looking for advice on what to buy

I am looking for advice on getting a rv dont know what is better so im sure some one out there has great advice
is the truck and 23 foot trailer better to deal with or class 8 with motor in , im single so i have to do everything myself
and slightly handicapped but im going to do this . i want to travel before i cant get up anymore. I have been
checking the spots prices and emergency places to stay. i want to live in it instead of a paying for an apartment that no
one should have to pay these prices, for sitting in one place. so women you the most because Im doing it alone. my husband went with
the Lord left me early so.  is it worth it giving up a stationary for a moving home. i am ready to get rid of everything.

I'd suggest the truck and trailer. The reason is that once your RV is connected to the campsite water, electricity and sewer it is a hassle to have to disconnect everything just to go to town to buy food, etc.

With a trailer you will have more room and the ability to come and go with no disconnect hassles.

Learning to connect a trailer and driving it will take some time but you are going into this for the long run and lot's of women do it all the time.

If you have a problem at a campsite you can ask around and almost always somebody will be willing to help you. We were all beginners once upon a time.

I personally know two single ladies who travel all around the country alone. Both of them started with a class B and moved up to a class C because of space requirements. 

Keep in mind it's easier to get a pickup truck worked on than it is to get a Class B worked on.

Good luck in your new adventure and feel free to come on here with any questions you may have in the future. Lot's of people here to help you.

Given your reference to a slight disability, you would likely find a motorhome easier to manage, even if you end up towing a car. Hitching up a car is much easier than hitching a trailer, and cars do not have to be elveled when parked. Likewise, I would suggest a motorhome with a built-in leveling system rather than using blocks under the wheels. You can install a leveling system on a trailer, though. They are pricey.

You may find that RV living isn't any less expensive than an apartment. You have to pay for the RV, either up front or monthly, plus there are campground fees, ongoing maintenance, and the potential for expensive repairs to vehicle or house components. RV dealer shops are hugely expensive and often slow to complete repairs as well. At $100-$125 per hour, even a small repair quickly becomes very expensive.

A 23 foot trailer has about 175 sq ft of living space. The smallest apartment is going to be 4x that, so you will be giving up a lot of working & living space that you are accustomed to. e.g. a nice bathroom or kitchen counter space.

Buying an RV to live in to save money is as dumb as getting married so you don't have to cook (if you are a guy, as Jerry Reed so famously sung). As Gary said there is a lot more expenses to owning an RV than just the price and they require a lot more maintenance than a house. What is your disability and what part of the country do you live in?

Motorhome versus trailer depends a lot on how you want to travel.  Do you plan on spending a month or more in one place before moving on?  If so, a trailer and truck would be good because even though they are harder to unhook and set up, once you do it, you can stay somewhere for several weeks and use your truck to drive around in.

However, if you want to keep on traveling, staying only a few days in each spot, a smaller Class C would be best because it is easier to hook up and unhook.  You can run errands and sight-see between campgrounds, as I do.  With a motorhome, you just back in and plug in electric and water, and maybe sewer, assuming you have full hookups.

I also agree that an RV is generally NOT cheaper than an apartment, unless of course, you have an apartment in San Francisco or New York City.  I bought a new motorhome five years ago, and hardly a month goes by where i do not spend $300 or more on maintenance.  This month it was double that because I needed my transmission flushed, tire pressure checked, and had to have my toilet re-installed, plus pay labor on a new house water pump.

I would certainly save money if I were handy and could do some of those jobs myself, but I am an older woman and just can't.  It sounds like you cannot do much maintenance yourself, either, so you need to factor that in. You are maintaining a vehicle and a house all in one. 

Your best bet to save money on housing is to buy a mobile home or park model RV and don't move it.  But there are costs associated with those, also.

"You are maintaining a vehicle and a house all in one.  "

This is what beginners don't understand. Not only are you maintaining a vehicle and a house, they are both bouncing down the road at 65 mph getting shaken to death.

An apartment is not always cheaper than an RV.  It depends on where you live.

My brother in law and his family moved up to the Silicone Valley area (he finally got a job).....he is now paying $6,200 rent per month for an older 3 bedroom house, after he moved out of a 3 bedroom house that was  $8,000 per month.

The average 2 bedroom apartment in San Jose is running $4,300 a month rent.

The streets of San Jose are lined with so many people living in RVs because the housing is so expensive that the mayor has suspended parking enforcement.


My advice...  I would buy whats called a Class B+ motorhome,  they are usually smaller, less than 30 foot long so you can comfortably drive it to go shopping and stuff.  Look for one that has a good bed, and a decent bathroom. 

A Class C will also work and are a great value,  but very few "older adults" can climb up into the overhead bed.

Then I'd get myself a small puppy dog and go enjoy the adventure....   Good Luck.

Lots of excellent advise above.

Living full time in an RV is NOT cheap, but it MAY be cheaper than rent.

Whatever you buy, FLOOR PLAN is the most important consideration.  You will be stuck in here full time!  Is the shower big enough?  Is the kitchen fully workable for you?  Is there a comfortable seat for reading, watching TV or doing what YOU enjoy doing?  Is the bed comfortable?  Easy to get into and out of?  Is there sufficient storage space?  These are questions only you can answer.

A Class B or B+ is a passenger van with a SMALL house replacing the seats behind the driver.  They often have limited storage, small showers and small holding tanks.

Class C is a truck based van with a house behind the driver.  These often have slide outs to make more space for added comfort.  It is still small enough for most folks to be comfortable driving.

Class A is the classic shape big RV, although they come in several sizes.  Most come with a host of amenities standard that are optional or not available on Class C and B units, like power steps, auto leveling, walk around beds, generators, and storage space.

Both Class A or C can tow a small or mid size car for local travel.

Do lots of reading and research before spending your hard earned money so you may be able to get it right the first time!

So here is my 3 cents worth of info. I am an older disabled single woman so being able to rv by myself was important. I had thought about  truck/trailer combo but I can't back up anything to save my life and also I wanted to be able to access the kitchen/bathroom etc without getting in and out of a vehicle especially after dark. So that left one of the ABC's. My first rv was a B+ 07 Cambria which was nice but had some issues. As far as living in it I felt it would not be a good choice for any length of time because it had a dinette and a corner bed and they are a pain in the butt to get in and out of not to mention making it. I consider the overhead loft beds to be useless when you get older because no one in my age group or there abouts would want to or could climb the ladder, they are good for storage however!  I then went to a class A. The first one (winnebago vista lx 27N)  I had about a year and ended up being a lemon (and yes it qualified under the lemon law). Now I have a Winnebago vista lx 30T and for me it is perfect. I went into it thinking that if I had to give up the house  could I live in it comfortably, i.e. the buffet/chairs and a sleeper sofa vs the dinette. That alone made a huge difference for me.  Of course living full time would mean getting rid of a lot of stuff : The things I considered when selecting this model was the length (31ft) for traveling ,parking etc. Another main factor was the layout. This one was better than the first class A (the 27N) because I could access the bathroom and bed without having to put out the slide if necessary. It has plenty of storage inside and out (that can be a factor to look at if full timing.). Another key factor was the ease of being able to set up by myself.  I have found that there are a lot of really nice fellow rvers and you can find help just about anywhere you go, and that can be a huge plus if you have a handicap and find doing things to be a challenge if you are having a flare up. I tow a small car behind and am able to hook it up etc. I got the braking system that you just flip a switch rather than fool with a bulky box thingie for your brakes. It was those little details that I looked real closely at and talked with others about. Yes it may have cost a bit more but it is a very easy system to use. I did a lot research before ending up with this combo I have now which I can't stress enough for you to do a lot of researching so you can figure out what would work best for you. Floor plans will be a major concern if you are going to full time it so make sure you visualize how you will spend your evenings etc (hobbies that take up some space) etc and then check everything out, sit on the toilet , go through the motions, stand in the shower, go through the motions you would when showering etc so you can tell if it would work okay for you. I have to say that is the one thing I don't like about my rig is that the shower is too small but because everything else was perfect on the rig  I am working around the shower issue.