Why can we all afford trailers? - Page 2

Stanleyg · 03-31-2013, 07:03 PM

Debt.

wolfpack21643 · 03-31-2013, 07:10 PM

I have been a pilot most of my adult life and I currently work as a Deputy Sheriff who splits his time between car patrol and air unit pilot. My wife works at home which saves us a ton of money.

I have wanted to build my own airplane since I was 18 (now i'm 40) but never had the funds. If you guys think the RV is expensive then you need to take a look at the home built airplane world where we are talking $25k just for a motor and 10k on a GPS.

The DW and I worked hard and payed off most of the debt we occured when we were young and dum (credit cards ect.) and I was about to pull the trigger on a Vans RV-8 kit. I would have had around 75k in that when done and about 5 years of my life building it.

I always said I couldn't afford to build my own plane and one day a good friend that owns his own aviation buisness asked me "when are you going to sh*t or get off the pot and start building". I said "I cann't afford it right now" his answer was to start naming off every major thing I had bought over the past 5 years (ATV, jet ski, ect) and it was pretty clear that I could have built a plane with that money.

So I said I'm going to do it, then about two days before I pulled the trigger my then 5 year old daughter jumped in my lap and asked me when we were going to Disney. I will never forget what I said "honey we cant go to Disney daddy has to pay for his airplane" and it hit me like a lighting bolt.

I was about to suck all the family income up for the next 5 years to build what I wanted not what the family needed. I then rembered all the camping trips I had gone on as a kid with my now deceased father in the family pop-up and I started looking at pop-ups.

We bought a tent and started camping then after a rain soaked weekend we decied to take the big step and bought our first RV (im sure a bigger one is to come after a new TV. lol) Now the TT is the family's hobby and I cant wait to see Mickey this summer.

As far as the hobbies I have had its pretty cheap after the intial start up cost of outfitting another house. lol. Your talking to the man that spent 10k on RC airplanes over 2 summers! Dont tell the DW she thinks I only had about a 1/4 of that in them, haha.

On a sad note I do belive that at some point in my life time this country is going to go bankrupt and then it will be over for alot of us. You can only print fake money for so long.

So I am trying to enjoy my family while I still have the money to do so. Now that I have got my TT and I already owned my TV before getting into this hobby I have started lurking on the Vans Aircraft fourms again ughhhhhh, my wife is going to shoot me with my own gun yet. lol.

jevanb · 03-31-2013, 07:16 PM

Wolf I know your feelings.. we sold our Cessna 170, and the twin bonanza, plus the boats after kids so we can save and enjoy dept free. I take the family on trips with if seats are empty on the jet ,so they can enjoy my passion

BigBaron · 03-31-2013, 07:19 PM

On the jet? Don't tell me you have a jet!

B47 · 03-31-2013, 07:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jevanb

Wolf I know your feelings.. we sold our Cessna 170, and the twin bonanza, plus the boats after kids so we can save and enjoy dept free. I take the family on trips with if seats are empty on the jet ,so they can enjoy my passion

It sounds like you had some savings in order to buy the 172 and Bonanza - those toys ain't cheap

wolfpack21643 · 03-31-2013, 07:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jevanb

Wolf I know your feelings.. we sold our Cessna 170, and the twin bonanza, plus the boats after kids so we can save and enjoy dept free. I take the family on trips with if seats are empty on the jet ,so they can enjoy my passion

I think I just got busted on

Leathergypsy · 03-31-2013, 08:05 PM

Not sure if I missed it or not, but what is it that YOU do, BigBaron? Whats YOUR story? Ya know....cuz Im always so curious as to what others do, like you....

bodzcampers · 03-31-2013, 08:33 PM

In terms of demographics, i suspect campers/rvers are primarily working or retired from a job that affords a simple luxury and economical vacations. You wont find many in the working poor or utterly wealthy. The bell curve of the economy in a nutshell with rvers representing one or two standard deviations from the mean. Im sure there is lots of published data on the demographics of rvers. Search the net or call trade organizations.

asquared · 03-31-2013, 08:49 PM

DH and I are in our 30's and we work hard. I'm a nurse and he is a surgical tech so fortunately we have job stability. my Dad is very smart financially and I took a few lessons from him but we also aren't afraid of an RV loan so we can go have some really good family time. I see it as an investment in our family. our jobs afford us the ability to be weekend warriors at this. Someday full timing will come but not until DD is grown.

**wmtire** · 03-31-2013, 08:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wolfpack21643

I was about to pull the trigger on a Vans RV-8 kit. I would have had around 75k in that when done and about 5 years of my life building it.

I have started lurking on the Vans Aircraft fourms again ughhhhhh, my wife is going to shoot me with my own gun yet. lol.

I just wish I was doing a quarter as well as my ex-wife's attorney says I am.

Wolfpack, my best friend from High School, bought a RV-6 kit many years ago. It was a kit that was barely started by someone else and he picked it up for a real good price. I think it took him about 2 years to complete it, but he is a pilot by profession.

He eventually sold the plane and bought a sailboat, which he lives on now in San Diego.

roanmountaincampers · 03-31-2013, 09:18 PM

Thirty years as a Park Ranger for Tennessee. Retired and then started as an EMT with the local EMS, then Paramedic school at age 55. Retired from that two years ago Started my own income tax office 10 years ago and now do about 400 returns per year. Proud to say that most clients pay only $40 for a return which is much lower that the big boys. I believe in good service for a reasonable price. Home, cars all paid for. Camper one of the biggest splurges of our life but sure enjoy taking the grandkids. DW will be retiring from teaching this spring. Retirement and SS along with the tax business should provide for us during these "Golden years".

timarti · 03-31-2013, 09:21 PM

DH is retired, I work part time from home (medical transcription). When he retired we downsized to a fixer upper in the country. Have been debt free since retirement when we paid everything off after the sale of our city house. Not a huge amount in the retirement kitty, but we decided to take some of it to get our new truck and trailer. Would I like a class A? You bet, but we can go the same places and be just about as comfortable in what we have. Reading all the problems that can and do arise with a MH, new or used, we were not confident going that route from a financial standpoint. Our new Ford F150 should last a long time and is comfortable on long trips, and serves as the 'touring' vehicle when we reach a destination. Pretty good gas mileage too. If we win the lottery, that is when we will be able to afford a class A without going into debt.

Anyway, we are heading to Goshen this summer, 5 years debt-free and counting!

Twisty · 03-31-2013, 09:26 PM

I do well as a union steamfitter.
Financing can be a win/win for consumers and local businesses.
We decided to move "up" from a Ford Ranger to the F150 and to trade in the popup on a TT.
About the time that the truck and trailer are paid off we are going to hit the road.
We would rather live like paupers on the road than stay in the work till you die game.
We are going to host CG's for 6 to 9 months a year and roam the rest of the time.

jevanb · 03-31-2013, 09:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BigBaron

On the jet? Don't tell me you have a jet!

No but the company I work for does, I am just a 47 year old who has been flying since I was little. I am a pilot and chief mechanic for our airline, I have been buying junk planes and putting them back to perfect flying condition , on my free time ( before kids) I keep a few and sell the others.

wyo700 · 03-31-2013, 09:32 PM

Me and the wife are by no means upper class. I'm 28 and the wife is 26 she has a degree and I do not but have been with a natural gas company since I was 21 and have been able to make my way up. My wife now is a banker and she is very smart with our money. The jobs here in Wyoming are not so scarce at all and we are fortunate enough to have good jobs. In the last two years we have had a house built we bought a toy hauler paid off the wife's car and in December I got a new truck. And we have a very large savings account. I will give most of the credit to my wife she is very smart and has set us up very well to be in the position we are in now. When we were getting approved for our toy hauler our salesman was very surprised by our credit scores for our age and he gave us a pat on the back. And more important of all we have never had credit card debt. If we ever charge something to a credit card it gets paid off as soon as we get the statement.

B47 · 03-31-2013, 09:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jevanb

No but the company I work for does, I am just a 47 year old who has been flying since I was little. I am a pilot and chief mechanic for our airline, I have been buying junk planes and putting them back to perfect flying condition , on my free time ( before kids) I keep a few and sell the others.

So In addition to you being a pilot, I assume that you probably hold an Airframe and Powerplant certificate and most likely an Inspection Authorization. And possibly are a DME and maybe a DAR.

Don't be bashful - you got a lot of good things going for you.

wolfpack21643 · 03-31-2013, 09:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wmtire

Wolfpack, my best friend from High School, bought a RV-6 kit many years ago. It was a kit that was barely started by someone else and he picked it up for a real good price. I think it took him about 2 years to complete it, but he is a pilot by profession.

Im a pilot by profession also and thats what makes laying out that kind of money hard. I get paid to fly and it's the fun kind of flying down in the weeds doing marijuana spotting, traffic enforcement, overhead air cover for our SWAT guys on raids ect so it's hard to justify laying out alot of money to pay to do the knid of flying I get paid to do at work

My whole point is that I dont think RV'ing is very exspensive as far a hobbies go. I think it's what you make it. I'm not rich, about 85k a year household income. I'm not saving to put my kid through college she is on her own there. I paid my way through and I belive it makes you think long and hard about your major. Plus like someone else said in this thread I'm not putting alot away for retirement thank goodness I have a decent retirement through work.

My wife and I are talking about getting out of the Peoples Republic of Maryland the day after I retire the taxes are killer here. I can see us buying a nice roomy camper and moving to a more tax freindly location after I retire in 10 more years. If we like the area then we will most likley buy a small house or the like and make my retirement check go the furthest I can make it.

I break it down like this to the original poster:

1) Most people already have a vehicle it's not much more to buy a good used TV or heck a new one as compared to the avg mid to high end passenger car. So I think the cost of a TV is really small compared to the fact that you are going to have to buy some thing to get around in anyway.

2) You can get some really good deals on campers. I mean they are a luxury item and the buyer has a lot of leverage at the time of sale. I would say, we the buyers have the dealerships bent over a barrel in these times.

3) Look what you are getting for your money, it's another freaking house. I mean I can tell people I now own a vacation home

And I can move it anywhere to any location at anytime. I have seen some seasonal sites right on the Atlantic Ocean in my area that would have people spending 500k or more to buy some little cracker box house on a little water front lot. You can park your RV there for 2k a year, beat that.

Also if the end ever comes for the country money wise you wont be homeless because the bank can't reposses what it can't find

God bless America

jevanb · 03-31-2013, 09:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by B47

So In addition to you being a pilot, I assume that you probably hold an Airframe and Powerplant certificate and most likely an Inspection Authorization. And possibly are a DME and maybe a DAR.

Don't be bashful - you got a lot of good things going for you.

everything but the DME or DAR, got my A&P in 1986 and 3 years to the date my IA.. my private came in 87 and been building time and rating since, currently have around 2700hrs in all types including jet and turboprop multiengine, but I rather turn a wrench then fly..

B47 · 03-31-2013, 09:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jevanb

everything but the DME or DAR, got my A&P in 1986 and 3 years to the date my IA.. my private came in 87 and been building time and rating since, currently have around 2700hrs in all types including jet and turboprop multiengine, but I rather turn a wrench then fly..

Good for you - and I know the "rather turn a wrench then (than) fly" feeling.

JFM-jr · 03-31-2013, 09:54 PM

I work for Verizon the last 16 years it's a great union job I am blessed to have. My wife works at an office for a building contractor for the last 18 years and is equally blessed. Hurricane Sandy paid for alot of what I have with the long days I put in getting service restored. No payments on the TT and put down 75% of what my truck cost so the payments are very managable. Question to the OP not to totally derail this fine thread you have going but I see your in South Korea. News here is tensions are building with all the sabre rattling from the North how do people seem around there? On edge? Tough situation

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