For the last few days we had a 06 Saab 9/3 Aero. It was a nice car as far as looks and powertrain. But for a car with less than 7000 miles on it, it creaked and groaned like crazy. They say the new Malibu is going to be built off this platform, doesn't bode well. Our 45K Accord has fewer creaks even after I put the 17" wheels on it.
But as for the V6 turbo with a 6MT...That was a dream combo. I loved the engine in that thing. It felt invincible on the freeway. The power was everywhere. And keeping it below 100 mph required the cruise control.
But....With all the creaks and rattles, I can see why this brand new loaded Saab had already lost $10k off MSRP. We took it back yesterday and "traded" it for a 05 TL 6MT. I drove the TL home and I miss the turbo but not the rattles.
Having the opportunity to switch up to 5 cars a month goes a long way to quelling our CCB. But then again, this may be CCB nirvana. We're CCD's now, Chronic Car Demo'ers. LOL.
For that kind of money, I'd buy a new Porsche 911 for $100K or so. And when I traveled, blow some $$ staying at nice inns or hotels & enjoying some nice restaurants (actually, I do that occasionally, only with my 6 y.o. bmw). And the $200K saved would generate enough income for frivolities.
But then, I'm not a Trust Fund Baby, so maybe I just don't "get" the concept of a $300K motorhome--(reminds me of the movie "Lost in America").....
Have been looking at some used Tacos & 4runners online. It's striking how there are dozens of used 4runners FS--per model year--w/in a 75 mile radius. And way less used Tacos.
This '06 TRD sport Tacoma has caught my eye (even tho I swore I'd never buy another black vehicle). I could probably buy a new one for that--but this one is certified--& I don't know if they're flexible on the price. I wonder if--a new or almost new--Tacoma will have better resale than a 2-3 y.o. 4runner after a couple of years? Even if the used 4runner has already depreciated $10-$12K when I buy it?
2006 Tacoma Access Cab 4wd stick TRD sport black Mileage: 6,546 Toyota Certified $26,995
that Toyota dealers (in my area anyway) are selling Tacomas pretty much at invoice right now, so that black 4x4 V-6 6-speed would need to come down a good $2-3K IMO. But it IS certified, something I value enough to add some dollars to the price.
That thing would have a sticker of about $29K brand new, I believe.
I think the gas prices, in general, affected SUV owners a lot more than they did pick-up owners, who I am guessing actually use their trucks for trucky things much more often. Which is my guess as to why you can't throw a rock without hitting dozens of 4Runners, while Tacomas are hard to find. Used Tacomas, BTW, are ALWAYS hard to find in my experience - their owners buy for the long haul I guess.
2014 Mini Cooper (stick shift of course), 2016 Camry hybrid, 2009 Outback Sport 5-spd (keeping the stick alive)
Woody... The motorhome bug can't be explained. There are no good reasons to convince anyone that the purchase makes sense or being cost effective (which it not) It's not a cheaper way to travel, it's just a "different" way to travel. I have done all type of traveling, been around the world but haven't traveled much in the USA. There is a whole lot to see in our own country.
There are trips where you can put your motorhome on a rail car and travel across Canada. The train will stop at night and you stay in your motorhome looking at the beautiful scenery. At certain locations, there are out-trips with a tour guide and transportation. The trip is also done in Mexico.
It's like what I learned in College in one of my accounting classes... If you are working as an accountant in a fortune 500 company and the president wants a private company jet, how do you validate it? You don't, if the presidents wants it, its a done deal. :surprise:
I've done the car thing over the years. Porsche's don't really excite me. Now, the Bentley Continental Flying Spur convertible is a hottie!
Andre.. I'm looking at the Monaco Dynasty, Monaco Camelot and the Tiffin Allegro Bus (over 40 ft. will get you the tandem axle). The rear axle will lift automatically under 8mph or I can raise it with a touch of a button if needed. www.lazydays.com----you can find the brands there and see pictures,etc. Monaco uses the Roadmaster Chassis and Tiffin uses the Spartan chassis. Both are good.
I have friends that have spent double what this will cost on their motorhomes. I'm in the "low" end group.
Also, I'll have to buy a small SUV to pull behind the motorhome, thinking of a Jeep Liberty, Honda CRV or a Toyota Rav4. The diesel Liberty might be nice.
Can't wait to get on the road! Mark
2010 Land Rover LR4, 2013 Honda CR-V, 2009 Bentley GTC, 1990 MB 500SL, 2001 MB S500, 2007 Lincoln TC, 1964 RR Silver Cloud III, 1995 MB E320 Cab., 2015 Prevost Liberty Coach
Hmmm, I see that in addition to the Dynasty, Monaco also has a Diplomat and a Windsor. What'd they do, hire an old Chrysler marketing exec? That wouldn't explain the Cayman, Exectuive, or Monarch, though. :P
You might want to check a Subaru Forrester manual as a TOAD as they can also be flat towed with no issues. I thought I read that Suzukis can be flat towed and if the trans is in neutral, it won't put miles on the ODO. The only other issue is that in most states, if the trailer ways more than 1000 or 1500 lbs, it needs its own brakes. Were you thinking of getting a "brake buddy" or something similar? Alternatively, you can get a dolly that has brakes (electric or surge) and then not have to worry about it.
The 4Runner has high-ish miles now, but might not after you've driven it a couple of years (if memory serves, you don't put many miles on a car)... That would probably work to your advantage financially. Also, I'm partial to leather.
On the other hand, with the Tacomas, you'd be getting an almost-new car.
I'm not an expert on Used Tacomas, but it seems like almost every version is popular (?): 4 cyl., 6 cyl., stick, auto, etc. A 4Runner would be more practical for me (or most people), having "enclosed" cargo space, but I've owned trucks before, & esp. with the Access Cab, you'd have enough room for your every-day stuff inside, & also ability to haul stuff.
I guess resale value is important to me--enough to turn the decision one way or another. Maybe I'll call the dealer with the black 4x4 V-6 6-speed & see what they'll do--they also have an "internet" sales guy who seems to have good prices on new Toyotas. As I recall tho the prices on used Toyotas at Toyota dealers are usually pretty high & inflexible.
The 7 yr. warranty on a used one would be great tho. The last 2 Toyotas I owned, or co- owned, had one or two very minor problems each at @ 7years.....
Corvette, both of my places are in gated communities so there really is not a place to keep it (one is a townhouse and the other is a free standing home). I have an empty lot next to my place in California and might can slip the motorhome in there for maybe a day or two. I'm sure the neighbors wouldn't appreciate that too much. I guess I could build a large garage to match the house.
My plan is to put the motorhome in a storage facility when not in use. I would like it to be garaged if possible.
Funny thing, my previous neighbor manufactured Marathon motorcoaches that start at $1.2 million and up.. maybe I could have gotten a huge discount!!! LOL
I want a tow vehicle that I can flat tow. I'm sure I could pull the Land Rover but I hate to tow a vehicle that heavy.
British Rover.... can a LR3 be flat towed?
I have an idea for a personalized tag... Trlr-trsh T-trash BigBrtha Brthabus
what do you guys think? LOL :P
Mark
2010 Land Rover LR4, 2013 Honda CR-V, 2009 Bentley GTC, 1990 MB 500SL, 2001 MB S500, 2007 Lincoln TC, 1964 RR Silver Cloud III, 1995 MB E320 Cab., 2015 Prevost Liberty Coach
You can tow the Honda CRVs behind a motorhome with all wheels on the ground, and I think the Saturn sedans as well. I see many of the old Saturn SLs being flat towed, whenever I drive down to SoCal.
Err I don't think you can flat tow the LR3s. I would have to ask one of the techs to know for sure but I am pretty confident you can't.
I think you can flat tow the old Discos but I am not sure about that either. There isn't much left that can be flat towed now as most of the Four wheel drive vehicles don't have a seperate neutral selector on the transfer case.
I get that Tacoma itch every once in awhile(usually when I am strapping 5 bicycles to the roof and hatch). Then I check the used prices for crew cabs and I am shocked. Even new at $25k is seems too much for a "compact" pickup. I can get a full size F-150 for hat kind of money, but they are way too big for my needs.
I spotted a 2000 MR2 Spyder for sale at the local grocery store parking lot. It only has 8000 miles and he's asking $11k .If the carfax checks out on the mileage I might just have to test drive it.Top up of course.
That makes it even more priceless. When you have $150k to just "give" away. You are far from trlr-trsh. I bounce 0 percent credit cards to save $2-3K on car loans sometimes. I would love to be in the position to pee-pee away $150k in one purchase.
A freind of mine was complaining about the $5k he lost on a pop-up after 3 years. I 'll have to tell him it could of been worse. I think it worked out to about $250 per nite he used it. That's a pretty nice hotel room.
That's my attitude. It's the "peeing" away of $150k (or paying double for anything new vs. slightly used) that I don't understand.
Also, whatayado when you're driving your $300K (that's now worth $150K) motorhome, & towing your little $20K SUV behind--when you finally get to where you're going (& I can't imagine driving a motorhome is fun) you've gotta drive around in a little SUV. Which is fine, but why not just drive the little SUV there, & save $300K?
One could stay at Four Seasons level hotels or inns a lot every year with just the income that $300K would generate.....& you'd still have the $300K. But maybe I'm missing the point that $300K is just Spending Money to some people.....
I think Mark has already responded (perhaps on another board here at Edmunds) about why he feels the motorhome lifestyle is for him.
My wife and I have considered purchasing an RV down the road. It would be just the two of us, and it's highly unlikely that we'd be spending $300K, but I do see the advantages:
1) We have two dogs that would travel with us. Not sure how many Four Seasons take pets.
2) We can go where we want, when we want. Not too many 4 star hotels at our National Parks.
3) We would avoid the hassles of modern day air travel.
4) Sometimes, the journey is more interesting than the destination. Which means we can simply choose a different destination.
Anyway, I don't want this to decline into an "I love / hate Motorhomes" discussion, or one on how others choose to spend their dollars.
I just wanted to add my .02 to this, in as non-confrontational a manner as possible.
A bit of quick Googling tells me that the H2 transfer case has a Neutral mode, specifically for flat towing. So as long as you have your own oil well you're fine.
Is something that I can't fathom. Sounds like fun though.
Kind of like when Jessica Simpleson went and spent like $100 on a pair of thong underwear or something. Judging by Nick's personality, you knew that relationship wan't gonna last.
I'd love to have one of those motorhomes though. I saw one on one of those "lifestyle" shows that cost well over $1 million. Granite tabletops, and gold plated this and that. Come to think of it, where is my lottery ticket?
My dad and I fall on different sides of the Motorhome debate- he loves 'em, I hate 'em. But kudos to Mark - he knows what he wants, he has the money to buy it, and he's pulling the trigger. A true CCB-er if ever there was one.
We'll ever go to a motorhome, but we are hoping to move up to a 5th wheel someday or a bigger travel trailer. I like the idea of unhooking and having the truck to use. We got hooked on the RVing lifestyle by renting a travel trailer one time, that's all it took, we were sold.
Bought a popup used it once and traded it in, bought the TT and have had it 2 years. We love it.
I don't think we'll use the TT much this year since we'll be busy with the horses. It'll come home from storage in May and we'll have to find room for it around here. Our yard is pretty crowded although the Ford may be on the chopping block soon.
It's spending $300k on one that's got me wowed. My one acre and 2500 SQFT cost less than that. Heck, you can add the TSX, Accord, AND the demo TL and still won't hit $300k. Now my NEXT house....
Don't get me wrong -- there's pretty much nothing I like more than taking long highway trips. I once drove from Tucumcari, NM, to Chicago with just four quick stops for food/gas/toilet. I can do a NY-Chicago or a NY-Outer Banks or a NY-Portland ME as easy as falling off a log. I spent breaks in college driving all over the country to places I hadn't seen before.
But note the emphasis on "driving". I've never been lucky enough to make these trips in fancy cars, and I've even made them in some crappy ones (like a 91 Tempo), but I always pushed the car as best I could and had some fun out there. Being trapped in the right lane watching a parade of four-wheeled and eighteen-wheeled vehicles zooming by would have me fit for a straitjacket after about the first 100 miles.
So until they invent a motorhome that can be economically flown ahead to my next destination, we'll go the hotels and restaurants route. But I will say that if my parents had gotten a 300K motorhome when I was a kid, I would have been beyond psyched.
Side not I think our 1959 Rover is not broken. It looks like the person who I thought burned the clutch out actually just got the overdrive selector stuck in neutral. I have to play with it tomorrow and see if it will start in warmer weather.
Guss, I'm sure you are kidding but a $331,000 motorhome (the one that I'm looking at) will not immediately fall to $150,000. What I have found is they will fall about half of what you pay in five years. Keep in mind, that it's pretty easy to get 25% off MSRP.
Some models retain their value a little longer than others, especially diesel pushers. The baby boomers are starting to retire so the RV market will be strong for at least 15 years unless a catastrophe happens.
Woody... I'm not giving up regular traveling. I have two cruises booked this year already... one to Barbados, and one from NYC to London on the QM2 (been on before). Then I'll continue on to Hungary.
I got interested in motorhome traveling in 1997 when I was traveling in the Yukon and Alaska. I was talking with a couple that were on the trip and they drove their motorhome pulling their Cadillac on a tow dolly. She was kinda of a "B" but he was super nice. They traveled all the way from North Carolina to Washington State (Seattle) to start the trip. So, soon after, I subscribed to Motorhome magazine and have been reading ever since.
Michaell you have it right, it's the perfect way to travel for some people, especially, if you have dogs. Not many hotels/motels will take them and they are part of the family. I was just talking to my friend yesterday who just purchased a $700,000 motorhome (I'm in the small league).. and he said almost everyone in the Outdoor Resorts where he bought a lot has a dog or two or three!
I know there are folks who will never understand... that's OK as it will leave more room for "US" in the state parks and nicer RV parks. I will rarely boon dock (dry camp).
Smittynyc... One of the most relaxing things is driving slower on the interstate/freeway. When I rented the big A class motorhomes before, I just stayed "right" and let people pass. It never seemed to fail, the far right lane moves faster than the HOV lane!!! When you drive slower, you arrive relaxed and not fatigued.
Motorhomes really are easy to drive. You have to remember, they are made for 70 plus year old people; they drive like a Cadillac! You see younger and younger people getting into motorhomeing... it's good for bonding with your young kids, it's cheaper than eating out when you have a whole family to feed. It brings people to nature.
I really didn't want to try and defend my decision on purchasing... just wanted to say I was trying to keep my CCBA card up to date like Akangl! :P LOL Mark156
2010 Land Rover LR4, 2013 Honda CR-V, 2009 Bentley GTC, 1990 MB 500SL, 2001 MB S500, 2007 Lincoln TC, 1964 RR Silver Cloud III, 1995 MB E320 Cab., 2015 Prevost Liberty Coach
Many hotel chains are pet friendly. We have dragged our poor American Eskimo all over the country at this point. She has stayed in 4 and 5 star resort hotels as well as Motel 6 (which is also a pet friendly chain). If you are traveling with pets, you might want to check out sites likePets Welcome
In my days of transporting cars, I have seen and followed a few of those big fancy mobile barges that could really haul booty. They aren't all that slow.
Woody, it was not me that predicted a 50% drop when you roll her out of the show room. I know nothing about RV prices.
I am actually envious of you. The last time I was in the wilderness was in a 2 room tent with 3 small kids this summer. Thank god for the pool and good weather.
There is a motorhome show here in Denver this weekend .. I'd really love to get the wife to go with me and just 'check things out', even though we'd be about 5-10 years away from doing anything.
Was poking around on the Winnebago web site yesterday and found the MB Sprinter based RV, with the diesel engine. Base MSRP is something like $80K for it, before options.
Now, if I could get the 25% off MSRP that Mark is getting and finanace it over 10 years ....
One question ... why is it that the interior decor of many motorhomes is so ... what's the word? ... tacky. Loud fabric patterns abound. I suppose that all the folks who used to design clothes in the 60's have found new jobs doing interior design for RV manufacturers.
lilengineerboy, I've travelled once with my dog. The biggest issue is that most hotels won't allow you to leave them alone in the room.
Oh, on a semi-CCBA related note, my Saturn is making some bad noises from the front right suspension when I have the steering wheel cranked all the way to the left. No idea what the cause could be, but I've got to get it into the shop. Wife pointed out that it might be time to trade it in, which I (horror!) don't really want to do - not with 11 payments left.
Woody, it was not me that predicted a 50% drop when you roll her out of the show room. I know nothing about RV prices.
Nope, that was me. Since mark156 is already getting 25% off MSRP, I don't think it's a stretch to imagine that it will be worth quite a bit less than that once it's titled. A lot of people buying these vehicles want brand new (mark156 included) and will not countenance anything less, unless the price is right.
If mark156 thinks that this is not so, then remember this, no matter what it says the vehicle is worth in the book (altogether now) "books don't buy vehicles".
I think you've said you can do your work from anywhere you have an Internet connection... Do you usually go offline on the cruises?
Congrats on punching your CCBA card (motorhome + the toad you will need)... I'm not sure I'd like it, but if you like and can afford it, there's nothing wrong with it. To add another French phrase to "porte cochere:" Chacun à son goût!
Michaell... the motorhome fabrics can be frightening! That's why I'm going with all leather! (solid). The newer upper end motorhomes aren't too bad fabric-wise... but, in the past, I have seen some awful stuff.
The sprinter chassis motorhomes are nice, but tight on space. Winnebago and Itasca make a larger version with the sprinter front cap. They just add a box on the back with one slide out... gives a lot more room.
Corvette...yes, cruise ships have internet connections... but, I do take time off occasionally. I have a couple of good people to back me up.
Grandtotal... I have not argued the fact that motorhomes depreciate, I think that is well known. It's just like every expensive vacation (try and get your money back on that!), expensive piece of furniture, that big screen plasma tv (remember they were $20,000 at one time) and yachts. Not everything needs an investment return schedule. :surprise:
Life is short, death is long... enjoy!
Mark
2010 Land Rover LR4, 2013 Honda CR-V, 2009 Bentley GTC, 1990 MB 500SL, 2001 MB S500, 2007 Lincoln TC, 1964 RR Silver Cloud III, 1995 MB E320 Cab., 2015 Prevost Liberty Coach
I really didn't want to try and defend my decision on purchasing... just wanted to say I was trying to keep my CCBA card up to date like Akangl!
I seem to be falling behind on keeping my CCBA card up to date. We haven't purchased a vehicle since August, just the horse trailer. Only *big* purchases we will be making in the next few months are 2 more horses and some saddles. No more vehicles for us or trailers, at least for a while.
I would love to move up to a bigger RV, but that's not in the cards until we pay ours off. Thankfully we didn't fall for the 10 year loan hype and we don't have a whole lot longer to pay on ours. After that we'll probably sell it and maybe move up to a 4-horse trailer with living quarters or who knows.
BTW, Mark, the plate on my truck is 02BRVN, course nobody can ever figure it out, lol.
I love the TL that we have for demo right now. But looking at the Acura web site, the 07's are much nicer. I think we're done for a good while. The next car in our sites is an 06 3 series. Silver/black manual tranny. Oh yeah we're driving' that. And next year when the 07 coupes start trickling in will be beyond spectacular.
I think if I had a dime for every time you've said that, I could buy ... another car. ;b
BUT BUT, this time I REALLY mean it. My horses are keeping me broke, so its safe to say that since it takes money to buy a car/truck/trailer/ect I won't be doing it anytime soon, lol.
At this point with the new horse trailer I've pretty much commited myself to a 1-ton truck since the trailer has a GVWR of 9990 lbs. That said there isn't another 1-ton diesel I'd rather own than mine. Now if I could just get hubby to let loose of the Ford I'd sell it and go buy, um, another horse! LOL
Actually, selling the Ford at this point is not gonna happen, darn thing is trying hard to cough up a tranny, we have our fingers crossed that its maybe just the PCM on the tranny, but at 122k I think that's unlikely. Just have to get around to taking it to get diagnosed. :sick:
Comments
But as for the V6 turbo with a 6MT...That was a dream combo. I loved the engine in that thing. It felt invincible on the freeway. The power was everywhere. And keeping it below 100 mph required the cruise control.
But....With all the creaks and rattles, I can see why this brand new loaded Saab had already lost $10k off MSRP. We took it back yesterday and "traded" it for a 05 TL 6MT. I drove the TL home and I miss the turbo but not the rattles.
Having the opportunity to switch up to 5 cars a month goes a long way to quelling our CCB. But then again, this may be CCB nirvana. We're CCD's now, Chronic Car Demo'ers. LOL.
2014 Mini Cooper (stick shift of course), 2016 Camry hybrid, 2009 Outback Sport 5-spd (keeping the stick alive)
But then, I'm not a Trust Fund Baby, so maybe I just don't "get" the concept of a $300K motorhome--(reminds me of the movie "Lost in America").....
This '06 TRD sport Tacoma has caught my eye (even tho I swore I'd never buy another black vehicle). I could probably buy a new one for that--but this one is certified--& I don't know if they're flexible on the price. I wonder if--a new or almost new--Tacoma will have better resale than a 2-3 y.o. 4runner after a couple of years? Even if the used 4runner has already depreciated $10-$12K when I buy it?
2006 Tacoma Access Cab 4wd stick TRD sport black Mileage: 6,546 Toyota Certified $26,995
http://www.cars.com/go/search/detail.jsp?tracktype=usedcc&searchType=22&paId=215- - - 060650&pageNumber=0&numResultsPerPage=50&largeNumResultsPerPage=0&sortorder=desc- - - ending&sortfield=PRICE+descending&certifiedOnly=false&recnum=3&leadExists=true&c- - - riteria=K-%7CE-ANY%7CM-_47_%7CH-%7CD-_433_%7CN-N%7CR-75%7CI-1%7CP-PRICE+descendi- - - ng%7CQ-descending%7CX-popular%7CZ-02421&aff=national
2006 TOYOTA TACOMA ACCESS CAB V-6 4X4 SR5 1400 MILES BIN price $24,600.00 (has TRD off-road decals?)
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=190069600671&fromM- akeTrack=true
2004 Toyota 4Runner Limited V8 - Mileage: 36,883 Toyota Certified $26,888
http://www.cars.com/go/search/detail.jsp?tracktype=usedcc&searchType=22&paId=216- - - 883882&pageNumber=0&numResultsPerPage=50&largeNumResultsPerPage=0&sortorder=desc- - - ending&sortfield=PRICE+descending&certifiedOnly=false&recnum=20&leadExists=true&- - - criteria=K-%7CE-ANY%7CM-_47_%7CH-%7CD-_422_%7CN-N%7CR-75%7CI-1%7CP-PRICE+descend- - - ing%7CQ-descending%7CX-popular%7CZ-02421&aff=national
That thing would have a sticker of about $29K brand new, I believe.
I think the gas prices, in general, affected SUV owners a lot more than they did pick-up owners, who I am guessing actually use their trucks for trucky things much more often. Which is my guess as to why you can't throw a rock without hitting dozens of 4Runners, while Tacomas are hard to find.
Used Tacomas, BTW, are ALWAYS hard to find in my experience - their owners buy for the long haul I guess.
2014 Mini Cooper (stick shift of course), 2016 Camry hybrid, 2009 Outback Sport 5-spd (keeping the stick alive)
There are trips where you can put your motorhome on a rail car and travel across Canada. The train will stop at night and you stay in your motorhome looking at the beautiful scenery. At certain locations, there are out-trips with a tour guide and transportation. The trip is also done in Mexico.
It's like what I learned in College in one of my accounting classes... If you are working as an accountant in a fortune 500 company and the president wants a private company jet, how do you validate it? You don't, if the presidents wants it, its a done deal. :surprise:
I've done the car thing over the years. Porsche's don't really excite me. Now, the Bentley Continental Flying Spur convertible is a hottie!
Andre.. I'm looking at the Monaco Dynasty, Monaco Camelot and the Tiffin Allegro Bus (over 40 ft. will get you the tandem axle). The rear axle will lift automatically under 8mph or I can raise it with a touch of a button if needed.
www.lazydays.com----you can find the brands there and see pictures,etc. Monaco uses the Roadmaster Chassis and Tiffin uses the Spartan chassis. Both are good.
I have friends that have spent double what this will cost on their motorhomes. I'm in the "low" end group.
Also, I'll have to buy a small SUV to pull behind the motorhome, thinking of a Jeep Liberty, Honda CRV or a Toyota Rav4. The diesel Liberty might be nice.
Can't wait to get on the road! Mark
Hmmm, I see that in addition to the Dynasty, Monaco also has a Diplomat and a Windsor. What'd they do, hire an old Chrysler marketing exec?
Nice looking rigs, hope you enjoy your purchase!
Take a look at the Saturn VUE, as they can be flat towed without any trouble.
Plus, the plastic side panels won't dent or rust!
LR2...
:P
The only other issue is that in most states, if the trailer ways more than 1000 or 1500 lbs, it needs its own brakes. Were you thinking of getting a "brake buddy" or something similar? Alternatively, you can get a dolly that has brakes (electric or surge) and then not have to worry about it.
On the other hand, with the Tacomas, you'd be getting an almost-new car.
One of my friends has a Class-A motorhome--they're very big and roomy. I refer to it as the "tour bus."
Are you looking for a car you can flat tow, or were you planning to put it on a dolly?
I guess resale value is important to me--enough to turn the decision one way or another. Maybe I'll call the dealer with the black 4x4 V-6 6-speed & see what they'll do--they also have an "internet" sales guy who seems to have good prices on new Toyotas. As I recall tho the prices on used Toyotas at Toyota dealers are usually pretty high & inflexible.
The 7 yr. warranty on a used one would be great tho. The last 2 Toyotas I owned, or co-
owned, had one or two very minor problems each at @ 7years.....
My plan is to put the motorhome in a storage facility when not in use. I would like it to be garaged if possible.
Funny thing, my previous neighbor manufactured Marathon motorcoaches that start at $1.2 million and up.. maybe I could have gotten a huge discount!!! LOL
I want a tow vehicle that I can flat tow. I'm sure I could pull the Land Rover but I hate to tow a vehicle that heavy.
British Rover.... can a LR3 be flat towed?
I have an idea for a personalized tag...
Trlr-trsh
T-trash
BigBrtha
Brthabus
what do you guys think? LOL :P
Mark
2016 Audi A7 3.0T S Line, 2021 Subaru WRX
I think you can flat tow the old Discos but I am not sure about that either. There isn't much left that can be flat towed now as most of the Four wheel drive vehicles don't have a seperate neutral selector on the transfer case.
I spotted a 2000 MR2 Spyder for sale at the local grocery store parking lot. It only has 8000 miles and he's asking $11k .If the carfax checks out on the mileage I might just have to test drive it.Top up of course.
A freind of mine was complaining about the $5k he lost on a pop-up after 3 years. I 'll have to tell him it could of been worse. I think it worked out to about $250 per nite he used it. That's a pretty nice hotel room.
Talk about a monument to conspicuous consumption.
-Jason
Hmhhh I think you can flat tow a H2 at least for a little while but it is probably not a good idea to do it.
Also, whatayado when you're driving your $300K (that's now worth $150K) motorhome, & towing your little $20K SUV behind--when you finally get to where you're going (& I can't imagine driving a motorhome is fun) you've gotta drive around in a little SUV. Which is fine, but why not just drive the little SUV there, & save $300K?
One could stay at Four Seasons level hotels or inns a lot every year with just the income that $300K would generate.....& you'd still have the $300K. But maybe I'm missing the point that $300K is just Spending Money to some people.....
My wife and I have considered purchasing an RV down the road. It would be just the two of us, and it's highly unlikely that we'd be spending $300K, but I do see the advantages:
1) We have two dogs that would travel with us. Not sure how many Four Seasons take pets.
2) We can go where we want, when we want. Not too many 4 star hotels at our National Parks.
3) We would avoid the hassles of modern day air travel.
4) Sometimes, the journey is more interesting than the destination. Which means we can simply choose a different destination.
Anyway, I don't want this to decline into an "I love / hate Motorhomes" discussion, or one on how others choose to spend their dollars.
I just wanted to add my .02 to this, in as non-confrontational a manner as possible.
-Jason
Kind of like when Jessica Simpleson went and spent like $100 on a pair of thong underwear or something. Judging by Nick's personality, you knew that relationship wan't gonna last.
I'd love to have one of those motorhomes though. I saw one on one of those "lifestyle" shows that cost well over $1 million. Granite tabletops, and gold plated this and that. Come to think of it, where is my lottery ticket?
-Jason
Bought a popup used it once and traded it in, bought the TT and have had it 2 years. We love it.
I don't think we'll use the TT much this year since we'll be busy with the horses. It'll come home from storage in May and we'll have to find room for it around here. Our yard is pretty crowded although the Ford may be on the chopping block soon.
Don't get me wrong -- there's pretty much nothing I like more than taking long highway trips. I once drove from Tucumcari, NM, to Chicago with just four quick stops for food/gas/toilet. I can do a NY-Chicago or a NY-Outer Banks or a NY-Portland ME as easy as falling off a log. I spent breaks in college driving all over the country to places I hadn't seen before.
But note the emphasis on "driving". I've never been lucky enough to make these trips in fancy cars, and I've even made them in some crappy ones (like a 91 Tempo), but I always pushed the car as best I could and had some fun out there. Being trapped in the right lane watching a parade of four-wheeled and eighteen-wheeled vehicles zooming by would have me fit for a straitjacket after about the first 100 miles.
So until they invent a motorhome that can be economically flown ahead to my next destination, we'll go the hotels and restaurants route. But I will say that if my parents had gotten a 300K motorhome when I was a kid, I would have been beyond psyched.
Man puts RV on cruise control at 70mph and goes to the back to make coffee
2016 Audi A7 3.0T S Line, 2021 Subaru WRX
Side not I think our 1959 Rover is not broken. It looks like the person who I thought burned the clutch out actually just got the overdrive selector stuck in neutral. I have to play with it tomorrow and see if it will start in warmer weather.
Some models retain their value a little longer than others, especially diesel pushers. The baby boomers are starting to retire so the RV market will be strong for at least 15 years unless a catastrophe happens.
Woody... I'm not giving up regular traveling. I have two cruises booked this year already... one to Barbados, and one from NYC to London on the QM2 (been on before). Then I'll continue on to Hungary.
I got interested in motorhome traveling in 1997 when I was traveling in the Yukon and Alaska. I was talking with a couple that were on the trip and they drove their motorhome pulling their Cadillac on a tow dolly. She was kinda of a "B" but he was super nice. They traveled all the way from North Carolina to Washington State (Seattle) to start the trip. So, soon after, I subscribed to Motorhome magazine and have been reading ever since.
Michaell you have it right, it's the perfect way to travel for some people, especially, if you have dogs. Not many hotels/motels will take them and they are part of the family. I was just talking to my friend yesterday who just purchased a $700,000 motorhome (I'm in the small league).. and he said almost everyone in the Outdoor Resorts where he bought a lot has a dog or two or three!
I know there are folks who will never understand... that's OK as it will leave more room for "US" in the state parks and nicer RV parks. I will rarely boon dock (dry camp).
Smittynyc... One of the most relaxing things is driving slower on the interstate/freeway. When I rented the big A class motorhomes before, I just stayed "right" and let people pass. It never seemed to fail, the far right lane moves faster than the HOV lane!!! When you drive slower, you arrive relaxed and not fatigued.
Motorhomes really are easy to drive. You have to remember, they are made for 70 plus year old people; they drive like a Cadillac! You see younger and younger people getting into motorhomeing... it's good for bonding with your young kids, it's cheaper than eating out when you have a whole family to feed. It brings people to nature.
I really didn't want to try and defend my decision on purchasing... just wanted to say I was trying to keep my CCBA card up to date like Akangl! :P LOL
Mark156
If you are traveling with pets, you might want to check out sites likePets Welcome
I am actually envious of you. The last time I was in the wilderness was in a 2 room tent with 3 small kids this summer. Thank god for the pool and good weather.
If I hit the lottery, I am with you brother.
Was poking around on the Winnebago web site yesterday and found the MB Sprinter based RV, with the diesel engine. Base MSRP is something like $80K for it, before options.
Now, if I could get the 25% off MSRP that Mark is getting and finanace it over 10 years ....
One question ... why is it that the interior decor of many motorhomes is so ... what's the word? ... tacky. Loud fabric patterns abound. I suppose that all the folks who used to design clothes in the 60's have found new jobs doing interior design for RV manufacturers.
lilengineerboy, I've travelled once with my dog. The biggest issue is that most hotels won't allow you to leave them alone in the room.
Oh, on a semi-CCBA related note, my Saturn is making some bad noises from the front right suspension when I have the steering wheel cranked all the way to the left. No idea what the cause could be, but I've got to get it into the shop. Wife pointed out that it might be time to trade it in, which I (horror!) don't really want to do - not with 11 payments left.
Nope, that was me. Since mark156 is already getting 25% off MSRP, I don't think it's a stretch to imagine that it will be worth quite a bit less than that once it's titled. A lot of people buying these vehicles want brand new (mark156 included) and will not countenance anything less, unless the price is right.
If mark156 thinks that this is not so, then remember this, no matter what it says the vehicle is worth in the book (altogether now) "books don't buy vehicles".
Congrats on punching your CCBA card (motorhome + the toad you will need)... I'm not sure I'd like it, but if you like and can afford it, there's nothing wrong with it. To add another French phrase to "porte cochere:" Chacun à son goût!
The sprinter chassis motorhomes are nice, but tight on space. Winnebago and Itasca make a larger version with the sprinter front cap. They just add a box on the back with one slide out... gives a lot more room.
Corvette...yes, cruise ships have internet connections... but, I do take time off occasionally. I have a couple of good people to back me up.
Grandtotal... I have not argued the fact that motorhomes depreciate, I think that is well known. It's just like every expensive vacation (try and get your money back on that!), expensive piece of furniture, that big screen plasma tv (remember they were $20,000 at one time) and yachts. Not everything needs an investment return schedule. :surprise:
Life is short, death is long... enjoy!
Mark
I seem to be falling behind on keeping my CCBA card up to date. We haven't purchased a vehicle since August, just the horse trailer. Only *big* purchases we will be making in the next few months are 2 more horses and some saddles. No more vehicles for us or trailers, at least for a while.
I would love to move up to a bigger RV, but that's not in the cards until we pay ours off. Thankfully we didn't fall for the 10 year loan hype and we don't have a whole lot longer to pay on ours. After that we'll probably sell it and maybe move up to a 4-horse trailer with living quarters or who knows.
BTW, Mark, the plate on my truck is 02BRVN, course nobody can ever figure it out, lol.
Jolie
I think if I had a dime for every time you've said that, I could buy ... another car. ;b
'11 GMC Sierra 1500; '98 Alfa 156 2.0TS; '08 Maser QP; '67 Coronet R/T; '13 Fiat 500c; '20 S90 T6; '22 MB Sprinter 2500 4x4 diesel; '97 Suzuki R Wagon; '96 Opel Astra; '11 Mini Cooper S
Just don't ask how much it costs.
The last Carnival cruise my wife and I went on, it was something hideous like $10 for 5 minutes.
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BUT BUT, this time I REALLY mean it.
At this point with the new horse trailer I've pretty much commited myself to a 1-ton truck since the trailer has a GVWR of 9990 lbs. That said there isn't another 1-ton diesel I'd rather own than mine. Now if I could just get hubby to let loose of the Ford I'd sell it and go buy, um, another horse! LOL
Actually, selling the Ford at this point is not gonna happen, darn thing is trying hard to cough up a tranny, we have our fingers crossed that its maybe just the PCM on the tranny, but at 122k I think that's unlikely. Just have to get around to taking it to get diagnosed. :sick: