Class A for the Weekends

[kdflyer]

Is it practical to buy a Class A Gas RV to use mostly on the weekends as a "get-a way"? I hope I am not living in a fantasy, but I am thinking if we had a RV (instead of staying in a hotel) we will be more inclined to leave on a Friday and come back on Sunday evening. I need a way to get away from work and disconnect. Disconnecting is hard to do being on call 24/7. I don't know much about a RV (never had one or taken a trip in one) but I think living in one for the weekends would be a great thing.

Advice?

[Mr_D]

It could be a good thing or just add another layer of stress. It just depends on how it works out for you.

[wjohnson913]

Rent one for a few weekends, check out some of the parks in your area that are a couple hours away. Try a state or regional park and an upscale rv resort and you'll get a pretty good idea how much fun in can be.

[Finance]

Rent first. It's a big, expensive commitment.

[Arch Hoagland]

Rent first as others mentioned. Leave the cellphone home.

[Arizona]

I wouldn’t have a class a unless fulltiming. With a trailer you can use a pickup separately.

[FIRE UP]

Originally Posted by kdflyer

Is it practical to buy a Class A Gas RV to use mostly on the weekends as a "get-a way"? I hope I am not living in a fantasy, but I am thinking if we had a RV (instead of staying in a hotel) we will be more inclined to leave on a Friday and come back on Sunday evening. I need a way to get away from work and disconnect. Disconnecting is hard to do being on call 24/7. I don't know much about a RV (never had one or taken a trip in one) but I think living in one for the weekends would be a great thing.

Advice?

Well KD,
First off, you don't say what kind of situation you have. Do you have a family, kids, ages, pets? Are you thinking of towing a small car or a Jeep for a toad/run-a-round car when camping? Much of the advice here might depend on if you have a family and all that. Different types and styles of coaches apply to different folks.
Getting out of the concrete jungle is GREAT! I applaud you for even thinking about it. If all you can do is weekends, well, that's gonna have to do. Might you be thinking about "boondocking" or, using a campground or RV park, any in mind?

Boondocking is just going out and finding some remote place in the desert, hills, forest, valley, anywhere that is not plagued with the maddening crowds. Some folks really like getting as far away from the crowds and some don't.

Using a campground has its benefits. More people near by to help with unknown camping situations, possibly more things to do with family members, activities and more. Many of us have done it all kinds of ways and have developed a plan for what's best for us. You will get there too. If you are as new to this stuff as you say, I might suggest you use a local campground at first, to learn, watch, sit back and relax and just take in the sounds and smells of camping.

Now, again, the type/size/kind of rig you aim for is, well dependent on how many are with you, what you feel will be comfortable with however many and, what you also may be comfortable driving. Some folks are intimidated and overwhelmed by anything larger than a standard van. Some, can handle driving rolling gymnasiums easily. I might suggest you look into a medium length Class C to start with. Most of those are a bit easier to drive and park, back up etc. And, you'll get a good experience of what you might like and dislike. Good luck.
Scott

[Isaac-1]

Don't expect to save any money with an RV, I bought my current coach about 20 months ago, have spent about 100 nights on board, and not counting the $22,800 initial purchase cost counting tax, title, etc. for a 15 year old coach, I have spent right at $10,000 on those general cost of ownership things, like insurance, repairs ($719 just last week due to a blown hydraulic line on the way to the shop to get new brake pads installed), provisioning (pots, pans, bbq grill, ...), upgrades (TPMS, GPS, LED headlights, ...). This is all before counting fuel, campground fees, etc. Hopefully the spending rate will slow down a bit, it was $7,000 in the first 12 months, and only $3,000 so far this year, though I have $600+ on the to do list now. Even assuming a relatively cheap $25 per night campground (typical state park rate around here), I am looking at $125-$150 per night of use, more like $175-$200 when you consider the extra fuel cost of getting to the campgrounds and is using the assumption I could sell the coach for what I bought it for.

[Our first RV]

For a weekender I'd say motorhomes are a good choice. I'm 45 & like a lot of other "younger" RV'ers, I'm only able to get away from Friday to Sunday evening, with the one or two weeks vacation during the summer. I have a Class A gasser, and I feel it's a great way to camp for the weekend! I started with a Class C, and three years later upgraded to the A with two "must have" features, slide-outs & leveling Jack's lol
You didn't give a lot of info about yourself or your camping goals in this post, but from reading some of your previous posts, I'd say you're definitely going to purchase an RV soon. That being said, I WOULD recommend a Class A if you've gotten the storage lot lined up. And with 4 pets, I would say at least one slide out & a minimum of 30 feet! I do think that for your first RV, with no previous experience, you have been looking at units that are too new. I'd definitely say try renting one first to get a feel for the RV experience, and if it's got you hook, line, and sinker (lol) then start shopping. Personally, I'd rather have a little older of an RV that's gone through most of the big depreciation, but that's been well taken care of with FULL maintenance records! Good luck

[cimplexsound]

I personally like a class C myself because I think there better quality. But I have a class A and I'm stuck with it. So whatever works.

[kdflyer]

Originally Posted by FIRE UP

Well KD,
First off, you don't say what kind of situation you have. Do you have a family, kids, ages, pets? Are you thinking of towing a small car or a Jeep for a toad/run-a-round car when camping? Much of the advice here might depend on if you have a family and all that. Different types and styles of coaches apply to different folks.

"Just my wife and 4 toy chihuahua's. Don't plan on towing and really do not think I will be going to a crowded RV Park. We would rather be away from everyone with the convenience of sleeping anywhere."

Getting out of the concrete jungle is GREAT! I applaud you for even thinking about it. If all you can do is weekends, well, that's gonna have to do. Might you be thinking about "boondocking" or, using a campground or RV park, any in mind?

"Yes, boondocking sounds great, I have been watching lots of YouTube videos!"

Boondocking is just going out and finding some remote place in the desert, hills, forest, valley, anywhere that is not plagued with the maddening crowds. Some folks really like getting as far away from the crowds and some don't.

Using a campground has its benefits. More people near by to help with unknown camping situations, possibly more things to do with family members, activities and more. Many of us have done it all kinds of ways and have developed a plan for what's best for us. You will get there too. If you are as new to this stuff as you say, I might suggest you use a local campground at first, to learn, watch, sit back and relax and just take in the sounds and smells of camping.

Now, again, the type/size/kind of rig you aim for is, well dependent on how many are with you, what you feel will be comfortable with however many and, what you also may be comfortable driving. Some folks are intimidated and overwhelmed by anything larger than a standard van. Some, can handle driving rolling gymnasiums easily. I might suggest you look into a medium length Class C to start with. Most of those are a bit easier to drive and park, back up etc. And, you'll get a good experience of what you might like and dislike. Good luck.
Scott

"We started out looking at Class B (they look perfect on YouTube), but when actually being in one, they are just too small. the Class C (Ford) has limited room in the passenger seat, and my wife does not like the small opening from the cab back into the coach. We have driven two different Class A coaches and that feels the best. We want something as nice as home."

Thanks for your input . . I appreciate the help.

[kdflyer]

Originally Posted by Our first RV

For a weekender I'd say motorhomes are a good choice. I'm 45 & like a lot of other "younger" RV'ers, I'm only able to get away from Friday to Sunday evening, with the one or two weeks vacation during the summer. I have a Class A gasser, and I feel it's a great way to camp for the weekend! I started with a Class C, and three years later upgraded to the A with two "must have" features, slide-outs & leveling Jack's lol
You didn't give a lot of info about yourself or your camping goals in this post, but from reading some of your previous posts, I'd say you're definitely going to purchase an RV soon. That being said, I WOULD recommend a Class A if you've gotten the storage lot lined up. And with 4 pets, I would say at least one slide out & a minimum of 30 feet! I do think that for your first RV, with no previous experience, you have been looking at units that are too new. I'd definitely say try renting one first to get a feel for the RV experience, and if it's got you hook, line, and sinker (lol) then start shopping. Personally, I'd rather have a little older of an RV that's gone through most of the big depreciation, but that's been well taken care of with FULL maintenance records! Good luck

I am still looking for a storage place. Apparently that is the business to start in Fort Lauderdale, there is little or no parking anywhere for a 36+ft Motorhome, and what is available is $300/month and I might be afraid to leave a new coach in the areas I have visited.
We really like the 2019 Fleetwood Southwind 35K( not available yet, but I have seen the new specs from the factory, very nice upgrades from the 2018 model), but I am looking at older DP's. The problem is I really don't have time/money to work on updating a older coach. The ideal situation for me would be to find an older couple who no longer can use their late model coach and buy from them. i would much rather give my money to someone who really needed it as opposed to a dealership selling a RV.

Thanks for your advice . . this site is amazing.

[Fairfieldwiz]

kdflyer, we're four months into our class A experience. Circumstances identical to yours. My wife and I are younger and work full-time so it's mostly a Friday to Sunday thing for us.

We skipped taking vacations esp involving flying because of the hassle of airports, security, etc. So we just didn't go anywhere. A motorhome seemed like a better way to go. For us, we now have a second home of sorts that we get to take to all kinds of cool places. (For example, just discovered Harvesthosts.com yesterday and can't wait to investigate that.)

We began by renting. There's plenty to choose from. We discovered it was fun but a real hassle to have to move in and move out of. Plus, we were hesitant about fully exploring someone else's $100,000 investment. Ultimately, we bought a 2014 Thor Hurricane in May. I did a LOT of research. Buying a new motorhome for us was a terrible idea. For starters, dealers have a well-earned reputation for thoroughly taking advantage of newbies. Plus we learned the weirdest thing about new RV's that's still hard for me to believe. They come from the factory with a ton of defects that you get to find out about right after you take delivery. Then, it's customary to bring it back to the dealership and sometimes wait weeks or months to get everything fixed. Also, the depreciation curve is STEEP- like 30 pct plus the first year on a new RV.

One of the best investments we didn't have to pay for was the book, "Buying a Used Motorhome" by Bill Myers. It was a free Kindle book on Amazon.com. We went with his strategy of buying a late-model, lowish mileage RV. As with motorcycles, boats and Jetskis there are tons for sale by people who thought they wanted one and/or were hustled into buying one from an aggressive salesperson. 10,000 miles means someone else likely had all the things fixed and they ate the depreciation.

We bought well and our strategy is to try it for a year or so, keeping track of what we spend. We'll look at it again then and if we're not happy with the cost vs. pleasure, we'll sell it. So far, we're enjoying the heck out of it although it's crystal clear as others have said above, it's not a cheap way to get away.


You're right about RV storage being the business to be in. Living in a neighborhood where RV's are not allowed to be kept meant I began the hunt for off-site storage when it became likely we would find a MH. Actually had the storage space rented a few weeks before we had the MH selected. And there is a bit of a hassle factor having to "go get the MH from storage" when you want to use it.

Happy to share more details of our shopping/buying experience. Drop me a note anytime.

[Dermec]

Just thought I'd mention that this place generally has pretty good used unit with low mileage, Used RV's Motorhomes, RV Service & Sales Houston, Texas