ON THE ROAD RV life gains more appeal

For some, the vehicle is a second home. For others, it's their only home.
By JIM SHEA
HARTFORD COURANT
It is your typical high-end home -- granite counters in the kitchen, plush carpeting in the living room, wooden paneling, master bedroom suite, big-screen TV, expensive furniture -- with one major exception.
This house doesn't come with views, this house goes to views.
Oh, and it gets better mileage then even the fanciest mansion on the market.
It's an RV, which not only stands for recreational vehicle, but for an increasingly popular lifestyle.
"We love the freedom," says Terry McElroy, an RV enthusiast from Vernon, Conn. "You're totally on your own. You want to stop and have lunch, stop at a beautiful spot, even sleep there, you can. You just do what you want."
Over time, McElroy and his wife, Shirley, moved up the line from truck campers, to trailers, and then five years ago to a motor home.
Motor home
Last October they bought a 39-foot motor home called a Phaeton, which cost a hefty, but by no means excessive, $175,000.
"The typical guy who buys a motor home is someone who has worked all his life," says Mark VanOstrand, owner of Van's RV in South Windsor. "His house is paid for, his kids are gone, he doesn't have any bills. So he doesn't have a problem financing a $200,000 RV over 20 years.
"He sees it as a second home. What are you going to buy at the Connecticut shore for $150,000 to $200,000? Not much. The big RV diesels are not designed for families; they're second homes. The government even treats them that way. You can take the same tax deductions as you would for a second home."
According to the Recreational Vehicle Industry Association, sales of RVs are growing about 15 percent a year, and last year reached $12 billion.
There are an estimated 7.2 million RVs on the road today in the United States, and roughly 30 million RV enthusiasts, including renters.
Some reasons
Among the factors contributing to the surge in popularity are concerns about terrorism, the desire to avoid airport hassles, more leisure time, low interest rates and baby boomers nearing retirement age.
"We are just beginning to see the leading edge in sales with the baby boomers retiring," VanOstrand said. "It can only go up from here. We're seeing a big increase in the high-end stuff."
VanOstrand also says more couples in their 30s and 40s with kids are getting into the less expensive RVs.
"Take a couple with two kids, 5 and 7; they can get 10 years out of an RV," VanOstrand said. "If they bought a big explorer and went the motel-hotel route, they'd spend three times as much on a trip as they would in an RV."
There is also the matter of convenience. In an RV you can cook dinner as you go, give the kids naps, bring a pet along, take extra luggage and avoid the nuisance of frequent bathroom stops.
RVs come in all shapes and sizes, with those that can be towed by a vehicle accounting for about 80 percent of sales.
Three classes
Motor home is the name given to self-contained RVs, which are further divided into three classes.
The largest, most luxurious and expensive members of this line are known as Class A motor homes.
The luxury motor home market starts around $150,000, with the heavy activity between $175,000 and $200,000.
They come equipped with features such as high-speed Internet, stove, side-by-side refrigerator, washer-dryer, cedar-lined closets, king-size bed and even a fireplace.
"The most expensive RV we ever sold was a Country Coach Prevost Bus for $1.2 million," says Steward Schaffer of Lazydays, the country's largest RV dealer.
"We stopped carrying that model in 2002."
Just as there are levels of RV luxury, there are also levels of commitment.
Some people just like to get out for the weekend, while at the other end of the spectrum are "full-timers," people who roam the country year-round and don't own another home.
The McElroys, in their mid-60s, are in-betweeners.
"We take some long trips during the summer, four to five weeks, but more often we do weekend excursions, usually three days," Terry McElroy said.
"My wife and I both own our own businesses, so we can leave when we want. Sometimes we decide an hour ahead of time, get in, turn the key and leave."
Not full time
Although the McElroys traveled 15,000 miles in 2003, they don't see themselves as year-round RVers.
"We would never be full-timers," Terry McElroy says, "but we know some people who are, and they are quite happy. We're not ready for that. But going away for two or three months is definitely going to happen."
The McElroys like to go north, and have taken their home on a ferry to Newfoundland.
Once on the road, RVers frequent campsites that cater to their needs. Many supply power, water and discharge facilities for holding tanks.
They are also places to meet other road warriors.
"You meet people on the road, then you run into them again in other parts of the country," McElroy says.
"Everyone is very friendly, very nice. We love it."