Soon to be RV'ers....uhm...I think..maybe..maybe not! We are so confused!

[jayknee]

DH and I are retired and looking for a smaller motorhome for occasional weekday trips and mini vacations on non-holidays. Also; since flying is such a hassle it would be nice to drive around the US without worrying about closed rest stops and dirty bathrooms!

We cannot believe how expensive the smaller RV's are!!

We first looked at class B's which would fit in our rv gated back yard but they are WAY  more expensive than Class C's. We figure even with storage charges a Class C will be cheaper and we don't have to carry a chamber pot to the dump site.

We are now comparing Class C's and getting more confused by the minute. One person says we should get gas engine another says no; get a diesel. We are trying to compare different brands and are getting more and more confused.

Is it just us or did some of you go through the same issues we are about trying to decide what brand is more bang for the buck. We do want to buy new and dealers we have spoken to are anxious to make a cash sale.

We are learning a lot here and one of these days we may find OUR motorhome if we don't end up in straightjackets first!  :

 

[Kevin]

Don't feel bad or, alone. It took us over a year to find the mh we purchased. I'm sure that more people will be on to give you advise on this, but here is my take.

First: how much money do you want to spend
2nd size, floor plan(how big are you comfortable with,what layout do you like best)
3rd Gas vs Diesel each to his or her own on this one,  figure out your trips(hills or no) and cost for maintence, and how long you plan on keeping the unit.
4th look at as many as possible. A, B, C, gas and diesel
5th don't let any sales person push you into something your not sure about
6th ask questions, to mh owners, this forum, at the dealerships,service dept
7th try not to get down about the time it takes to find one, I could've ended up with something a whole lot worse if I would've jumped on the 1st one a liked.

I'm sure there are more things, but most of all have fun with it!!

this is not  in any specific order. Kevin

 

[Utclmjmpr]

If your just going to be the occasional RVer then RENT!, at least for a few times to get the feel.  Its much cheaper in the short run till you get things sorted out in your minds.>>>Dan

 

[doctort]

Once we decided to buy, we went to a large RV show here in Dallas and it really helped us compare and make up our minds.

 

[Gary RV_Wizard]

You can find quite a few previous discussions of gas vs diesel here.  Also Class A vs C, since they overlap in size a good deal.

My personal recommendation for your use would be a small Class A gas, something in the 26-30 foot range, but used Class A's in that size range are hard to find.

You don't need to buy a new one and in fact I recommend that you do not. You get a lot more for your money in a used coach.

 

[taoshum]

We are about 9 months ahead of you so hang in there.  It will work out.  One place I found really helpful is the website of PPL Motorhomes in Houston.  They have a website that allows you to sort the inventory by length, type, year, price, etc and see the photos of each unit and the floorplans.  It's a consignment dealer and probably sells a lot of coaches, I don't really know but the website is a real winner IMHO and very helpful to learn the brands and features.  http://www.pplmotorhomes.com/index.html if you want to take a look.  There are many other websites of dealers all across the country and then there are private sellers too.  Make sure you find out who is still in business or be prepared to deal with a potential parts problem.  Good Luck.

 

[ArdraF]

We've all been where you are now.  The first one can be very confusing, but even much later we all tend to agonize over what we want because we don't want to waste money.  It is, after all, a large investment.  Go to every RV show you can.  Sit in every coach that appeals to you.  Lie on the bed, sit on the toilet, stand in the shower, imagine yourself cooking, imagine where you would put clothes, tools, food, etc. etc.  You quickly discover there are certain floor plans that simply won't work for you.  And, trust me, what works for me may not work for you, so it's what YOU can or cannot live with that is important here.  Also, once you start RVing, this will probably not be your first motorhome because it's hard to know what you need until you've actually done it.  We worked up from VW Westphalias, through 18-, 22-, and 30-foot Class Cs, to 34- and 40-foot diesel pushers.  With this last one we knew exactly what we wanted but in the early ones we went with what we liked and what seemed reasonable for our needs and price range.

Diesels usually cost more but last longer.  For a first motorhome I'd go with a smaller gas motorhome, especially because you don't intend to fulltime.  Even that might change after a while.  This is a buyer's market, so take your time looking around.

ArdraF

 

[Pierat]

Good advice above. Test out the ones you like, and try to do more than one in the same day to remember the comparison better. I'd suggest too that you not jump at the first one you fall in love with, unless you are really really sure. Inspect it thoroughly or have a good RV tech do it (new or used). Class Bs intrigued us, but just weren't roomy enough for the long haul. We are fulltimers so needed the storage, and wound up with a 42' Class A diesel. For weekends you probably don't need anywhere near that much coach or expense. It seems to me that a good C in the shorter sizes could have enough room in the right floor plan and park pretty much anywhere a B would fit.

 

[jayknee]

Thanks so much everyone!

We started out in a permanent campground spot with a 22' tt which on rainy weekends became a war zone.   

We then got a 32' Wilderness which was really nice but with both of us working back then it became  a liability so we sold it and just didn't think about camping any more. Then we retired and moved here and all our neighbors have either mh or tt.

They belong to a club and all travel together one weekend a month and then other times too so they would be available to help us learn the ropes. 

We'll keep looking and we made a list of must haves including a real bed and a front entertainment center as we could never see a small tv. Besides we don't need a bed over the cab since we'll have a bed. That knocked out some brands out right away.

We are thinking 24 to 30 feet so you can see we are narrowing our search.

 

[ArdraF]

Check out Lazy Daze in southern California.  We've had two.  Very well made and a family business.

ArdraF

 

[jayknee]

We have narrowed it down to Itasca Navion or Navion IQ since they would fit through our 8 1/2' RV gate and save us storage charges. Now; we need to find a dealer in our area and see and checkout the floorplan to see if it will work for us.

Thanks for all your suggestions.

 

[seilerbird]

I have something new to ad to the Class A/Class C debate.

Two years ago I lived in my girlfriend's 1997 32' Jayco Eagle class C motorhome for about 6 months. Currently I am living in a 27' 1985 Tiffin Allegro class A motorhome. I don't understand it, however, the class A, which is 5 feet shorter than the class C, feels like it is about 5 feet longer than the class C. It doesn't make any sense to me, but the A sure feels a lot bigger.

 

[Phil]

I have something new to ad to the Class A/Class C debate.

Two years ago I lived in my girlfriend's 1997 32' Jayco Eagle class C motorhome for about 6 months. Currently I am living in a 27' 1985 Tiffin Allegro class A motorhome. I don't understand it, however, the class A, which is 5 feet shorter than the class C, feels like it is about 5 feet longer than the class C. It doesn't make any sense to me, but the A sure feels a lot bigger.

Maybe because you don't have to share the space with the girlfriend. 

 

[ferfer]

Maybe that the driver and passenger chairs are usable space.  That adds a lot of feet.  Plus the Class A full height adds a feeling of more room.

Jennifer

 

[jayknee]

Well folks; sad to say but we have given up in our search.

With our small 8 1/2' rv gates and roof overhang with only 10' clearance the only thing that would fit is a class B which is just too small and way more expensive than a class C!

The Navion IQ is the only one we could find which may fit but the front floor plan would not work for us with the benches, seats and tv at weird angles at least according to the pics; plus $140,000.00 is a bit much for us!!

We made a list of what we both want in a motorhome and we can't get a nice size bath with seperate shower and separate bedroom in a 24 to 26' as we can't climb or vault over the cab to go to bed at our ages.

I don't want to break a hip trying to get out of a bunk to go potty at 3:00am!!

We have the RV gate and dumps at our house so if they ever make a nice motorhome with a bedroom and full bath we are ready but till then will just keep wishing.

Geesh; you all are so fortunate!!

Thanks all!
Janie

 

[ines]

Did you find the motorhome you like ?
I am experiencing the same problem.
There is a model that I love but is expensive , the Via , is class A but only 25 ft . I want to let you know just in case . Is by Winnebago too and is new .
Please let me know if you purchased one how do you like it or what problems did you find .
Thank you so much .
Ines

 

[Retired CSIGuy]

Don't rush and don't settle....first decide what you REALLY want for keeps, then start looking.  Pros and cons for new and used.  One mistake people make when buying new, is "ahh we'll keep it for a few years then get something we really want".  If you buy new, then get what you REALLY want going into the deal because it'll depreciate 30 - 50% the minute it leaves the dealer's lot.  If you buy used, you can save money, but you can also inheret other people's problems and if it's used from a dealer, they won't tell what is wrong with it...they just want to move the unit, and they balk at fixing stuff under warrantee.  It's a chore.....but do your homework...it'll make your RVing fun, not a nightmare.  Happy RVing

 

[maddog348]

I know you stated 'weekends' & 'short trips' but you may want to stay out for a few weeks at a time. Since you have not made your purchase yet  ~~ consider how much 'stuff' you may want to carry.  Think about not only where you will put it BUT how much it may weigh(you;stuff;food;linens;clothes;water;etc,etc,).  This is CRITICAL on the smaller units.  We have much more space than weight allowance (853#) ~ We made an error and it wasn't even our 1st MH. Use your oun knowledge & statistics ~ Don't let a salesman talk you into something that may not fit your needs(sigh :'().  Enjoy the search.

TakeCare ~ TravelSafe ~ HaveFun ~ Kate