08-10-2014, 09:05 AM
Not trying to scare you Harry. I NEVER leave for a trip in my coach thinking I am going to break down on the way to my destination. If I thought I would break down, I wouldn't leave. Being an engineer, I believe that if you are prepared you won't be surprised. I have traveled in RVs for about 25 years. I lived in RVs for about 10 years. During that time, I have had several flat tires and two blowouts that delayed my arrival a few hours (the flat tires have always been a result of tire valve issues the blowouts were defective tires that threw their thread). I have had a blower gasket blow out which delayed our trip by 3 days and I blew an airbag that took about about 20 clock hours to resolve and get me back on the road. I have never lost and engine or transmission BUT I realize that it could and does happen. I have replaced refrigerators, air conditioners, water heaters, lights, headlights, TVs, inverters and a bunch of other things. Some of these I replaced because they failed and some because I wanted to be more confident that they would not fail.
As has been mentioned, the only thing you really need to carry with you is a credit card. That will solve most problems. But many of us like to fix things ourselves so we carry tools and like to at least try to fix issues as they arise. When that doesn't work, then the credit card comes into play.
I realize that an RV is a significant expense. It allows my wife and I to travel on our schedule, sleep in our own bed every night, enjoy comfortable and familiar surroundings, and have our dog and computer systems with us all the time.
An RV requires maintenance, a house requires maintenance, cars require maintenance. You mentioned folks that buy more coach or boat than they can afford. That is a financially dangerous thing to do and the reason I suggested that having extra funds available to take care of a major issue. I would make the same comment about a house or a car. Always have access to sufficient funds to take care of an unplanned failure.
We want our ownership of an RV to be a way to reduce stress, not increase it. We have memories of visiting friends, making new friends and seeing things we likely would not have been able to do had we not owned an RV. That is why I am willing to accept the expenses that come with an RV.
As has been mentioned, the only thing you really need to carry with you is a credit card. That will solve most problems. But many of us like to fix things ourselves so we carry tools and like to at least try to fix issues as they arise. When that doesn't work, then the credit card comes into play.
I realize that an RV is a significant expense. It allows my wife and I to travel on our schedule, sleep in our own bed every night, enjoy comfortable and familiar surroundings, and have our dog and computer systems with us all the time.
An RV requires maintenance, a house requires maintenance, cars require maintenance. You mentioned folks that buy more coach or boat than they can afford. That is a financially dangerous thing to do and the reason I suggested that having extra funds available to take care of a major issue. I would make the same comment about a house or a car. Always have access to sufficient funds to take care of an unplanned failure.
We want our ownership of an RV to be a way to reduce stress, not increase it. We have memories of visiting friends, making new friends and seeing things we likely would not have been able to do had we not owned an RV. That is why I am willing to accept the expenses that come with an RV.