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| Big, Expensive... Rv's; Long...fun read | |
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| Tweet Topic Started: May 13 2005, 02:47 PM (149 Views) | |
| Kate and Ed | May 13 2005, 02:47 PM Post #1 |
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Raleigh NC
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and she says "we're a little spoiled" Oops won't let me link. Whole story in my 2nd post. Tks Lynne Kate |
of Kate and Ed ![]() "Patriotism is easy to understand in America; it means looking out for yourself by looking out for your country." Calvin Coolidge, 30th President of the US | |
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| Little Kopit | May 13 2005, 03:27 PM Post #2 |
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newfoundland
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It wants you to login?????? |
| Lynne | |
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| Kate and Ed | May 13 2005, 04:42 PM Post #3 |
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Raleigh NC
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The New Word in R.V.'s: 'Residential' HEN a motor home costs upward of $500,000, it's no longer a recreational vehicle, it's a rolling chunk of real estate. Which is precisely how Danny Adams furnished his U320, a 40-foot-long motor home built by Foretravel in Nacogdoches, Tex. It has a stainless-steel refrigerator and microwave, polished brass faucets, walnut cabinets, three surround-sound systems and five flat-panel televisions. "It's like being in my house, just a little bit smaller," said Mr. Adams, 50, an engineering consultant from Tyler, Tex., who recently took delivery of the U320, a diesel behemoth. "It has all the comforts of home." But since when does a home brandish expandable walls, air-operated doors and a satellite dish that aligns itself with every turn of the steering wheel? Not to mention a 37-inch plasma-screen TV that swings out for tailgate parties? "It's a condo on wheels," said Jimmie Bergman, a Foretravel salesman, as he showed off Mr. Adams's motor home. "Nobody wants a utilitarian camper anymore." Indeed, what R.V. shoppers seem to crave these days is not so much an R.V. as a portable version of their dream home, a roving castle as roomy as a rock star's trailer and as plush as a five-star hotel. And manufacturers are tripping over one another to comply. Spurred on by space-enlarging advances, they are slapping the term "residential style" on any feature that can be supersized. Ceilings that were once a head-bumping 78 inches have been raised to seven feet and higher. Kitchens that were once limited to hotplates and dorm-style refrigerators have blossomed with four-burner gas ranges, wine coolers and granite-topped islands. Bathrooms that were once closet-size now have walk-in closets of their own. And the electronics onboard, from wireless Internet access to audiophile theaters, rival those of a Silicon Valley bachelor pad. "Residential is the latest wave," said Sherman Goldenberg, the publisher of RV Business, a trade publication based in Ventura, Calif. "Before, R.V.'s had rather classless-looking interiors. Now we're seeing upscale coaches with residential-style interiors done gracefully." But just because they look homey doesn't mean that people actually live in them. Unlike the classic Winnebago and its legion of road-trekking retirees, these souped-up R.V.'s are not necessarily being used as primary residences or even as second homes. Instead, the driving force behind the new R.V.'s are baby boomers looking for quick weekend thrills. Just ask Mr. Adams, who is now on his third luxury motor home, each one nicer than the last. "We take it down to College Station for Texas A&M football games," said Mr. Adams, who is accompanied on such jaunts by his wife, Sandy, and their 17-year-old son. "I haven't missed a football game since the 1972 season." Like a giant bumper sticker, the entire R.V. is painted in Texas A&M's colors, maroon and white, and emblazoned with painted-on varsity letters. "You're not tailgating from the back of a pickup truck," he said. "You're tailgating from a half-million-dollar motor home with satellite reception, in front of a 37-inch plasma TV, under a shaded canopy. This is tailgating in its finest form." Lavish setups like this come in handy for Nascar races, outdoor concerts, rodeos, hunting trips and even as a guest suite for visiting relatives. Mary Greenwell, 44, of Hilton Head, S.C., uses her $600,000 R.V. when she travels to horse shows. "We use it about half a dozen times a year," said Ms. Greenwell, who has a 45-foot Affinity made by Country Coach in Junction City, Ore. She spent two months selecting fabrics and tiles. "We're kind of spoiled," she said. "Sometimes we park it in a campground and check into a hotel." That's assuming she can find a campground that welcomes monster motor homes. The majority of the R.V. parks are not equipped to handle vehicles longer than 40 feet and also have trouble meeting the electricity demands of the largest R.V.'s. "We need 50 amps," Ms. Greenwell said. "That would blow their circuitry." THE metamorphosis from basic R.V.'s to motorized McMansions began in earnest in 1995, when an R.V. company named Holiday Rambler introduced the first mechanized slide-out. With a push of a button, the motor home sprouted a wing, adding precious width to the cramped, 8-foot-wide interior. "Before slide-outs, you almost had a subway effect," said Patrick Carroll, the vice president for product development at the Monaco Coach Corporation in Coburg, Ore., which bought Holiday Rambler in 1996. The slide-outs, which pop out when the vehicle is parked and move the walls of some areas - as well as couches, beds and even kitchen cabinets - farther apart, can nearly double the usable floor space. R.V. makers promptly started their version of the arms race, jockeying to see who could add the deepest, widest, tallest and most slide-outs. Now there are motor homes with a slide-out in the kitchen, one in the living area and a third in the bedroom. Some even have two in the bedroom to fit a king-size bed and still leave space to walk around it. "Customers love it," said Adam Gudger, a Monaco salesman, during a tour of the company's 45-foot-long Executive motor home at the industry's annual trade show in Louisville, Ky. With its four slide-outs extended, the interior grows from 340 square feet to almost 430 square feet. "Quad slides hit the marketplace last year," Mr. Gudger said. "Now they're becoming standard." Not to be outdone, Fleetwood R.V. of Riverside, Calif., unveiled a motor home with a massive slide-out that extends from the driver's seat to the rear of the 36-foot-long cabin. "We are the first company to come out with a full-wall slide," said Amy Coleman, a company spokeswoman. All that extra space means that owners can now have double-door refrigerators, ottomans, overstuffed sofas, washer and dryers, coffee tables and other comforts of home. There seems to be no limit. Designers are scouring their homes to see what else to add. "Fireplaces are becoming very popular," said Rodney Lung, a salesman for Travel Supreme, a high-end manufacturer in Wakarusa, Ind. All this does add a certain burden. So-called Class A motor homes, the largest of their kind, were once built to carry up to 17,000 pounds. Today's motor homes, loaded down by generators, slide-outs, marble tiles, granite countertops and air-conditioners, can weigh 50,000 pounds and more. To carry all this stuff, motor homes have been retooled from the engine up. "The real strength is in diesel-based motor homes," said Mr. Goldenberg of RV Business. As a sign of the sector's expanding waistline, nearly half the Class A motor homes shipped today are diesel-powered, compared with just 13 percent in 1996. As weight has risen, fuel efficiency, not surprisingly, has plummeted. Motor home owners are lucky if they can squeeze out six miles a gallon. But despite stubbornly high fuel prices, high-end motor homes are selling better than ever. In 2003, 14,000 motor homes costing more than $200,000 were sold, a 20 percent increase over the year before. In 1992, fewer than 100 such vehicles lumbered off the showroom floor. With R.V.'s this big and plush, why stop at larger living areas and bigger bedrooms? "Having a second bathroom is just so handy," said Rex Browning, 65, a hair salon owner from Ottawa, Kan., who has a 42-foot-long Monaco Windsor kitted out to the hilt. The second bathroom is usually reserved for guests, and, he said, "We wouldn't have a motor home without it." |
of Kate and Ed ![]() "Patriotism is easy to understand in America; it means looking out for yourself by looking out for your country." Calvin Coolidge, 30th President of the US | |
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| Little Kopit | May 14 2005, 02:13 AM Post #4 |
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newfoundland
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I'm not sighing because I would ever want such, I'm sighing for the cost of gasoline and a few other things.
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| Lynne | |
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| corky52 | May 14 2005, 02:24 AM Post #5 |
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Member
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I saw one of the behemoths breakthrough the hard-pan out at Mittry Lake, it was hilarious watching the three tow trucks drag it a half mile to the asphalt, ruining the tires. Then the ranger wrote out the tickets for environmental damage. Pretty but useless for my kind of RVing. The more people that buy these the more good camping areas that will be left unused for me. |
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| Little Kopit | May 14 2005, 02:43 AM Post #6 |
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newfoundland
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That's a better way to look at it Corky. I was thinking of all the kds who won't get an education because somebody can collect those high $. Increasing disparity of incomes and other non-rving topics. The trouble is these 'characters', who earn the big $, will still be paying for gasoline and delaying the transition to other technologies. 'Will', heck, they already are. Just ask the Europeans and the Aussies.
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| Lynne | |
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| corky52 | May 14 2005, 03:14 AM Post #7 |
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Member
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Kopit, Not a battle worth fighting, dinosaurs die eventually and these will too. In the mean time their size and needs will keep them in the RV resorts and out of my way. Jackd's rig scares me more, it's able to get all the good places with good mileage and has all the goodies, brings out the crowds! If more people find-out about those rigs things could get crowded in the boondocks. |
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| Little Kopit | May 14 2005, 03:31 AM Post #8 |
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newfoundland
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Worse, there are some who think Canada is a great place to visit. & if you want boondocking........ IMHO, it is.
{{But when I come to visit my brother in San Jose, I'll make sure to check with you }}
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| Lynne | |
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| corky52 | May 14 2005, 03:37 AM Post #9 |
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Member
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North in the summer and south in the winter, camping all year round! |
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| Little Kopit | May 14 2005, 04:00 AM Post #10 |
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newfoundland
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So, even remembering it's much more than 2 years until I retire, when should one come to that CA? Not just 'tolerable' temperatures, but $ advantage times. Like Chrissy & Frank went to Disney World when the prices were down. |
| Lynne | |
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| DylansMom | May 14 2005, 05:02 AM Post #11 |
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Jackie-Sioux Falls, SD (in Arizona for the moment)
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Lynne, $ wise, it is never a good time to visit CA! It is very expensive there. The weather is nice and I bet parts of it are beautiful....but it is very low on my list of "must see" states. :ph43r:
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Greg, Dylan & Jasper too! 2005 F350 King Ranch PSD Crew Cab 4x4 Dually; 2005 Carriage Carri-lite KIQ View My Pictures Here
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| Little Kopit | May 14 2005, 05:05 AM Post #12 |
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newfoundland
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Ah, but Corky could give me 'boondocking' sites, eh?? Corky says he knows how to 'rough' it. & as I discovered from a future Newfoundland visitor yesterday, the state of California is bigger than the island of Newfoundland!!
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| Lynne | |
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| DylansMom | May 14 2005, 05:10 AM Post #13 |
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Jackie-Sioux Falls, SD (in Arizona for the moment)
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No doubt! |
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Greg, Dylan & Jasper too! 2005 F350 King Ranch PSD Crew Cab 4x4 Dually; 2005 Carriage Carri-lite KIQ View My Pictures Here
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| corky52 | May 14 2005, 10:58 AM Post #14 |
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Member
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Kopit, California also has as many or more people than all of Canada in that area. There is much BLM land and some National forests in California where true boondocking is possible. There are also numerous county and city campgrounds where cheap camping is possible. TiogaRV blog also has much on camping in California. Problem is that most of the above are far from the points of interest. Careful planning will be needed with budgeting for transportation or expensive RV resorts if you want to see some sights. Using the internet will help you find some of the local places, but you need to setup an itinerary you wish first. Best time depends on where in the state you want to see, winters in the desert and on the coast are mild, summers hot and miserable. Summers in the mountains are nice and winters are cold and damp. It's never cheap in and around the cities! California is a yeararound tourist trap! |
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| Kate and Ed | May 14 2005, 01:01 PM Post #15 |
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Raleigh NC
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My oldest son lived in Carlsbad CA for 2 years and we flew out their both Christmas's. Gorgeous area. Then he moved to Key West for 3 years, spent two Christmas's there...another quaint, pretty, boater and fishing lovers dream. He was in Las Vegas one year, we don't take kids, but I do love LV. Lots of neat places Lynne for you to wander, Kate |
of Kate and Ed ![]() "Patriotism is easy to understand in America; it means looking out for yourself by looking out for your country." Calvin Coolidge, 30th President of the US | |
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