"a year in America"

The friendliest place on the web for anyone with an RV or an interest in RVing!
If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.
See posts with no answers
F

ferryman26

Member
Joined
Jul 18, 2009
Posts
5
Hello Everyone

We have been researching for a few months now into the possibility of taking a year out in the USA, so far it seems possible although a lot more involved than i first thought. The main thing we are considering is the choice of A or C class travel, the only essential for such a long trip i think would be a permanant bed. The reason we want to take a year, although maybe not use all that time, is because there is so muuch to see and everything is so far apart, also we would like to get off the tourist route maybe doing some boondocking and "walmart" stops.Secondly The weather, where would be the best place to start to follow the spring weather Thirdly the RV we use would probably not be taken back to UK so idealy we would like to buy one we can "afford" to scrap or give away at the end of the trip, unless of course we become addicted and trade in for an upgrade, and an extension of our visa.
Irealise this is quite a big question so anyone who wants to throw in their two cents worth please feel free.

                                          regards
                                                        Tony
 
I think it would be cheaper to buy an older class A and fix it up rather than rent for a year. At the end of the year you could leave it at PPL in Houston and they would sell it for you, since they are a consignment dealer. The weather thing is pretty simple, go north in the summer, go south in the winter and do the east and west coast in the spring and fall. Here is a web site you can subscribe to for about $20 per year that lists 5000 places an RVer can stay at overnight for free:

http://www.overnightrvparking.com/

Only about 90% of the  Walmarts allow overnight parking. You will want to avoid the east coast and the south in the summer since it is very humid. You should be in the northeast during the fall for the changing of the leaves. The fall colours in New England are fantastic. Some of the do not miss under any circumstances are Yosemite, Yellowstone, the Grand Canyon, Zion, Bryce Canyon, Carlsbad Caverns, Arches and Grand Teton. All are National Parks. Get a good book on the National Parks and read about all of them. There are currently 46 National Parks in the lower 48 and most are pretty fantastic.
 
Hi Ferryman and welcome to RV Forum. Glad you found us.

That's a tall question is such a few words.

You can sell a rig when you are finished and if you are willing to accept a really low price it should not be too hard to re-sell. You are going to lose a bundle on re-selling a coach anyway, so selling it quick at less than market value only hurts a little more. And you can leave it with a dealer here on  consignment, so you don't have to wait around for the sale.

As for following the weather, just start in the southern USA (Florida or Arizona) in winter or early spring and work your way north as the weather suits you. You probably don't want to be in the northern US until sometime in May.

As for A vs C, an A of the same length generally gives more usable interior room for two people. Floor plans will differ, too, because of the inherent design constraints in each type. Other than that, its mostly a matter of preference. Class C's are attractive to newcomers because the car-like cab is less intimidating, but they actually are no easier to drive. Maybe even less easy, since the cab of a class A has a better view of surrounding traffic.

There are plenty of good, used rigs available to buy, especially in the south where Rvers flock for the winter and often trade their rigs.
 
RV Roamer said:
Class C's are attractive to newcomers because the car-like cab is less intimidating, but they actually are no easier to drive. Maybe even less easy, since the cab of a class A has a better view of surrounding traffic.
Click to expand...

Gary, I bought my current class C when I was not a newcomer, and I didn't buy it because its cab was less intimidating.  And it is easier to drive than any class A  I've ever driven.  And, being at least a foot lower than most A's, I don't have to worry as much about clearance.
 
Thanks everyone, we had almost decided on a A or C already, i think it will depend on MPG(if there is a differance between them ?) and what they have available when we get to the US, we plan to just turn up with a back pack and take it from there. we would have too allow a couple of weeks to search one out on arrival.

we really have two choices, from the research we done.
A) go down to texas and buy one from a dealer then register in polk country
B) buy one in PA and register it there in our son's name as he is living there at the moment

unless of course you know of another way

thanks for all the advice so far

                                  Tony
 
ferryman26 said:
Thanks everyone, we had almost decided on a A or C already, i think it will depend on MPG(if there is a differance between them ?)
Click to expand...

It will depend on which rig you get, its weight, aerodynamics, engine, etc.  Our current class C is getting 16? mpg on trips, but it's a little rig with a 3 liter diesel (and I drive it between 58 and 60 mph) - other class C's we've had have gotten about 10-11 mpg (V-8 engines).
 
Our older 30' gas (petrol) Pace Arrow used to get 5-6mpg from the day we bought it new. Our current 38' diesel Monaco gets 8-9mpg, although it varies significantly based on the driver's lead foot.

Remember that we're talking US gallons, not imperial gallons or litres.
 
I might add that as of yesterday, 18 July, gasoline in the most expensive market in the USA, Los Angeles, CA, was $2.97 per gallon when I filled up.   That is $0.785 per liter.   I will leave it to you to do the currency conversion.

 
when i filled up recently i was paying ?1-04 per gallon.

what is the differance between a US gallon and a UK one

We reckon that if we allow a year, we would probably travel about 25,000 miles. are we about right?


                                Tony
 
[quote author=ferryman]what is the differance between a US gallon and a UK one[/quote]

1 US gallon = (0.8 x 1 imperial gallon)

1 imperial gallon = (1.25 x 1 US gallon)
 
Tony

>>We reckon that if we allow a year, we would probably travel about 25,000 miles. are we about right?<<


last year I started in Arizona traveled to Yucatan, Mexico then to the Maritimes & Newfoundland, down the east coast to Key west, Florida & then back to Arizona....total 22,000 miles.
 
we might be just about right then, as i said before we just want to turn up and wander around, are you full timers Terry, or on a Vacation.

                                Tony
 
Tony

We have a place in AZ & in Idaho . Most years we spend 3-4 months in each & travel the rest. Some years we travel the full year. Just depends on our mood or circumstances....Thats the beauty of RVing.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Latest posts

Members online

Total: 766 (members: 27, guests: 739)

Forum statistics

Threads
131,915
Posts
1,387,350
Members
137,668
Latest member
lmw
Back
Top Bottom