What is a good brand to get for first RV
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Tom55555
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I've been happy with my 2015 Winnebago 22R. It's a class C. The units that come out of Iowa seem to be well designed and manufactured.
X-Roughneck Strike 3
Well-known member
Not sure if you are looking brand new (Let the other guy take the hit $) but we love our 2017 Winnebago Aspect 30J. I was eyeballing some JAYCO Cs also as they seem to have some good offerings out there, in my wants, needs and desires wheel house.
2019 was the last year of their Gasser Productions in the Class C as Winnebago has migrated their Class C Efforts to the Sprinter Chassis line. Once you really crunch the numbers on those Sprinters there is not alot of carrying Weight left over for People and Gear and Check the Tow Hitch Capabilities too.
I believe at 2016 year models most of the V10s will give you that Extra Transmission Gear on the Shift Column "4", and in the Transmission, so know what you are looking at.
I love the Gasser V10 as I can do most of the routine stuff (Oil,Filters) here at the house. I believe (Maybe not true?) that once you get into the Sprinter line you are going to be forced to have alot of maintenance done at the Shop. I have read the Sprinters require a certain viscosity oil that only Mercedes will sell you.
I am not sure where you live but I would be making sure that if you select a Sprinter Diesel, make sure that some Authorized mechanic is close enough that you feel comfortable knowing where your service is located in proximity to your Sticks and Bricks home. Totally broke down and your Service area being far away from your house could be a real financial disaster to most of us.
It is something to keep in the back of your mind as you search.
If looking used, I would also suggest to sign up for RVtrader, set your parameters USA wide just to get a pricing feel for the model you are looking at. I flew San Antonio to Detroit, MI back in Aug 2019 as SW Air line one way ticket cost me $140, and I think I saved 10 Grand. Limiting your area of purchase is undoubtly going to limit your purchase choices.
There are alot of YouTube videos from RV Sellers across the USA so you can view to do a virtual walk thru right in your own home.
The old simple strategy in buying, before COVID was to Plug into NADA blue book with no options and be somewhere in the MID scale pricing as your High end of what you should pay. Of course buying used you have to keep upgrades and lack of Maint etc factor in. Mid Blue book number when you run it on NADA gives you some sense of reality as to what you need to pay when buying used. Not sure of todays....purchase strategy one should take into the negotiations.
I have read that COVID and the demand has brought prices up, so am unsure of a sound purchasing strategy currently.
2019 was the last year of their Gasser Productions in the Class C as Winnebago has migrated their Class C Efforts to the Sprinter Chassis line. Once you really crunch the numbers on those Sprinters there is not alot of carrying Weight left over for People and Gear and Check the Tow Hitch Capabilities too.
I believe at 2016 year models most of the V10s will give you that Extra Transmission Gear on the Shift Column "4", and in the Transmission, so know what you are looking at.
I love the Gasser V10 as I can do most of the routine stuff (Oil,Filters) here at the house. I believe (Maybe not true?) that once you get into the Sprinter line you are going to be forced to have alot of maintenance done at the Shop. I have read the Sprinters require a certain viscosity oil that only Mercedes will sell you.
I am not sure where you live but I would be making sure that if you select a Sprinter Diesel, make sure that some Authorized mechanic is close enough that you feel comfortable knowing where your service is located in proximity to your Sticks and Bricks home. Totally broke down and your Service area being far away from your house could be a real financial disaster to most of us.
It is something to keep in the back of your mind as you search.
If looking used, I would also suggest to sign up for RVtrader, set your parameters USA wide just to get a pricing feel for the model you are looking at. I flew San Antonio to Detroit, MI back in Aug 2019 as SW Air line one way ticket cost me $140, and I think I saved 10 Grand. Limiting your area of purchase is undoubtly going to limit your purchase choices.
There are alot of YouTube videos from RV Sellers across the USA so you can view to do a virtual walk thru right in your own home.
The old simple strategy in buying, before COVID was to Plug into NADA blue book with no options and be somewhere in the MID scale pricing as your High end of what you should pay. Of course buying used you have to keep upgrades and lack of Maint etc factor in. Mid Blue book number when you run it on NADA gives you some sense of reality as to what you need to pay when buying used. Not sure of todays....purchase strategy one should take into the negotiations.
I have read that COVID and the demand has brought prices up, so am unsure of a sound purchasing strategy currently.
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X-Roughneck Strike 3
Well-known member
To the Original Poster.....In reference to Water Pipes and Temps over the past week in Conroe, How was the area during this Cold Snap?
Did Conroe have wide spread Power Outages? My son has a Mortgage on a house there, but had to change industry and move to Allen, TX, North Dallas as he now does Fiber Optic QA/QC on MFG parts. His house is empty in Conroe.
He winterized his Conroe house, by Turning the water off at the street. He did not even have his AC thermo turned on. If his house lost power or the temps simply got to cold, and he is unsure, he may have broken pipes and not even know it! I am hoping turning off at the street and lack of pressure on the inside valves may have saved him from disaster. He needs to get down there and check ASAP.
I have read the insurers are expecting the Largest Dollar Amount of Claims ever. I read three week wait for a Plumber in Austin, TX. Not sure how true that is, but it is a mess down here. Katrina 2 as alot (2500 houses) of people in my Town have NO water at all in their homes since this started.
JD
SeilerBird
Well-known member
I am hoping you are talking about buying a used
RV since it is pretty dumb to buy new one. The brand name is pretty useless when buying a used RV. What matters is the condition of the unit you wish to buy. Find a good RV inspector to check out any rig you want to buy.
Most beginners want a small class C to begin with because they assume a C will be cheaper, easier to drive and park and get better gas mileage. Unfortunately those assumptions are wrong. I suggest starting with a 30 to 35 foot class A that is about ten years old. Virtually no one gets it right with their first purchase. You don't know anything about RVing and you have a lot to learn. The first thing just about every beginners discover is that your RV is way too small.
RV since it is pretty dumb to buy new one. The brand name is pretty useless when buying a used RV. What matters is the condition of the unit you wish to buy. Find a good RV inspector to check out any rig you want to buy.
Most beginners want a small class C to begin with because they assume a C will be cheaper, easier to drive and park and get better gas mileage. Unfortunately those assumptions are wrong. I suggest starting with a 30 to 35 foot class A that is about ten years old. Virtually no one gets it right with their first purchase. You don't know anything about RVing and you have a lot to learn. The first thing just about every beginners discover is that your RV is way too small.
Isaac-1
Well-known member
This is a hard question to answer, as in my opinion there are few if any good Class C coaches built today, or even 10-15 years ago. The problem is two fold, first class C coaches tend to be built cheap, and secondly they tend to be built relatively light weight, due to being built on a 12,500 -14,500 GVWR chassis (less if you are talking Sprinter chassis which are 11,000 GVWR), compare this to a small class A (26-30 ft) which are built on 16,000 - 20,000 GVWR chassis). As a result class C's tend to be rather flimsy (think roofs made of nothing but a bit of styrofoam sandwiched between 2 sheets of 1/8 inch luan, topped with a EPDM membrane roof, with no solid wood or metal structure at all), they also tend to have design philosophies that compromise everything else in order to maximize the number of sleeping positions. Also to keep from overloading those relatively light weigh chassis, they tend to come with smaller water and propane tanks, and have much less cargo carrying capacity (weight of stuff you can haul).
This is not to say that they don't have their place, a mid size class C coach can be great if you are wanting to 4-5 kids on a week long camping vacation, and don't mind everyone sharing a bathroom so small that it is hard to turn around in without hitting a wall, or preparing food for everyone in a kitchen with so little countertop space that there is no place to set down a plate. On the other hand if you are not wanting to haul 4-5 kids around, a small class A may be a lot more comfortable, partly due to the added living space for given overall length, thanks to the addition of the swivel front seating that is part of the living area and less of a maximizing sleeping positions design philosophy .
This is not to say that they don't have their place, a mid size class C coach can be great if you are wanting to 4-5 kids on a week long camping vacation, and don't mind everyone sharing a bathroom so small that it is hard to turn around in without hitting a wall, or preparing food for everyone in a kitchen with so little countertop space that there is no place to set down a plate. On the other hand if you are not wanting to haul 4-5 kids around, a small class A may be a lot more comfortable, partly due to the added living space for given overall length, thanks to the addition of the swivel front seating that is part of the living area and less of a maximizing sleeping positions design philosophy .
We were blessed no problems but there was power outages that were 24 to 48 hours or longer in some places there are lots of homes with ruptured pipes my daughter lives in Stuart forest and there are lots of homes with ruptured pipes there the lumber yards and hardware stores were cleaned out of plumbing supplies hope your son has good luck with his home and no ruptured pipes
Gary RV_Wizard
Site Team
All other things being equal (rarely the case!), I'd suggest a Winnebago Class C for a newcomer. Their designs are usually reasonable well thought out and suitable for the mythical average person, plus construction quality is decent for their price range. But as Seilerbird says, brand names aren't all that important when buying used and most buyers should be looking at used vs new. It's a house, not a car, so forget what you thought you new about used vs new vehicles.
You will find that most class C RVs share the same or equivalent van chassis (most are Ford E450's) and mostly the same appliances. The ley will be the layout and features and the degree to which they meet for needs. Try not get wowed by how cute & clever everything is and think about how you will do everyday things in it. Cooking, showers, sleeping space for everybody, storage for clothing & gear, charge phone or use a laptop computer, etc.
You will find that most class C RVs share the same or equivalent van chassis (most are Ford E450's) and mostly the same appliances. The ley will be the layout and features and the degree to which they meet for needs. Try not get wowed by how cute & clever everything is and think about how you will do everyday things in it. Cooking, showers, sleeping space for everybody, storage for clothing & gear, charge phone or use a laptop computer, etc.
X-Roughneck Strike 3
Well-known member
Drifting back to the weather, it don't sound too good.
The only thing that "may" save him is no pressure on his system, or the back side of the water valves at the sink inside his house.
I think PSI on the city coming into the house is what 75-90 PSI? It is the expansion of the water as it freezes. Think, "Ice Trays"...
Now having said all that...In his case should have left the thermostat set to 60F, it is a throw of the dice for him at this point. He needs to return and check things out. I will relay what you shared. He has nobody in the area.
We were blessed here as we did not have to endure hardship. There are 2500 houses here in PO Dunk, with still NO water at all. The system had to be or lost pressure and they way it is constructed is daisy chained, so the newest of houses out there in the Far Areas of Town are currently hosed, or lack of being hosed would be more appropriate.
We are conserving here so the system can pressure up and water will raise in the Gravity Tank in that area of Town.
We went from this to this and it is 70F currently here.
I screwed up and left my slides out. I have no water at all in the RV, as I pulled the hot water plug and valves on the hot water and cold side were left open after I drained all spigots prior to any of this kicking off.
That second pic was some drinking water I left inside the RV near the kitched sink during all of this, has a huge chunk of ice in it.
JD
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As you will see in this forum, there are many different opinions, class c vs class a, new vs used, chassis, diesel vs gas. We all have pros & cons and different experiences, it can be overwhelming. One of the most consistent is to take time to visit dealers, with your checkbook/card at home, and look through the units. Like Gary said imagine driving/riding in it, where and how much you can store, where is everyone going to sleep, what it would be like if the weather is bad & your stuck inside, etc. Maybe rent a Class C for a weekend. Be open minded & flexible, you never know when you see it & go Ahhhh, that's the one! Then when you find specific one/ones you like you can narrow your research and get better informed responses.
Good luck!
Good luck!
I appreciate all the info & help from everyone we are going to rent one a few times this summer and hopefully make up our minds by this time next yr I have another question we found a dealer that offers a warranty forever on new ones as long as you own it and bring it in for a maintenance schedule once a year for a $200 fee it covers all of the big stuff down to door handles even suspension and brakes it comes in the price of the RV and they have great prices has anyone heard of this
Isaac-1
Well-known member
RV extended warranties are a minefield, some are better than others, the big thing you have to watch out for are exclusion, and other catches to the annual inspection, for example some use the $200 annual inspection as a way of forcing you to pay for "preventive maintenance items" out of pocket at exorbitant labor rates.
p.s. given your location, I would suggest when you have the free time spend a few hours on some nice spring day or two walking the lot at PPL at the intersection of US59 and beltway 8 on the south side of Houston. It can be a real education on what some people call "good condition" as well as expose you to floor plans by a lot of different brands.
p.s. given your location, I would suggest when you have the free time spend a few hours on some nice spring day or two walking the lot at PPL at the intersection of US59 and beltway 8 on the south side of Houston. It can be a real education on what some people call "good condition" as well as expose you to floor plans by a lot of different brands.
Gary RV_Wizard
Site Team
RV extended warranties are indeed a minefield, with numerous hidden surprises. Rarely what the buyer expects, and the dealer is rarely the best source if you do decide to purchase one of these "repair insurance" policies. Much has been written here and elsewhere about the pros & cons of repair insurance (aka extended warranties) and you should reseach that if interested, but in the context of your buying decision I'd say to ignore them entirely. You can be sure the dealer is pushing the warranty as a money making proposition for himself; further, you can buy an extended warranty anywhere at any time and probably for less cost.
Daffy
Well-known member
Funny.. The last phone call I got to extend my car warranty I bit on. "Ok sir that is great may I have your vehicle information please?" after the blah blah about well you called me, don't you already have that info? I went forward with "I have a 2002 Winnebago Itasca Horizon Vin number... "changed the last digit by 5.
Momentary silence as they looked it up.. click, dial tone..... Idiots.. Never registered the year I gave them..
Momentary silence as they looked it up.. click, dial tone..... Idiots.. Never registered the year I gave them..
Isaac-1
Well-known member
Rotcod, I am not sure I understand your question, but I will give it a try, first off run away from any RV that shows any signs of water stains or wood rot inside, these will end up costing you way more than you first estimate to repair. Class C's are notorious for developing leaks in the overhead bunk area, get up there and inspect carefully. Beyond that look at condition, and inspect, inspect, inspect. Also don't let easy to change things make you decide against an otherwise good motorhome.
A few years ago I spent half a day on a nice spring day walking the consignment lot at PPL in Houston killing time while in town on other business. One of the things that amazed me was watching so many first time RV buyers focusing on all the wrong things, a prime example of this was a husband and wife looking at a pair of class C;s which were parked side by side, both were around 27 ft long, but that is where the similarities ended, the floor plans were different, but most importantly one was on a gas chassis and the other was on a diesel, and there was about a $20,000 price difference between the two. Yet with all this the wife was choosing between the two of them based on the window curtains.
A few years ago I spent half a day on a nice spring day walking the consignment lot at PPL in Houston killing time while in town on other business. One of the things that amazed me was watching so many first time RV buyers focusing on all the wrong things, a prime example of this was a husband and wife looking at a pair of class C;s which were parked side by side, both were around 27 ft long, but that is where the similarities ended, the floor plans were different, but most importantly one was on a gas chassis and the other was on a diesel, and there was about a $20,000 price difference between the two. Yet with all this the wife was choosing between the two of them based on the window curtains.
Hi rotcod, welcome to the forum. A bit more information about what you're looking for, and what kind of RVing are you going to do and your experience would be helpful. To start, read the posts on the forum, there is so much information. Isaac-1 has great ideas, and I'm sure there will be more soon.
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