Community Forums

Woodpecker73 · 11-04-2012, 01:31 PM

We are thinking of geeting on the road and travel a bit. One problem there are 1000's of Motor Homes out there, so where to begin. We are looking for quality and price that is commensurate with each other. You know a $1000.00 horse with a $ 50.00 saddle just won't cut it, so without starting a war about which is best just help with the quality. What would you rate as # 1 and so forth down the line.
Thanks for any and all legitimate responses.

Woodpecker73

SarahW · 11-04-2012, 01:33 PM

Howdy and welcome to the forum.

I'd say first and foremost, decide how much money you plan to spend. Then we can assist with what to look for in your price range.

RickO · 11-04-2012, 01:45 PM

Welcome to the forum.

As Sarah said, help us out with more about what your objectives are so you can get much better advice.

In addition to how much you want to spend... how do you plan to use it? Will it be a few weekends per year plus a two week vacation or will you be on the road doing a lot of travel for extended periods of time? What part of the country do you see yourself doing the most travel in?

In one case, the advice might be a certain brand of Class C. In another, it might be to find a good, used diesel pusher (DP) with at least two slides.

At any rate, you've come to the right place. I've learned most of what I know about RVing right here on this forum.

Best of luck.

Rick

Woodpecker73 · 11-04-2012, 01:55 PM

We will use on some weekends and for a month a yr. for our annual trip from VA to MN.

We have looked at several class a and c but know nothing about quality. Naturally the money part is a factor however we don't want cheap. I read that a c class was more easy to drive and had better mileage.
Woodpecker73

Tom-NC · 11-04-2012, 02:25 PM

HI, Welcome to the forum and you will find a lot of info here for sure.

First off I would recommend you buy used to start out with to see if you like it or maybe rent one .

Now most will say I'm prejudiced and I am but I would recommend a Winnebago motorhome. The Class C's now have multiple slides which make it roomy and yes they are easier to handle. I woul also look at the class a's including the Sightseer which is nice and would start out with a 33 footer. In the Class C I would try to get a 31 footer.

Now you may wonder why I like Winnebago and there are a few reasons. I like their ammenities such as MotorAide Heater/ hot water, propane/electric water heater and quality of workmanship. I also like availablity of parts and a lot of the eternal workings are manufactured at Winnebago.

In Summary, either rent or buy used and start out with Class C then Class A and buy WINNEBAGO!

Tha_Rooster · 11-04-2012, 05:31 PM

Newell, prevost after that it's all a personal preference DP's ,gassers, class c's whatever you are hunting for. I would start with the chassis and engine then the pretties on top.

Oscar Mike · 11-05-2012, 04:54 AM

We just purchased our new Fleetwood Bounder a couple of weeks ago. We spent months researching and looking at Motor Homes, Class A and C. Initially we were convinced that a Class C was the way to go. After spending the time and effort to test drive, look at the floor plans, and really think of how we wanted to use the coach we ended up with a Bounder 33.

My best suggestion is to use this forum and make an extensive list of questions to ask yourself and any dealer you might use.

If you go through a dealer remember that the MSRP is NOT the sales price. Take 20% to 25% off the top to get to your starting point of negotiations. After spending more than a month negotiating for our coach we got it down to 42% off MSRP (absolutely true). BUT we bought a coach that had been on the dealer's lot for a while.

mikron · 11-05-2012, 05:08 AM

Welcome, you will love this site for info and laughs. We are on our 4th A gas and pick by floor plan, # of slides and price. We go with gas because of the short time we use the coach. DP would be fine if we traveled more. A,B or C is a comfort choice to me. The A wins in that class hands down for us. IMO floor plan first all the time. If you study this site for a while you will find from the best name units to the not so best all have problems.

wnytaxman · 11-05-2012, 06:34 AM

The place you have to start is with your budget. It sounds like you are looking for something that you will only use occasionally. The use and the cost are the primary factors to determine what you need/want. If you provide that information then you can give folks a starting point for the discussion.

Triker56 · 11-05-2012, 06:58 AM

Quote:

I read that a c class was more easy to drive and had better mileage.

A lot of DP will also get better mileage then a gas C.
A DP is easier to see farther down the road and side then a C when driving.
That makes for a better scenic drive.

MSHappyCampers · 11-05-2012, 08:39 AM

Hi folks! Welcome to IRV2! It's good to have you join us! Good luck and God bless!

YZF571 · 11-09-2012, 10:49 AM

Woodpecker73, welcome, and for sure it is a most awesome sub-culture! My
tactic was to rent/lease for a few years before I purchased. It really is amazing on the differences things such as just a floor plan can make. It really is about what you will use it for, and what is important to you. Consider the number in your party, is set up (parked) space important, or is travel (on the road) space a factor? In my experience (albeit limited) I find a 32’ class A is about perfect. Some of the reasons are, getting there is usually as fun as being there for me and my crew so the travel vibe is important, the size is a nice compromise between having all of the things I need and want, yet is small enough for me to get in/out of most of the places I go to. IMO the class C offers an additional bed at the expense of more generous living area. One feature I had in a rental once that I wish I had in my class A is a set of twin beds in the back instead of the walk around queen. My wife is not with me as often as my unit is filled with friends at the race track and Mountain bike trips etc. So the extra bed would be/was nice. When she was with me (in that arrangement) she whined a bit about the arrangement but it isn’t too bad! Also on the rent/lease side is the insurance, storage, and maintenance issue. For some reason, more things go wrong, more often when my unit sets than when I use it, to say nothing of the 150.00 (varies) a month or so to insure/store. In my case I bought older and used as I planned on doing some event specific remodeling that I suspect will kill the value of the coach to all except people using it for my intended purposes, I also thought if it wasn't what I had hoped and thought it would be 15K is a lot easier to walk away from than 40, or 50, or even more. So far it has been everything and then some that I thought it would be. I am already thinking about how my next one will be equipped!
Buy, use, enjoy!

RobRV · 11-09-2012, 10:52 AM

I would suggest that You "Rent" before You Buy!

Gocoffeer · 11-09-2012, 12:32 PM

Welcome to the site. Buying a used RV can be very daunting. I found a wonderful document on this site called "Used Motorhome Buyers Checklist" it is really a great check off list for you to get familiar with parts and terminology. If you follow it and use it to inspect prospective RVs you will get good at knowing what makes an RV worth buying.