What was your biggest surprise after purchasing a motorhome?

[John From Detroit]

My rig was a gasser. The biggest surprise was the difference between "Curb" (Tare) weight and Max GVW (less than 1000 pounds) . and the towing capability (only 4000 pounds or less)

 

[steveblonde]

For some types of driving a pickup is, indeed, just fine. But I have an F-150, in addition to my Jeep, and there are many places to park where the F-150 (due to length and to turning radius) takes a back and forth a time or two to complete the turn into the parking space when the adjacent spots are occupied, but the Jeep will go in just fine with no fiddling around. In addition, many of the off-road segments I've done are mostly fine with a pickup, but often there is a segment where it is too tight to fit anything longer than the 4-door Wrangler -- it's both narrower and shorter than a pickup -- so there IS a difference in "agility."

And I can't understand your reference to an $800,000 motorhome (I've never come close to that -- my brand new DP was less than your $300,000 truck and 5er), or why a perception of more expensive being better came into it at all.

Perhaps your 5er does, in fact, set up as quickly as my DP, but I've seen quite a few that don't so it's not automatic that a 5th wheel (all of them anyhow) is that quick.

One other factor (for me, maybe not for everyone) is that I can park the Jeep in my garage. My F-150 just barely fits, but a truck that could pull a 5er would have to be parked outside.

Many factors...

the 800k was just a random number i picked because of a conversation similar to this with a gentleman in a campground a few weeks ago lol he was saying that my truck was to big to drive daily and i told him it wasnt my daily driver and he went on to say it wont fit in the garage, i agreed it doesnt but niether does his motohome or my 5er so whats the difference? the conversation went on and he started to brag about how his motorhome had "special" jacks that self leveled so i told i have the same feature - to which he said thats not possible - till i showed him. we chatted for a while and the end result was he regretted driving around his bus and the cost and mileage etc etc - BUT he didnt feel comfortable dragging a 47ft 5er behind a dually. and on the other hand i fell in love with his bus - BUT i couldnt justify it. lol ive driven downtown Detriot Chicago the freeways of California rush hour pulling my trailer - the freeways of Salt lake city where everyone is doing 90mph when is say agile those are the situations im refering too. Not backwoods driving that like saying my mountain bike is more agile than a jeep. - Just saying lol

 

[Ray-IN]

the 800k was just a random number i picked because of a conversation similar to this with a gentleman in a campground a few weeks ago lol he was saying that my truck was to big to drive daily and i told him it wasnt my daily driver and he went on to say it wont fit in the garage, i agreed it doesnt but niether does his motohome or my 5er so whats the difference? the conversation went on and he started to brag about how his motorhome had "special" jacks that self leveled so i told i have the same feature - to which he said thats not possible - till i showed him. we chatted for a while and the end result was he regretted driving around his bus and the cost and mileage etc etc - BUT he didnt feel comfortable dragging a 47ft 5er behind a dually. and on the other hand i fell in love with his bus - BUT i couldnt justify it. lol ive driven downtown Detriot Chicago the freeways of California rush hour pulling my trailer - the freeways of Salt lake city where everyone is doing 90mph when is say agile those are the situations im refering too. Not backwoods driving that like saying my mountain bike is more agile than a jeep. - Just saying lol

Wouldn't it be a really dull life if we all preferred the same things....