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Do you enjoy being pampered in FIVE STAR Luxury Resorts?

Do you have discriminating taste and style?

Do you enjoy Great Food,  Smiling Friends, and a whole lot of Fun?

Are you 55+? If you answered YES, you just have to check out this vacation rental in Mesa, Arizona.

Hey RV Rulltimers,

I want to ask all of you folks a question: What are your favorite RV Blogs out there? If you’ve got some ideas, drop me a line at modernnomad84@gmail.com.

Thanks, Brad

We’ve got a guest post today from my Dad, who recently ended a 606-day stint as a Fulltimer with my Mom. I asked him to reflect on his journey, and this is what he wrote back:

“After our full time journey in our RV, it was good when we were finally be able to settle back home in Central Arizona after visiting 26 states over the course of 606 days.

Would we do it all over again? It’s hard to say. We experienced the majesty of driving the coast of Big Sur, and we walked among the mighty redwoods of Northern California. We huddled in our 5th wheel as a Category 2 hurricane passed over our campground on the Outer Banks of North Carolina, and we marveled at the splendor of the mammoth caves in Kentucky. We spent way too many noisy nights at “Camp Wal-Mart”, and way too few glorious nights at 5 Star RV resorts. We dined at 68 different Cracker Barrel restaurants, and used our oven in our RV exactly once. We had no traffic incidents, accidents, dents, flats, or scrapes, but we blew out our black water holding tank in a campground in Jacksonville, Florida because I wasn‘t paying attention to details! Our 2004 Ford 6.0L diesel blew a head gasket just outside of Truth or Consequences, NM and left us stranded there for 6 weeks, But… Truth or Consequences ended up being the best town we visited, with absolutely wonderful people, great BBQ, and delightful hot spring soaks under star studded nighttime skies! Through our journey, there were times we cried tears of laughter, and there were times when we cried tears of despair.

Our GPS was the best investment we ever made, and $4.00/gal diesel fuel was the worst.

We walked the quiet Florida beaches at sunrise, and held hands under the starry skies in Texas. The last night we spent in our 5th wheel was our second best night, and the day we sold our RV was actually sweeter than the day we bought it.

So… would we do it all over again? We’re just too close to look at the whole experience objectively, but IF we did it again, we’d do it a little smarter next time, a little sweeter next time, a little less hurried next time, we’d be more prepared next time, with a much bigger budget, and we‘d do it in a quality Class A RV with a small car in tow.”

A big thanks goes out to my Dad, Nick Spencer, for so graciously contributing his thoughts to FulltimerBlog.  Thanks!

-Brad

Imagine talking to yourself in a cave… it’s fun for a while, but then it can get pretty boring. As much as I love having this blog, it’s always nice to hear from all of you out there and get some suggestions on articles for me to research and report back to you on.

Do you have an article suggestion? If so, email me at raw web design at gmail.com (take out the spaces and change at to @).

Or, if you’d like to put together an article on something that you’ve learned and want to share with hundreds or thousands of people, heck, email me that too!

Looking forward to hearing from ya,

Brad

All of us have been through this before… you decided to get an RV but are overwhelmed by the sheer number of styles- let alone makes and models. There are too many “ifs, ands & buts” to make a clear decision this early in your learning curve. So, how do you choose the best one?

In my opinion, the 5th Wheel (or Fifth Wheel) offers a lot of advantages that the other styles do not. Actually, I believe there are 4.5 compelling reasons to consider a 5th Wheel over the main competitors; Class A B and C’s, Travel Trailers, Campers, Camper Vans, Slide-Ins, SURV, or Buses.

Without further ado, here are the 4.5 Reasons to Buy a Fifth Wheel as your RV:

1. You don’t have a cabin ruining your space.

You are only using the cabin while you are driving, which is a rare time in most RVers vacation. So, why have your whole RV built around your cabin? Why not make better use of that space and put a couch or desk up there instead? In a 5th-Wheel, you can!

2. More layout options:

Since you don’t have all of the engine, transmissions, and more, you can design your space to work better for you. There are so many ways a fifth-wheel can be set up, you can find a style that suits you better than in a classic RV.

3. No Need to Tow Another Vehicle:

You have a separate vehicle already with you all the time. All you have to do is unhitch your 5th Wheel and you are off the grocery, a restaurant, or a night on the town. Never worry about your tow dolly, a car-in-tow, or pulling a second vehicle like you would have to with an RV.

4. Provides Better Value:

You already have a truck, so why buy a whole new engine, transmission, and all of that? Using your truck to pull means there is one less vehicle to worry about in your life. Less worry means more time to sit back and enjoy your new 5th Wheel.

4.5 Easier to Inspect and Buy:

You don’t need quite as much information when looking to buy one of these used. Actually, as long as you use your noggin and a good Used RV Buying Guide, you should have no trouble getting a good deal on one of these. But, make sure to get a good buying guide or you might get a lemon!

Everyone who owns a motorhome or RV knows the value of checklists.

Without checklists, there is going to be such a higher chance of you losing something, forgetting something at your last campsite, or worse- causing damage to your RV or Motorhome from forgetting some simple maintenance before hitting the road.

Now, not only are checklists important, but for you to get the most out of those checklists, you need to be able to print them in bulk and on demand.

With regular printed books, you just can only write on the checklist so many times. Maybe 2 or 3 times at best before you’re asking yourself, “Why did I get this book?“.

But, and this is where eBooks are actually superior to older bound books, with ebooks you can print out any page hundreds- even thousands- of times.

So if you are the type of RVer who just loves to have that checklist on how to Flush the Septic System but you don’t need the checklist for Pre-Planning Your Used RV Purchase, then forget the latter and print 10 of the first one. It’s a custom ebook, built for you.

Now the best ebook I’ve come across for RV, Motorhomes, Travel Trailers, Class A B and C’s, Camper Vans, and 5th Wheels is hands down Malia’s RV Checklists.

She’s got all the checklists, updated, and it’s CHEAP too. It’s only $11.95, and you’ll get paid for that ebook purchase hundreds of times over in return.
So head over and check out the ebook, learn a bit more, and see if the checklists would be something you and your family can print out and use!

Learn more about Malia’s RV Checklists here.

It is crucial to have some great checklists to go over to ensure you find any problems there might be. Sellers usually won’t tell you each and every issue they know of. Some sellers will try to hide known problems. As the saying goes: “Buyer Beware”.Using your checklist to look over used vehicles at the Used RV Dealer is equally important. The dealer makes his commission no matter how long the RV runs for you, so it’s really up to you to make sure you get a good rig!

So let’s save you time, money, and frustration and give you some of the key things to look over when viewing a used RV, Camper, Motorhome, Class A B or C, or 5th Wheel for the first time:

Oil Analysis - As with any vehicle, oil is the lifeblood of the engine. Checking the oil is a great start to ensure the integrity of the engine. If the oil smells burnt, is unusal in color or consistency, is too low or too high, you may have a problem on your hands.

Rust - Rust is the natuaral breakdown of iron or a metal with iron in it. Rust is much worse in parts of the country with snow and salt on the roads. Purchasing RV’s from the south can help with rust problems, but they will usually cost a bit more. Do a complete rust check. If there is structural rust on the frame, AVOID THE RV AT ALL COSTS. You are buying an RV at the end of its life.

Service Records - These will show whether the previous owners did regular maintenance, on the rig. It will also show you how many previous owners there have been. And, if they don’t have any paperwork- why not?

Important Note: I’ve learned this from EXPERIENCE. Having a complete picture of the potential problems that can happen with your new RV can also help you negotiate the price downward.

Maybe the previous owner didn’t know about the problems and your discovery of it may make them realize that they are asking too much.

If you really want to know EVERYTHING about any Used RV, you’ve got to get Buying a Used RV ebook. It’ll pay for itself hundreds of times over in negotiation if used correctly.

Learn more about Buying a Used Rv here.

Financing your RV – Many companies offer better financing for certain preferred builders and even certain models, especially those that have the lowest depreciation. The purchase of any used rv for business should not be done without a thorough evaluation of the finance options that are attached to it. Some banks won’t finance a commercial vehicle until it has passed a DOT inspection, some offer lower rates for “occasional use”, and some charge a higher percentage rate if you plan to “live aboard”.

RV Insurance – this can be a real “dream breaker”. How will you tell your family that you you got a great deal on the rv for them and fixed it up real nice, but…well nobody will insure it cause it’s too old, or the brakes are after market, or there was a recall on it. Rv converters, how would you like to finish your rv repairs with $30,000 in renovations only to learn it’s uninsurable with normal companies due to “gross vehicle weight issues”.

In my opinion, learning enough about RV’s to make an educated buying decision is just good common sense. What you learn before you get the RV will certainly carry over into what you’ll need to know to keep your new rig in tip-top shape while you are on the road later.

Checklists will save your butt sometime. That I can promise you.

With all of the things you have to have on your mind when you are moving from one campsite to another, maintaining your rig, spring cleaning or winter storing, you can very easily forget something!

Forgetting something small might not be a big deal… but if you incorrectly flush your septic system you can get really sick. Or, if you incorrectly install your battery you could blow your main fuse and be stuck looking for an Auto-Parts store in the middle of the night.

Check out this example of a good checklist:

This wonderful woman, Malia, has come to the rescue and created checklists for every part of your RV lifestyle.

Now, I know you might be saying… “Awe, I don’t want an eBook, I like the feel of a real book.”

Yes, if there were a novel I would agree whole-heartedly with you. But, with this ebook you can print out as many copies of any page as you need and mark all over them with pens and pencils and never run out of pages!

You might also be thinking (especially if you are a guy like me), “Yeah, I know a lot of new folks who are new to RVing that will need one of these. I feel for those poor, poor souls who forget everything.”

But you know what? We all forget something. Heaven forbid you have something on your mind while you are moving the RV and forget something. Or, worse yet, what if you have to leave in a hurry or in inclement weather?

Do you really want to remember something you left when you are 2 states away?

I would suggest that anyone that owns an RV, Motorhome, Travel Trailer, Camper, Class A B or C, or even a Camper Van get a copy of Malia’s RV Checklists. It’s only 11.95 and you can have it in 5 minutes.

Learn more about the RV Checklists now!

I think there are two ways to approach this:

To sell your RV quickly, do it locally at Craigslist.org. Go there and pick your city and then click POST and you’ll find it easily from there.

To do it for the highest price, go to Ebay Motors. You might have problems getting payment or even getting the high bidder to come pick up the RV, but you’ll likely get a higher price.

And, there are a few places where people look who are looking specifically for RV’s and Motorhomes.

Google any of these sites:

RVTrader
SellRv
RV ListingsOnline

There are also RV brokers out there, but they’ll list them online just like you could and charge you a FAT fee, I wouldn’t do it!

If you are thinking about selling your RV, I would suggest doing a bit of fixing and cleaning before you sell it. Let’s say you are going to ask $5000 for your used RV. A little work and general cleaning will likely give you a 10% higher price. Let’s look at the numbers…

Average RV only cleaning the regular stuff: $5000

Your RV, with Everything clean in all the spots an informed buyer will check: $5500

So how do you take your RV from Regular to Beautiful? Get this ebook. The eBook I’m talking about here is Maila’s RV checklists. It is a TRUE lifesaver and for only 11.95, you stand to MAKE $488.00 when you buy the book and use it’s checklists to REALLY clean your RV right before selling it!

Learn more about Malia’s RV Checklists here!

A generator is great to have. Without it, you are going to be pretty limited on what you can use in your RV… like a fridge, TV, A/C, etc.

The most important things that I think of in buying a generator for an RV or motorhome is:

How quiet is the generator?
Does it start easily?
How much current does it put out?
How large is the fulltank / how often are you goint to need to refuel it?

I’d suggest you head out to a RV and/or lawnmower type store and talk to a salesperson about what you need. Bring the RV if possible, and you can see about getting the fit right and connectors you might need.

Safety first! Always keep in mind when you use a generator there is carbon monoxide. You should always inspect the exhaust system on the generator set before using it. Do not operate a generator with a damaged exhaust system. If you’re using a portable generator set make sure the exhaust is directed away from the camping area. Test your carbon monoxide detector for proper operation prior to using the generator. Never run a generator when you or anyone else is sleeping. Observe campground etiquette. Do not run your generator after quiet hours.