The RV Lifestyle: Fear, Uncertainty, Doubt

Something is always broken. This from a post that I came across on the Newmar Dutch Star Owners Facebook group:

For the last month, my wife and I have been planning our new RV life. We found a 2016 DS 4369 that was just what we wanted. There were a few things that needed repairs, nothing major, and the dealer agreed to take care of them and make sure we were ready to go. Being new and never having owned an RV before and just entering retirement we wanted to learn everything we could before heading out on our own. It has been a little over a month since we decided on the DS and while waiting for the repairs to be completed I have watched every Youtube video I can find and joined every online group related to Newmar and diesel pushers that I can find. Sadly, the more I watched and read the more concerned I became. It seems that something is always broken and that every dealer is poor at best. Almost to the man, everything I read is negative about the quality of the motorhomes no matter what brand or how much you pay. I realize that most posts will be about problems but there is no shortage of problems and no stories about being happy with the quality and reliability of the product. After postponing the closing twice because the repairs were not completed, I finally decided to walk away, thinking that if this is as good as it gets, when we are all alone broken down on the side of the road it won’t be the adventure we were hoping for. Not asking for anything just offering a perspective from a Newbee’s point of view.

We have owned our coach for over three years now. We have experienced many issues with the coach. You can read about some of them here. Aside from the random deployment of a Girard awning while the coach was in motion — that issue stranded us for almost six weeks — we have travelled extensively around North America without a breakdown on the side of the road. But it could happen. That’s just the way it is.

We love our coach and we love the RV lifestyle however the RV industry is nowhere near the automotive industry in terms of quality and reliability. My view is that there will always be issues with our coach. The only question is whether an issue is highly disruptive or merely inconvenient.

Aside from the awning issue, our problems have been minor and inconvenient.

We come across people that buy into the lifestyle without doing the research. They make a significant purchase of a motorhome only to walk away after a few months because of mechanical issues. Or they get angry and frustrated because they do not expect to have any issues with their motorhome and that anger and frustration distorts the wonderful adventures that most enjoy while being on the road.

The poster walked away from the deal out of fear. Fear that something could go wrong. That the RV lifestyle would be difficult.

This quote, from The Road Less Traveled, is relevant:

Life is difficult. This is a great truth, one of the greatest truths. It is a great truth because once we truly see this truth, we transcend it. Once we truly know that life is difficult – once we truly understand and accept it – then life is no longer difficult. Because once it is accepted, the fact that life is difficult no longer matters.