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...Two takes just as little effort ...
But possibly more cash as engine and/or transmission repairs may be more costly than repairs to trailers. Also, in my experience, insurance for motorized vehicles is considerably more than that for a trailer because of the requirements for liability coverage on all motorized vehicles. There may also be differences in registration fees for motorized and non-motorized vehicles.
Edited December 25, 2017 by trailertraveler
"With this combination I would only have one motor and transmission to maintain and worry about."
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Yes, but do factor in the reality that the 5th wheel will require its own share of maintenance and repair expenses. A 5th wheel or TT may not have a 'motor', but it has plenty of other components that need regular servicing and/or repair, and, often, replacement, e.g., tires.
But possibly more cash as engine and/or transmission repairs may be more costly than repairs to trailers. Also, in my experience, insurance for motorized vehicles is considerably more than that for a trailer because of the requirements for liability coverage on all motorized vehicles. There may also be differences in registration fees for motorized and non-motorized vehicles.
That may be the case .
All I can say is that in almost 8 years of full timing , I never once wanted a 5th wheel trailer and a truck .
We've been happy with our motor home and Jeep . And I definitely like having my bikes along .
...Yes, but do factor in the reality that the 5th wheel will require its own share of maintenance and repair expenses. A 5th wheel or TT may not have a 'motor', but it has plenty of other components that need regular servicing and/or repair, and, often, replacement, e.g., tires...
Motor homes and toads have tires that require replacement too. Most RVs have pretty much the same appliances, so I would doubt there is a huge difference in the maintenance and potential repairs. Age is a factor in replacement and repair requirements for RV appliances.
...All I can say is that in almost 8 years of full timing , I never once wanted a 5th wheel trailer and a truck ...We've been happy with our motor home and Jeep . And I definitely like having my bikes along ...
I am sure that a lot of 5th wheel owners say the same thing about a motorhome. Having a 5th wheel and trailer or even a travel trailer does not prevent taking bikes along. We do it all the time.
In my opinion, the choice of RV type is mostly one of personal preference. All of them have their devotees.
Edited December 25, 2017 by trailertraveler
the choice of RV type is mostly one of personal preference. All of them have their devotees.
Exactly . 
Why not ask the ones who are really doing it.
Rv Sue http://rvsueandcrew.net/
Interstellar Ochard http://www.interstellarorchard.com/
And while you are at it, do a web search for Solo Rv'ers or seek the Solo groups
It really "is" a personal preference issue and dependent, to some degree, on the type of camping and travel you plan on doing.
Personally, I kind of worked my way backwards. I started with a class A and toad, went through a couple of 5ers trying to find a better "fit", and finally settled in on a 25' TT about 5 years ago. The best "fit" for my chosen lifestyle since I started out and couldn't be happier.
Edited December 25, 2017 by Yarome
As a footnote to this thread, I recently toured the South researching potential snowbird locations. 3 options discovered that are very economical that could potentially fit into your plans in the short term or long term...
Thousand Trails zone pass ( with or without trails collection .) Many using it in Florida even during high season.
Escapee Coop parks with great rates and ERPU option too in Rainbow system.
The Rio Grande Valley has a glut of RV parks and deals abound.Could live there FT for $209 month if money runs out.
Give it a shot.... Lots of mostly favorable responses here.
Edited December 25, 2017 by ToddF
Just signed up to Escapees and this is my first post.
Welcome to the Escapees RV Club and to the Escapee forums! We are very happy that you have joined us!
Looking at spending up to $40,000 on the used motor home.
I would consider that to be a bit to the low side if you don't want to do much maintenance. I suggest that if you have not done so, spend some time window shopping just to get a feel for what it can cost. We lived for 12 years in a gasoline-powered motorhome (Ford F53 chassis). Keep in mind that not only do older chassis require more care but so too does the RV side of things. Appliances typically have a lifespan of 10 to 15 years when used constantly so with an older RV of any type you can expect to have much more in maintenance time and cost as the RV ages. We bought our RV new and owned it for 14 years. During that time I replaced both the water heater and the refrigerator due to excessive cost to repair them.
1) Is it bad for a motor home to sit for a month or two?
No... While we lived in our motorhome we spent much of the time as RV volunteers in parks, national parks, and national wildlife refuges. We usually stopped for from 1 to 4 months at a location and it never caused a single problem. What you do need to do is to add a fuel stabilizer and fill the tank completely just before you park it. Then just leave it sit and do not start it at all until a few days prior to travel again. It is a good idea to exercise the onboard generator if the RV has one.
2) Is living full time in a motor home doable on $2,000.00 a month?
It can be done but as others have said, your spending habits will not likely change much so take a hard look at what you are spending now. Keep in mind that there are different approaches to the lifestyle and no question you could survive on that amount but you really need to manage in order to enjoy life as well. There are many things which can be done to improve the financial health and we found that we loved the RV volunteer lifestyle so much that we still do it now that we have a house again and are back to part-time. Check out some of our experiences that we had while fulltime by visiting this link. We found that we were able to add money to our savings while living on volunteer RV sites.In addition, the best column on RV living expenses is one that you can read here which was published a long time back in Motorhome Magazine.
My wife and I full time on $2k/month, but it is less stressfull to have a decent nest egg for any unexpected expenses that might come along. We also volunteer a lot which keeps expenses low (also consider boondocking). For you situation, I would consider a 3/4 ton pickup and mid size TT which both can be bought used for low $$. Also you could haul a bike/moped/motorcycle in the truck bed for extra transportation. Another thing is to research repairs and try to do some yourself to get familiar with your rig and save $$.
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