2nd rv??

Hi, we bought a 1991 22 ft Tioga montara cpl yrs back. Well... We have since travelled a bit, last summer we spent 2 mos going from lake tahoe( our home) to Massachusetts. We went thru Wyoming,N Dakota, Wis, Minn, Oh, Ny, Penn, etc. Then took the northern route back, to the coast and south. Point being.... The 2 of us and a shedding German shepherd did just fine only bickered 2x!  ( we used to have a roof topper ?)  we learned a  lot ! now I know before we buy our next RV, I know all the stuff to check, I will be crawling on the roof, into the storage , under the chassis, into the pipes and plumbing. We love our little RV. We have done improvement and will probably be able to sell for what we paid for it, so..... now my question.... We just put the house on the market, selling the cars, the market if good right  now and our house has 27 stairs,, aka... not a good retirement home... We r not in a hurry to replace the beast but... We don't want to buy new, we want to stay somewhat compact as we are now..what's better... buy a used high quality older RV.. or a newer but standard quality rv.. We have bought rental cars before and had great luck .. a prius and a Awd  rav4. They were the base models as rental rv's seem to be. But you can get a rental for 30-40,000. Only a cpl yrs old.  It at the same time.... an older but known to be quality RV is also an option. Our travel style is most high mountain s in the sierra, Rockies and Canada... mountain passes. We will tow a vehicle some of the time but it will have to be able to hold skiis and dog and be and or 4wd  when not being towed. At the moment the toad is a 1993 ranger 4x4. Came with the Tioga. I have read a ton... but.. gas vs diesel at high altitude with toad. Love mountainous, rural areas.  If considering the same length... for example 25ish ft... what is the diff between class A vs Class C or B+?  Class B is too small.  The hardest thing for me converting to the RV lifestyle is I am a potter.... not a hobby conducive to rv... I love cookimg... It will be good to be forced to symplify... We have a house in Baja . To say " fulltime " isn't accurate cuz we have an escape house. We also plan to rent a condo or place here and there during ski season. We did that last winter.  I guess my question to all you people with experience what should we consider in the future.  We don't want to be limited to paved parks.  We like to use private RV parks, national forest campgrounds, boondocking.. oh ya.... I want solar. Plan to get a cpl suitcase panels even for the Tioga. Our house in Mexico is completely off grid, 30 miles down a dirt road....si i have a rudimentary understanding og solar.  any input anyone has would be great!  We don't want to spend a 100 ,0000 on an RV. I dont want to climb above cab to bad ad we do now.. i dont want to put bed away everyday.. but a corner bed entrance is acceptable. Boy.... this has gotten wordy.. sorry and thankypy in advance.....cathy

Welcome.

I think you will get more replies if you shorten your post and add paragraphs and punctuation.  I'm sorry but it is just too difficult to read.

Pugapooh said:

Welcome.

I think you will get more replies if you shorten your post and add paragraphs and punctuation.  I'm sorry but it is just too difficult to read.

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Yep, I gave up reading at the second sentence. Way too hard to read.

SeilerBird said:

Yep, I gave up reading at the second sentence. Way too hard to read.

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I never started reading.

Cathy,
I have to agree with the other replies. Most of us are old and our memory is severely lacking. After about six or so sentences I tend to forget the first three to four. I have to agree....oops, already said that.

Dear CHATTY Cathy.
I read the post and my only suggestion is to stay under about 32 feet if you are serious about "We don't want to be limited to paved parks.  We like to use private RV parks, national forest campgrounds, boondocking..".

SOme of the older smaller government parks have size limits as they were built before the longer rigs became in vogue.

Sorry about the length,  here's an abridged version.

  We will be looking to upgrade to different RV. No hurry.  Can't decide it it's better to get an older but known to be good quality rv.. an example would be a Phoenix cruiser ..out of our price range new. ., or get a used rental. We have had good luck with  2 rental cars we bought.. both toyotas.

    Also,  gas vs diesel.. most of our time is in the mountains,  so going over passes in the Sierra and Rockies., at times with a toad. We will also be on dirt road a bit as we like to boondock.

  Final question, given the same length. What are the pros and cons of class A vs Class C.  30 feet or under. So far the challenge in our 21 ft Tioga is storage.  We spend most of our time outside. Except in bad weather.

    I have read a ton. But would appreciate opinions of those  experience... Thanks

We have a 40? motorhome, and we spent the last week at a wonderful State Recreation Area in South Dakota. Plenty of room for the coach. We have also been by parks where 20? is the maximum. No matter what size of unit you get there will be some spots you can?t get into. If you decide to boondocking, there are many. Many places you can go with a big motorhome. In other words, don?t worry about the size so much. You need to get something that fits your lifestyle and has the right storage for your type of trips. I have to admit I would recommend a diesel for mountains with a toad. Gas definitely costs less, and if you do most of your travel in the flats or for shorter trips it can be very effective. We prefer mountains, a toad, and an exhaust brake, so we went diesel. However there aren?t many diesels under 34-36?.

When you talk boondocking, you should consider things such as tank capacities (water, grey, black, propane), battery capacity and capability (how many amps, 12 volt vs 6 volt-in pairs), storage capacity for clothes food, tools, etc., possible solar panels to recharge batteries. These things will really have an effect on the size RV you need to consider.

T hnaks for your help.  Our present RV is short on storage so xtra batteries will not fit. A suitcase style solar setup is planned.

Thanks for the input on gas vs diesel. Where we spend most of our time in the mountains I was thinking that might be better especially if we have a toad.  How hard is it to find a diesel mechanic when you have an emergency? I realize they are more expensive. Our gas RV choked a little on a mountain pass but it was after a full day of hard driving. It was at 9666ft..Powder River Pass , Big Horn Mtns, WY.  Us highway 16. 

It was the only time we had a problem, but don't need to repeat it... that's why I was wondering if diesels do any better?

I'm not sure what you mean by "choked a little on a mountain pass" but one of the main advantages a diesel has, especially at higher altitudes*, is that they are turbocharged, thus not losing power with altitude. Many (not all) gas coaches will pull as well as diesels (for their weight) when not at the extremes, though.


* at 9600 feet a non-turbocharged engine has lost more than 30% of its power (roughly 3%/1,000 ft.). Warmer days are worse.

Gotta wonder how many times you will go through those passes in order to justify the added expense of a turbo-diesel.

I am never in a hurry since I retired and if I arrive 10 minutes later  do not care.

  So, by "choked a little" I mean up near the summit, the engine acted like a clogged fluel filter, stalled an would not restart. We waited a few minutes then it started. This happened 2x . It happened at 8000ft then at about 9600 ft. There is not much shoulder so  it was less than ideal. After that... It never happen again. . 5 days earlier went over Teton pass, 8300 ft. And it was fine. The fuel filter had been changed at the beginning off our trip. The engine is Ford 460.

  We camp in the sierra and Rockies frequently and live 6500 ft ( until our house sells) . So to answer " how fequent" are we there..It is where we spend most of our time. That's why I was hoping to get some input here from people that know a lot more than we do regarding rvs.. we are slowy looking to upgrade our ride.  thanks for any input

Gretaeva said:

  So, by "choked a little" I mean up near the summit, the engine acted like a clogged fluel filter, stalled an would not restart. We waited a few minutes then it started. This happened 2x . It happened at 8000ft then at about 9600 ft. There is not much shoulder so  it was less than ideal. After that... It never happen again. . 5 days earlier went over Teton pass, 8300 ft. And it was fine. The fuel filter had been changed at the beginning off our trip. The engine is Ford 460.

  We camp in the sierra and Rockies frequently and live 6500 ft ( until our house sells) . So to answer " how fequent" are we there..It is where we spend most of our time. That's why I was hoping to get some input here from people that know a lot more than we do regarding rvs.. we are slowy looking to upgrade our ride.  thanks for any input

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Reminds me of the old Flagstaff Tune up trick.
Before I 40 on US 66 as you came into Flagstaff there was  a gas station that when you pulled in with your car running rough they would sell you a tune up.  Of course all they did was adjust the air fuel ratio (year was 1964) on the carburetor.  Flagstaff is 7000 feet/ When you would come down to Kingman at about 3300 feet the car would run like crap again. The guy in Kingman would readjust the carburetor and all would be good.
In Kingman they called it a Flagstaff tune up

After that... It never happen again. . 5 days earlier went over Teton pass, 8300 ft. And it was fine. The fuel filter had been changed at the beginning off our trip. The engine is Ford 460.

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Perhaps a touch of water in the filter (I know, I'm stretching), but if you're spending a lot of time in the high country without it happening before or since, then I'd suspect an anomaly that may never show again. It certainly wouldn't be worth changing vehicles for that alone, and it's not something that automatically happens because it's a gas engine.

As far as class A vs class C, one big advantage for a class A is that they typically have quite a bit more storage than a class C, and if budget is a concern, I'd stick with gas, although diesels offer some advantage (but at a higher ongoing cost), and they're rare under 30 ft (except in the Sprinter chassis which are a different animal entirely).

    Thank you for all the input.  We are not in a hurry to replace our old beast.  We bought it as a " learner " rv. .it was not expensive and it is helping us figure our  we need and like.  We know we need more storage for our personal stuff and deep cycle batteries as we want solar.  I  want a bed that does not have to be pulled out/ set up or over the cab Lke we have now. .. I hadn't even considered diesel due to cost earlier on.  But I have read some pros and cons on this forum that prompted the interest. We are slow travelers. Maybe 5-6 hrs driving a day usually... when not hanging out somewhere.  The older RV we have really rattles and shakes on the dirt roads. . Sometimes I'm afraid the  hole thing is going to come apart. .We are selling our house and will be spending a lot of time in the RV. So when we buy the next one we want to make the right choices. Thanks again for all your help.

Your age, health and how long you intend to be on the road are the most important factors.
If only a few years then a gasser might be the most bang for the buck.
Long term with lots of long trips then a diesel might make economic sense.