BajaNomad

Fifth Wheel or Motorcoach?

tigerdog - 12-7-2005 at 03:57 PM

All you experts out there in Nomad land, may I ask you for your input?

My husband and I are thinking of buying either a fifth wheel (travel trailor?) or a motor home (in the 40-ft range), for traveling down the Baja and eventually living in it in the spot of our choice.

Which is better for
a) traveling
b) living in for an extended period of time while we build a home

Thanks...

Diver - 12-7-2005 at 04:12 PM

While the RV may be a bit more comfortable to travel in, you still need a tag-a-long vehicle to allow your freedom while parked. I would vote for the camper option, especially if you want to use it for a temporary living quarters. Why pay all the extra money to have the motor sit there while you build ? Get a reliable pick-up in whatever seating size you need, then use it to tow and to get around in when you're parked. The truck and trailer option is also easier to back up than an RV with a towed car that you can't see. That's my two cents !

For all the reasons that Diver gave,

Hook - 12-7-2005 at 04:45 PM

the towable unit is the way to go.

The one possible exception is if you want to tow a boat of some length. That will be difficult behind an already towed rig.

Of course, if it's Baja, you could plop the 5th wheel into a location and drive back up (or pay to have it towed) down to you. Then you are set. You have a transportation vehicle (the truck), a house (the 5th wheel) and a boat. But you must be pretty sure you are in the location you want.

Bedman - 12-7-2005 at 07:03 PM

If your going to park the vehicle, stay put and live in it for an extended time, I suggest the 5th wheel. If you are thinking of resellinng it in the future and want it to be "Saleable" do get at least one slide out. The more slides the higher the cost and the better the resale and saleability. Not to mention a LOT more room inside.

40 foot motorhome is great for "on the move" type of travel. 5 minutes and your on your way. Much easier and quicker to set up and take down and you have a great viewing platform with the Huge front windows of class A. The bathroom is just a few feet away and a sandwich is as close as the frig.

Bedman

34" Dolphin w/Super Slide
In motion Sat TV, 250 watts solar
Banks kits, Plasma. yadda, yadda...

The 5'er will take longer to get ready to move on

Bob and Susan - 12-7-2005 at 07:08 PM

First I would pick my spot...buy OR RENT it...then....deceide
You might find a nice house first.

The additional cost of a motorhome pays for alot of motel rooms at $30-$70 a night.

A motor home comes with HUGE fuel costs and repair costs.
Those are BIG$$$ tires on motorhomes.
A 5th Wheel requires you lose your truck bed space and you really don't NEED to be in the trailer while driving anyway.

With a trailer, you should buy a larger truck with a diesel motor.
Expect $50,000 outlay NEW.

We were not going to buy a trailer.
Susan changed our mind.:lol:
Now we have a trailer to sleep in while we build.
This smaller 26ft unit will be easier to get rid of later.
Larger units are harder to sell...too hard to tow NOBODY wants them.

Our trailer is a 26 footer with slide-outs.
Expect to pay $25,000 NEW or get a used unit like we did for $10,000
There are thousands for sale that hardly get used after the first year.
We got ours on EBAY....go figure

A 40 footer would be way too long to trailer thru the mountains.

Palapas RIGHT ON THE WATER run about $2500 a year to rent.
Lots run $35,000 to $195,000 ON THE WATER

Look very closly at "communities" as you are in a third world country and just a vistor.
You are always at the mercy of you neighbors.

That's our 2 cents....
GOOD LUCK

Diver - 12-7-2005 at 07:11 PM

If you're doing more sitting than travelling, I would consider a large camper trailer instead of 5th wheel. This will let you use the whole truck bed for cargo and will give you more space inside when you are stopped. No climbing up into the raised bed.

Everyone will have different criteria but:

mcgyver - 12-7-2005 at 07:24 PM

As a 16 year veteran of fulltime RV living from coast to coast and Alaska to Cabo for me the choice will always be the motor home towing a small 4WD rig. Of course it depends on how much traveling you plan on before building. If you are going directly to a spot and build ,buying a 40 foot motor home would be foolish. If you are going to take 4 or 5 years to check out Baja for your special place then it would be far more comfortable and practical in the motor home. Having owned and lived fulltime in Pickup campers, Travel trailers, both 5ers and conventional of several sizes I would always take the motor home ( for comfort over a fifthwheel) a lot of people do not like a pickup truck and you see them idleing around town to the mall, Doctors, resturants etc in a big $50.000+ diesel PU where as they could be driving a nice econonmcal stylish car a less than half the price avoiding the wear and tear on their MH engine, investing the difference in an upgrade to the MH. And you can rent boats or get an inflatable.
My 2 bits, been there-done that.

Thanks to all of you

tigerdog - 12-8-2005 at 05:04 AM

I really appreciate your advice.

I should introduce myself a bit so you aren't working in the dark, so to speak. First, we aren't exactly newbies to Mexico or the Baja. We moved to Cabo back in 1988, when horses still wandered down Marina Blvd., there were only a few small hotels (which mostly closed during the summer), and for excitement we watched them dredge the marina. (This was pre-Plaza less Glorias) We left Cabo when KFC opened (the place was just ruined, dontcha know). ;D

After that we spent time in La Paz; Mazatlan; Cozumel, Cancun and Playa del Carmen; Manzanillo; Puerto Vallarta. In none of those places did we live in a gringo enclave. All told, we spent about 9 years in Mexico before heading back Stateside.

Baja has continued to call us, though. As you all know, there's just something about the place... I've been lurking on this board for years, feeding my Baja addiction.

We're of "a certain age" now and have been thinking about retiring. We've been thinking about driving the Baja, too, taking our time and checking it all out before we make a FINAL final decision. Problem: We have a little pug that travels everywhere with us (we're traveling fools). While I know that she can stay in the La Pinta hotels, when it comes to finding a place to rent longer term she presents a problem.

Example: We've been to San Felipe about a dozen times in the last couple of years with an eye to settling there; we really like the place. But not only is it very difficult to find a home to rent long term, it has proven impossible to find a place that will accept a sweet, quiet thoroughly housebroken little dog (where we can also get Internet access.) We have found the same to be true all the way down the Baja when we have sought potential rental properties via email.

So our temptation to buy a trailer or RV is based on our frustration; it would settle the dog problem, the long term aspect AND the Internet issue.

In a nutshell, that's our deal. Thanks for listening. :D

meme - 12-8-2005 at 10:16 AM

Having Full time Rv for 15 years & Living in San Felipe 9 years my opinion would be:
Do not invest in a Big 40ft MH. Lotsa $$ you might want if you set up housekeeping here in San Felipe! We have had travel trailers , fifth wheels and Motorhomes! Motorhome "YES" is best for traveling but tow car a must also! Fifth Wheel really comfortable living but not always easy to get it where you want it, then too as someone else mentioned you must drive BIG truck all over shopping, site seeing etc. Not making for easy traveling to someplaces or economical either! So travel trailer or fifth wheel good for sitting still!
Then if you decide as we did to build a house you must be more prepared to spend more $$$ than it used to be to get house built , permits leases etc. Then you must think to get RV probably back to states to sell it and they depreciate really fast! If I was to do it ALL again I would buy fifth wheel (used but decent) to bring here to live in while here then small motorhome for traveling (if you are still interested in traveling after living here?) and a small economical car or 4x4(we found a Jeep Cherokee to be very useful and still using it) to use both here and traveling. These are ways to have it All (as much as you can) and still be quite comfortable most of the time. We sold our Big Mh after livinmg here two years and not using it very much!
There are still SOME good buys on lots here if you look around and talk to the right people, preferabbly to owners of lots, not just salespeople.Or Maybe just lease a lot until you have time to really see what you like?
Well, my two cents worth!:)
meme/SF

mcgyver - 12-8-2005 at 10:36 AM

Meme has given you some excellent points. If you must be in a gringo enclave she is right about El Dorado. If you want to live in the south campos and have a little more privacy their are probably hundreds you could rent with a little research on owners who have given up trying to sell them because a lot of them have put far more money into them than anyone will pay for leased property. In my camp there are at least 5 that are empty for 3 or more years that you could rent or buy , they range in price from $30,000 up. Some of them are really nice, most are fully furnished. There are 3 new ones being built and they are putting mucho bucks into them, right on the water if course with nearest neighbor several hundren feet away. Me I like not seeing anyone for days, some people have to have continual contact, it depends on which you are.

bajarich - 12-8-2005 at 02:06 PM

You may enjoy driving Highway 1 with a 40 foot rig, but I can't tell you how many motor home drivers have commented to me how scary the road is, and that next time they will be driving something smaller. I suggest a pick-up camper until you find the spot where you want to live. A 40 foot rig will hardly get you away from the main highway, and a camper & truck would cost less than the first years depreciation on a big motor home.

I'm with you, Rich.

Hook - 12-8-2005 at 04:00 PM

The wife and I will be traveling throughout Mexico, US, Cent. Am., and Canada in a simple cabover camper on a 4wd truck. Sure, we will be faced with some severe space limitations.......but we will also have much greater capabilities than a large MH or even a large, towed trailer/5th. We will likely trailer a small boat that will provide some additional carriage.

With this setup, the key will be to having the makings of good outside living quarters like an outdoor kitchen, a large shade structure, a dining table and chairs, a work table and decent ground cover. We would likely stay put in places for 1-2 weeks at a time when we deploy the entire setup. Even the cabover could be removed if we knew we weren't moving for awhile.

A full sized truck isn't really that much of a limitation as your transportation (with or w/o the camper). My diesel truck will still get about 14-15 mpg and will go just about anywhere. Diesel is still much cheaper in many areas. Yeah, we will have to pick our parking spots carefully in towns.......but that's a great tradeoff for a vehicle that has the hauling capacity, safety and offroad capabilities of a full sized truck.

Any 40 foot MH had better be a diesel pusher and those aint cheap. And if its a gasser, I shudder to think what it would cost to operate.

meme - 12-8-2005 at 09:22 PM

My only concern having a pick up camper (which we also have had) is comforts! We are pretty spoiled I guess as we like to go but like to go with a lot more room & COMFORT than any pick up camper provides!Also Big enough trucks to carry a good size camper costs BIg bucks to drive too!

Hook - 12-9-2005 at 10:38 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by meme
My only concern having a pick up camper (which we also have had) is comforts! We are pretty spoiled I guess as we like to go but like to go with a lot more room & COMFORT than any pick up camper provides!Also Big enough trucks to carry a good size camper costs BIg bucks to drive too!


Yes, they are MUCH shorter on comforts. This is why it is important to have a good outdoor setup. Personally, I'd rather be hanging around outside in camp than inside, anyway.

But they are cheaper than a diesel pusher to operate and much less expensive than a gasser. If you go with a travel trailer or 5th, you are still gonna need a diesel truck.

Probably the least expensive way to go would be to buy an older gasser (like a Southwind or a Pace Arrow). But you would have to make the committment not to drive it all over hell as they are very expensive to operate. Figure 5-6 mpg, although they can be had for around 10k. But the reliability factor will be much less than a diesel truck. Reliability has a high value in foreign countries where parts are a long time coming.

Don Jorge - 12-18-2005 at 09:10 AM

5th wheels tow so darn nice, and it gives you a truck to use for backcountry or town visits.

My answer to your questions, 5th wheels are easier to travel with and better to live in while building a home.

We be southbound ma?ana at 0300.

?Feliz Navidad!