Posted on 04/06/2019 4:29:58 PM PDT by N. Theknow
Wife and I are now officially retired. Looking at RV's to allow us roaming on our schedule. We have made an "Our Turn" list of things/places we want to do/see.
After years of caring for ailing parents, divorced siblings who sent their children to be raised by us along with our kids and all the activities requiring Mom and Dad taxi service, working our butts off making our small business thrive (which it is still doing as a nice tax write-off) it is Our Turn and we are getting ready.
I suggest if you are sure of an RV also get a car you can tow along like a dingy. You park your RV and take car into town; the RV is like a movable camp from which you come and go. Also get a roadside assistance insurance like Good Sam Club in case you are somewhere and need a tow or have to change a tire. There is no way you can change a tire by yourself if you have a 37 footer RV.
Also it is great to park overnight in a Walmart parking lot if you are on your way somewhere. Walmarts are good that way.
Start off with a smaller class c unit for several months to see if you are suited to life in a confined space.
Once you think you are comfortable with the lifestyle, get a larger coach and a late-model car as your towed.( A proper 4x4 with a transfer case is best for flat towing).
Get a membership with a camping group like CRA, but don’t get a NEW membership, find one for sale on the community board at a campground you have stayed at and enjoy.
THEN and only then, go shopping for a new coach unit. A motorhome is a significant expense that you will NOT get your money back from. so tread carefully.
My parents went that route and had a wonderful time for many years until dad’s passing.
I hope this helps.
maybe never will :/ but
I think this company (Advanced RV)
has some very well thought out and unique innovations
like a 48V electrical system
that I haven't seen anywhere else.
7
For class A’s whether diesel or gas I would recommend looking at, Newmar, Tiffin or Winnebago. Those 3 have good quality relative to others, in general, and all 3 make several class A with many floor plan options. As I said in my first post to you..make sure you have a qualified person inspect...I have seen what can happen if no inspection is done.
You can get very good gas or diesel units..some people will tell you “have to get gas some say diesel” you can get good performance from either..gas units are typically cheaper..
We tow a 2017 Jeep Cherokee Trailhawk behind ours..we tow 4 down....when towing read your owners manual and find out how your car/truck can be towed..some (actually most) can’t be towed four down and some can’t be towed any way other than on a trailer with all four wheels on the trailer. It is amazing how much damage can be done if it is not towed properly....
If you have any questions let me know and I will be glad to answer...
I inherited my Dad’s Bounder Class A Motorhome.
We decided we weren’t RVers, so we sold it.
People want pullouts.
They want Self-leveling.
They want torque.
Think about storage costs when you aren’t using it.
My father put about 3,000 miles on his. I figure he lost between $50,000 to $70,000 on it.
The septic dumps get pretty busy on Sunday evening.
I second the recommendation of renting one for a couple of days.
Check with your kids and grandkids. My Father envisioned doing lots of things with family and they weren’t interested in RVing.
I had a friend who said, “You can’t put a price on a good time.”
Just go in with your eyes open.
Good luck.
Don’t get any of the ones with slide-outs; the gaskets quickly start to crack, leak and then there are issues with the whole assembly sagging and having to be supported. I noted recently an RV owner having to shore theirs up with tall sawhorses.
Make Resos for Chiricahau national monument.
One more tip. License it in South Dakota. We have been in campgrounds all over the country. See lots of SD plates. Hoping to find kindred souls, we visit them. They say they license in SoDak even though they don’t live here. Jut a whole lot less expensive.
Don’t buy a new one but if you do, don’t buy a Winnebago.
Buy a good van and make rentals at B&Bs wherever you direct your travels. An RV, ANY RV, is a black hole of a money pit, new, used, reconditioned, bought at a bargain price, whatever. It has to be housed even when it is not moving, and you can expect 4-6 mpg on the road, which I suppose is not bad mileage for a house, but excretable for personal transportation. These vehicles depreciate at an alarming rate, and maintenance is a bear. These are heavy-duty TRUCKS, and while the actual mechanics of driving on a freeway are not too strenuous, they cannot be easily parked anywhere, and they have HUGE blind spots, even with rear-view cameras and sensors. Also, they are unusually sensitive to cross winds, and any mountain driving at all is subject to some of the most white-Knuckled heart-stopping experience there is short of being in a war zone.
I do not recommend ANY RV. Ever. And this is after having had three of them.
And don’t forget the party lights.
I’m often tempted to buy an rv, but the maintenance is a bit discouraging. I don’t even like to pump gas in my car.
The class A rv’s are comfy — ok, I’m only 60” high and around 90 pounds, so I’d be comfy in a Keebler tree trunk. However, larger individuals will probably feel cramped in the C.
Best advice: rent one for a few months. You’ll never have a better way to know if it’s for you or for the birds.
If you buy, buy one lightly used.
I like the truck/travel trailer option, myself. A trailer can be parked somewhere and the truck used for excursions, etc. A truck that gets driven more often will have fewer mechanical problems over the long run than a motorhome, as well.
Another thing I would advise is to not buy new. A new motor home can cost a significant fraction of the price of a house, but depreciates nearly as fast as a new car.
Don’t.
I have only ever had a 6 pack camper, which was a pain in the arse, but tend to think 5th wheel is the way to go.
The trucks gonna cost some money , but you cant get last years camper for 50%
Park it and you have a great truck to run around in
There are advantages and disadvantages of motorhomes and 5th wheels.
With a motorhome, you will usually have a vehicle aka a towed or known as a toad. This will require maintenance, insurance, etc for two engines. The diesel pushers are the powerful ones that will get you up and down the mountains. The advantage you will be able to disconnect the small vehicle and tour around.
With a 5th wheel, you will have much more living space and storage space, but you will need a very large, expensive truck. Diesel will be required and that will be your touring vehicle as well as the transporter of your RV. The other advantage is that the cost to maintain the truck will be cheaper than maintaining a motorhome, but will be more expensive to drive to tour around.
Different people have different needs. Join online groups to explore the best and the worst of each option. Are you buying new or used? Both will depreciate, 5th wheels are more difficult to back into the campground sites. There are books to help you pick which one is best for you and which brand of that type is the highest quality. Both are books are written by Randall Eaton. We started out wanting a travel trailer but ended up wanted and buying a 5th wheel after reading his book. There are ratings for the brands and include years past to give you information on used units.
Many people have romantic ideas about how fun and exciting life is going to be on the road. You will have good days and bad days just like life before retirement. Allow each other times to be apart and to do things together. RVing is more expensive than most people think and plan for. Campground fees can get very expensive and RV require regular maintenance. You can PM me if you have more questions.
Yer no damn fun :)
The only decent motor home is the old 76 GMC 26 ft unit. Way before it’t time. 10-12 mpg. Computer controlled leveling system so if you have a side wind it levels itself. Drives better than most cars. You don’t feel like you driving a bus.
You know? I miss my 1968 VW Westphalia Camper and the dirt bike.
Lord We had fun.
My Wife and I having Traveled pull behind TT for 25 years. Our current Trailer is 2002 Montana 33.5 ft.(Bot.New) Pulled with 2003 Excursion V-10. (This combo 68k miles in 17 years.)
I suggest 27-34 ft. TT and F250 Ford. Buy New.
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