Hello!

[Suzn1253]

Hi All,

I'm Susan and my husband is Alan.  We began the new chapter of retirement last year, and  decided that RVing is something we want to experience. We have two large Golden Retrievers (Oliver and Shiloh) and we can't really take them with us (no cargo hold for them!) and our kids live in California and Colorado.  It would be nice to get to see them for more than a few days.

I?m a retired nurse and my husband is a retired attorney so together, if anyone had to do more mechanical work (I used to literally fix the dialysis machines that the techs couldn?t) it?s me.  But neither of us are really experienced with trucks, towing, and/or the complexity of some machinery.

Anyway, disregarding all that, we are in the process of searching for the right RV.  We decided initially on a C class but since we want a bit more space for our dollar (A class too expensive for a beginning), we decided on a 5th wheel. 

We are both originally from NJ but now we live between Florida and Vermont so this will also be a good way to travel back and forth.

I just wanted to say Hi before I get to the forums proper and ask for your advice.

Sue    

 

[Gary RV_Wizard]

I think you will find that a nice 5W and adequately sized truck will cost as much as a Class A, so you may want to re-think.  I also suggest you buy used rather than new.  Forget your car-buyer mentality - an RV is much more like a house than a vehicle and previously owned is common. It's also true that previously owned RV is often less trouble than a new one.

Would you be using it just for occasional trips and semi-annual migration to/from Florida, or would you be living in it for longer periods?  Any 5W big enough for comfortable living for two adults and two large dogs is going to require a 3/4 ton or one-ton truck, probably a diesel, so we are talking a large and expensive vehicle.

Start your search simply by visiting many dealerships and checking out a large variety of sizes and types, both new and used.  Leave the checkbook home and just familiarize yourself with the what is available, building up knowledge to make a more informed decision. Don't fall for the typical sales ploy that a price or model is only available today - that is purely Babbling Salesman talk (BS).

 

[TheBar]

I agree with Gary. Realize towing has some challenges if you've never done it before.  You will need to find a big empty parking lot to practice backing up. Motorhomes are what I call plug and play.  Back into your space just like a car, connect water and electric, and done.  Towed RVs have more setup and take-down required.  Also if your RV is 30 feet and the truck is 20 you are talking 50 feet total length.  Makes it hard to get in and out of smaller gas stations and parking lots.  I've been blocked in more than once trying to get out.

 

[Suzn1253]

Hi Gary,
Thanks for all of the sage advice.  I figured I'd just say Hi here and post my questions and other information to another board.  I will still do that however as far as the truck goes we have already purchased one after a real hiccup.  we bought a truck last year, partly to do the drive from Fl. to VT. but with the idea in mind that maybe we would want an RV.  Long story short it turned out to be a truck that couldn't pull a very large RV so we traded it for a Chevy Silverado 2500 HD with the 6.6 Diesel and a towing ability of about 15k.  Ugh.  That's part one.

We have been looking at 5th wheels and what I really wanted was a Jayco 5th wheel however they are hard to find here it seems - no dealers are carrying the trailers just the motorized.  We looked at Airstream, Winnebago, Keystone, a few others that I don't recall, and then saw the Vanleigh Pinecrest 32.5 5th wheel.  i think it will meet our needs so we are seriously considering it.  I wanted to give a shout out to the forum so I could get an idea of anyone's experiences. 

You are right when you say that we will probably invest about as much.  However, we rented a C class last year and were turned off.  I guess the rental vehicles might not be as well maintained as they should be but the ride was so poor the dogs were miserable.  But they love riding in the backseat of the truck.

Oh and as far as use goes it's hard to say right now.  It is a beginning for our yearly migration to and from Florida and at least one trip for several weeks to the west coast via Colorado.  However we have dreams of driving the west and then up into Canada....so it all depends on how we feel about driving the rig and the lifestyle of RVing. 

That's some of the story/  Thanks for your response!
Sue

 

[Suzn1253]

TheBar, like a saloon?    Hey thanks for your input.  Yes, it's going to be a challenge.  I'm not without some trepidation but I'm also excited.  The only thing I've pulled is a Uhaul which was probably 8 feet and no problem.  Can't live in an 8 foot trailer though. 

I still think we have a lot of learning to do.  But we are going to move forward.  If we don't , we'll never know.  If we don't like it we will just have to figure out how to sell without too much loss.  And of course, we hope we don't crash and burn in the process.

Thanks,
Sue