Should You Buy a New or Used RV? Analyzing the Pros & Cons

Should You Buy a New or Used RV? Analyzing the Pros & Cons

by | RV Tips | 50 comments

Should you buy a New or Used RV?

When it comes to buying your very first RV or even your second or third, there are so many things to consider. There is also the age-old debate that has many people confused about whether purchasing their RV new or used will be the better option.

For us, we thought about this the entire time we were searching for our home on wheels. We read Facebook groups, asked questions, and saw other people ask the same questions. We found that the majority of people said to buy “used”.

However, I was still so skeptical. Is buying used really the best option? During our research and purchasing timeframe, I set down and examined the pros and cons of purchasing an RV New VS purchasing an RV Used.

I also always kept in mind that I was purchasing our home. This was a place we will sleep, cook, play games, and live life full-time. I did NOT approach this purchase as the same as buying just a normal vehicle.  After all, a car doesn’t have a bathroom, fridge, sink, or propane tanks and generators.

So, let’s get to it and first examine the Pros and Cons of purchasing your RV New Vs. Used.

New & Used RVs for Sale Online - RVT.com

Pros and cons of purchasing a Used RV

Used – Pros

  • Usually cheaper than purchasing brand new. This make’s it easier to pay cash instead of financing.
  • Less guilt if you want to make any renovations whether major or minimal.
  • All the “Kinks” are worked out from others “breaking it in”.
  • Anything that needed to be fixed has usually been taken care of by the manufacturing warranty if the previous owner took advantage of the warranty.
  • Easier to negotiate price.
  • Lower Insurance
  • Less Depreciation from your point of purchase.

Used – Cons

  • Usually Sold AS IS without any warranties
  • If purchased used with a loan, you will usually have a higher Loan Interest Rate.
  • Unknowingly could purchase a LEMON or one that was not been maintained properly.
  • Could have mold, leaks, or more.
  • Unable to have your true pick of floorplans.
  • If purchasing a Motorhome, less fuel-efficient than a new motorhome.
  • Hidden Maintenance Issues.
  • Other people or pets misuse now becomes your problem.
  • Usually outdated appliances and décor (Unless you are going to be making décor renovations and upgrades, this isn’t a con)
Pros and Cons of Purchasing a New RV

New – Pros

  • It’s yours! No one has ever owned it before. (Nothing in the tanks that are foreign to you)
  • New Appliances, new furniture, and that new home smell.
  • Greater options and flexibility to search and choose the right amenities and floor-plan that is best for you and/or your family.
  • Manufacturers warranty
  • Ability to purchase directly from Manufacture and customize to your liking

New – Cons

  • Premium Price (Don’t be afraid to negotiate and check the prices nationwide for the same RV)
  • High Depreciation
  • Higher insurance
  • You have to work out the kinks and issues yourself

Now that you know the pros and cons of purchasing a used RV vs. a new RV, which is better?

Honestly, it really comes down to your own finances and your own personal reasoning. What is important to you and/or your family? Is it the money and not wanting a loan or is it making sure your floorplan and amenities supply the right needs for your family? I feel like there is really no “right” answer to the new vs used debate.

 

What we chose and why…

For Matthew and I, we searched all the floorplans and prices. After 6 long months of conducting comparisons on RV Trader and going back and forth on buying new or used, we found what we needed.

Ultimately, we decided to buy brand new, took out a loan, and got the perfect floorplan that fit us. We made the decision to buy new because we were going to live full-time and it needed to fit our needs. Making sure we were comfortable, happy and had a Washer/Dryer prep in our space was a top priority.

Also, we realized with our research that the type of RV we needed and wanted was the same price new as it was a few years older.

When you buy used, all the “kinks” are worked out, right?

Honestly, you can purchase a brand-new RV or a used RV and still have problems. There is no true guarantee that it will be perfect. We have only had one leak in a side window that was an easy seal up. So far we have been full-time living stationary for almost a year now.

So, just figure out your priorities and needs that are personal to you. I hope this helps and don’t forget to check out RV Trader to search for your perfect RV, whether you’re looking for a used one or a new one!

 

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16 Best Frugal Living Ideas You Can Start Today!

16 Best Frugal Living Ideas You Can Start Today!

by | Finances, Minimalism | 4 comments

So, what does it mean to live frugally? We see people talk about this subject a lot!

All it really is about is money management and never living above your means.

Living frugally is the ability to stretch the dollars you spend.

It is also the conscious ability to substitute items that are less expensive and never wasting what you have purchased.

Frugal living can help you free up your income to give more, to save more, and in some way makes you more grateful for what you have.

Frugal Living

When you become grateful for what you have you focus less on what you don’t have and more on what you do.

It’s not always easy to live frugally, but it is worth it.

So, I have put together a list of frugal living ideas anyone can master and implement into their lives.

1. Don’t waste a drop!

Frugal living begins at not wasting anything. This includes Toothpaste, Lotions, hair products, makeup, sauces, and the list can go on.

2. Buy products that are multipurpose

Don’t buy shaving cream. Instead, use a little bit of your hair conditioner for shaving cream. Works wonders.

Also, Dawn dish soap can be used in more places than just the dishes; such as cleaning counters, toilets, sinks, and even bathing the dog.

3. Meal plan and prep!

This is the best and easiest way to not waste any food or money. You only purchase what you need to make the meals and then cook in bulk.

This is why we love the $5 meal planning service. This allows us to have our meals planned ahead of time and they even provide a grocery list with everything you will need.

Tip: always check your pantry and fridge before you go to the store and take note of what you already have. 

4. Use a Cash Back Service

Download an app that gives you cashback on your groceries and other purchases.

Here are three services I have used to get cash back on groceries items after purchase and cashback on other items at the time of purchase.  

1. IBOTTA – Get cash back on groceries, extra coupons, and more!
2. Ebates – Get cash back at the hottest store you already shop at plus on Travel and Hotels too! Earn $10 Walmart Cash Or $10 Ebates Free Cash for Signing up! 
3. Swagbucks – Earn Cash Back on purchases plus Daily Trivia Games, Searches, and Surveys.

5. Read More and Watch Less.

Reading is always better than watching T.V.

If you have your favorite shows though, there are great services like Hulu and Netflix that are way cheaper than cable.

You can also purchase an antenna to get local channels. 

6. Purchase things of Value.

Buy quality clothes that you can wear over and over again knowing that they will last.

It’s ok to be caught in the same t-shirt and jeans more than once. I have clothes that I have had for over 10 years.

I have my favorite pieces and I’m not afraid to wear them again and again. 

7. 48 Hour Rule

Wait 48 hours before making a purchase that is more than $48.

I like to call this the “48 Hour Rule”.

After 48 hours, if you still want it and can afford it, go get it. 

8. Buy a water filter and drink more water.

This is one of my favorite frugal living tips. We use a Brita water filter and glass water bottles to reduce waste and cost.

Drinking more water and buying a filter will not only save money but help the environment too.

So, skip the sugary soda, juices, and teas.

Water is cheaper and also better for you, especially if you have a water filter. 


9. Cancel Unnecessary Memberships.

We live in the days where it feels like everything is a membership and on a monthly retainer fee. 

You have Music like Apple and Pandora, Gym Memberships, Makeup Memberships, Shoe Memberships, and the list can go on and on.

If you don’t use the items or go to the gym or massage parlor then evaluate the importance of the membership.

10. Be Patient

Never purchase anything full price. This includes clothes, new toys, new gadgets like phones and game consoles.

Always buy items on sale, clearance, or have a coupon! Thrift Shops are great!

Plato’s closet is the place to go if you looking for a new outfit for a date night or pictures.

Remember, just because you purchase at a thrift store doesn’t mean you can’t find good quality designer items. 

11. Always Pay Cash

Try and prevent any spending on the credit card, especially if you can’t afford to pay off the credit card on the next due date. 

12. Always try to do things yourself

If something breaks, try to figure out a way to fix it yourself before paying someone else to come out.

Now, there are things that do need a professional for so know when to call and when you can fix it yourself is important.

13. Skip the Hair Salon

For Women, hold back on dyeing your hair.

I know for some this can be difficult with roots, but you can always work your way back to your natural color.

14. “X” out the Extensions

Don’t buy extensions, whether it is Hair extensions or eyelash extensions. Extensions are expensive and you’re beautiful just the way you are! 

15. A little goes a long way

Minimize the amount of makeup you wear. I personally work from home so the only time I actually put any makeup on is if I’m going to an event of some sort of meeting with friends.

Makeup is expensive, so the less I wear it, the further my money stretches.

If you do have to wear makeup on a daily, then I suggest using it sparingly. When I was working in an office, I had my mineral foundation, blush, concealer, chapstick, and mascara.

Those were my only go-to makeup products that I used every day. Very minimal and I didn’t over purchase products that I knew I wouldn’t use. 

16. Don’t compare your life to others.

You don’t have to have the latest and greatest gadgets that the “Joneses” purchased.

This goes with being grateful for what you have and what you can afford.

Final Thoughts

There you have it! 16 of our favorite frugal living tips that we implement and use daily.

Remember no one is perfect, I love my coffee so we don’t only drink water but it is cheaper than all the sugary drinks out there.

Also, living frugally is just being mindful of your money and the items you purchase.

I enjoy living frugally because it makes me grateful for what I do have.

It also allows me to save more money and give more back to the community.

If you enjoyed this post, please feel free to share! 🙂 As always, Thank you for stopping by!


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Frugal Living

Winter RV Living | Survive An Overnight Freeze in an RV

Winter RV Living | Survive An Overnight Freeze in an RV

by | Products We Love, RV Tips

Winter RV Living | Surviving an overnight freeze during the winter in an RV while also living full-time, was a first for us in November 2018.

We live in Fort Worth, Texas, so while we don’t experience the snow very often, we do get below 32 degrees.

I searched the internet on advice on how to prepare your RV for an overnight freeze, and I just couldn’t find much.

I did learn how to winterize your RV if you’re going to be storing, but not if you’re living in one.

So, I am writing this for those living Full-Time or staying in an RV during the winter who have the same questions I had the day we had a freeze warning.

Questions like:

  • What do I do?
  • How to keep my RV tanks and pipes from freezing?
  • Should I get more propane or space heaters or both?

1. Shut off the water and clear the pipes

Our freezes are usually just an overnight affair here in Fort Worth, Texas.

So, once it warms up the next day we don’t have to worry about our RV pipes or hoses freezing. Therefore, shutting the water off while we sleep isn’t a big issue.

We also made sure we had water bottles or jugged water in the fridge filled and ready to go.

So, the night before (since we did not have a heated hose) we completely shut off our water and detached the RV’s water hose.

We then make sure our lines and RV pipes are free of water by turning on the faucets inside to clear the lines.

We don’t worry about the water in the water heater because it’s electric and stays warm.

If you do turn off your water heater, the best suggestion is to release the water to prevent freezing and ruining your hot water tank.

Another option is to purchase a heated water hose and some styrofoam to cover your pipes for extra insulation.

A good practice is to keep your cabinets open in the kitchen and bathroom. This allows the RV’s sink pipes to stay warm.

If you don’t have a heated water hose, you can get one right here at Amazon! So worth it! 


2. Released the Black and Grey tanks

The next thing we did was released our RV’s tanks and kept our valves closed.

Now, if your tanks are 1/3 full, and have a heating element or heating pads that keep them from freezing then it’s okay if you don’t release them.

However, I always like to be safe then sorry so since we could release them, we did!

3. Stock up on Propane and Buy a Space Heater

After shutting off the water and releasing the tanks, next we checked our propane tanks.

(We actually ran out of propane right before the freeze and kind of freaked, so we learned this one the hard way.)

Luckily, my brother-in-law had an extra tank that we could use for the night. Therefore, we didn’t have to run to the store.

So, lesson learned, when it’s cold and your Winter RV Living you always want to have extra propane.

Another option if you don’t want to rack up a high bill of propane during the winter RV living is to buy a space heater or two.

Our RV has an electric fireplace, but even that doesn’t put off enough to heat the whole RV when it is below 32 degrees outside. So, having an extra space heater won’t hurt and will save you money on propane.

The best space heaters we have found are this Ontel Handy Heater and the Trustech Oscillating Ceramic Tower Heater.

The Ontel Handy Heater plugs right into the wall and is great for bedrooms or bathrooms. It saves so much space too!


4. Get a Dehumidifier

Another thing is the condensation!

With the cold air outside and the warm air inside, this causes condensation on the windows. Over time, if not properly dealt with can cause mold issues.

Therefore, purchasing a dehumidifier is very handy and helps prevent future mold issues. This is a must when your winter RV living.

Also, we love using the Arm & Hammer moisture absorbers.

We place these in the bedrooms, closet, bathroom, and can be put pretty much anywhere.




5. Insulate your RV windows

To keep the warm in and winter out, insulating your windows is recommended.

This can be done with bubble wrap, styrofoam, insulation boards, and some velcro or tape. This will also help with the condensation too that can accumulate on your windows.

For a quick buy, you can just check out the local hardware store like Lowes or Home Depot.


6. Purchase an RV Skirt

RV skirts are great, especially if you are going to experience snow or freezing temperatures.

These skirts provide protection from wind, snow, debris blowing underneath, and insulting the underbelly of your RV to help further prevent your tanks and pipes from freezing!


7. We Bundled Up!

And last, but not least…BLANKETS!

Stay bundled up with blankets, socks, warm clothes, and yes… even gloves! RV’s walls are thin and having extra blankets to stay warm during winter RV living is a must!

Our favorite blankets are wool blankets specifically because that is one of the warmest materials.

Wool blankets are great for indoor snuggles or outdoor sitting by the fire. 😊

Also, Don’t forget the Coffee, Hot Tea, or Hot Chocolate for extra warmth!!


Final Thoughts

So, let’s recap on what we did to keep our RV from freezing and how we stayed warm during our Texas Freeze.

  1. Turn the water off and clear water lines. (Unless you have a heated water hose. I don’t recommend keeping the water faucet dripping because it can fill up your grey tank)
  2. Release Tanks
  3. Purchase Extra Propane or a Space Heater
  4. Purchase a Dehumidifier
  5. Insulate your Windows
  6. Purchase an RV Skirt
  7. Bundle up! Wool Blankets, socks, warm clothes! Stay Warm!!

I hope you enjoyed reading and I hope this helps answer some questions on staying warm while winter RV living full-time.

While we make these suggestions, we are not responsible for any mishaps, freezing pipes, hoses, or fires.

We do recommend you use safety measures and read your RV’s owner’s manual.

If you have any other tips that have helped you during a Freeze, please leave us a comment!

Don’t forget to follow us on social media and sign up for our newsletter!

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Winter RV Living fulltime (1)

Living In An RV – Top 5 Things We Wish We Knew Before

Living In An RV – Top 5 Things We Wish We Knew Before

by | RV Tips | 11 comments

Living in an RV gives you the freedom of being able to take your home anywhere.

Knowing that you can change your own view from the beach one day to the mountains the next is exhilarating.

However, it is a completely different lifestyle than a stick and brick home or apartment.

Before jumping into living in an RV, there are some things that I wish I did more research on.

None would have changed my mind, but it is great information to know and consider. Information like RV parks, the plumbing situation, and additional preventative maintenance to seals and slideouts.

So let’s get into the 5 things we wish we knew before living full-time in an RV.

1. The Cost of RV Parks

Yes, while many think living in a tiny RV cuts down your expenses drastically from a house or rent payment, the reality it’s not much.

The lowest RV parks with the full hookups of water, 30/50amp (depending on what you need, ours is 50amps) and sewer are between $30-$50 a night. Do the math, $30 a night Times 30 days, that’s $900 a month. Not much less then a 1 bedroom apartment when you factor in the RV payment if you have a loan.

Now, there are options of “boondocking” and many RV parks can run discounts if you pay monthly and in advance.

There are also some great options to buy yearly packages that allow you to visit multiple parks in a certain region for a good price. Thousand Oaks Trails has some great options for yearly park packages.

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2. The RV Age Limit

Now, we wanted to buy new due to personal reasons, however, it definitely is something we wish we knew. It would have helped when we were thinking of buying used and renovating.

Check out our post on Should you Buy a New or Used RV? Analyzing the Pros and Cons! 

If you are looking to purchase used, please know many RV parks do not accept anything older than 10 years old.

Now, I have heard that some RV parks will make exceptions depending on the renovations and upkeep on RVs. That’s something you definitely want to look into though.


3. Grey and Black Tanks

I wish we would have known more about the grey and black tank situation.

Living in an RV is a totally different way of living. We learned about the sensors, dumping, and treatments basically on our own and googles help. It seems easy, for example, once the sensors indicate they are full, release them.

However, no one said the smell would fumigate the whole RV and after every dump, you have to put in treatments to help with the smell and break stuff down.

After a month of living Full-time, we found “Happy Camper” tank treatment. Seriously, this stuff is like GOLD to RV’ers. If you haven’t tried the “Happy Camper” tank treatment, it’s it 100% worth it and you will never buy another tank treatment again. You can get some on Amazon here.

Also, we didn’t realize the sensors would get dirty and pretty much never go back to notifying they were completely empty.

4. RV Suburban Hot Water Heaters

Never in my life did I even consider flushing/cleaning out a hot water heater.

We quickly realized when our hot water started to smell like rotten eggs. Ewwww gross! However, it’s common and happens when the water is high in natural minerals.

Now, there are two types of hot water heaters that are used in RVs, Suburban, and Atwood.

Ours happens to be a suburban that requires a metal rod to absorb the bad bacteria when water gets hot. Once the anode rod is deteriorated it needs to be changed. If not changed then the tank can corrode from bacteria.

We flush our hot water tank about once a month because we run off well water and the minerals accumulate in the bottom of the hot water tank. We only replace the anode rod once it’s completely deteriorated.

Update: Replace your Magnesium Anode Rod with an Aluminum Anode rod to get rid of the Sulfur Rotten Egg smell in your RV hot water tank.

5. Window and Roof Seals

Now, we bought our RV brand new, straight off the lot 2019. We had the idea, “it’s brand new, we shouldn’t have to worry about anything for a while”…. wrong!

We learned quickly when I woke up to go to work, it was raining not only outside but also through one of the slide windows. Water was just pouring in that we barely could keep up with the towels.

It was not fun, but with a shop vac, fans, and more towels it ended up being okay.

We bought an all-weather sealant to seal it up on the outside because there was no way we could get it to a shop. When you live fulltime in an RV, something’s as simple as sealing a window is easier just done on your own.

Now, we check our windows and roof after rain and at least every 60-90 days.

Final Thoughts

There are many other things we wish we knew but these are definitely the top 5. Now, I know some of these things seem like things we should have known. However, we didn’t because it was something so new to us and that’s okay.

We learned as we went, after all, we just changed our complete lifestyle. We both grew up in sturdy homes, where you didn’t worry about where to dump your dirty water or having to clean out your water heater.

I hope this article brings light to anyone considering purchasing their first Rv, whether it’s living fulltime or just something for the weekends. It’s an amazing journey!

Tell us about what you wish you knew before buying an RV or living in one. Comment below! Sharing is Caring! Help others get an Idea of what it’s like to live in an RV. Tweet, Pin, Share!!

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