Planning on jumping into rving, with both feet. Looking for advice on selection

I'm planning on jumping into this rving thing with both feet.  I'm not wanting a travel trailer, or 5th wheel because I don't want to purchase the truck required to haul either of those.  Instead I'd like to buy an rv to tow my car.  I'd like to purchase a class A on the shorter end to transport me and my household of dogs from South Central Alaska, down to south central Texas.  I plan on living in this rv after I rent out my current house, and while I look for my second house as finding an apartment for me and my dogs doesn't seem cost effective to making a down payment on a home.  That could be a span of a few weeks or a few months(If I'm lucky), So all the belongings I don't sell will be jam packed into this thing,  otherwise I'd go for the class c.  Is there a huge difference in fuel economy between 90's models and more modern models?  I've found comparisons between the classes, but nothing comparing older with newer.  I'd still buy used of course, but I see great deals on 90's models that only have 30,000 miles on them.  Are there any makes to avoid?  Also, is there a huge difference in the fuel economy when towing a small SUV.  I have a chevy equinox that I would like to tow down with me.  If it's a huge difference I'll sell the car and buy a new one when I get down there.  Thanks for any and all advice.  When purchasing a used rv other than the obvious test drive, battery check and generator check are there any other vital systems that should be checked?

If you are planing to load it down, I think the caro carrying capacity will be an important factor, the highest cargo carrying for a given size will likely be found on a relatively new no-slide model, most likely from around the year 2000 +/- 5 years or so.  Throughout the 80's and 90's there was a trend in Class A motorhomes to load them down with more and more stuff, and at the same time there was a lag in the cargo carrying capacity of the Chassis.  With the introduction of slides, then multiple slides, and then full length slides each of which added more and more weight the chassis cargo carrying capacities had to increase.  At the same time there were a few no generally less desirable models built on the new heavier chassis designs but without the big heavy slides or with only one smaller perhaps bed sized slide.

Take for example my 28 ft Class A Safari Trek,  the 95 28 ft Trek were built on a 16,000 pound GVWR Chassis  by 97 it was up to 16,500 then by mid 01-03 model a 17,000 pound chassis, the 04+ models were mostly built on a 18,000 pound capacity chassis and  had a 20,000 pound capacity chassis available as a rare $6,500 upgrade option.  In the case of my 02 I have right at 2,000 pounds of cargo carrying capacity on top of full fuel and water tanks and 2 passengers.  Unfortunately things are not as nice as one might think, as there was some weight bloat over the years as well, but still you can see a trend here for the same basic floorplan, no slide small Class A motorhome.

Motorhome fuel mileage hasn't changed appreciably in many a year. Class A's are about 8 mpg and C's run 8-10 depending somewhat on size. Some of the new small diesel C's can hit 16, though.

You won't find much room to carry extra furniture in even a large Class A, but A's generally have basement storage for boxes and such. Isaac-1 gave good advice on Cargo Capacity too.

When buying used, two critical items are checking for signs of past and current water leaks (RVs are prone to them) and tire age & condition. Low mileage RVs often have great looking tires that are so old they fail at the first bit of stress. 10 years is the max working life of a tire and they start to get chancy at 7+. And tires for larger RVs are very expensive - $400-$800 each is common.

The RVForum Library has Checklists for buying a used RV.
http://www.rvforum.net/joomla/index.php?option=com_content&view=category&id=15&Itemid=132

Good to know on the water leaks and tires.  I never would have thought about the tires, if the tread looked good.  The oldest one I've looked at so far was a 95 with 31,000 on it for $13,000.  Sounded like a steal at that price.  My goal is $20,000 or less.    It looked well maintained, but it was a class C and just a pinch too small for the amount of time I'll be in there.  I didn't plan on taking furniture, so nothing ridiculously heavy, but more than likely a multitude of boxes of decor and actual necessities that I wouldn't want to leave in my current home for the renter.  When I moved into my house I had three midsized Uhauls full to move in and I'm really going to do my best to leave all the standard furniture in my house for the renter to increase the rental income a bit.  The most furniture I might take with me would be a sofa and coffee table.  I'm sure the weight on everything will add up, so I'll keep an eye on that.  I was also hoping to find one without slides, so that will be a non issue, but I hadn't even placed any thought into the weight that would have been added by them, or the load capacity for that matter.  All very great points.  Thank you.

I doubt your coach & chair will fit tru door.

suggestion sell car and buy a cargo trailer, depending how much stuff you have as to size of cargo trailer then you will have storage in it after you get there.  dabrown

lol I meant sofa table.  Not sofa. (Thus not taking any heavy furniture)  That's what I get for trying to multi task.  I'm not wanting to go the cargo trailer route.  I want to be able to get there, unhook my car and start house hunting right away.  I've put 5k into this car in preventative maintenance and other repairs just this last summer, so I know it's safe and sound.  If I could avoid a vehicle purchase before my move that's obviously preferable.  The less finance purchases I make after my move the more likely I'll be to receive a smooth home finance.  I don't expect any hold ups, but people rarely do.

Given your route, plans, etc. I would look for a late 90's diesel pusher with no slide from one of the better brands (Safari, Monaco, Beaver, Foretravel, Newmar,...)  In general I would be far more concerned about maintenance and condition than mileage, it not like you are looking for something that you plan to put 50,000 - 75,000 miles on over the next 5 years so a diesel pusher with 100,000 - 150,000 miles on it (mid life for a well maintained diesel engine) would likely work fine, as well as possibly being cheaper than a lower mile unit due to scaring off potential buyers that don't understand diesel engine life expectancy.  I would also suggest expanding your shopping to units in the pacific northwest, Oregon and Washington seem to have a massive concentration of used motorhomes always on the market.

Before you buy do ask advice here on specific models you are considering, some have known engine chassis issues.  Such as engines within a specific serial number range known for a tendency to self destruct, or Chassis that have a design flaw that need upgraded bracing that if not already done may cost a large fraction of the asking price to address.  And always avoid anything that leaks or has ever leaked.

First question you should ask, can that Chevy Equinox be towed 4 down or is it going to require a trailer? If 4 down, you need to think about a tow bar, mounting brackets, lighting system and an auxillary brake system for the vehicle. Whether towed 4 down or on a trailer, this is going to add extra weight to your calculations and you will need a hitch assy that can handle the load.

2kGeorgieBoy brings up a good point. Is it towable?  Remco will tell you that.

http://www.remcoindustries.com/Towing/Store.php 

My experience with towing has been that pulling a toad costs a little bit more than a half mile per gallon.

From the guy who doesn't yet own an RV.  Rent first.

From your post it seems you are looking for short term accommodations for time between houses. 

exclusive_delirium said:

The oldest one I've looked at so far was a 95 with 31,000 on it for $13,000.  Sounded like a steal at that price.

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There are a whole lot of factors to that, and older RV's with low miles (which at first sounds like a good thing) might indicate that the rig sat still for MANY years unused in a yard/barn/lot/shed.  That's no good on RV's, which do much better if they are regularly driven & maintained.  Similar to old tires (even if they LOOK good on the outside), rubber and plastic parts dry rot internally when not used, and old engine fluids lose their lubrication properties.  Those can cause problems on "yard ornament" RV's, once they hit the road and feel the stresses of full service again.  So, knowing the history, usage, and maintenance on any RV you intend to buy is a very important factor.

$13,000 on a 1995 seems high to me, but again lots of factors.  Get accustomed to using the RV pricing at www.NADAguides.com ... do not add in any options when pricing a used RV, when you get to that section clicking through the links of any year/make/model.  NADA is not gospel but it's a good starting point.  My first RV was a 1994 Thor Residency Class A (35 footer).  I bought it in 2007 for $12,000 and sold it in 2012 for $8,000.  It was in very good used condition and my selling price was right in line with its NADA value.  Many used RV's are way overpriced, because owners have no idea of its true value, they might have a load they're trying to pay off, and/or there is sentimental value attached that they are trying to compensate for with the selling price.  You've gotta balance that with its book value.

In our forum library (link near the top of the page), there are tons of helpful articles/checklists on RV issues and what to look for when shopping for a rig.  Keep reading/researching here, and feel free to ask any more questions that come up! 

Personally I would not read too much into NADA prices, if you go around shopping for a functional older motorhome and try to stick to ones priced around NADA pricing, you will end up looking at a lot of worn out junk.

Isaac-1 said:

Personally I would not read too much into NADA prices, if you go around shopping for a functional older motorhome and try to stick to ones priced around NADA pricing, you will end up looking at a lot of worn out junk.

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That hasn't been my experience, with enough research & shopping.  And the nice thing is, the more looking done by a buyer... the easier it is to recognize the junk and move on quickly.  It works the other direction too, knowing when that diamond is found in the rough and jumping on it!  That's how I felt with both of my RV purchases, and neither proved me wrong.

True that a buyer may not find a whole lot of RV's priced around NADA, but IMO that's because most sellers overprice them.  There is plenty of overpriced junk too, such as a 1991 Winnebago Elandan advertised locally for $16,500... about double the published NADA value.  And I'm not even sure I'd want to pay $8000, not because Winnebago isn't a good product but because a 25yo rig is going to be outdated in many ways.  It's all about homework and buyer research.

Most people want between low and high retail, but they also try and add everything on the option list. So that makes them WAY over priced. Even some dealers try to add all things to the option list to increase the value to the customer. You have to do the research to find out what was standard equipment and what was actually an option. If you can't find a 10 to 20 year old class A under low retail after the repair cost you haven't shopped good enough. Most will say the tires look NEW but in reality they need replaced, and they are NOT cheap even if you go with the China made tires. Look at the date code on the tires, and find out how much a new set will set you back BEFORE you make the deal. Tires on a class A will set you back between 2 and 5 thousand dollars. You still don't want to be much over low retail all in, UNLESS the coach is way above average. Just remember you will find things that need repaired or updated on what ever coach you end up with, after you get it home and have a chance to look it over real good. Generators, levelers, refrigerators, are all high dollar items to repair or replace.   

92GA said:

Tires on a class A will set you back between 2 and 5 thousand dollars.

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This dollar amount can be true in some cases, but varies on the size tires of a Class A.  Many 1980's and 1990's rigs (depending on how old you're considering) came factory with 16" wheels using LT (light truck) tires.  That was the case with my 1994, and it was nice because LT tires are quite affordable, $150-200 each.  But the downside is that the 16" LT's are often at nearly full capacity (because of the heavy weight of the RV) even when sitting still.

The next two RV tire sizes are 19.5" (pretty common in large gas rigs) and 22.5" (standard on diesel pushers, tour buses, semi trucks) which can push into several thousand dollars as 92GA mentioned.  Definitely something to know about when shopping.  Here is an article in our forum library about tire DOT codes and how to read them from a tire's sidewall, to determine the age of a tire.  You can try this out on your current car/truck, since all tire codes follow the same format.