Hi Everybody! New here, looking to buy first RV.

[Janet in FL]

Hi all.  This looks like a nice friendly place.  I LOVE message boards and hang out on a few - mostly scrapbooking forums - but I'm going to be needing lots of information to get us started, so thought I'd try here.

My hubby and I rented an RV (Four Winds Majestic) 3 years ago to drive from the Sunshine State to Colorado for our oldest daughter's wedding.  The main reason we did it was because I don't fly and we didn't want to leave our 2 golden retrievers behind.  So we packed them up and took off on our adventure.  We had a blast!  Our youngest daughter was with us (21 at the time) and we had a lot of laughs.  I said that I definitely wanted to do it again.

Now seems to be the time to start looking to buy.  If anyone has recommendations for a Class C - either to buy or to stay away from, please advise.  My hubby's older brother has a travel trailer and now his sister bought one.  My sister and her husband just bought a brand new 37' TT that they have parked at a Yogi Bear place in Fort Atkinson, WI, so we have some places to go travel to if we buy one.  We just need to know WHAT to buy.  We want good quality.  Anybody?

 

[Tom]

Hi Janet and welcome to our friendly forum. Sounds like you have an itch to buy an RV. Hopefully some folks will pass along some recomendations.

Please be sure to let us know how the search goes and which one you eventually buy. Also stay in touch as folks here on the forum hook up periodically, either for a rally or an informal get-together.

 

[Ron]

Hi Janet,

Welcome to the RV Forum.  Please ask any questions you have relating to the RVing lifestyle.  While you shopping if you have questions ask them here and benefit from the vast amount of experience available among the framily.  Glad you found us.

 

[Jim Dick]

Hi Janet,

Welcome to the forum. Hope you get your questions answered. Where in FL do you live? We live in Titusville.

A good place to look at various types of RVs is Lazy Days in Seffner, outside Tampa. They have a wide variety which you can go through and get an idea of what suits you. Then come back here and ask more questions. You don't have to buy from them just because you look but they do have some good deals at times.

Be sure to look at some Class A motorhomes as some of them are not that much more than a Class C but give you more room. They are not any harder to drive. In fact, I have driven some Class C's that were harder than my 40' Class A!!!!

 

[Janet in FL]

Hi, Jim!

Nice to meet a fellow Floridian.  We live over in Sanford, just north of Orlando.  I've looked at the Lazy Days website and it looked like a good place to check out.  I have just started doing research on RV's and I know everyone says to do that for quite a while before buying.  I think it would be a good idea to drive different types, too, just to see how they compare.  Our biggest problem right now is that we have our own business and it's really hard for my hubby to get time away.  Long weekends are about all we can do. 

Hope to get some responses as to brand recommendations.  What does everyone have and what do you like/dislike about it?

Thanks everyone for the warm welcome! 

 

[Gary RV_Wizard]

Hi Janet,
We are also Floridians, not far from you near Ocala.  We spend about 6 months a year on the road, though, and won't be back at home base until around November 7.

The premier brands of Class C's are usually considered to be Lazy Days (not related to the dealership) and Born Free, but there are lots of decent ones.  And I can't think of any that I would say "avoid at all costs".  To some extent it will depend on your price range.

Definitely look at Class A's as well. They cost the about the same for the same length and generally offer more storage space (especially "basement" storage) and a more robust chassis underneath.  If you are shopping for new ones, consider the Fleetwood Fiesta and Terra Class A models and the Tioga and Jamboree Class C's (www.fleetwoodrv.com).  I also like the Gulfstream C's, especially the Enduras (www.gulfstreamcoach.com/). And Winnebago has some great small A's and a variety of C's too.

There are always an abundance of good quality used models on the market and you should consider one of them for a first rig. Few of us have adequately anticipated what is important to us in terms of floor plan, length, and amenities and almost everybody ends up SOON wanting something a little differfent than what they imagined. If you start out used, you are better able to swap in a year or two.

 

[Janet in FL]

Hey, Gary!

Good to hear from you, too!  You live close by, too.  Love seeing all my "neighbors" on this board!  And thanks SO much for all the good info in your post!  I guess we were just looking at Class C's because that was what we rented to go to Colorado.  I will definitely check out the Class A's, but in the smaller size.  My daughter and her hubby drove home for Christmas from Denver in his parents' 35' Class A and we were in shock over how big it was.  My husband would NEVER drive something that big.  He was even terrified of the 27' Four Winds that we rented.  That's why we figured we'd start out with maybe a 24' Class A with a slide out or 2.  We'll keep an open mind though.

Again, thanks for the great info and I hope y'all don't get sick of my neverending questions on here!  ;D

Janet

 

[Jim Dick]

Hi Janet,

We have friends that live in Sanford, Butch & Carol Coombs. They used to own a towing business there. They have an American Dream Class A similar to ours.

Lazy Days is certainly the place to start looking to find what type of coach you might want. Then you can look for used as Gary suggests or continue looking for new if that's what you want. Many of us have traded a couple of times because the first coach just didn't meet all our needs. Doing that with used coaches is a LOT less expensive than doing it with new!!

 

[Jim Dick]

My husband would NEVER drive something that big.  He was even terrified of the 27' Four Winds that we rented.  That's why we figured we'd start out with maybe a 24' Class A with a slide out or 2.  We'll keep an open mind though.

You will find that driving a Class A is really easy once you get over your initial fear. I am more comfortable driving my 40' motor coach than I am my car! One thing to keep in mind when looking at Class C's. Many times the driver has no vision out the right hand side due to the configuration of the door and windows in the "camper" portion. If there is nobody in the passenger seat, there could be a huge blind spot. I have driven a couple this year that made me VERY uncomfortable when alone. Be sure to keep in mind the driver may be alone at times.

 

[Janet in FL]

Many times the driver has no vision out the right hand side due to the configuration of the door and windows in the "camper" portion. If there is nobody in the passenger seat, there could be a huge blind spot. I have driven a couple this year that made me VERY uncomfortable when alone. Be sure to keep in mind the driver may be alone at times.

Jim, you make a VERY good point!  Thinking back to our trip 3 years ago, my hubby was constantly asking us to check out the right side for him.  Part of my reason for wanting to get an RV is so that once in a while he can take it on his trips around the state.  He is a consultant and travels within the state of Florida all the time.  For certain trips, he could take an RV and save the cost of a hotel room.  For example, he very often will have a 5:00 or 6:00 board meeting in say, Lauderdale or Miami that lasts until 8 or 9:00, then he usually gets back in the car and drive up the road a little bit, gets a hotel for the night and drives home in the morning.  With the cost of hotel rooms going up and up, it would seem to make sense if he could sleep in an RV once in a while.  I mention it only as part of the big picture of owning an RV.  For us, it would have a lot of uses, don't you think? 

Please keep the good advice coming! 

 

[Jim Dick]

Janet,

I'm not saying you'll never have a problem seeing with a Class A but the chances seem to be a lot less. Test driving is the ONLY way to know how well you can see in various situations.

I'm sure you'll find lots of uses for the RV. Of course, with the rising fuel costs hotels might be cheaper. I know they are great for visiting relatives, especially if they have room to park in their yard. You have your own private condo waiting for you. It works out great for us when we visit the kids. We usually spend the summer in our daughter's yard in CT and stop at our son's place in VA when we go north or south. When the grandkids get too noisy, I go home.

 

[Jim Godward]

I saw the first class C i have ever seen with what I consider adequate mirrrs today,  It was a Jamboree on a Ford 350 chassis.  The mirrors were on a long arm and allowed them to extend past the side of the MH.  Looked like they could see!

 

[MikenPamKalvin]

Janet -

My husband and I went through all the research and pros/cons on all Classes of RV's as well as 5th wheels and pull behind units for about 2 years before purchasing.  We ended up with the Georgie Boy 2970DS (2006 model).  What a great RIG!  I feel more comfortable driving it than I do my own Buick Regal (if you can believe that)! 

The storage room is wonderful, it is more than a reliable vehicle (actually our home for 2+ years) and now we have to (due to health) part with our dear "family member".  We had a pet with plenty of room for it.  All features were easy to operate, even for novices and we felt totally at home.

Staying under 30' helps when you want to get into National Parks, some state parks and plenty of county parks.  The layout and quality of this unit is, in my opinion, way beyond any other vehicle my sore and tired feet and knees looked at over a 1.5-2 year research period of listing and comparing pros/cons, etc.  The tow/haul mode is awesome in helping with ascents and descents of any size and the backup camera is one of the biggest helps I have ever had or could have ever hoped for in feeling comfortable in driving a vehicle.

Unfortunately, due to circumstances, we have to say goodbye to our full time home on wheels at this time.  You would never believe that it has more storage space in it than a 590 sq.ft apartment (I am NOT exaggerating)!  We have seen so many places and met so many nice people and had the opportunity to become "real family members" of so many campgrounds in 2+ years by working and hosting, etc (in exchange for rent) that it made selling our house the best thing we ever did!.  Even after all of that, "George" (as we so fondly call him) is going to be sorely missed by my husband and I and we hope, loved as much by it's next owner -- whoever that may be --. 

I guess what I am saying is that if you are still searching for an answer and want to discuss it more, please don't hesitate to contact us.  Whatever the case - we wish you safe and happy memories and travels and can be reached at [email protected] or by phone listed in our profile.

Sincerely,


Mrs. Kalvin