Quote:
Originally Posted by jamesqf
With US average hotel prices at around $120/night, that might not be the case, depending on how often you go. Of course if you spend upwards of $100K on something that's parked all but one week a year*, fuel costs are not your primary problem :-) But a bigger problem with this 'solution' is that there are seldom hotels in places many of us want to go.
For the OP, I really think you need to expand on your definition of 'liveable'. Personally, I think a tent & sleeping bag in a backback or on a bike is just fine, and can be carried easily in an Austin-Healey or Insight. Other people have different opinions :-)
*I have neighbors who moved their RV for the first time in at least 5 years this summer - to get it out of the way of another neighbor doing some major tree-trimming.
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This post highlights the misunderstanding that a number of folks seem to have.
I am not going to spend $20k to $100k for something that sits in my driveway. I lived full time in my Eagle for almost seven years.
If I take the "drive a little rig and stay in a hotel" advice I lose a few things like:
Sleeping in my own bed every night.
Not having a kitchen to cook in.
Having a closet to hang my clothes in without having to "move" every few days/weeks.
Having "My" bathroom to use every morning.
Really, all of the comforts of home are gone as far as I am concerned are lost whem doing the hotel thing. Trust me, I have spent 4+ months straight living in hotels and I HATED IT.
Not to mention the $40k I would spend annually on hotel rooms. Also, without a kitchen I would probably find myself eating out much more. An added expense.
If I were looking at a $50k RV versus a $8k used car. I can make up the difference in purchase and operation costs in less than 18 months. Then I am $ ahead of the game.
All of that said, my project scope has shifted a bit. I am now looking at a Crown bus to convert. Plenty of room for comfortable living in a very reliable and serviceable platform. Also, it is about the most "aero" of any bus/class A that I have seen.
Now, how to optimize that rig for economy? I am looking at a 9 or 10 speed, air dam, skirts, airbags setup to adjust ride height, engine mods and propane injection.
The folks that are running the Crown's with automatics are claiming 9-10.5mpg average. I wonder if I could coax as much as 15 mpg on the highway? That would rock!
Thanks everyone for the suggestions.