Our Trip to the RV Show

A couple weeks ago we, along with our friends Richard and Lamar, went to an RV show at the Charlotte Motor Speedway. It was on the infield of the track, so as an added bonus we got to see the speedway without dealing with the noise and crowds of an actual race.

None of us are in the market for a new RV, but it's sort of like going to the home show for those whose houses don't have wheels. We wanted to see what was new and maybe get some ideas.

We looked at very high end motor homes (in the $200-300K range) on down to pop up campers.

Afterward we went out to lunch and what was interesting is that all four of us came to the same realization...we're pretty happy with the RV's we have and we'd rather upgrade and work with what we have than switch.

While we were looking at a nice, high end motor home, another couple was looking at it too and when they found out we were all full timers they started asking our advice. Richard, who isn't too shy, basically said, "Don't buy one of these new ones. Get yourself something older and change it to suit yourself." He went on a longer explanation, pointing out the things that weren't so great about the motor home we were all standing in.

The salesman could not shoo us out of there fast enough.

Like a home or car, you need to know what your purpose is. The furniture we removed would have slept 4 people. That would have been great for a large family or grandparents who want to take the grandkids on a trip. But, not for us, particularly since it was all uncomfortable. A bigger priority for us is work space to use computers or tablets. With the large number of people who are living and working from their RV's it's surprising how little work space there is. Apparently we are not their target market.

I've read that most full time RVers change rigs within the first two years and I can understand that. Just like with a home or remodeling, you might think you know what you want, but until you live with it for a while, you don't know for sure. Now that we've been at this for a year and a half, we are more knowledgeable about what works for us and what doesn't.

With the recent changes we've made, we feel like we're on the right track.