Howdy from Maine

[W0AQ]

Breakdowns occur far more often than you would think

Ugh. The downsides are starting to set in.

 

[rvlifer]

Ugh. The downsides are starting to set in.

You are well ahead of the game. Most dont find out till after they buy an rv

 

[Kirk]

It's always weird when I see a Class A RV barrel past me on the highway going about 80. I can't see doing that.

There are foolish people driving RVs too. The highways always have a few people who drive beyond what is safe of prudent. Good drivers understand their limits.

The downsides are starting to set in.

While occasional breakdowns can and do happen, with a properly maintained RV they are no more common than with an automobile. We have owned RVs for more than 40 years and in that time, I have experienced only one time that our RV had to be towed. On three other occasions we had to spend some time in a shop waiting room for something to be repaired after driving there.

 

[Larry N.]

Ugh. The downsides are starting to set in.

But not everyone experiences a LOT of breakdowns -- depends on rig condition and age, in addition to how it was built, so one reason for recommending inspections is to minimize the chance of breakdowns. And for most of us these are not a daily (or even monthly) occurrence. In 13 years of RVing I never had a "breakdown" as such, though there were occasional problems that didn't keep me from traveling- hydraulic leak (mild), generator won't start (warranty item, internal electronics), Oasis hydronic heating system (one zone not working), broken drawer latch, to give you an idea, none of which kept me from rolling down the road, but did need fixin'.

 

[W0AQ]

You are well ahead of the game. Most dont find out till after they buy an rv

I've had a few previous kicks in the behind.

In 13 years of RVing I never had a "breakdown" as such

Then, there's that.

I'm on the unlucky side sometimes.

 

[Kirk]

I'm on the unlucky side sometimes.

I still think that you would be wise to rent an RV first.

 

[rvlifer]

But not everyone experiences a LOT of breakdowns -- depends on rig condition and age, in addition to how it was built, so one reason for recommending inspections is to minimize the chance of breakdowns. And for most of us these are not a daily (or even monthly) occurrence. In 13 years of RVing I never had a "breakdown" as such, though there were occasional problems that didn't keep me from traveling- hydraulic leak (mild), generator won't start (warranty item, internal electronics), Oasis hydronic heating system (one zone not working), broken drawer latch, to give you an idea, none of which kept me from rolling down the road, but did need fixin'.

This is a great point. Doing your research and learning as much as possible goes a long way to a better rv experience. We rarely had a problem that kept us from moving the rv but if you are on a tight schedule and it does happen the stress level is a lot higher. A good roadside assistance plan helps a lot too

 

[Larry N.]

A good roadside assistance plan helps a lot too

It does indeed. Coach Net was great peace of mind and was helpful waaay beyond towing (we never were towed) in finding someone to service our problems, in providing tech support (24/7 via phone), arranging appointments, etc., even for things they didn't actually cover expenses for (such as finding an Oasis repair shop in Quartzsite).

And FMCA membership was great, primarily because of their emergency service (a membership benefit) that would help DW and coach get home if I were disabled or worse, so great peace of mind on that score, plus the included magazine was OK. Some of their rallies were decent, too.

 

[rvlifer]

Whatever rv you decide on it is a huge help knowing how to do things like manually open and close your slides and leveling jacks. Could be the difference in being stuck or able to move the rv if something unexpected happens

The more you can fix yourself the less stress and money it costs

 

[Adventurous Traveler]

Regarding distance and not knowing where in Maine the OP Charlie is located, I Googled Bar Harbor to the Florida border, 1623 miles. Whenever we (DW-dear wife) plan a trip we use 60 mph as our average speed for estimating distance per day. It is surprising to us how close we come to our estimation distance and where we'll be per day. So, using 60 mph for the Florida trip based on 1623 miles Charlie's trip should take 3 1/2 days if they drive a minimum of 8 hours per day. To round it out I'd guess 4 days would be the minimum drive time to get down to the Sunshine State.

Breakdowns "On the Road" are a real toss-up. Check out YouTuber's "Keep Your Daydreams". They were all set for a six-month trip around the U.S. with their family about 7 years ago departing from I think Scottsdale, AZ. Brand new trailer and truck. They got about 20 miles from home and got a blowout on the brand-new trailer's tire! Today Trish and Mark are millionaires from their successful YouTube series with over 500K subscribers to their channel.

As I previously posted "It's not always nice outside when camping/RV'ing" When determining the size of our first RV our most memorable proof of that didn't come with rain, cold temps, snow, or whatever, but when we were in Moab, Utah to visit Arches and Canyonlands National Parks two years ago. It was late March when we were there and we spent 2 of our 5 days staying inside our camper with temperatures in the mid-80s, but the winds were 50 mph + with massive dust storms that at times you couldn't see the camper parked across from you. No camp chairs outside, or patio mats, no mat by the door to wipe your feet on, no awning out to sit under to shade you from the sun. We stayed inside played games, consumed some adult beverages, and made light that "weather is the weather". It didn't take my DW long to appreciate that we had a 36' RV to endure the dust storms in.

Whatever size Charlie and his DW decide on remember the RV is never as big as it seems or looks whether that's at the dealer's lot, your driveway, or anywhere else. Final thought, my DW has no problem at all driving our rig including backing into campsites.