Welcome to the RV Forum Community. You are starting as DW and I did. A couple years before retirement, we decided that it would be nice to take leisurely trips in an RV to visit our daughters who had moved hundreds of miles from us in opposite directions. So, we started "looking" at RVs. In our case, looking led to premature buying. We kept that first TT about a year and moved on. I don't recommend doing what we did. In retrospect, we should have spent much more time looking at various types of RVs. What we learned is that the 3 most important considerations are "floor plan, floor plan, floor plan."
I suggest you spend hours and hours studying RVs and "playing house" in them on dealer lots. That is to say, imagine yourself living in each unit. Go through a typical day's activities to whatever extent you can. Do you need to get up to use the bathroom in the night? Lie on the bed and see what will be involved with doing that in the middle of the night in the dark. Do you love to cook? Act out the preparation of one of your favorite meals in the kitchen. Do you love to entertain? See how other people can be accommodated in your prospective home on wheels. Sit on all the furniture. Is it comfortable enough to spend the evening there? If you like to watch TV, does the layout lend itself well to that? You get the idea.
Once you have found a floor plan that you like check various manufacturers' offerings of that general design. Don't rush the process. When you think you have it all figured out, look for a gently used model. Depreciation on RVs is staggering. Have an independent professional check it over for you, looking for signs of water leaks/damage or other hidden problems. Above all, don't sign anything or pay any money, until all of your questions have been answered to your complete satisfaction and all necessary repairs have been completed. If the dealer balks, offer to open an escrow account and put a deposit in it in his name, payable upon his satisfactory completion of any necessary work.
Many people on RV forums will tell you that you can tell when a salesman is lying, if his lips are moving. I think that is a bit harsh. There are some good people in the RV biz. Just keep in mind the salesman wants to make a sale (and may have been selling refrigerators last week), and the dealer is in business to make a profit.
I suggest you go to the Library link above and read the articles in Buying an RV and in Towing and Towables. It is critical to understand how to select a trailer and a tow vehicle that are properly matched. A salesman is likely to tell you that whatever pickup or RV you have will pull whatever he is trying to sell you. Don't believe it until you have done your due diligence.
Now that I have scared the stuffin' out of you, let me assure you that once you have found and equipped an RV and a proper tow vehicle if you get a trailer of 5th wheel, you are in for a lot of fun, adventure and enjoyment. I just want you to take your time, so you avoid some of the pitfalls that I and others have had to navigate.
Welcome to the forum; good luck with your search; and happy travels. Hope to see you down the road.
