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Post Info TOPIC: second vehicle


RV-Dreams Family Member

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second vehicle


Sort of a poll question, for those that have a 5er and have a second vehicle that is driven when relocating as opposed to carried, what make/model? I've a seen few jeeps etc... any out there with more "pedestrian" vehicles like compact sedans or similar conventional modes of transport. We are considering keeping our Hyundai Elantra recognizing we won't be doing any offroading with it. Plan B is to use it as a trade in for the TV and then later determine whether we need and what type of "exploration" vehicle we might want.



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2017 RAM 3500 Laramie 4x4 CCLB, CTD, Aisin, B&W hitch, dually
2020 Keystone Montana Legacy 3813MS w/FBP ,
MORryde 8k IS, Kodiak disc brakes, no solar  YET!



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Brian ... this is one of those "everybody does it their own way" things. When we first launched we had sold our two primary vehicles and still had a relatively new Prius V. I thought that would be an ideal second car, but my wife said she had no interest in driving a second car by herself. This, of course, made the big truck our only transportation. She willingly drives it when she goes somewhere by herself, but refuses to drive it when pulling the house. In our case, I deferred to my DW. As you know H&L have driven a second vehicle for many years and have pointed out a lot of advantages to doing so. I'd really like a second car, but the boss has spoken, so there you have one person's opinion.

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RV-Dreams Family Member

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I realize this isn’t an answer to your question, but I thought I could offer another point of view.

We have a 41 foot 5er, and coupled with our tow vehicle, there are times we just barely squeeze into a campsite.  From time to time, there isn’t room for another vehicle, nor overflow parking.    Then, there is the hassle of long travel days and having to drive separately.  Hubby and I take turns driving/towing so neither of us gets fatigued.   Cost is also a factor in terms of fuel and insurance.

I agree that driving a 3500 dually when not towing is a hassle - but we have adapted and we are happy with our choice.

Best wishes,

Barb



-- Edited by Barb and Frank on Wednesday 16th of May 2018 12:44:32 PM

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RV-Dreams Family Member

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Started full time in a 5er in 07 with dually and trailer. After a year we bought a ford focus. After 2 years we did the math on each option. With 2 vehicles, 2 insurance etc we saved enough in fuel that $ wise was a wash. We spent 10 years with the truck, trailer and car....worked for us....nice to have small vehicle for sightseeing etc. We now have a motorhome and tow the car......also works for us but we sometimes miss the second vehicle. Good to ask opinions but everyone is different......anything can work.......

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RV-Dreams Family Member

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For a long time we used the Crewcab dually as our get around vehicle once we setup camp. But after my DW decided she needed a vehicle of her own to go shopping with she now follows from camp spot to camp spot in her daily driver which is a Lexus RX350. It comes in handy since there is lots of cargo room in the back, that's where we carry her crafting supplies from camp to camp.

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Ron, currently we like the idea of the second car. When our 2004 Neon started to became too expensive to keep repairing, we bought the Elantra. on the pro side we're getting 45+ MPG vs 29 for the Neon. Second if we trade it for the TV we don't really lose on it because the cost of the needed repairs on the Neon would have equalled the depreciation we'd have to take on it as a trade. In the mean time we get insane gas mileage and no repairs for the next 16-18 months -ish(assuming we trade it for the TV). Yeah, insurance is higher but not much. 

Barb, the space to park a second car is certainly out there as an issue. As igotjam says the cost for the second vehicle maintenance, fuel and insurance looks to be a wash or close enough to not be an issue. We had pretty much assumed not having a second vehicle, we visualized it pretty much the way you ... and others have described it. But there has been some recent discussion on the homestead about RV lifestyle flexibility... thus the question.

The Bear II, not figuring on carry too much in a small car, but a small SUV maybe. Of course once you get into an SUV the economics start to play a larger factor.

As for having the TV as our sole vehicle obviously it works for a lot of people. Me, I'm comfortable with the size of of a 22-23 foot long truck with wide hips... Cindi less so, there will be a taller learning curve for her. Add in a 40 foot trailer and that will be huge for both of us. Slow and steady. We only recently started a discussion regarding having a second vehicle... it certainly makes some tasks easier, some more complicated.



-- Edited by BiggarView on Wednesday 16th of May 2018 02:21:17 PM

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Brian, Cindi & Josie (our fur baby)
2017 RAM 3500 Laramie 4x4 CCLB, CTD, Aisin, B&W hitch, dually
2020 Keystone Montana Legacy 3813MS w/FBP ,
MORryde 8k IS, Kodiak disc brakes, no solar  YET!



RV-Dreams Family Member

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Our situation is different than probably everyone else.  Jo and I stay in one place for longer periods of time, like months to a year or so.  We have the Ford F450 as the tow vehicle and a 2014 Ford Expedition as our "get around" vehicle.  It is large enough to carry 7 people if all we are doing is sightseeing.  Or, with folded down seats, we've carried 3 people, their luggage for a two week trip, and even more cargo.  We'd not have any luck with a smaller vehicle.  Plus, as our get around vehicle, the Expedition sits tall enough that we can see over most traffic that is in front of us.

Jo drives it separately when we do move and she can watch the fifth wheel from behind and let me know if there is a problem.  Also, in heavier traffic, if I need to change lanes, she watches for my turn signals and then tries to get into the lane I want and slow up traffic behind me.  That has worked very well except in Salt Lake City rush hour traffic.

Terry



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RV-Dreams Family Member

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I’m with most opinions, it varies as to the individual situation. Having just begun our new life we originally planned on having only the TV. However just prior to starting out we changed to retaining the wife’s Fusion. So far parking isn’t an issue for us although one area I didn’t consider was the additional vehicle cost when staying in a state park. The parks allow one vehicle with the trailer so you have to pay for the additional vehicle. But that is a small cost when I factor in the peace of mind and the retained “independence” my wife has knowing she has a vehicle she can easily hop into and drive to the store or take off and see the granddaughter. My wife is one that wouldn’t drive my F150, much less a dually as they are too “huge”. So when it comes to sharing driving pulling our home you can pretty much guess what that answer is.

Lastly, there is something to be said about the serenity of being in two separate vehicles (yes, read between the lines here) although hands free phones breaks that quickly when the call comes in “you are on the white line”.

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RV-Dreams Family Member

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Yup, it is an individual situation. My wife and I have some of our best discussions while traveling and the few times we have driven separately we have not enjoyed it. I think it also depends on how you travel. The less frequently you move, the more having two vehicles could have an advantage. I know there are times it would have been nice to have two vehicles, but in 15 years we made it work.

Will you ever be doing long distances over a short time, like crossing the USA in a month or less? I know people who did not think they would ever travel like that and then did, mostly because of a family emergency or a repair delay. I have also known people who traveled a long ways due to work camping requirements or finding a work camping job did not go well, so they had to make a quick change. Others have stuck to their "we don't travel often" for years without problems, maybe using airplanes for family issues instead of RV travel.  

(I realize the doing a long distance over a short time is relevant to us, since we drove 4400 miles since March 7th, the day we left south Florida and are now close to Seattle.)



-- Edited by bjoyce on Thursday 17th of May 2018 09:37:39 AM

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RV-Dreams Family Member

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Bill and I kept my 2006 Honda CRV when we went full-time back in Aug 2014. We did it largely due to H&L’s story about getting out on the road and regretting getting rid of her car. We figured that we could try it and always sell it later if we wanted to.

We did leave our car in FL (with my parents, who drove it occasionally for us) for a year in 2016, when we went to AK. We wanted to experience the drive together.

Aside from that, we drive separately. It’s mostly ok, as we try to not have long days. We do like to drive differently, he likes the windows down, I like them up - that sort of thing.

Financially, it is basically a wash. What we save in fuel costs for the truck, mostly pays for the insurance on the car. It also saves a lot of wear and tear on the truck using it for “everyday” driving when we get somewhere. Tires, oil changes, etc are expensive on the truck.

Hope that helps.



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RV-Dreams Family Member

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We have full-timed for over 2-1/2 years now with a second vehicle (just sold the 2009 Corolla and got a 2018 CR-V EX-L). My wife actually looks forward to travel days - claims driving separately is "the secret to the success of our marriage. What she means is: 1) I keep the cab of the truck too cold, 2) I like the radio/music/audio book off in heavy traffic or going through large cities, and 3) she doesn't drive the truck (we won't go into that right now) and likes her independence when we are staying someplace more than just overnight. I also enjoy having the car to go into National and State Parks, downtown in large cities, etc. It has worked very well for us.

Rob



-- Edited by Second Chance on Sunday 24th of June 2018 08:02:22 AM

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RV-Dreams Family Member

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I want to add that at one point we were renting cars from Enterprise to use if we didn't want to use the TV to get around. It was fairly cheap at the time $19 per day unlimited mileage and they would deliver and pick up the car from the RV Resort (if the resort was near a good sized city). My DW decided she liked having her Lexus instead.

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RV-Dreams Family Member

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I also thought of something that I wanted to add that gives a benefit of having a second vehicle.

I can play my jazz album "Aliens Ate My Buick" all I want without snide comments by the wife.

Terry



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RV-Dreams Community Member

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We have only been full timing for almost 4 months but we have 2 vehicles and love it so far. We had originally planned on just the tow vehicle, a 3500 dually, but about a year out we started discussing the option of taking a second car. We decided to go with a Nissan Altima. It gets great gas mileage (about 40mpg) and is small enough to maneuver in tight areas but large enough for Dan to fit comfortably. I usually follow and then move ahead when necessary since I navigate.

We feel that the main advantage is saving the wear and tear on our truck by not having all the extra tourist or daily living mileage on it. Of course that also is an additional savings on fuel. I haven’t done a financial analysis on it but the gut feeling is that we are breaking even financially or possibly saving a little bit. We like to stay in a location for a while so that increases the savings.

Having a little personal space on travel days can be nice too. Sometimes we each kick back and listen to our own music but then sometimes we find ourselves talking on the phone (hands free) for long periods of time. One thing we had to get used to is that travel plans have to be made and routed before leaving because we are both driving. Any last minute changes made require a stop to do some internet research. We haven’t run into any parking issues yet but some have been tight. I have also seen some campgrounds that say they charge a daily fee for an extra vehicle. I just look elsewhere. Oh yeah, we did go ahead and buy a second America the Beautiful pass. It makes things simpler and it goes to the park system so win/win.



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RV-Dreams Family Member

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We're on the other side here. We have only our Foretravel MH and our towed. That way Jo Ann is navigating and watching traffic while I'm driving. We recently traded toweds, from a Jeep Liberty to a Lincoln MKT, so we're somewhat longer going down the road now, but not that much different when at the campsite.

When we're traveling Jo Ann has a paper map out for overall navigation and a final backup, her iPad for searching out alternative routes, and the main navigation is on my iPhone which is playing the directions through the radio speakers and also signalling my Apple Watch a second or two before the voice comes over the speaker. If Jo Ann decides that we ought to change the route from what is on the iPhone she will find a stretch where we're going to be going on the same highway for several miles, then reprograms the route on the iPhone.

I can't see the iPhone while driving, but it does give lane instructions. Often Jo Ann is able to figure out which lane to be in before the iPhone tells me, which is a BIG help. (Remember that she has that iPad going.) We use the same system when traveling in the car except that we use the car's navigation system instead of my iPhone.



-- Edited by kb0zke on Friday 18th of May 2018 07:48:45 PM

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RV-Dreams Family Member

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We started with the 5ver and a Mazda-6 and did that for 4 years. Then Connie had a detached retina which meant no driving...Mazda coincidentally died at the same time. Single vehicled it for that travel season and then last year even though she was better...I insisted we try a full travel season without a car to see how we liked it...the surgery travel season we basically didn’t do much traveling. 

Turned out that Connie who was adamant on 2 vehicles originally liked traveling with me and having only 1. I was ok either way it was happy to have a chance to try bot. 

Last November on arrival at our winter site we bought a Mazda CX-5. The ease of Parkin and driving it overcame the better travel days. Cost was not an issue as 2 vs 1 is about a wash financially. Double insurance and car fuel on travel days is balanced out by better mileage as a daily driver. 



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RV-Dreams Family Member

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Brian ... after our 50 years of marriage ... I have one final thought. Since those who have done it both ways seem to think the money is a wash, just do what Cindi wants, that should work out just fine.

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2016 Ford F350, King Ranch, DRW, 4x4, CC, 6.7 PS Diesel, remote control air lift system

2017 Durango Gold 381REF, Lambright furniture, MCD shades, morRYDE IS, 8K Disc brakes, GY G114  LR H Tires, 27,320 lbs CGVW

FT class of 2016



RV-Dreams Family Member

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RonC wrote:

Brian ... after our 50 years of marriage ... I have one final thought. Since those who have done it both ways seem to think the money is a wash, just do what Cindi wants, that should work out just fine.


 Just read your comment to Cindi... Her response, "Sound advice!"biggrin



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Brian, Cindi & Josie (our fur baby)
2017 RAM 3500 Laramie 4x4 CCLB, CTD, Aisin, B&W hitch, dually
2020 Keystone Montana Legacy 3813MS w/FBP ,
MORryde 8k IS, Kodiak disc brakes, no solar  YET!



RV-Dreams Family Member

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Brian,

Karen and I talked about a second vehicle. The number one reason we are not doing it is because we enjoy traveling together in the same vehicle. I predict we will move around a lot more the first year than the years after, based on what I've seen others doing. If we later find ourselves stopped for longer periods as a routine then we might consider the option again.

Karen used to drive our F150 and we are getting the truck before the fifth wheel. Because we know our top five trailer picks and what truck it takes to tow them safely. So she will have a chance to drive it around - and park it.

Personally, I don't see it as a loss to sell our second car now then buy another in a few years if that's the way things go. We might want something different anyway and good deals on used cars are not hard to find. Heck, buying a second car later might even work out better when we someday get closer to coming off the road. Then can sell the truck/trailer and keep the second car which would be newer. I suspect we will only have one car after we come off the road anyway.

Good question and thread!

Mark




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We actually have 3 vechiles. Truck, Smartcar, Durango

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Brian - my advice would be to try it and see if you like having a second car. If you do, but decide you want or need a different vehicle then you deal with it at that time.

We truly thought we wanted a second car so when we left the driveway of our house for the last time I was following Dale in my Saturn sedan with every intention on trading it in on something like a jeep once we reached South Dakota and established our new domicile. I didn't want to pay WA state tax, license and registration fees on a new vehicle that would be retitled quickly. The first month of full timing, we were fine with this decision, but that changed. The first month included 2 art shows we had done before and traveling routes / camping locations we had stayed in before so it was all "old news" to us. Once we left WA and headed east, the drive through Montana in separate vehicles convinced us that we didn't like the idea of driving separately. With parts of that drive having no cell phone coverage and we didn't have walkie talkies, we couldn't communicate when one of us needed a fuel stop or was hungry, etc. etc.

It took us another month to figure out what tool boxes and Thule rooftop box would hold all the art show booth set up "stuff" that we needed for Dale's business, plus more downsizing out of the 5'er basement, but we sold my car to CarMax in Provo UT and have never regretted it.

With both of us still working from the RV, we don't drive a lot during the week and we've both gotten used to parking the big truck at stores, restaurants, etc. We've used Uber a bit this past year, great way to get to the Las Vegas Strip without taking the truck, we rented a car when we went to Death Valley for the weekend, etc.

Just my opinion, but if the Elantra is paid for and you're not sure, try it and then decide.

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RV-Dreams Family Member

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It's paid for, we considered the idea that, had we kept the car it replaced the repair bill would be more that we'd lose on depreciation of the new car if we decide to trade it on the tow vehicle or just hang on to it, so it all balances out.... sorta. 



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Brian, Cindi & Josie (our fur baby)
2017 RAM 3500 Laramie 4x4 CCLB, CTD, Aisin, B&W hitch, dually
2020 Keystone Montana Legacy 3813MS w/FBP ,
MORryde 8k IS, Kodiak disc brakes, no solar  YET!

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