Wannabe a second owner of a non smoker - Deisel Motorhome with slides - easy?

[SassyCathy]

Hello,  This is Sassy Cathy  8) 8) here way down deep below the mason/Dixon line in the good old heart of Dixie -  )  just north of Gulf Shores, in a little city named Robertsdale (the Hub City of Baldwin County) Alabama ? otherwise known as "LA" (Lower Alabama).   I was told my husband and I are "wannabe's"...we are shopping for a fantastic deal on a low mileage used Deisel Pusher Motorhome.  Our journey to a "newbie" is just starting.  We've looked at 4 in the last few days.    Doing homework at night, watching You Tube videos, trying to learn from friends who have motorhomes.
I tent camped as a child, from 20 miles north of the Gulf Coast all the way to Niagra Falls, and over to the Grand Canyon... then my family upgraded to a popup.  We never managed to get a Motorhome - but I have good memories of "camping".  Of course - I've grown up a bit now and it'll be a bit different with old bones sleeping on the ground (not gonna happen)  (   
We are reasonably easy to please... but I MUST have a good Air Conditioner.  I'd like to have the steel frame I've heard about for safety.  'He' wants a powerful engine, big generator, and all that stuff.    He wants to pull a car trailer a little bit (to take his nice play toy along for the *ride* 
We hope not to have to travel toooo far to get what we are looking for.
My honey is 63, and I'm about to turn 59 in a few days.  We have 1 sweet almost 6 year old grandson.
It's going to be just the two of us most of the time most likely.
What might you have to say to us?
Do you think?  we can get what we want for no more than $36,000?
What is your favorite method of "shopping" for a good used Motorhome?

 

[Gary RV_Wizard]

Well, $36k is near rock bottom for a diesel pusher coach, so I don't think you are going to find a late model in great condition and low miles for that price. But any coach since the late 90's will have metal frames and reasonable a/c.  Don't expect an RV to heat & cool like your hose, though. RVs are typically equipped with more btu's of a/c than a medium sized house, yet they often struggle to stay cool in the sun. It's a small box with thin walls & roof (poor insulation), plus lots of windows and some air leaks. The a/c runs a lot to keep up with demand.

You need to start making lists of features you MUST Have vs LIKE To Have, where a MUST is anything that would disqualify the coach is not present. Think ong and hard about that.

 

[Lou Schneider]

There are ways of eliminating 99% of smoke smell from an RV.  My  2001 Sunnybrook trailer is a good example.  It was exceptionally clean when I bought it two years ago and didn't have any noticeable smoke or chemical odors (I'm  sensitive to both).

But if I go away and keep it closed tight for more than a day or two, there's just a hint of pipe tobacco and a general stuffiness when I first walk in.  It's not unpleasant and disappears as soon as I open a window or roof vent, or if I leave a vent open while I'm gone.

My clothes and upholstery smell fresh, and there's no other problems.  Just the hint of pipe smoke every once in a while if I leave the trailer closed up.

 

[jackiemac]

Hi and welcome to the forum.  Most folks consider floor plan to be one of the most important things.  Think about how you are going to live in it and what you feel you need, as Gary says make a list.

Try this website to give you ideas on what would suit best and then you can try to find the RV that has the same or similar.

https://www.pplmotorhomes.com/

There are checklists for helping inspect any rig you go to see in our Library (link above) or you can pay for someone to inspect it for you.

Come and ask anything you need to whilst you shop and you will get good advice.

Hope your search goes well.....

 

[RVMommaTo6]

Welcome to the forum and happy birthday!

 

[SassyCathy]

Thank you for the birthday wishes and hospitality.
We think we will rent for a week and see how it goes.
That will surely give us an idea of whether or not it's something we will love.
Sassy Cathy