If you’re on the fence about whether or not buying an RV is the right move for you or your family, you’ll need to think about the actual costs of such a big purchase. You may want to look into something like a car loan, you can click here for more information, to see if they are able to stretch it to buying an RV and if it falls within the same bracket, or you can look further afield and see what else is available.

It’s not just the initial cost of the RV to consider. As with most investments, there are other associated costs of ownership to think about when you buy an RV.

Before getting into those costs, however, it is important to think about offsetting those costs. For many RV owners, the best way to justify the cost of investing in an RV is to rent it out on a peer-to-peer site like Outdoorsy when it’s not in use.

With Outdoorsy, people put their RVs on the site in their local area, for example, Kansas City. Renters than search and they can connect with the owner and rent the RV for a certain number of nights, at a per-night rate.

The price that you can rent your RV out for depends on different factors, such as location, size of the RV, the age of the RV and the amenities it has.

It’s one of the top ways to offset the cost of the RV itself and associated costs, but still, you should know what you’re getting into before making the investment.

The following are some of the things that will factor into the cost of buying an RV.

Sales Tax

Depending on where you live, the sales tax of buying an RV can add quite a bit to your purchase price.

For example, if you live in a state where the sales tax is 9%, and you buy a $100,000 RV, that’s an additional $9,000.

Along with sales tax, some states require yearly taxes be paid on personal property, and that can include RVs. This is something you’ll have to research based on your location.

Insurance

Similar to as if you were buying a new car, you’ll need to think about insurance costs as well. An RV isn’t considered a dwelling when it comes to insurance, but you will need automobile insurance.

The cost of your RV will determine how much you pay, as will your driving record. You may be able to find deals if you bundle the insurance for your regular automobile and your RV.

Storage

Storage is often considered a hidden cost that comes along with RV ownership. If you don’t have a place to store it on your property, you could be paying thousands of dollars a year to store your RV. If you do not want to keep putting it in storage and would rather have it on your property, you may want to think about contacting some local steel building contractors to build you a garage that can house your RV and any other vehicle you may have.

On a side note, another benefit of renting it out-you might not have to store it at all, so you’re not only making money, but you’re almost eliminating that cost.

Finally, while you might have already thought about the cost of gas, do you know how much it can really add up to?

The majority of RVs only get around six to eight miles to the gallon, so if you’re going across the country, your gas bill could quickly reach $10,000. When you’re shopping for a new RV think about weight and fuel efficiency.