about practicality and legality.

Contextual Notes

Participants note various limitations, such as the need for a home base for legal residency, the high costs associated with RV maintenance and parking, and the potential for local legislation to restrict RV parking.

Who May Find This Useful

This discussion may be of interest to young individuals considering alternative living arrangements, those exploring nomadic lifestyles, and anyone curious about the practicalities of RV living.

Greg Freeman
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What do you guys think about living in an RV at a young age (meaning, not retirement)?

Right off, I could see the benefits:
You own where you live, but it doesn't cost as much as a house.
Your home is mobile.
You can take more things with you when you travel (by road).
You can go on extended trips in less developed areas (harder to reach areas)
It could be just plain cool.

But then there are downsides:
RVs are not nimble.
You still have to find a place to park the thing.
How do you establish residency for legal purposes (PO box?)
Resale might not be great.
Insurance?
Chances of theft? (RVs seem to be easy to break into)

I've been running the idea through my head for awhile, haven't ever taken a step to doing anything about it, but wanted to know if anyone else had any experience with this.
 
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No idea about an RV, but I know a few people who live on narrowboats. Seems rather nice really, just moor up wherever you fancy, and pop off down to the local every evening for a swift half, stop off at the chippy on the way home, and Bob's your uncle.
 
I've thought about that as well, but I don't think I'm going to be close enough to a larger body of water for that one. That and I worry more about boat maintenance than auto maintenance for some reason.
 
Parking may well be your biggest obstacle. People absolutely hate the things, and there is legislation prohibiting them in many places. You will probably still have to own a car (or at least a good bicycle) to get around in most places, simply because you won't be allowed to drive the RV. Also, the RV is a quickly depreciating asset, unlike any other kind of property.

If you're looking for a cheap, decent place to live, I'd refer you to pre-fab housing. They're actually pretty decent these days, and the land under your feet still appreciates in value.

- Warren
 
I had one friend who lived in her van for 6 weeks while she was stuck on a housing waitlist. I had another outdoorsy friend who lived in a tent in the forest off-campus for four months.

The main drawbacks were no shower and no electricity. And they were always stuck eating out. (Not a problem with a normal RV though).
 
My parents are nomads and have done it for oh some dozen decades, ever when the last sibling left the house. They sold the house and bought a camper. Right now they are in Morocco. I don't think they missed any country in Europe the last few decades. However they think about settling static again this year. Dad is getting 81 this year. It's not that easy anymore.

If you feel it's good, go for it. personally I wouldn't
 
Kurdt said:
Performance wouldn't be any problem in the Volkner Mobil Performance.

http://www.volkner-mobil.de/Reisemo/R_english/Perf_en.html

there's enough room for it to carry a Wiesmann or slk or BMW z4 or a Porsche Boxter depending on your preference. Rather expensive though.

Just...wow! Yeah, that would be out of my price range. I never would've thought that you could keep a car slung underneath a trailer.
 
chroot said:
Parking may well be your biggest obstacle. People absolutely hate the things, and there is legislation prohibiting them in many places. You will probably still have to own a car (or at least a good bicycle) to get around in most places, simply because you won't be allowed to drive the RV. Also, the RV is a quickly depreciating asset, unlike any other kind of property.

If you're looking for a cheap, decent place to live, I'd refer you to pre-fab housing. They're actually pretty decent these days, and the land under your feet still appreciates in value.

- Warren

Rent would be 800-1000 a month, and I'm wary about buying property at the moment, but I know a used RV can be had for 250-500 a month in payments, plus the cost of parking it and everything else.
 
  • #10
Even a good used RV can be costly, and repair work is out of this world. Camp sites for RV can run from 10 to $40 a night. Some places offer monthly rates which are cheaper.
For residency, you must have a home base, a state where your drivers permits and taxes can be addressed. A PO box will do.
 
  • #11
hypatia said:
Even a good used RV can be costly, and repair work is out of this world. Camp sites for RV can run from 10 to $40 a night. Some places offer monthly rates which are cheaper.
For residency, you must have a home base, a state where your drivers permits and taxes can be addressed. A PO box will do.

Hypatia, do you have any idea what the monthly rates would be? Even $10 a night is a lot when you factor in the cost of the RV...:bugeye:

Say $500 a month for RV payments + $300 a month for a spot, that's the cost of rent right there, barring the cost of repairs and all.
 
  • #12
I honestly don't think living in an RV is all that reasonable a proposition (economically, or in terms of quality of life), which is why so few people do it.

To the best of my knowledge, almost no municipalities permit street parking RV's, which means you'd have to park it almost every night in a zoned RV campground, etc. Since these are not usually anywhere near city centers, you'd have to factor in your cost to get around with taxis or rental cars, too.

- Warren
 
  • #13
I have friends who pay 400 a month for great sites, while others pay 250 for a dust bowl site. It really can vary. Plus keep in mind gas mileage is horrid, if you plan to drive around. Plus insurance, if your young its going to cost you more.
 
  • #14
I know several people who have done this, with great success. Warren (chroot) is right though. Parking the beast is the main sticking point. The folks I know rented a small chunk of land at the edge of town - for next to nothing. Then they got the power company to put in a construction (temporary) service. They stayed for about three years there at relatively low cost.
 
  • #15
Around here, it's common for students to live in trailers/mobile homes, but not really the RV types. You wouldn't be able to find a permanent place to park an RV outside of a trailer park or campground, so forget about the rent-free part. But, it is cheaper than a lot of student apartments (as long as they know how to properly maintain water lines in winter), and the students living in them like them because you're not dealing with sharing walls with the noisy neighbors.
 
  • #16
I know RV people who set up an LLC in a "beneficial" state. It definitely helped them.
 
  • #17
Andre said:
My parents are nomads and have done it for oh some dozen decades, ever when the last sibling left the house.
Ok, assuming your parents were 30 when they had the last kid, they were about 48-50 when that kid left, so multiply the dozen (12) decades (10), then add 50 to that. Your parents are 170 years old?!?
 
  • #18
binzing said:
Ok, assuming your parents were 30 when they had the last kid, they were about 48-50 when that kid left, so multiply the dozen (12) decades (10), then add 50 to that. Your parents are 170 years old?!?

:smile: Good catch. I sure hope that when I retire I'll have the means to travel around the country for a good couple of centuries, too.

- Warren
 
  • #19
I'd love to go everywhere in the world, as well as learn everything. Neither is possible, or at least likely.
 
  • #20
chroot said:
:smile: Good catch. I sure hope that when I retire I'll have the means to travel around the country for a good couple of centuries, too.

- Warren

:smile:

While my parents aren't necessarily a typical example (they seemed to WANT to be old for as long as I can remember), having heard them talk about traveling when they got older, and then seen them get older and develop health problems that make it difficult for them to travel, I'd say try to get in as much travel as you can when you're still young and can enjoy it. If you retire and are still in good shape and still want to travel, great, there are always more places to see and you can even revisit the old favorites, but if you find that aging takes it's toll, you won't be sitting around regretting never having traveled while you could.
 

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