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Old 12-03-2015, 06:26 PM   #1
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Ready to buy 1st mh

  • Joined the forum almost a year ago. After 36 years in portrait photography we sold our studio property & now wish to buy our 1st MH.Live in Bradenton, Fl on the Gulf coast. Plan on travelling June thru Oct. Looking at gas powered, 1 & 1/2 bath. Just us 2, non-smokers & no pets. Don't know what else to look for. Will pull a Ford Escape, bicycles, stand-up paddleboard & 2 kayaks. Would like to hear anyone's "wouldn't be without" comments. We plan on being at the Tampa rv show in Jan. Ron & Claudia
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Old 12-03-2015, 06:41 PM   #2
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Estimate the weight of your toad and the rest of the toys that you will haul and make sure that you have the capacity to carry & tow and make sure it is within the capacities of the coach you intend to buy.


My advice, when you are looking at coaches, is to imagine you are in the middle of a bad weather front and will be locked up in the coach for a week. Could you live in that coach without leaving it. Is there enough room and separate living space for the both of you?????
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Old 12-05-2015, 10:31 AM   #3
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Estimate the weight of your toad and the rest of the toys that you will haul and make sure that you have the capacity to carry & tow and make sure it is within the capacities of the coach you intend to buy.


My advice, when you are looking at coaches, is to imagine you are in the middle of a bad weather front and will be locked up in the coach for a week. Could you live in that coach without leaving it. Is there enough room and separate living space for the both of you?????
Ditto what JimJ said. Do your homework. RESEARCH, RESEARCH, RESEARCH. Go and look at what your research told you. Go look at a LOT of floor plans and start to get an idea of what the two of you like. Go to shows, drive to as many dealers as you can even if they are overnight trips to see just one. Don't get roped in by salesmen; tell them you are "just looking". Oh, and did I say go look at them? There is no substitute for doing your homework.

Above all, enjoy the hunt.
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Old 12-05-2015, 11:05 AM   #4
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All of the above! I would suggest considering an older diesel pusher instead of a gasser!

Good luck, happy trails, and God bless!
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Old 12-05-2015, 12:15 PM   #5
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All of the above! I would suggest considering an older diesel pusher instead of a gasser!

Good luck, happy trails, and God bless!
OK, I finally need to know now, do you have a used Monoco dealership and have secretly purchased every 2002 Monaco to sell ?
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Old 12-05-2015, 12:16 PM   #6
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Don't be afraid to pull the trigger when you find a coach you like. None of them is going to be perfect (even if you buy new). You are going to have to do some work to get them up to speed.

Have fun with it.
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Old 12-05-2015, 12:24 PM   #7
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Estimate the weight of your toad and the rest of the toys that you will haul and make sure that you have the capacity to carry & tow and make sure it is within the capacities of the coach you intend to buy.


My advice, when you are looking at coaches, is to imagine you are in the middle of a bad weather front and will be locked up in the coach for a week. Could you live in that coach without leaving it. Is there enough room and separate living space for the both of you?????

Good advice.

Matters not whether you buy gas or diesel as long as the floor plan fits your needs. Gas was getting to the top of the hill long before diesel was available.

Generally speaking diesel is available in larger coaches. More coach, more room, more weight. But they all seem to make about the same mileage.

Enjoy your search and good luck in getting the one that fits you.
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Old 12-05-2015, 12:24 PM   #8
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All of the above! I would suggest considering an older diesel pusher instead of a gasser!

Good luck, happy trails, and God bless!
Worth thinking about buying "out of the box" I would take the above suggestion and turn it sideways a bit.

1) Definitely buy used. Buying new is throwing money in the trash.
2) Diesel is good especially if you plan to got out west in high altitude. Non turbo charged engines lose about 3% power for each 1000 feet altitude. You mention a bath and half as a possibility. Gas can only carry so much weight. The heavy loads need diesel.
3) However, if you rarely expect to go to Yellowstone, Rockies, or the Tetons, gas is not bad. I have had a diesel pusher and it got hit by lightening. I went with a gas model as a replacement for the following reasons.
a) I wanted to pay cash for it and not have a 20 year note on a rapidly depreciating purchase>
b) I found a gas unit by a manufacturer with a top notch reputation - Newmar. The cabinet work inside and overall worksmanship was excellent. They are the same when parked -- if you compare a 35 diesel vs 35 gas. (If you want a 40' diesel is the only way to go).
c) After owning both, I discovered that diesel costs more to maintain.. I know this will kick up a lot of dust from those who will call me a diesel hater. I am not, but the truth is the truth.
d) Mileage is about the same simply because gas coaches tend to be lighter. I get 7 mpg +/- on my gas. I got 7 +/- on my diesel, (but I did drive a bit faster with diesel). Now I am retired and not as much in a hurry. 60 MPH is not so bad and a lot safer than 75 - 80 that some diesels run.
e) All things considered for the same $$$ you can get a newer gas vs an older diesel. This means you will likely have a flat screen LED TV vs the big tube. You will more likely have LED lighting. You will have fewer hours on the generator and other technology.
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Old 12-05-2015, 12:24 PM   #9
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We've had many tell us it's much more expensive to maintain a DP and more time consuming. Is this true? Ron
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Old 12-05-2015, 12:24 PM   #10
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OK, I finally need to know now, do you have a used Monoco dealership and have secretly purchased every 2002 Monaco to sell ?

Busted!

Naw, we just love our MH and I honestly don't think I would ever buy a new one even if money was not a consideration! I read so many horror stories about folks getting all the bugs out of new rigs. I would rather buy one a few years old that someone else has gotten the bugs out of and taken the huge depreciation hit when driving off the lot!
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Old 12-05-2015, 12:48 PM   #11
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Newmar lantana Le vs Tiffen Red can any one help?
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Old 12-05-2015, 01:02 PM   #12
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Newmar lantana Le vs Tiffen Red can any one help?
They are both excellent manufacturers. What years on each. Where do you live. If North, you may be closer to Nappanee (Newmar) if South, you may be closer to Red Bay (Tiffin).

Which floor plan do you like? Which engine? I had CAT and it was good, but now CAT is no longer in the RV business and that may be problematic going forward. I would now chose Cummins.

So many other factors. Newmar uses the Brightec roofs, they are tough and easy to repair, Many Tiffin coaches use that or fiberglass, I would NOT get a rubber roof.

etc etc etc

P.S. I believe the Newmar may be a Ventana.
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Old 12-05-2015, 01:09 PM   #13
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We've had many tell us it's much more expensive to maintain a DP and more time consuming. Is this true? Ron
I took my DP to a Freight liner dealer and asked for oil and filter change on both engines and fuel system.

My bill was $3000. Diesel takes more oil and has more sensitive fuel systems, hence more filters. Air filter alone was over $200. It had to be beat off with a sledge hammer and the labor cost was high.

You are going to get lots of people here who change their own stuff and it can be done, but the raw cost of the product alone is double or triple.
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Old 12-05-2015, 01:14 PM   #14
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Don't rule out the bunk models... just 2 of us but we use our huge bunks for inside storage. Go see as many models as you can.
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