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grimb · 12-29-2014, 07:06 PM

Looking at a class a rv purchase in two years. Are we better off looking at a gas model that is a few years old with everything in it we want or a older diesel with more miles on it with everything we want in it.
What brands do we stay away from and which do we look at.
We plan on attending rv shows in the next 2 years and talking to many people to research their ideas

TMan59 · 12-29-2014, 07:50 PM

OK, I'll start off here before the thread goes to heck.
There is no right answer!
There are folks out there who are happy with their coach. Every brand has them.
Just my opinion but price generally reflects quality.
Some folks have gas coaches and they are absolutely convinced that is the best option.
It is for them.
Some folks have diesels coaches who are absolutely convinced that is the best option.
It is for them.
I know what made the most sense for us.. We bought that.
If you go to shows, talk to other RV owners, in two years you will also know what is right for you.
Good luck.

Mr_D · 12-29-2014, 07:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TMan59

OK, I'll start off here before the thread goes to heck.
There is no right answer!
There are folks out there who are happy with their coach. Every brand has them.
Just my opinion but price generally reflects quality.
Some folks have gas coaches and they are absolutely convinced that is the best option.
It is for them.
Some folks have diesels coaches who are absolutely convinced that is the best option.
It is for them.
I know what made the most sense for us.. We bought that.
If you go to shows, talk to other RV owners, in two years you will also know what is right for you.
Good luck.

Good post and very true! What fits us and we like will have no bearing on what you like or fits you.

vsheetz · 12-29-2014, 08:05 PM

Floorplan is king above all else. What do you think your usage model will be? Once a month weekenders, with a week or two of week during the year vacationing? Or maybe part timers with trip lengths of s couple three month? Will you be traveling more, and staying less?

palehorse89 · 12-29-2014, 08:15 PM

Another thought when buying.......Gas or diesel? Do I need the HP/torque of a diesel? Do I need the carrying capacity along with the towing capacity of a diesel? How much HP is needed to suit your needs? Can a gas engine and chassis do what I need it to do? If so, there are a ton of wonderful gas models/floorplans out there today for sure.
So, I do not agree the floorplan should be first, Engine type and chassis to do the job you need it to do........then the floor plan......Have fun shopping!

becks · 12-29-2014, 09:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by palehorse89

Another thought when buying.......Gas or diesel? Do I need the HP/torque of a diesel? Do I need the carrying capacity along with the towing capacity of a diesel? How much HP is needed to suit your needs? Can a gas engine and chassis do what I need it to do? If so, there are a ton of wonderful gas models/floorplans out there today for sure.
So, I do not agree the floorplan should be first, Engine type and chassis to do the job you need it to do........then the floor plan......Have fun shopping!

+1 Good advice above.

jergeod · 12-29-2014, 10:10 PM

Another thought is how deep your pockets are. Maintenance on a diesel is much more expensive than a gas, but Tman59 and Palehorse89 both hit the nail on the head. Go to a dealer and test drive both in the exact size coach your looking for.

Ramets · 12-30-2014, 06:37 AM

It sounds in your post you'll be purchasing a used Rv. If that's the case, and everything being equal, and your budget is fixed at a certain amount, and if I were trying to decide between a gas coach with say 30k miles on it, or a diesel with 40k miles, I'd lean toward the diesel. There's a lot of variables, like what's been mentioned as to how you'll be using it. Probably the most important thing would be the maint. records. If I couldn't decide between the gas or diesel, and the diesel didn't have the records, I'd get the gas. But with two years to decide, a lot of the fun is in the hunt, and getting as much info on different makes as you can to narrow down your search. Before we decided I had norrowed down my makes to three. And after a lot of soul searching I just knew a Tiffin was the one I wanted. But out of the blue a Newmar appeared out of nowhere, and I couldn't pass it up. That was almost 5yrs. ago, and I have no regrets. Just keep an open mind, and after a little self educating, you'll be able to know the quality of the different brands. Good luck on your journey.

pushtrk99 · 12-30-2014, 07:01 AM

I think it is important to decide if your going fulltime or ocasionally a month here and then maybe another or maybe even two -fulltime is probably a deisel if your pocket book can afford it and the maintanence is usually higher for deisel,But other than that I /we chose a gas unit that we could pay cash and not have the dreaded payment-To each his own I guess-We even opted to look for a MH without slides and use a dolly to pull our car so maybe some will think we are goffy but it works for us-Rich
pauperspride.blogspot.com

bamaboy473 · 12-30-2014, 09:00 AM

The OP has been well-answered so far. Lot's of good advice/information. Here are a few more thoughts:

* Buying new lets a person trade money for a perceived comfort level which may or may not work out that way.
* Buying new lets a person spend a couple handsful of money for exactly the extras that they think they need, but are exactly what you wanted.
* Buying new gives a person a nice ego boost of, "we've made it!", satisfaction
* Buying new means that money and some loose variety of budget are no higher than third on your list of priorities.
* The brand name game is a numbers game. Coach brands that have survived for many years and have many models are most well-known because they have the largest followings. There are many coach brands that only produced a few models, for a few years, and have a higher standard of workmanship due to their low production volumes.
* If buying new or used, look at Components (because both MHs and boats are a bunch of outside vendors' stuff assembled in a factory)
* If buying used, don't overlook brands that aren't mainstream or are no longer made, because that is where you get great components at a much better price.
* Whether new or used, familiarize yourself with what brands of components are least problematic. With two years to go, you'll be well-versed and can make your decision based on your own knowledge base. Good on you!

Gordon Dewald · 12-30-2014, 09:27 AM

Look at Floor Plan.

No matter how you use the RV you will be spending time inside due to inclement weather or darkness. Can you entertain friends, have family stay over and stay out of each others way when forced inside. Is there sufficient room for meal preparation, hobbies and lounging? Can you watch the football game while the other half watches a movie or vice versa?

Floor plan will include size. Once you determine what Class suits you best you will have to determine what powers your unit from the available options of gas vs diesel, towing capacities, etc. C's or Super C's will tow as much or more as Class A's. If a B fits your needs then you may have to adjust your towing requirements.

By doing lots of research you will find the unit that satisfies most if not all of your RV requirements.

SteveLevin · 12-30-2014, 01:18 PM

Years ago I had a great boss that would always respond to a question like this with a simpler question:

"What's the problem you are trying to solve?"

In the case of the RV, the "problem" refers to "how do you think you'll be using the RV."

If, for example, you have a young family, then, such as when I was growing up, we rarely went anywhere for more than a 3 day weekend at most (and many times, we just left on Friday afternoon and came home Sunday evening), so we considered a campgrounds 3 hours away to be pretty far. More often than not, we traveled less than 2 hours.

And, of course, boys will be boys, so highly durable interior materials that you wouldn't be crushed if they got marked/stained/whatnot were important. (of course, in 1972, we either lacked the right friends, or all our camping friends were equally practical, because no one had anything I would consider fancy at all). And storage wasn't a big deal since you didn't need a lot of clothing for a 3 day trip.

Now, however, as a married adult with 3 dogs, I use my coach in an entirely different fashion. We often travel farther distances to see family (our closest family is 350 miles away, and others range between 800 and 1800 miles away), as well as take various opportunities to combine work trips with some vacation (for example, working for a couple of weeks in Wyoming can then lead into a trip through Yellowstone on the way home). During the lead-up to Thanksgiving, for example, we thought nothing of driving north 800 miles to pick up a new puppy, then 1100 miles south for the family Thanksgiving, then 350 miles home -- all in 11 days. So ride and drive quality is much more important than if we drove just a couple hundred miles 7 or 8 times a year.

We also dry camp as well...so having good sized grey and black tanks is important, since my wife and I are very much of the opinion that having our own toilet and shower is one of the primary reasons for having an RV at all...

In short, it's just as important to determine how you are going to use your RV as anything else. How you use it will influence everything from floorplan to drivetrain...

Steve

TomBr · 12-30-2014, 01:27 PM

There is some really good advice here. I might suggest a slightly different approach. Decide what you think you might want and find something like it in a 1990's gas version, spending something under $30,000, and explore close to home for two years. You can find some remarkably good units at prices low enough that you can resell in a couple of years with a loss of maybe a couple of thousand if you maintain it. I can almost guarantee you that as you live with one your ideas of what is essential and what is unnecessary will change, and your next purchase will be much closer to what you really want.

dennis45 · 12-30-2014, 01:56 PM

All very good advice.
In addition to all previous posts, take a look at the link below. If you choose to subscribe, it will cost you $150 but, IMO, it is money well spent if you have not owned an RV before.
During my search, I subscribed to this site and found it Very Helpful. Not the end to end all but certainly a great tool to help you in your research.

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