RV Article from MSNBC.com

[MomofPirate&Mickey]

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/24074129/

Thought this was a good read. Great information for anyone wanting a used RV in here!!

 

[seabee]

Interesting. It is sad that people have to give up such a wonderful past time. We look forward to our trips. It is the only time that we really get to connect as a family. DH and I were just talking about this. We don't do much traveling during the winter months(and they have been big this year) plus the kids are in school, and our family goes haywire. We were just saying that you can tell we are in need of a trip together, to reconnect. Life takes over and sometimes that isn't good. I really hope things turn around sooner rather than later because with the crazy stuff happening now a days with kids and families, I think this country needs a little more of a "camping lifestyle". People forget what is in important. So what if your kid isn't the BEST on the team or getting a FULL scholarship, and maybe you aren't making $300,000 a year. Take time to really know your family, and take an interest in your kids. That is what is important. I think 1/2 the problem with the country deteriorating is that nobody takes that time anymore. PHEW, ok rant over.

 

[PolynesianPixie]

Interesting. It is sad that people have to give up such a wonderful past time. We look forward to our trips. It is the only time that we really get to connect as a family. DH and I were just talking about this. We don't do much traveling during the winter months(and they have been big this year) plus the kids are in school, and our family goes haywire. We were just saying that you can tell we are in need of a trip together, to reconnect. Life takes over and sometimes that isn't good. I really hope things turn around sooner rather than later because with the crazy stuff happening now a days with kids and families, I think this country needs a little more of a "camping lifestyle". People forget what is in important. So what if your kid isn't the BEST on the team or getting a FULL scholarship, and maybe you aren't making $300,000 a year. Take time to really know your family, and take an interest in your kids. That is what is important. I think 1/2 the problem with the country deteriorating is that nobody takes that time anymore. PHEW, ok rant over.

Well said, Nicole! I couldn't agree more! When things start to feel yucky at home... I say to hubby "ok! Time to get out of dodge!" It is the best medicine!

 

[JCJRSmith]

One thing that stuck me about that story was the family had their Newmar coach repo'ed because they couldn't afford the payments on it when their mortgage payment went up. It's a shame, but I don't have a whole lot of sympathy. That repo happened because of a "have it all, have it now" mentality.

Consider: The current mortgage crisis stems from banks lending money to folks who were high-risk to begin with, and making it easy on them in the beginning with low, adjustable rates on the loan. Now, rates bottomed at somewhere around 4% a few years ago...did these folks think their rate would NEVER go up? They took a helluva gamble on that. My lender offered me an adjustable and my wife and I almost ran away. It takes one question: How much will my mortgage payment increase if rates go up ONE point?

In my area, we have a LOT of BIG houses on postage-stamp-sized lots. These houses start in the high-$300's to low $400's, and, knowing what salaries are like around here, I had to ask how folks can afford these houses. Turns out they really couldn't, and they are finding that out now.

I read these stories and see that they are losing their big, expensive cars, and their big, expensive toys and their big, expensive RV's because they had to have the big, expensive house which they got thru a crappy mortgage deal. They knew the risks when they got on the airplane.

 

[BigDaddyRog]

Jerry...you're a wise man....and me being one of those "here and now" idiots, I know how bad it is from the other side of your argument. Thank god I have a wife who does pretty good at keeping my riegns tight. I had a few really good years at my job....bought a nice home(fixed rate though, Im not that stupid)...couple of nice vehicles. Why not? Life was good, business was good...live it up while ya can is how I saw it. Well.......ya reap what ya sow. Business has dropped of noticebly....Im still paying all my bills, thankfully. But thats because my wife stopped me from gettin a motorcycle that I promised myself when I sold it for the downpayment on my home. As well as her stopping me from buying a class C on a whim, and countless other smaller purchases that by now would have really added up. She barely ALLOWED me a golfcart this year...but only because she and the kids really enjoyed it when we rented one at the fort, and she knew I'd do a great job making it have a decent resale value if it came down to having to sell it. So thank goodness, I have a wife who knows my "here and now" habits and keeps me from drowning.
Now, I have to assume there are couples out there who arent like me...a husband with the "here and now" mentality, along with a wife who likes to impress her friends with all the cool goodies they have. How do they pull it off??? Anything can happen at anytime!! and lately, the ANYTHING pretty much equals BAD THINGS with the condition of the current economy. I wonder if the embarrassment of your friends watching you have your cool goodies repo'd are as humiliating as showing all those goodies are a rush.

Every once in a while, ya really need to thank God for unanswered prayers.

 

[AuburnJen92]

Down here in FL, I think the interest only and adjustable rates were the norm. I knew to stay away from them, but our equity loan is adjustable and has bit us in the but ever since we bought our lot. Now, we sit with a lot that is worth 1/4th of what we paid for it, yet we still make the payment every month to the bank. DH and I consider the very few offers (like two) in the years since Sept. 05 when we put it back on the market. If we sell it, and that is a big if, we will most likely take a monster loss and write it off, however, the bill keeps coming every month, whether we like it or not. There are 8 houses, just on the street next to me for sale and 3 on my street. There is a street next to my school that has 15 houses for sale. There are only 21 houses on that street. I do believe that we are in an instant gratification society. What people don't realize is that for 7 long years, you have to fight to get your credit back on track. Even after that, it is a struggle. Most people don't think of that when they sign on the dotted line. They see the thing they want and that is all they care about. 3 or 4 months down the pike, it becomes apparent that things don't always turn out like they would have wanted...it is unfortunate at best, but also their own doing.

 

[RvUsa]

Rog, you and I are so much alike it is scary!!! My wife tells me all the time that I am not allowed to have everything I want. I say "I WANT" she says "NO". It works for us I guess.

Jerry, you have no idea how many times when I was selling home improvement stuff like decks, room additions. I would go to a house and there would be a $400,000 house 2 new big buck cars, and all the goodies that the neighbors could see, then we would go in to discuss the contract and there would be NO furniture in the house, old couch, milk crate etc, all the blinds closed , nothing on the walls.

They were always the easiest sales I could make, the only thing they cared about was to keep up with the "Jones". They had a brand new house and no deck on the back, just a door that was 12' off the ground. All I had to say to make a sale, was to mention their neighbors new deck and how we could build them one way nicer!! They would beg me to start the next day. Then would come the only hard part, trying to get them financed. I would put it one 4 different credit cards, and then finance the remainder with one of the high interest home loan places.... It was always the same. LOL

 

[chief19spixi]

I guess my DH is one lucky Bas%&^$ I feel this way.. he is a grown man if he wants something he can have it!! You should see the crap he buys.. but oh well at least he is happy!! He works dern hard for his money and should be able to spend it however he wants... without grief for me the DW!! LOL

 

[RvUsa]

I guess my DH is one lucky Bas%&^$ I feel this way.. he is a grown man if he wants something he can have it!! You should see the crap he buys.. but oh well at least he is happy!! He works dern hard for his money and should be able to spend it however he wants... without grief for me the DW!! LOL

Could you talk to my wife??? Please, oh never mind, if I was able to run wild, we would have really cool toys for a couple months, then we would be so broke we couldn't go anywhere anyway.... LOL

 

[chief19spixi]

Could you talk to my wife??? Please, oh never mind, if I was able to run wild, we would have really cool toys for a couple months, then we would be so broke we couldn't go anywhere anyway.... LOL

LOL DH knows when its time to draw the line!! Thanks goodness!!

 

[JCJRSmith]

The REAL smart move for me was marrying an accountant