Considering our first RV

[ohau8622]

My spouse and I have been considering purchasing an RV. First looking at TT and now motor homes. We have never driven anything this big. Although it's only 2 of us, at times we may have 4. I've been looking at the thors, 30ft with 3 slides I hate dinettes. Any suggestions out there? We may also use it for full time, however first 3 years will be traveling during the summer.

[Lt Dan]

You might also look at the Tiffin Allegro Breeze. It's not as wide as a other Class A rigs and is in the length range you are looking at. It is available in either a two or three slide model.

[Steve Ownby]

Originally Posted by Lt Dan

You might also look at the Tiffin Allegro Breeze. It's not as wide as a other Class A rigs and is in the length range you are looking at. It is available in either a two or three slide model.

The Breeze is an attractive option. Another DP is the Winnebago Journey. It's been built for years and has been available in a 32' floorplan. The Winnebago Vista is a gas coach and is available in a 26' floorplan.

[georgelesley]

You mentioned you had never driven anything this big. Immediately after you buy, may I suggest a private driving lesson. It will give you much more confidence. Get one for the wife as well so she can have the confidence to help out as well.

[MSHappyCampers]

One approach would be to go to RVTrader.com and do a search for motorhomes within your selected budget limits. That will give you a good idea of what you can choose from, then pin it down from there.

Look carefully at different floorplans and decide which is right for you.

Good luck, happy trails, and God bless!

[Robmat]

You might like the Winnebago Sunova / Sightseer 33c https://winnebagoind.com/products/cl...unova/overview - three slides, no dinette - just over 34 feet - easy to drive. We do a month in it every summer plus other shorter trips. I have the optional washer/dryer and pull down bed over the cab area so I can sleep 5 in three beds, if needed. In 2015 it was 158K you should be able to get 20 to 30% off the MSRP - I got 22% and could have done better. Occasionally you'll find some in the used market.

[Smitty77]

Newmar should be checked out too. Bay Star through Canyon Star have gas rigs in the size range you mentioned. The Ventana series has down to 34', in Diesel Pushers. Newmar will make some modifications form OEM on ordered coaches.

You might also want to take sometimes reading up on the the Pro's and Con's of different size coaches. Unless you have a firm need for the mentioned 30' range due to a specific place you visit. IMO, as far as ease of driving, 30' to 36' range coaches all drive pretty much the same. The longer wheel bases available on some 36' coaches, can actually provide a more stable comfortable ride. If this rig will be used for extended travels in the future, some (For sure not all, and that is also for sure OK. As we can all do what works for us!) feel that having a bit more space, and usually higher CCC (Weights you can handle.) along with storage - gives the not to a bit larger coach.

Best of luck to you, take your time, and kick many tires and sit in many coaches along this journey!

Smitty

[dexters]

Originally Posted by ohau8622

First looking at TT

I'm curious as to why you decided against TTs.

[S Bradley]

Instead of buying one why don't you first go out and rent one to see if you would like it very expensive to experiment.
Three slides is a lot of slides.
Renting will also allow you to try to figure out how you will use the RV.
There are many different users.
Weekending short trips.
Full timers, actually living in it.
Resort types, going to a full service campground, pools and just about every convience you can imagine $$$$.
Campground to campground, full hookup.
Boondocker living off grid.
Travelers, people that actually travel all over the country using combinations of all the above.

If you can land on one of these it will help you decide how much RV you need.
We are travelers, we started with a B thinking we would be more comfortable with a smaller rig, that lasted just one season. We tried a couple other layouts but decided on a 2014 Navion IQ 24V actually 25.5". Without cab over there are only two of us, and occasionally 2 grandchildren. It has one slide and twin beds flex system, this works for us even for several months. We don't have a toad if we want a vehicle we rent, that way owning a second vehicle is someone else's problem, maintenance, insurance.

This is a big investment in time and money, it might take you some time to decide if this lifestyle is for you. Take your time find the right fit for you and the boss, spend time in each RV make sure you are aware of the compromises, there will always be some. That B cost me $17k to learn the boss didn't like a wet shower or making the bed each night.

Keep your house you might not be a fulltimer they are special people.
Have fun.

[cartpix]

Here's how we decided.

Needs: Make a list of your wants & needs, your make it or break its. Do you need a king size bed? How much bed space do your "guests" need? Stick to your deal breakers.

Floor plan: Love it or leave it. There is no perfect floor plan but there's only a few ways to lay them out. Do you need a bigger shower? Which side of the coach do you want the galley? If you want to watch TV, make sure it's directly across from the seating, so you don't have to crane your neck, to watch it. Inside storage. How often do you want to go outside, to get suff, that could have been stored inside?

Options: Do you want a bigger fridge? Residential Fridge? Induction cook top? Is it plumbed for a washer/dryer? If you don't want one now, you might want one later. Pull out couch vs. theater chairs/ recliners. Outside entertainment center.

Customizing: You can change things, within reason. You hate dinettes but the coach you love, otherwise, has one. Take it out & install a table & chairs. Need a mobile office? Buy a bunkhouse model, pull put the bunks & build the space into an office.

Size: Size matters, especially if you plan to full time. You don't want to have to stuff 5 pounds of stuff, in a 3 pound bag. You will get used to driving it. With our wants & needs, we ended up with a 37' "couples coach". The first couple drives were white knuckle affairs. Just remember, it's bigger, taller, wider, & heavier than anything you've driven before. It doesn't accelerate, stop, or corner, like a car. You have to take corners, at or below the posted speed limit. Don't worry about people behind you. They're not going to get anywhere any faster, with a big motorhome, laying on it's side, in front of them. Be sure you have a lot of braking room between you & the car, ahead & brake early.

Do your homework. Look at floor plans. Watch Youtube videos. Go to dealers & take your time, inside. It's a big investment with big depreciation. It's not something your going to trade in every 3 years.

One last thing, use it. Check out local campgrounds. Do weekend trips. We found a group of "like minded" people, that do a local weekend trip, every month. If you have snowy winters, do it in the nice months. If you don't use it, it becomes a very expensive paperweight.

Jeff

[Big Oil Guy]

What Jeff said X2..!

I would add that when turning there are two things to always keep in mind:

1. Turn square corners! Rounding of corners like you might with a car will get you in trouble quicker than anything.

2. Tail swing! When you turn those square corners, your tail will swing wide due to overhang behind the rear axle. So, if you're parked next to a gas pump, post, building, etc., and turn abruptly when leaving, you will do extreme damage.

These things will become 2nd nature quickly, but are traps for inexperienced drivers.

[marjoa]

All these points may not apply to you but may be helpful to others:

A few things to consider when buying ANY motorhome (MH):
Buying any MH is NOT like buying a car. You should not just go out and find one that you like and it’s pretty to look at, the price is good and then make a decision. Buying a MH on emotion without careful thought could turn into buyers remorse. There is also a learning curve and testing of all the systems that are in a MH. It is considered—best practice—that no matter what type of MH you decide to purchase, Gas or Diesel, used or new, that once you do purchase one, give yourself time and a few short trips to become familiar with it, and fix any bugs or issues that may and probably will arise BEFORE you go on any extended trip.

1) The first thing to consider and probably the most important to most of us is, what can I afford
2) How are you going to use the MH? Are you going to use it sporadically throughout the year for short 1,2,3 or 4 weeks at a time or are you planning to travel a lot year round, traveling the US & maybe Canada
3) Are you planning to tow a vehicle
4) Insurance will vary a lot depending on the type of MH, how you use it, the size, its value, its age, the state you live it, and your driving record
5) A few states have MH size restrictions, and license requirements
6) It’s a best practice to store your MH inside when not in use so in most cases this requires renting a storage unit and—depending on your location and the length—will vary a lot on what you pay. Usually a 35’ or less storage unit for most people the cost is very reasonable. Over 35’ it goes up quite a bit. And don’t forget, you’ll need an extra 5’ - 10’ at least to give yourself the ability to store supplies and have the ability to work on and clean your coach. If you choose not to store your MH and leave it outside, your MH’s condition will pay a price
7) Maintenance is another consideration and this is not just confined to oil changes, air filters and lubing the chassis. MH’s are equipped with many onboard systems. It’s a house on wheels. They have 12volt and 110 electrical systems with a variety of different appliances and charging systems. Some have no slides some have many slides. There are different types of roofs. There are so many systems they can’t all be mentioned here, but some are only found on Diesels. Regardless with ether it’s Gas or Diesel, all these systems have to be maintained on a regular basis and you have to decide whether you can perform some, most or all of these systems yourself or pay someone to do it
8) Any MH owner should also have roadside service of some kind
9) Warranty. If you buy a new MH it will come with a factory warranty. But most dealers & shops today are so back logged with coaches that need service work—in many if not most cases—may take weeks to schedule your work. Therefore, your normal warranty expires fairly quickly so you’ll have to decide whether you want to pay for an extended warranty. Many times if you buy a new MH out of state, when you get home, your local dealer will not service it because you didn’t buy it from them. Or, they may work on it but you’ll usually be put on the bottom of their list. If you buy locally your local dealer is probably fairly close to your home base, but it would be to your advantage to buy a MH that also has factory service center nearby (say within 500 miles or so) that can not only take care of warranty issues, but also address any other more complicated issues that may arise
10) Tire costs for Diesels (for the most part) are much more than gas rigs simply because they are bigger
11) How much storage space do you need in the basement to carry all your stuff
12) If you buy a new MH you will take a big depreciation hit, especially in the first 3 years
13) If you buy a used MH, get it inspected by a professional and have the fluids tested by a lab. IMHO the sweet spot on a used MH is one that's 3 -5 yrs. old. The previous owner has already taken a big hit on the depreciation, a lot of MHs out there have hardly been used or abused yet and they have a lot of the new updates.

Merry Christmas everyone!

[LarryW21]

Rent a motor home and both of you drive it. Couple of hours each. Then you'll know.

[dexters]

Originally Posted by marjoa

All these points may not apply to you but may be helpful to others:

I hope you saved that in Word so you can just copy and paste it every time this question comes up. They are excellent points.

Motor Homes are sexy. Most issues around them are exponentially (vs arithmetically) different vs a TT and TV.

With a MH you have a TT and TV jammed into one. Then there is the toad. So you have 3 systems to deal with.

I often wonder what is it the buyer wants in a MH that is not found in a TT/5th wheel.