Complete Newbies spending ~$80k; What would you look for?

[Ivylog]

Originally Posted by Domo

At 36' only about 2/3 of the national parks can accommodate you - and due to the few sites, you'll have to make reservations up to a year in advance..

Because of posts like this 17 years ago I made the mistake of buying a used 36’ DP. Did not take long to realize that 36’ max is BS so traded for a 40’ single slide and we boondock often. 14 years ago when we could snowbird (like you plan on doing) traded for a 42’ 4 slide DP and we are only half timers. I learned the $$$$ way you should buy more RV than you think you need...ONE TIME.

For Full Time or even half time you want size (large tanks and length), 5,000 lbs of CCC, and lots of nice items...AquaHot, Girard awnings, residential refrigerator, slide out trays in the basement storage, and a tag axle. Yes, this puts you in the 40’ size but we do 3 months out west boondocking without reservations having just gone from 42 to 45’...today it’s not that hard to do with all the info on the internet.

There is a 2005 Monaco Dynasty 40’ for sale in Sarasota for $78K (a good price with many upgrades) BUT it has black/white fabric sofas and light oak cabinets...not by cup of tea.

[jimmy braden]

check rvtrader and ebay. I found a mine (after a long look) 2 yrs ago for <60K$.

https://www.ebay.com/sch/Class-A-RVs...Diesel&_sop=15

[photobob]

A Newbee no more..... we have been RVrs for only 4 years and just finished our first year, full timing, in our second RV. Our first a 20' class C.
You have been given good advice overall, but I will give you my take:
Do a lot of homework before you make a purchase, the build quality differences can be very substantial even when priced about the same.
A two to four year old low mileage, 20-25K, can cost half the price of a new one and have most of the issues solved. Check the tires, 5 to 7 years lifespan.
Buy the smallest Class A that suits your needs, just easier to drive and less restrictions plus if towing, it still fits in places.
Gas or diesel? Diesels can last forever, have more torque and get better fuel efficiency, but cost much more and even more to service.
A Ford Triton V 10 has proven to be a great gas powerplant if your rig is not too big. Most newer gas rigs use Ford platforms.
Avoid purchasing a extended service plan, just put the 5K away. I wish we had done this.
The only other thing I would suggest is 50 amp service for two AC units. We only have one and over 90 degrees it cant handle the heat.
No RV will meet all of your needs so be prepared to make personal upgrades, WIFI, TV, and other entertainment systems are personal choices.We could not live without satellite TV.

Bob
2011 Newmar Bay Star 30', towing 2016 Nissan Versa ( on ACME dolly )




.

[kone]

I understand that for a used unit, prior maintenance and care matters more than brand but I’m guessing brand still matters a lot? If only just for resale. So, other than Tiffin and Newmar what others are considered quality (in demand) makes?

I see a lot of Fleetwood/Forest River Georgetown, Winnie Vacationer and Vista, Holiday, Damon. Maybe it’s easier to ask what to stay away from?

To answer earlier question, we are thinking a 4 down toad but none of our current vehicles will work. We’d change one out to something that does or even buy one as a package deal - would sure like another Jeep Wrangler anyway

Fwiw to this discussion, we would really prefer dining table/chairs vs these monster dinettes.

[cvbdsl]

Originally Posted by Ivylog

Because of posts like this 17 years ago I made the mistake of buying a used 36’ DP. Did not take long to realize that 36’ max is BS so traded for a 40’ single slide and we boondock often. 14 years ago when we could snowbird (like you plan on doing) traded for a 42’ 4 slide DP and we are only half timers. I learned the $$$$ way you should buy more RV than you think you need...ONE TIME.

For Full Time or even half time you want size (large tanks and length), 5,000 lbs of CCC, and lots of nice items...AquaHot, Girard awnings, residential refrigerator, slide out trays in the basement storage, and a tag axle. Yes, this puts you in the 40’ size but we do 3 months out west boondocking without reservations having just gone from 42 to 45’...today it’s not that hard to do with all the info on the internet.

There is a 2005 Monaco Dynasty 40’ for sale in Sarasota for $78K (a good price with many upgrades) BUT it has black/white fabric sofas and light oak cabinets...not by cup of tea.

I've had a 36, 38, 40 and now a 42' (actually 42'11'') foot MH and never had a problem finding a campsite and never made a reservation for any state park a year in advance - in fact have never made any reservations that far in advance ever - and that is travelling in the north east US/Canada supposedly know for smaller sites. In fact most state parks limit the time in advance you can book to a few months and have a set number of walk up sites where you take your chances.

Note that it only took me 4 MHs to buy my last (but I still look a lot)

If using private campgrounds I do look for big rig friendly and so far have not been disappointed.


Chris

[photobob]

Our first was a 27 year old Damon "C" that we took cross country and back in 2015 with no issues . It had old tires (did not know better) but we were lucky.
Sold in 2 hours for full asking price " unseen" on Craig's list.

My point is there are a lot of bad RV's out there but some gems too.
Damon was bought out by "Camping world" and is now Thor. You can get a new "A" for 60 -70K. We purchased a used 2901 Newmar in that price range, enough said.
All RV's will have issues when new but most are little things that you can handle. But with warranty work you are required to have stuff repaired by authorized shops. That is the biggest reason to buy "gently" used.
Also you are better off if you have some mechanical aptitude and electrical knowledge. There is always something ,but not always a big deal.

You did mention good brands, Winnebago, Allegro are generally good too.
It is hard to destroy a coach in 3 -4 years but I have seen some that have been beat to hell. The real big ones are hard to drive for a inexperienced driver, but it does seem that people buy bigger with each upgrade.

The 10 year rule is usually just to keep the "resorts" from looking like old trailer parks. I understand the reason. Most places will make an exception if you have current photos of your unit . However purchasing a coach over 5 years old you will need to pay good attention to the rubber parts, batteries, belts, suspension and especially the tires.

Just my point of view, seems like many people have suggestions that I never really considered. Just like your home we all like different things.
Most important ,there are loads of RV's out there and they are "all" for sale for the right price . Like a boat, "The best day is the day you buy it , the second best day is the day you sell it"


Good Luck,


Bob

2011 Newmar Bay Star 2901 (30') towing 2016 Nissan Versa on Acme Dolly

[boyland]

I like the suggestion of renting before you buy i am not sure a week is enough but should give you and idea.

I hate to say this but it would be better if where you go the weather sucks nothing really gets you knowing your coach like being stuck in the thing for 2 or 3 days.

I also agree we travel a lot really do not hear many say i wish i bought something much smaller usually i wish i had bought that 2 or 4 foot longer model i really does not make any difference in driving.

I personally have had pop ups, class c, and diesel pusher.

I wish i would have started in the largest C and very glad i skipped the entire gas A route.


Towing Vehicle
Ok i have went the cheaper vehicle tow dolly route and one day decided i had enough of that bs and wanted something towed on the ground. After years of traveling, the number 1 vehicle everyone was always glad they had was a Jeep and probably 95% of those were wranglers or unlimited wranglers.

So we took the expensive plunge and got the wrangler unlimited takes me maybe 5 minutes to hookup maybe less and less to unhook. After over 50000 miles of towing the jeep and driving it another 108000 it has been pretty much trouble free, we recently added to the fleet and bought a jeep commander to events where the family comes to have 3 row seating cannot say we have towed it yet but it ready. So i cannot say enough about jeep products for this purpose.

[boyland]

i wanted to add this linkhttps://www.pplmotorhomes.com/used-r...rrano_rv-37759

this might meet a lot of the needs you outlayed or something like it idk. just something to consider

[photobob]

I'm 74 years old and use a tow dolly. The only hard time, for me, is hooking the safety chains to the car suspension. Four on the ground is preferred but the dolly is not bad. If you go that route get a good one. This time I suggest a new one. The ACME easy tow, with thrust braking system, works great around 2K (Remember it is really nice to see your car in the rear camera)

I am not that knowledgeable about ground towing. Don't you need a standard transmission? Or I heard, that some old Saturn's can be easily towed.
Renting a RV is also a good idea, but you don't really get the full experience in a couple of weeks. The average rental cost, from a national rental company, starts around $1000 per week and up. Most rental vehicles are bare bones but you can probably get a better deal from a smaller company. A older RV may also give you a more realistic experience.
Remember a vehicle that is driven often is likely better than one that has been setting around. This is more an issue with RV's over 5 years old.
Also remember RVs depreciate so your 80K RV would likely be worth no more than 60K in two years. The common belief is that a New RV usually depreciates 10K before the rear wheels leaves the dealers lot. Another reason not to buy new.
Buying from a private seller is also tricky, make sure there are no liens, (clear title) and for that type of money, consider having it looked over by a reputable RV mechanic. It would be worth the expense.

Keep doing your homework.

Bob
2011 Newmar Bay Star (30') Towing 2016 Nissan Versa on Dolly

[kone]

There’s an 05 Fleetwood Southwind 37C w Workhorse/GM Vortec, 24k Miles for sale <10 mins from us. “Immaculate and completely maintained and updated” high pics seem to show. Asking $49k obo which seems pretty high to me for a 15 yo coach, based on what I’m seeing for sale elsewhere.

The seller is nice to let us rookies have a look even though we’re not thinking something this old (and maybe this big) is what we want however, I told him we don’t know what we want. We agreed it might lead somewhere, it might not. At minimum, seeing it will help us know better, I think.

[Ivylog]

The OP was looking at trailers...not sure why the change to MH. Most of us who have been doing this for a long time did not start in a MH but once we could use a RV for months, not weeks, many switch to a MH for the connivence. Connivance costs more and the OP already has a truck???

The OP is retiring and plans on snowbirding but not sure if this means Full Time. It would help to know more about their plans.

[kone]

Originally Posted by Ivylog

The OP was looking at trailers...not sure why the change to MH. Most of us who have been doing this for a long time did not start in a MH but once we could use a RV for months, not weeks, many switch to a MH for the connivence. Connivance costs more and the OP already has a truck???

The OP is retiring and plans on snowbirding but not sure if this means Full Time. It would help to know more about their plans.

Yeah, the op (me!) is kinda all over the place. Our budget allows us to maybe skip over some types/levels to a MH so that’s our focus. I do have a half ton truck that has ability to tow at top of half ton limits. If I were to get any trailer or 5er of size, I’d feel better moving up however. I am slightly intimidated at the idea of all the knowledge and learning a MH would require so if a trailer type is a better start, I’m open to that idea but the idea of pulling a house all over the US isn’t exciting to me. I’ve towed medium sized boats for many years and it can be a pain.

Our plan is to snowbird but also take off on the road for a few weeks to a month here and there. I don’t see us jumping around a few days at a time but staying in place a bit, moving and staying, then home. I don’t see us full timing ever.

Hope that helps. Thanks all for your patience and understanding.

[scbwr]

So, it seems that you need to look at trailers/5th wheel trailers that you can comfortably tow with your 1/2 ton truck. You have to do your homework and understand weight ratings and cargo carrying capacity. With the 2007 Tundra I had, I felt that it was great for towing 7,500 lbs. or so, and towing my 6,500 lb. loaded trailer, it was great and more than capable of handling the Rocky Mountains.

If you look at a motorhome, determine ahead of time the weight of your truck and whether it can be towed behind a motorhome four down or on a dolly. Class A gas motorhomes typically can tow up to 5,000 lb. vehicles. Move up to a diesel powered motorhome and typically, they can tow up to 10,000 lbs.

If your truck can be towed 4 down, you just need to plan on $4K or so to get it set up unless you can do a lot of the work yourself or save a few bucks by finding used tow bar, auxiliary brake unit, etc. If you go that route, you have more of your budget to apply to the purchase of a motorhome.

Or......consider trading in the truck for a 3/4 or 1 ton truck and find a nice used fifth wheel trailer. There's lots of better quality used fifth wheel trailers available and they can be very spacious and you have your truck for getting around and for use as your primary or secondary vehicle when home.

You have options, so take your time and do a lot of looking. Having made the move from having a truck/trailer to a gas motorhome, I wouldn't be too concerned about the learning curve when it comes to owning a motorhome. There is so much information available online and folks on the RV forums are so willing to help when you have a question. So...I'll wish you luck once again!

[gimlimike]

Originally Posted by Domo

The classic points to consider include:
#1 a floor plan that works for you.

That's it... now for other points that can add to that:

At 36' only about 2/3 of the national parks can accommodate you - and due to the few sites, you'll have to make reservations up to a year in advance.

Used IMO is GREAT - someone else worked out all the problems, had all the recalls done and repaired all the weak components.

Rear engine means you don't have a hump between the seats up front (generally) and you don't have an engine drowning out your conversation and radio.

Diesels last a long time but are more expensive to maintain (albeit, a longer intervals) and repair than gas. (But they can go 1,000,000 miles.)

Diesels and Diesel pushers are more expensive.

Oh yeah - did I mention getting a floorplan you like?

Lastly, test drive everything you can get your hands on.

Don't listen to the salesman.
Don't listen to their service manager.
Don't shop there if anyone says; "today only."
Take your time - you're buying a house.
Don't be bashful about asking us questions. If you're going to go see a rig - you could even ask if someone from here would be kind enough to go look with you - you never know - coffee and doughnuts can buy many of us!

We learned for 4 months, found the floor plan we wanted, visited/test drove many over the folloiwng months and then found the exact one we wanted - no regrets.

Oh - and make sure it remains a fun (but sometimes frustrating and confusing) quest.

I would even ask for references for customers who purchased coaches from them and check the after sales service experience with the customers. If they flinch I would walk