Results of RV tv shows

[leggy]

Overheard two co-workers talking about going to the Hershey show to look at RVs because they plan on selling their houses and RV when they retire. One of them might have a tt now, the other definitely doesn't. Both said they watch shows on TV and think this is the retirement lifestyle they want. Made me chuckle because they have no idea how much work it really can be at times.

[Veebyes]

Sounds like the couple who I bought the truck & trailer from in 2006. Newly retired, never camped before, never rented a RV before. Their investment advisor suggested they sell their very nice home high on a California mountaintop because the housing bubble was going to burst. Good advice.

They did & ordered my sig truck & trailer. Took delivery of it in the spring of 2006. Seemed like a good idea at the time. Six months later they wanted out in the worst way. The RV lifestyle was not for them.

It is or it is not. One needs to do the research first otherwise the idea becomes a very expensive mistake.

[drsteve]

Watched Going RV last night for a bit... looks like just another contrived "reality" show. Saw a salesman telling a couple that their half ton would pull a 7000 lb dry bunkhouse while carrying their family of four. To his credit, he did suggest that a dually would be best for the 18,000 lb 5er they also looked at. Listened to a woman whose biggest issue was seeing the TV from the kitchen.

Turned the channel after hearing the word "nice" 700 times in 30 minutes.

[FunnyCamper]

the kicker is if you never did it before ever, to retire in an rv could be a nightmare and monster waste of money 🙂 but hey you do what ya wanna do when you want to do it I guess!

[Greyghost]

Obviously you have not met or traveled with my wife.:W

[Chum_lee]

Of course, RV newbies will have to get used to the shocking idea that you just can't bring 30 pairs of shoes and most of what's in your walk in closet won't be coming with you.

Chum lee

[Tiger4x4RV]

Don't forget all the people who are retiring, have no RV experience, and their dream is going full-time in a Class B with 3 giant dogs. When such folks ask me about my small RV, I tell them to build a mockup at home and try it out, or go with the dogs into the smallest bathroom in their house and live in there for a week or so. 🙂

[Ralph_Cramden]

Oasisbob wrote:
I watch "Going RV" and the buyers seem so clueless about quality and craftsmanship. It is all about floor plans and color.

All of those shows are sponsored in part by the RVIA and RVDA along with the go RVing campaign, either directly or indirectly. Nothing is, nor will ever be mentioned about build issues, overloaded dealer service departments, slow and inconsistent warranty service, and the quick depreciation experienced with a new RV. 99% of the RV buying public do not research anything and the RV Industry is well aware of it. It's how they can get away with what they do.

[drsteve]

Mortimer Brewster wrote:
You can learn a lot from those "fix it" shows on TV. For example, no matter how big the project, you should be able to complete it in 30 minutes.

Indeed... I have a friend who watched too many DIY shows and was inspired to purchase a "fixer-upper". One that needed all new electrical, plumbing, HVAC, walls, floors, etc, thinking that she and her two twenty-something sons could complete the work. Piece of cake, right?

It was a disaster. None of them had any experience doing any of this stuff, so they ended up hiring semi-competent people to do some of it, and trying to muddle through the rest. A year later, after a lot of fruitless attempts at making it work, and running out of cash, she managed to sell the thing for almost what she has in it.

[ro_sie]

We currently have a couple staying in our MoHO. They are evacuating from Florida. WE fortunately have full hook ups inside our storage garage. They have been learning about rving as they stay there. They are ow talking about buying one and plan on moving from their current home to one with space to store an rv. We leave the gray tank open and closed the black tank, so they have experienced that occurance. They have learned a lot in the week and a half since we have hosted them. I am thinking that maybe you should take them on a weekend campout, so they learn what Rving is really all about.

[Oasisbob]

I watch "Going RV" and the buyers seem so clueless about quality and craftsmanship. It is all about floor plans and color.

[D_E_Bishop]

As Dutchman said help them out, "Get them on these forums!".

My wife and I are not destination campers, we go to see and while it is simple and for me fun, setup and teardown is work you don't have to do every other day or once a week, on the other hand you don't have to maintain the physical plant of a campground, no mowing and the like. It's just enough work(?) to keep me busy instead of sitting on my butt doing nothing.

RVing is in my never to be humble opinion, glamorous. It's fun and exciting and it is above everything else, educational. You can stand at Ft. Clapsap and imagine being part of the Corps of Discovery, sit by the dugout PA made at Plum Creek and imagine the life the Ingalls led, sit in your rig and watch a blue heron fishing for crabs in a tidal lagoon and about seven million other experiences my wife and I have had that you won't have in a motel. Darned if those aren't glamorous experiences.

So help them out and tell as much the good stuff as the bad and TEACH them the good manners we wish all our fellow RVers and do it before they try it out.

[Mortimer_Brewst]

You can learn a lot from those "fix it" shows on TV. For example, no matter how big the project, you should be able to complete it in 30 minutes.

[K_Charles]

When I'm home l clean the pool, cut wood to keep the pool worm, mow the lawn, pick up leaves, touch up the paint on the trim, fix someone's lawn mower,etc ...

When we are away in the MH I sit in the shade, read a book, walk the dog and wash the MH. I think that could work for many people.

[DutchmenSport]

For someone who has never done it before, who has never owned an RV, and thinks the glamorous view they present on a television show is the way it REALLY is, they are in for a rude awakening.

My suggestion, you can't talk sense to most people. They have it in their head they know it all, even when they don't. If these 2 folks are truly interested in someday full timing, and don't have previous camping or RV experiences in their blood already, the best you can do is HELP them. Give them little tips, in little bits at a time, so it has time to soak into their brain and think it through.

Something as simple as electricity is profoundly confusing for someone being exposed to it the first time. Drop occasional hints that not every campground and every campsite is equipped for 50 amp service. If they go full time, they need to have adapters for 50, 30, 20 amp receptacles. Then "let it go". If you drop tips about all the little quirks involved with an RV, they can prepare better, not be overwhelmed, and have time for it soak in.

Inform them, when the opportunity is right, about roof maintenance, water issues, tire issues, even greasing wheel bearing, limited space in refrigerators, limited space for storage ... actually.... everything ... when the time is right, and in little snippits. This is the best thing you can do to help them.

They have a bubble vision of what the lifestyle is like. Without some guidance, their bubble will be greatly challenged shortly after they make their RV purchase. You can be instrumental in helping them.

Be positive, encouraging, and help give them the tools they need to be successful. They are in for a reality shock, an adjustment, they may embrace or reject. But you have the connection right now to help them succeed in their dream. Just share and pass along your experiences without being judgmental, and let them embrace their excitement.

AND ... encourage them to start reading and join these forums! This is probably be the BEST advise you can give them! They will have an eye-popping knowledge explosion experience right here... if they are willing to listen.

Unfortunately, television is NOT reality! Help them figure this out. Get them on these forums!

Good luck.