Is This A Good Buy?

Homeskillet said:

We are currently looking at a 2009 Coachmen Leprechaun 318DS (I have no idea what these numbers & letters mean :-[).  Selling price is $61,094.49 - with $5,000 down payment.  This includes tax, title, license.  It's a very nice unit & this would put our payment @ approx. $445/Mo. (we have good credit).

Here it is:  http://www.campingworldofavondale.com/search/images.cfm?v=496919

I travel the country full-time preaching/teaching in various churches - so we would obviously be full-timers.  Wife would be following behind me since we have a Ford F-150 w. a low towing capacity (7,500 lbs.). 

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That is a nice looking unit and priced ok according to NADA. My suggestion is to rethink the class C and find yourself a class A. For the same length you get a rig that is six feet longer since you don't have that obnoxious hood sticking out. You get more room for humans, more room for your stuff and larger holding tanks. If you were only going to be a weekend camper it would be perfect, but for a full timer it is way too small. I am single living full time in a 32 foot class with three cats and I sure wish my RV was a few feet longer. Don't worry about driving, they are easy to drive.

1)  Don't most RV places (e.g., KOA, etc.) cost @ least $30/night to hook-up to?

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Yep but most full timers don't move every night. Too expensive and too much gas. A place that costs $30 per night is generally $200 per week or $450 per month. You are not going on a long vacation, you are adapting to a new lifestyle.

2)  Would we be able to stay overnight in, say, a Walmart parking lot in this rig?  Or would that use our battery-life up?

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You would have no problem staying in a Walmart parking lot overnight.

3)  When the salesmen tell us about "saving gas" through Good Sam's or via purchasing through Camping World (where we're buying) - is there any practicalities to this or is it a mere 3 cents per gallon or something trivial like that?

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Just a desperate salesman trying to con you into a quick sale.

4)  What are the most beneficial clubs to become members of as full-timers (e.g., Good Sam's, KOA, etc.)?

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Passport America is the only one I ever joined.

5)  What could we anticipate insurance costs to be on such a rig (best guesstimate)? I'm 48 w. a good driving record & 750 credit score.

6)  What is most reasonably priced insurance company for these kind of RV's?

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That all depends on your location. Insurance prices vary widely all over the country. 

if you are comfortable with your decision they yes its a good buy. "something is only worth what someone is willing to pay for it"  and Tom is correct about all the other stuff too ;D

That is a nice looking rig and depending on much stuff you are planning taking with you may fit your needs. You could convert the bed above the cockpit into storage.  I agree with looking at a class A which has a boat load more storage which is very important if two of you are going to full time it. Also the cockpit area is more adaptable as part of your living area than a class C cockpit area. 

As for your truck you need to look at it's weight not it's towing capacity. If it is under 5000 lbs you could probably tow it behind your rv. 

As for camping I would look at where you are traveling to and see how many rv camp grounds there are on your route and their rates. Walmart would be dry camping with no hook ups and your batteries would charge when you are driving so for a night you would be fine most likely. Besides you should have a generator to run if needed.  If you keep most stuff turned off when you aren't using them you should be fine.

If you have a smart phone there are a couple of good apps that can guide you to what walmarts etc you can overnight at. I think they are call Allstay  If you belong to the Elks a lot of their lodges have rv parks you can stay in for $10-15  a night.

Don't forget church parking lots since you are preaching and teaching, most should let you use their lots and you can probably run power and water from them. If you get a fee perhaps you could work staying there into that.  The other thing would be to look at state parks especially for free waste dumping since you don't need to dump every day.

For your insurance, check with your insurance agent about what it would cost to add an rv on with your truck. For example State farm uses a different rate for rvs than for vehicles for the same coverage and I found it to be a little cheaper than my car, so it might be a better option than good sam etc just check the coverage.

Gas wise, you may or may not notice much of a difference depending on the area. Good Sam may run the same as Costco or Sam's club. If yu join Good Sam you can get a discount at stations like Flying J or Pilot etc as well as a discount at a lot of rv campgrounds. You might want to invest in the 2016 good sam rv travel and savings guide for $6.95. There is a lot of good info in there.

I'm glad to hear of your ministry.

First, as you already know, pray about it.  It seems the Lord has already saved you from unknown bad timing.  He will let you know.

There are many folks who report problems with Camping World (CW) service.  Make sure ALL work promised is completed and you verify it was done properly before delivery and payment.  Get ALL promises and warranties in writing.  Their verbal guarantee to fix any roof leaks is void as soon as you pull off the lot.  There are some decent, honest CW locations, but many may not be.

If this will be your home, this Class C may be a bit small.  How often will you be traveling?  How long will you stay in one place?  Have you considered upgrading the truck to a F350 and going with a 5th wheel?  The money should be similar.  The 5er space is much larger.

If you are providing ministry to a specific church, they may allow you to "boondock" in their parking lot.  This MAY provide access to water, maybe electricity and maybe sewer (sewer cleanout is also sewer access).  Most Class C units have generators, so electricity should not be a problem in most places.

State parks, county parks, city parks, etc sometimes have camping areas which are usually cheaper.  I am looking at Tennessee State Parks, where RV space runs from $18 to $25 per night, although most do not have sewer hookups.

Best Wishes for your ministry.

If I had a budget like that I'd be looking at something like this  http://www.pplmotorhomes.com/classa/2009-Monaco-Monarch-30935.htm    or this

http://www.pplmotorhomes.com/classa/2012-Winnebago-Sightseer-31536.htm or

http://www.pplmotorhomes.com/diesel/2005-Kountry-Star-By-Newmar-31537.htm  or

http://www.pplmotorhomes.com/diesel/2005-Phaeton-By-Tiffin-31499.htm

That class C is nice but not as livable as these when you're talking full time.

92GA said:

If I had a budget like that I'd be looking at something like this  http://www.pplmotorhomes.com/classa/2009-Monaco-Monarch-30935.htm    or this

http://www.pplmotorhomes.com/classa/2012-Winnebago-Sightseer-31536.htm or

http://www.pplmotorhomes.com/diesel/2005-Kountry-Star-By-Newmar-31537.htm  or

http://www.pplmotorhomes.com/diesel/2005-Phaeton-By-Tiffin-31499.htm

That class C is nice but not as livable as these when you're talking full time.

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Those are all excellent choices.

Bet there isn't much difference in the cost of fuel if any. My buddy had a 88 27 ft class C  and moved up to a 30 ft class A and gets better mileage. The holding tanks and storage areas were much smaller on the C. Driving a class A is easier in my opinion. I've had 4 class Cs and on my 3rd A now, and wouldn't go back. If you like a closed in feeling while driving then maybe a class C is for you. Drive both style coachs for more than 20 minutes before you really make up your mind. They are a big investment and can be a big mistake.

We travel up & down WA, OR, CA a lot & some of the roads in this area are extremely curvy & narrow...which a Class C would easily handle.

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Many of us think that a Class A often is easier to drive than a Class C because of excellent visibility for one thing.  There are roads that NO RV should be driven on, so that's maybe an incorrect assumption.  For example, you might see a sign that says "campers over 30 feet prohibited".  In such cases it's because the road has sharp curves and the highway people have determined that vehicles over that length cannot safely make the turns by staying in their own lane.  In that case the Class A vs. Class C argument is irrelevant.  There are a lot of large motorhomes in the western states (ours is a 40' diesel pusher) and we travel all over them.

You need a copy of the Good Sam RV Travel & Savings Guide which is a guide to thousands of campgrounds all over the USA, Canada, and Mexico.  It tells you what amenities each campground has such as length of sites, hookups, and last year's price.  It includes both public and private campgrounds and will answer many of your questions.  As to staying overnight at places like Wal-Mart, there are ones in which you'll feel comfortable and others where you won't.  In the latter case, keep moving until you find something else.  It's just like any other situation, pay attention to your surroundings and how the people nearby are acting.  By the way, many communities have ordinances against all-night parking even on private property like Wal-Mart so look for signs prohibiting it.  We generally try to keep a low profile (no BBQs, no lawn chairs) and purchase something when boondocking in such places.

Perhaps your truck can be towed behind the motorhome.

I'm not sure which clubs you mean.  Good Sam and Passport America are two that many of us join for campground discounts.  In a sense they're just like your grocery store loyalty cards.  You buy something and get a discount.  You can discontinue "membership" at any time.  Resorts are generally in one of two categories.  Some are where you actually buy a site and either keep it for personal use or put it into the rental pool.  Other resorts are just a campground - but a very nice one.  The word resort usually means more amenities such as a golf course, Jacuzzi, very nice landscaping, and the like - and that usually means more expensive.  That's why I like the Good Sam directory; it gives you an idea of what you're getting for your money.  We look for pull-through sites if we don't want to unhook that night.  Others might really want a swimming pool.  Still others might want a club room for group gatherings.  Whether called a campground or a resort, they're all over the place in terms of what they offer.  Some that are frequented by snowbirds have hundreds of sites and such things as classes for jewelry making, pottery, etc. etc.  Campgrounds also have nightly rates, weekly rates, monthly rates, and some even have annual rates.

As to making reservations.  We seldom make them unless we're doing something special such as attending a reunion which is time dependent.  Most of the time we decide we want to stop for the night in about 50 miles and check the directory to find out what's ahead.  It depends though on a lot of factors, such as holiday weekends when campgrounds fill up, whether it's in a popular destination (Yosemite), whether it's in an area with few campgrounds (Washington D.C.) and the like.  If it's really hot and we're in the desert we want good 50-amp electrical to run the air conditioning so might avoid places that are limited to 30-amp electricity.  In other words, there is no consistency about anything having to do with either campgrounds or the way each of us does our wandering.

You have quite an adventure ahead of you!  All the choices can be a little overwhelming initially but take your time and you'll get there!

ArdraF

Weight has nothing to do with gas mileage. Wind resistance is the major factor.  Since As and Cs both have the same profile they both get roughly the same mileage. Driving a large class A is not that difficult and I agree with the above posters that it is easier than driving a class C. I have owned three class As, two class Cs and several class Bs. Currently I am in a class A and could not imagine going back to a class C. There just are not that many roads a class A cannot handle. You will rarely want to go somewhere a semi truck does not go.

There's a lot of good info above for you, but I'd like to add a few notes:

You would have no problem staying in a Walmart parking lot overnight.

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True in many places, but some cities/towns have ordinances that prohibit that -- usually there are signs in the parking lot, though, if this is the case.

You need a copy of the Good Sam RV Travel & Savings Guide which is a guide to thousands of campgrounds all over the USA, Canada, and Mexico.

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Ardra has a lot of wisdom in her post above, but I'd add that you can also get that info from the Allstays Camp & RV app for your "smart phone." Often both might be a good idea. The app was $10 when I got it, haven't checked price recently.

Most of the time we decide we want to stop for the night in about 50 miles and check the directory to find out what's ahead.

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We generally do the same with the Allstays app. Sometimes check the Woodall's or Good Sams paper copy or the KOA guide, too (our paper copies are older, though).

Weight has nothing to do with gas mileage.

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Not quite true, since it affects mileage during acceleration or going up/down hills, but generally Tom is right -- the wind resistance is the big factor in mileage, and many class A's get as good or better than a lot of C's.

SeilerBird said:

Those are all excellent choices.

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If I had the cash I wanted to spend, that Monaco would be the one for me. I really like that coach. Just internet shopping though.

Larry N. said:

Not quite true, since it affects mileage during acceleration or going up/down hills, but generally Tom is right -- the wind resistance is the big factor in mileage, and many class A's get as good or better than a lot of C's.

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You are correct Larry. When I was saying weight doesn't affect mileage I was referring to average mpg over a whole tank. Short term mileage can be grossly affected by the addition of weight. In general most all RVs get between 6 and 10 mpg average for a whole tank. How heavy your right foot is will of course affect your mileage. But basically a class C and a class A will get approximately the same mpg with the same driver in the same conditions. Many beginners are attracted to class Cs because the incorrectly assume that they are smaller and lighter so therefore they get better mileage.

You seem to have gotten some questionable information or simply inferred it from appearances. Do try to talk to some knowledgeable people (not salesmen who often have never used an rv) about what you plan to do. Perhaps visit an rv park and ask the tenants, or attend a show and talk to shoppers who have experience.

The advice given above is a good start, but you need to get some personal experience and hands on visits to get a feel for what will work for you (floor plan, floor ...). Don't worry about towing, but you may prefer to take smaller steps.  Perhaps get set up to tow when you buy and then drive the vehicles seperately until you are comfortable with the MH.

Class A is definitely a better choice for what you seem to be planning; easier to drive, about the same mileage (bad! 8+/- 2 mpg), more room, etc.

Hope this helps and remember - it's not brain surgery.

Ernie

Just my 2?. Why would you want to double your fuel cost by having someone drive your personal vehicle behind you? Plus, hours of driving with the wife behind in the truck might seem like a good idea (especially to the comedians, etc.  : ) but having a companion while traveling is invaluable.

I would strongly suggest a Class A that can tow the pickup truck. Try it the other way for awhile if you want, but I think you will quickly change your mind.

Class A and C are within 6 inches of the same width.  Mileage should be close.  Livability is worlds apart.

Check the REMCO web site and input data on your truck.  It will tell you what is needed to tow it safely.  You will probably choose to travel separately at first, but with experience driving the "big rig", you should become comfortable towing the F150.  That will save some fuel when you get comfortable.

I have not seen this comment yet, so.....    The most important factor in your choice is floor plan.  Make sure you and DW are very happy with the space allocations and arrangements.  You gotta live with it - literally!

parttymer said:

Just my 2?. Why would you want to double your fuel cost by having someone drive your personal vehicle behind you?

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As stated above, I have never even driven an RV - let alone pulled a crew-cab Ford F-150 behind it.  I would not feel comfortable pulling a truck that size until I get some experience under my belt.

And, while it is certainly more gas to drive 2 vehicles - I do get about 20 MPG in the truck & if I tow the truck it will greatly affect the MPG on my rig.  While it's not a "6 one way, half-dozen the other" scenario, I cannot see a huge amount of difference in MPG when towing such a large vehicle will greatly decrease the MPG on my rig....& I feel much safer (though I would miss my travel buddy horribly :'().

Just explaining my view.

I certainly understand your explnation. However, the difference in fuel mileage is negligible. Trust me, been there and done that (what you are thinking about). Towing is really easy. It takes awhile to get used to hooking up, but once you get the hang of it, its a piece of cake. Just make sure you always do everything in the same order every time. Don't let others distract you in any way when hooking up the towed vehicle.

Practice in a closed down K-Mart parking lot. Or any other large retailer that went out of business leaving the building with that huge parking lot sitting there doing nothing. We practiced hooking up and maneuvering the coach with the toad until we were comfortable. Just think of the tall light poles in the parking lot as stop sign poles. Learn to turn and how much clearance you need. Just takes a little practice.

Good luck.