Recently retired looking for first RV.

[twosmac]

Hi all,

We are recently retired and would like to relocate from the midwest to a better climate but can't decide on a location. Just so happens we met a couple that told us that they had dealt with the same problem by roaming around the country for a year in an RV until they found an area they loved.

We have always wanted to see some of the national parks out west so we thought why not try an RV for a year. That way we could search for a new home and see some of the national parks out west.

I have been looking at listings for used class A's and there seems to be a ton of used Georgie Boy's and Damon's for sale.
In the RV world are they considered high end or more low end ?

I'm not very handy or mechanically inclined so I'm looking for a dependable, reasonably priced, used class A in the 28'-30' range.
Do you have any recommendations ?

[jdr159]

Go to the owner's forums and read/ask there. The amount of $ you're willing to spend is going to be the main decision maker on mfg, year, and perceived quality level.

FWIW I recently retired and bought a 2000 Newmar Mountain Aire. I couldn't be happier. I like the simpler systems (all manual shades and awnings) vs the powered items on newer coaches.

Enjoy.

[Medico]

Those are both on the lower end, although a MH with a diesel pusher engine is higher end than a gas model. Most diesel MHs seem to have more of the toys that we all crave. Plus the diesels will have higher torque values on the motors. Unfortunately diesels tend to be more expensive to maintain due to the size and amount of oil, etc. Fortunately diesels also require fewer oil changes per thousands of miles of travel.

As stated by the last poster, you really have to decide your budget, then look at MH's that fit in that budget.

[ahicks]

We did much the same as you are planning. Hitting the road with the idea of seeing a lot of the sights we've never seen, at a pace determined only by our moods - with a vigilant question always in the back of our minds - would you want to spend the rest of your life here? We still enjoy life at our sticks and bricks home (friends, family, hobbies, etc), so we go out for 6-8 weeks at a time twice a year. Once late winter/early spring and again in the fall. That's worked out really well for us.... many times avoiding campgrounds trying to handle the summer crowds.

Not being handy or mechanically inclined is going to make owning a class A expensive. Most people that seem to enjoy them the most are dong a lot of they're own work, or they've purchased something newer and are depending on getting most work necessary done under warranty. Many get pretty frustrated trying to coordinate necessary repair work while living in the coach full time?

An option might be renting a coach to allow you to see if the lifestyle even fits - prior to spending the money on something like this? At the very least a couple of weeks in a rental would give you a lot better insight on what might work best for you as far as floor plans, etc. while at the same time making you a more educated buyer?

Congrats on the retirement, and the very best of luck, whatever way you go! -Al

[twosmac]

I was hoping to spend no more than 50K for a good used coach.
Also, it's been suggested that determining the type of RV'ing environment helps to narrow the choices.
That's sort of my dilemma. We would like to see some of those magnificent national parks, (I heard they have a 30' limit) but at the same time we would definitely want the ability to boondock when we're ready to get away from the crowds.

[ahicks]

We use our coach in state parks almost exclusively - all over the country. We've run across some pretty old parks with limits, but it's never caused us much trouble? I can think of one park where we had to ask about a site that would be big enough to allow our use of it and were granted the use of one they hold for just that purpose. That's one though, in 2.5 years and over 15K miles?

A lot of class A's will be used with a toad. HIGHLY recommended for their ability to let you do day trips into areas you would never consider venturing with a class A. Parks/destinations are chosen for central locations to allow day trips into areas we'd like to see? These often include tight twisty mountain roads I would NEVER consider with a class A!

[Okiedoke]

I'm new to rv'ing, but have a similar situation. We must sell our home and acreage of 32 years because we simply can't keep up with it any longer. Thought it would be good opportunity to combine travel and house-hunting. We are aiming for at least 2 years on the road, but of course nothing is written in stone.

We researched and shopped rv's for months and, for various reasons, decided on a used class A. Also plan to do some boondocking. Ended up with a low mileage 2004 Itasca 32v that was well maintained and also had the floorplan and options we liked best. Reports show Itasca's are decent quality motorhomes. For boondocking, am shopping for a much larger solar panel than the 10 watt one on the roof now. Might even be able to fit four batteries in the tray that currently holds three.

We too first considered 28-30 footers, however never found a 30 footer that felt near as big inside as our 32 footer with 2 slides. However, 35 footers were nice also, but 32 feet was a sweet spot for us and many folks say 32 footers can go almost anywhere a 30 footer can. Then again, a year from now I might feel completely different about it.

[Jimooo]

That's a hard question, will you be FT, or just weekenders ? How many passengers do you have or A pet? I think that if you are just using it for A occasionally vacation I would get at least A 35-40 feet gas , you can't go wrong with a winnebago or tiffin .

If you are full time I would think a 38-42 feet DP perhaps 10 or so years old with your price range would be fine, I like American coaches, or Monaco that are well made for full time living.

It's a big investment look up RV reviews to help you make your decision , also I would not believe everything that these RV salesman say ,do your own investigation to confirm what they are telling you .

Finally read A lot of these owners forums to get first hand knowledge once you find A MH that you really like.

Happy hunting,

James

[GRUMPY1947]

Hello, This is my first post and hope someone will help. Next year the wife and I are going to sell everything and go on the road full time. We love the fifth wheel combo but don't know what to get a diesel or gas pick-up. Being retired we won't be in a hurry so a gas truck would do. Also I can't see spending $.60 more a gallon, but I don't want to burn up the truck. My question is Gas or Diesel? I have been told a F-250 gas will pull a 35" Montana with no problem. Thank you.

[MJFZ]

Originally Posted by GRUMPY1947

Hello, This is my first post and hope someone will help. Next year the wife and I are going to sell everything and go on the road full time. We love the fifth wheel combo but don't know what to get a diesel or gas pick-up. Being retired we won't be in a hurry so a gas truck would do. Also I can't see spending $.60 more a gallon, but I don't want to burn up the truck. My question is Gas or Diesel? I have been told a F-250 gas will pull a 35" Montana with no problem. Thank you.

Hi Grumpy1947, Welcome to IRV2. You will find lots of opinions on your question. Since your post is a question on towing a 5er, you might want to post in the 5th wheel sub forum of IRV2. Personally, I love my Chevrolet 2500HD with Duramax Diesel--- but I am not towing a 5th wheel I am towing a 10,000 pound enclosed race car tag trailer.

Mike

[BCooke]

Originally Posted by GRUMPY1947

Hello, This is my first post and hope someone will help. Next year the wife and I are going to sell everything and go on the road full time. We love the fifth wheel combo but don't know what to get a diesel or gas pick-up. Being retired we won't be in a hurry so a gas truck would do. Also I can't see spending $.60 more a gallon, but I don't want to burn up the truck. My question is Gas or Diesel? I have been told a F-250 gas will pull a 35" Montana with no problem. Thank you.

5er forum would be better.. couple quick.
I had a gas truck, moved to a bigger diesel pick up... fuel is ~14% more mileage is approx 40% better.
Check the weight ratings for yourself. While the salesperson says, sure no problem. There are many who would debate about pulling it with a truck one size up. Hills..... traveling in a hilly or mountain area....

[twosmac]

We plan to keep our home and RV part time, just the two of us. No kids or pets. No telling how long we would stay on the road. I would imagine some shoter trips at first until we get the hang of things.
We won't be selling our home or jumping into this fulltime just yet.

Oh, one other question, when buying used RV's from a dealer, is there a rule of thumb regarding bargaining with the dealer ?

Thanks again.

[Jimooo]

In my opinion for used MH I think that 25-35% off NADA low retail would be an excellent value ,
Right now is a buyers market for MH.

Good luck,

James

[pumper9x9]

go to rv.org and buy their product. This is an excellent source of information and will be the best money you will spend on your rv. good luck