2012 Sunseeker versus 2014 Itasca Impulse

My wife and I are new to RV'ing. Before we married and started knocking out a million kids (read: 4), she liked camping. We visited friends in Alaska a few weeks ago. We loved it, and my wife and kids are putting on the pressure to buy an RV. We would get tons of use out of the RV, as we live an hour from South Padre Island, and within 6 hours of MULTIPLE Texas state parks.

I've started doing research into RVs. I have a long way to go. However, with interest rates as low as they are, I'm thinking about getting something in the next 6 months.

We visited Ron Hoover in Katy Texas and found a 2012 Forest River Sunseeker 3120DS. At 31 feet, it was huge. I have a friend that can inspect it for me should I decide to purchase. It has 30K miles. My wife LOVED the space. I'm a little nervous about how big that rig is as compared to other Class Cs. Still, the price keeps coming down, and I can basically get it at what NADA has it listed for online. This would fit fine in our budget.

The alternative is to wait a little while to build up more money for an Itasca. There are some posted for sale in South Texas. However, I see one for sale by a private owner up in North Texas for $62.9K. Less than 5K miles on it. RV Consumer Group gives the Itasca good ratings. It might be a little more challenging for me to inspect it with my friend as we would basically have to fly up there. The damn things looks gorgeous though.

A question relating to these two options: would it be better to go smaller for someone new to RV'ing? Maybe a 25 or smaller? Should I stay away from slides on my first RV?

Alternatively, I could wait two years to buy a new Minnie Winnie (my dream RV). The downsides with that: (1) kids miss out on the camping experiences we would take, (2) depreciation, and (3) I'd disappoint my exceedingly low-maintenance wife. My wife is suuuuuuper simple. When she lets on that she wants something, I almost always go out of my way to get it.

We have four great kids and can't wait to get this ball rolling. Any suggestions are appreciated!

In a used RV, how well it has been cared for/maintained is every bit as important as the original build quality. And, low mileage can be a good thing, but RVs that are not used seem to go to pot fast, so there is somewhere a compromise between used just enough and not used enough. Even when not used much, annual fluid changes, etc are important and must still be done.  You definitely want someone who knows what they are seeing to inspect it physically and mechanically as much as possible.

Itasca (built by Winnebago) is generally a well-built rig for the price range and has a strong company behind it. I can't speak for Forest River quality, but again, on a used rig poor maintenance can ruin the best RV in a very short time so the inspection is very important.

What Paul said!

Our plan was to buy our last RV first. Our very first RV of any kind is our 2005 40' Horizon, ordered new in February of 2005 - that was 115,000 miles ago  .

Buy what you can afford - if it's a good price (and is well cared for, tires are only a couple of years old, etc.) get it and have fun. Save money for your dream rig. If you buy at the right price, use it for a few months and sell.

Thanks guys!! The Itasca has me a little nervous. One, it isn't quite in my price range yet. I'd have to save some money. But I've heard so many good things of Winnebagos from their owners that I'd love to stay with that brand. The sunseeker came around and is at a good price. With the extended warranty, I hope I'd be okay. But, it didn't rate nearly as well on RV Consumer Group rankings. The dealership also welcomed my inspector, so that was a welcome sign. They didn't give me a hard time about it at all.

So those are my choices right now. But the impulse is GORGEOUS.