How difficult are RVs to work on? What makes them so bad?

I've heard over and over, "Don't buy an RV!" They are bad investments. They are often sold using shady practices. The warranties always expire moments before components break. Etc, etc.

I believe all of that and take it to heart. I have no plans to buy an RV.

But one day, I want to buy land and build a house on it, and travel in the meantime, so as an interim form of housing an RV or glamper (camper with all the amenities) seems like a possibly good option.

Therefore I want to know specifically what makes RVs such a no-no from a purchasing standpoint. I'm not afraid of fixing stuff or replacing stuff in a house or in a car--is an RV that much different from either? What's the big problem?

First off, not all RV's are built to the same standards, so some issues come down to luck.

We bought a motor home for trips when the kids were young - so dealing with 4 people. Compared to stopping at a different hotel/motel every night, a motor home was wonderful.

But it wasn't without issues:

1. Noise - *everything* rattled. I learned over time to control what I could by making bags or similar for the things that rattled the most.
2. Some have better levelling mechanisms than others - the fridge didn't work and was damaged if asked to work without decent level.
3. No thermal mass made for significant temperature swings. It got *very* hot in the sun, but it also got very cold overnight if the weather was cold. Some are bound to be better insulated than others.
4. The heater was very noisy and didn't distribute the warmth very well, and it seemed like I got cold within 5 minutes of it turning off. Things like hot water bottles would be a better alternative.
5. Some motorhomes are made for all weather - so the grey water tanks were within the insulation envelope. I recommend that if there's *any* chance you might end up in freezing weather.
6. Humidity - People breath out a *lot* of water and most motor homes don't have a good way to deal with it. Mold is often an issue.
7. Leaks - I've met a couple of motor homes with roof leaks. I would go for a Vardo (Romani) curved roof RV if I was trying to DYI. I refuse to deal with any more flat roofs, unless maybe a stationary green roof - the greenery protects the underlying waterproofing from the temperature/UV extremes that destroy caulking.
8. Poor layout: Most RV's are designed for sunny weather. I rarely see ones with room by the door for gumboots or wet gear. Hanging wet gear in the shower is a common approach, but often you have to cross 6 ft or more of floor to get there. I *have* seem DIY layouts that accepted that rain is a thing and was well designed for it.

Is that enough reasons? If you really want to build a house, may I suggest you build a house on wheels first so you learn lots of skills and get a finished product that will really work for whatever climate you're planning for?

I agree with Jay that not all RVs are the same.

Having owned a variety of RVs and we just bought another one.

We have worked on all of them.  Not much different from working on a house except that the appliances are specific to RVs.

Its not the brand more like RVs require maintenance to keep them in good shape.  Buying one that has not had good maintenance could be a horror story.

Keep dreaming and start looking at RVs to learn about them.  

Instead of an RV, consider a caravan instead.With regard to building, start with a Tiny home as Jay suggested or build a shed to take the caravan when you are on the block.
You then have a protective cover, a rainwater catchment on hand, and you are learning building techniques.
goog luck.

Rumor are rumors. A coworker of mine bought a used Class C RV, drove it to Alaska and back to Indiana ….then sold it for more  than he paid for it.  Sounds like  good investment to me. I wouldn’t buy one , but they might be great for someone else.

Caravans are objectively superior, for one simple reason: your motor transport is not permanently connected to your home.

Road-transporting your home means everything needs to be put away and strapped down. Some things will have to be unplugged or dismantled. Dishes cant be drying they have to be stowed. Heavy items need to be strapped down and propane turned off. If youre in the middle of an art project or a puzzle...too bad!

You dont want to have to pack up your home to be road-ready every time you want to go for a day hike or buy groceries or do some other small errand. People with RVs get forced to have bikes or a small car or something extra because they cant do errands easily. That becomes a huge extra weight, and maintenance cost, and often doesnt work in rain or snow or darkness.

Nor do you want to be homeless if your engine needs a few days of work at a mechanic, or if you are sick of it and want to sell it for something with better gas mileage or more cargo space.

With a caravan you can sell your vehicle and buy a new one without simultaneously selling your house. You can rent a truck to tow with for a few days if necessary.

Caravan is the way to go.

We bought a small scamp fiberglass trailer and have fixed it up to be a tiny home, including wood stove (proved its worth this winter sleeping in below freezing temps!), internet, and solar. Happy to share guides to the renovations we have done, along with pictures.

The only big con to this lifestyle is the necessary plastic and always being near roads with noise and exhaust. Those are unavoidable.

Attachment: proof that my money is where my mouth is:

Thanks everyone, that's great info, thanks!

When I say "RV" I am kinda using the term interchangeably with what others here are calling a "caravan", but I will take it to heart that it's better not to have your whip also be your crib. This was biasing me in favor of "caravans" anyway.

It sounds like some of the issues with RVs would be mitigated by storing them indoors. That's good because my plan is to build some sort of garage/shop over the RV, with ample additional indoor storage space beside it, as well as rainwater catchment. I feel confident I could do this in a relatively short time. This could also help establish utilities at the property, if I'm going on-grid. That garage/shop would then also be used to store materials for the house build. Once the house is built, maybe the RV goes away, maybe I finish out part of the garage/shop into an ADU, we'll see.

I am not interested in building a tiny home, at least not right now. I would consider building one as an ADU after I've built my main house, if I've got the space and resources and motivation. For building knowledge I am leveraging my current two careers as an electrician and home inspector, as well as all the handyman work I've done on my house and others', and I expect building the garage/shop will produce some lessons I can apply to the house.

Daniel Andy wrote:Caravans are objectively superior, for one simple reason: your motor transport is not permanently connected to your home.

......

I was wondering about this option as the discussion unfolded.  I'm not in the market for an RV type of dwelling,  but if I were, I would consider a pick-up truck that could couple with a 5th wheel hitch and also have a car dolly off the back of the towed trailer.  As noted, you can always park the trailer if the truck is needed, but additionally with a car dolly, you have another vehicle for buzzing around while the truck/trailer takes a rest.  The trailer may still have all of the squeaks and clanks while it's moving, but if most driving is done with all passengers riding in the truck, you won't hear all of that noise!  Finally, I've heard that 5th-wheel trailers are easier to back up than standard bumper ball hitch rigs...assuming of course the car dolly is not attached.

John Weiland wrote:

Daniel Andy wrote:Caravans are objectively superior, for one simple reason: your motor transport is not permanently connected to your home.

......

I was wondering about this option as the discussion unfolded.  I'm not in the market for an RV type of dwelling,  but if I were, I would consider a pick-up truck that could couple with a 5th wheel hitch and also have a car dolly off the back of the towed trailer.  As noted, you can always park the trailer if the truck is needed, but additionally with a car dolly, you have another vehicle for buzzing around while the truck/trailer takes a rest.  The trailer may still have all of the squeaks and clanks while it's moving, but if most driving is done with all passengers riding in the truck, you won't hear all of that noise!  Finally, I've heard that 5th-wheel trailers are easier to back up than standard bumper ball hitch rigs...assuming of course the car dolly is not attached.

I wouldnt want to have a second car unless i absolutely needed one. After housing they are our second biggest lifetime expense. Each one consumes huge resources and pollutes like crazy  even if you dont drive it very much, through all the plastics, rubbers, and oils it consumes.

Avoiding a second car purchase is about half of the value of a caravan, in my opinion.

RV stands for Recreational Vehicle which includes both motorized and towables.

In North America, the term caravan is obscure. A caravan is an RV, and going RVing would be caravanning. Most caravan designs would probably be called a travel trailer, or in some cases a fifth wheel or camper trailer. Caravans can go to RV parks or some camp sites— not trailer parks, which usually communities of semi-permanent structures called mobile homes. However, sometimes they can be actual collections of trailers with wheels that are very mobile.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caravan_(trailer)#North_America

Anne, that is an amazing situation.
I wonder how that variation came to be?

Providing a place for other people to park their RV's (at a daily/monthly fee) is quite possibly a better investment than actually owning one. My 2c.

I owned a very old caravan, with purely mechanical appliances. I loved it. Simple, reliable, toasty in winter. I added a coat of sealant to the roof about once every 5 years. Attached a solar panel to it to charge a battery for lighting.

Quality varies across the spectrum. The budget models are built to be used about 3-4 weeks a year max. Memorial Day, Independence Day, and Labor Day weekends plus maybe one summer vacation. They wear out quickly if you try to live in them full time. Some are built to live in, and will last better than the average home. Most of them are a pain to work on because of limited space.  

I've been living for nearly a decade in a van (Ford Transit) which I built out myself. The main reason I would never want to live in a commercially manufactured RV is that much of the interior tends to be made with oddly specific custom components. The sink drain isn't just a regular sink drain, it's a special RV sink drain. Likewise for the breaker box, and the propane connections, and the door hinges and handles. If anything ever breaks, you probably can't just go to the nearest Ace Hardware or Home Depot and get a one-for-one replacement. You need to find a special RV parts store, and even then there's a good chance that they'll have to order the part and you'll need to wait for it to ship. And it will likely cost twice what the equivalent thing would cost that isn't the "RV version" of the thing. I strongly prefer my house to be built with components that are as easily replaceable as possible.

Josh Warfield wrote:I've been living for nearly a decade in a van (Ford Transit) which I built out myself. The main reason I would never want to live in a commercially manufactured RV is that much of the interior tends to be made with oddly specific custom components. The sink drain isn't just a regular sink drain, it's a special RV sink drain. Likewise for the breaker box, and the propane connections, and the door hinges and handles. If anything ever breaks, you probably can't just go to the nearest Ace Hardware or Home Depot and get a one-for-one replacement. You need to find a special RV parts store, and even then there's a good chance that they'll have to order the part and you'll need to wait for it to ship. And it will likely cost twice what the equivalent thing would cost that isn't the "RV version" of the thing. I strongly prefer my house to be built with components that are as easily replaceable as possible.

I had a suspicion this was a primary driver of why the "good advice" out there is to not buy one. Building out the interior of an empty van on the other hand, sounds more up my alley.

I think a Transit is an interesting choice for a build-out, given the lack of 4WD options (if I'm remembering right) and Ford's notorious mechanical and electrical issues (at least in my experience & observation--I drive a Transit Connect for my work van) though I do consistently like the ergonomics on Fords if you exclude the area under the hood. I'm sure some people get lucky with Fords. Curious how you've fared with the Transit and what are your thoughts about the other van options.

Douglas Alpenstock wrote:Providing a place for other people to park their RV's (at a daily/monthly fee) is quite possibly a better investment than actually owning one. My 2c.

To me that sounds like a decent Plan C, but not what I'd want in a Plan A or B. Being a landlord is a job, and in addition to managing the direct impact of "tenants" or "guests" you also have to manage the potential strain this puts on relationships with existing neighbors. In general, renting space to others, unless the land was already being used that way, is something I'd consider only after I'd already been living full-time there, i.e. after my own RV/camper is already no longer my temporary home and is either gone or back to being a vacationing tool.

Ned, forgive me if you already considered this idea......a friend used one of these for a year while build his off grid cabin , then sold it for a hefty profit.  

His plan had that extra benefit of time.  Over many weekends he built the " foamy" , made it with attention to detail, before moving out to his remote land.  Once it was parked, he was free to use his truck, unencumbered. That plan might suit you.