Well, it had to happen eventually, we made the decision to sell the Lance toyhauler and trade in the Ram 3500 dually. After both of us having pondered this situation internally/privately (like ... "What if we get rid of the RV ? Do we still really need the truck ?" or "we only use it a couple times per year") we had a frank discussion ... only to find out we had both been thinking the same thing ... only not out loud.
The discussion we had hit many valid points and below are the main ones from out point of view:
1. The main reason was the we only used the RV two or three times since we had it (same for our previous two RV's) ... our plan to go on a full time one year RV road trip to the east coast and back got derailed after Sue's company jumped off the 'full time remote work' train and decided to go with two days per week in the office (including cameras & badging in to verify presence). Then, they decided that in January 2023 it will bee three days a week in the office ... it's now just a matter of time before they switch back to full time in the office.
2. Diesel prices are crazy and the truck had a 32 gallon tank. When we were in San Diego a few weeks ago, $7.29 was the average price we paid. We saw $8.00 and up in some places. Fueling up and additionally buying the required DEF fluid was more expensive than a hotel.
3. Getting reservations was becoming a hassle ... so many places were booked out months in advance and and the prices had increased drastically since we started RVing. Even the military camp we stayed at last time in SD went from $30 to $58 per night. Anything else in San Diego even semi-close to the kids was $125+ per night. .
4. We were paying for the truck to basically sit in the driveway. We used Sue's Jeep Renegade to run errands or go shopping, it was too expensive to drive the truck around and parking was always a PITA. We were also paying for storage of the RV since we moved, it was fine while it was parked in the driveway of our old house .. but after downsizing and moving it became an additional expense.
5. Servicing an RV was becoming expensive too ... bringing the RV in for a generator service, or having the bearings packed, water system flushed and sanetized was costing us hundreds. And that was only if you could even get an appointment to bring in the RV. Places here like Camping World or Freedom RV have you bring it in to see what it needs, give you an estimate and then have you take it back home and bring it in weeks later when they have an opening.
6. The truck also needed new tires ... six of them at $200+ per wheel. The RV tires were probably good for one more season, then we would also need four new ones. A few months down the road the truck would have needed the 24k mile oil changee and service. Estimated cost was between $250 and $500 for the diesel engine (they use 16 quarts of pure synthetic).
7. And one final thing ... I'm fucking old ... the setup and breakdown of the hookups at the sites was starting to get to me. At the old house we kept the RV plugged in to the 30Amp I installed and loaded it up over a few days before a trip. Here, we are only allowed to leave the RV in front of the house for 72 hours before and after a trip to load and unload.
So basically ... get the truck and hook up to take the RV out of storage, bring it to the house park it unhook and load it up with our stuff for the trip, then hook back up and depart ... upon return it was unhook and drop the trailer, empty it out, clean the fridge, bathroom, and floor, hook up the trailer and bring it to the storage lot.
Overall we are happy and satisfied with the decision we made. We sold the Lance back to the dealership we bought it from. The truck got traded in and we almost got back what we paid for it. The money was used on a down payment for a brand new Ford Bronce Sport Badlands Edition and I couldnt be much happier.
"No Ragrets"
"Not even one letter"
