Things you should of changed when you purchased your RV

[Tropiccafe]

I am trying to get a list of things users did like and didn't like about their RV. I am going to purchase a Class A Diesel and would like feedback on what works and what don't. Looking to buy used and need all the help I can get.

[azloafer]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tropiccafe I am trying to get a list of things users did like and didn't like about their RV. I am going to purchase a Class A Diesel and would like feedback on what works and what don't. Looking to buy used and need all the help I can get.

You will get many answers to this question. So, I will just offer one that I think is important. When you start to narrow it down to one coach be sure to check it for recalls and TSBs at www.recalls.gov You only need the make, model and year. If something turns up I would make sure the seller takes care of it before you buy the coach. Ask for proof in writing. My former coach had several recalls and a TSB that were not disclosed to me and I didn't know where to look before I bought it. The manufacture had gone bankrupt so nothing was covered. Lesson learned. You asked a good question and I am sure you will get good advice from owners more knowledgeable than me. Good luck in your search. Joe

[azloafer]

I have one other consideration that you may not here. Let's say you are in a campground and a storm comes up. You decide that it would be best to pull the slides in until it is over. Can you still get around to all parts of the coach in a reasonable manner with the slides retracted? Something to think about. Now let someone else reply... Joe

[mythplaced]

LIKES:

• 400 HP Cummins Diesel
• 40' worth of space
• Mid door
• Electric Awning
• Gas Oven
• Lots O" Counter space
• King Size bed
• Full size shower
• 100 gal water
• 100 gal grey
• 80 gal black
• 100 gal fuel
• 42 gal propane
• Residential Refrig

DISLIKES:

• Residential Refrig
• 40" length

[SteveLevin]

Depending upon your use patterns, will generator position matter? (in other words, does the coach have a front mounted generator, and if not, does it matter to you?)

Steve

[Vegasdan]

What are your priorities? Where do you think you'd like to camp? Many state campgrounds and some older private campgrounds will limit size. Are you going to use it occassionally or fulltime? Since we are going to full time and use it in some state camp grounds we went with 37 ft and as much storage as we could get. The other consideration is how much is your budget?

[GoneFishin]

The CCC is very important to me for safety reasons. Our 2008 Cayman motorhome has a CCC of 4600+ pounds. We traded our new 2007 after 9 months because it only allowed for 1000 CCC and we just could not keep it below 1000 pounds. I've read that 2 full-timers should allow for 1000-2000 pounds of "stuff" each and I believe it.

The hitch weight capacity was also a reason for us to trade in the 2007 La Palma. Both of these weight issues could be safety issues.

[The Danes Are Coming]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tropiccafe Looking to buy used and need all the help I can get.

It is very much a buyers marked at the moment. A good search on the Internet reveals a lot of say new Class A 09 models at "used" prices.I would love to get my hands on one of these bargains.

I wish that I was buying my first coach right now. When I bought I didn't know what to look for. Now I do.

It is difficult to advise you since everyone's needs are different. Some people favours this and others favours that. What are your specific needs? They may well be different to mine?.I would say that as long as you get "value for your money" you are on the right track.

Good luck searching

[popsuscdds]

Tropicafe,
I bought our motor home some 2300 miles distance from our home. It had been unused for several years after the death of the owner. The seller
(son-in law) suggested that a company (YUCK INC.) he knew of could check it over for the seller(him) and buyer(me) we would share in the costs not to exceed $1000.00 each. I agreed. OH MY! What I didn't know was that they corrected things that were cosmetic or necessary to get us home like tires, batteries, alternator, wash coach, wsw blades, etc. The front air bags were shot, the front sway bar bushings were missing. The LP regulator had to be replaced. The new alternator died upon reaching home. All 34 of the drawer slides were installed improperly at the factory causing most of the drawers to come out while driving down the highway. I paid YUCK INC. to fix the drawer slides but most of them came out while driving home. The radiator and heater hoses had to be replaced along with new coolant and radiator flush. The list goes on. My complaint is with seller for he instructed YUCK INC what to check and correct.We bought way below Kelley Blue book, but we had a ton of things to correct. Financially we are O.K.
What would I do next time. First, I had looked at 100 plus sales ads for this particular motor home over a period of months. I knew what make, model, floor plan, history, year, mileage, and costs I wanted. Next time I would find an appraiser who is totally independent of the seller and YUCK INC. I would hire him to look at the motor home in his shop and pay him just like you would an appraiser for a new home. A few thousand spent on an appraiser would at least let you know where you are and what to expect. You aren't ever going to find a used motor home that has had a perfect maintenance history.
Milt

[H. Miller]

For resale purposes we included:
1. Full body paint
2. 2-3 slides
3. A 2 "area" bathroom with a sink in each
4. 330HP minimum

[Jim Stewart]

In looking at used DPs you may have to look for brand, floorplan and condition first and features second. If you look just at features you may have a difficult time finding a MH at the price you want to pay (supply and demand). Once you find the brand and floorplan you want, you can estimate the cost of any changes you would like.

Here seems to be the average list.

Leather furniture instead of fabric.
Lounge chairs on one side instead of 2 couches.
J sofas or jackknife beds are worthless. Hide-a-bed and 2 loungers seem to be preferred.
Gas oven, but not at the sacrifice of too few cabinets or drawers.
Laminate or tile floors instead of carpet. (BIGGY)
Large enough fridge (4 door)
ACs with Heat pumps instead of just AC with heat strips.
TV location, I like the over dash, many do not and LCD verses TV
Sleep number beds sound good but are disliked more than liked by most.
Bath with enough room to pass each other from front to back while primping.
Two sinks in bath either 1 in the bath and 1 in private toiler or bedroom.
More slides are better than fewer by most accounts.
Type of slides; cable drives suck and either electric gear or hydraulic seemed to be preferred.
More cabinets are better but look more cluttered and enclosed.
Dining rooms; booths are great for storage but take up a lot of room.
Auto generator start is a nice feature.
Side verses rear radiator (I have rear, would have preferred side).
More HP, mo money, is it really needed that often and is the incremental difference worth the $?
You can never have too much counter space.
Many love front kitchens (not me).
Many love rear baths, (not me, unwilling to dedicate the space for 20 minutes a day)
Washer Dryer a must separate units would be like heaven.
House Refer would be nice and would actually keep food cold. (not the best for boon-docking and should have larger inverter and more batteries)
Solar battery chargers are nice.
Dishwasher (I never saw the advantage at home, have had them and never used them)
Separate ice-makers are great and in my opinion, a must have.
Automatic awnings are easy to use and basically worthless, because you can't use them very often.
Window awnings on all windows are great and allow the AC to cool in the sun with high temps.
A couple of interior outlets that do not get their 110 volts from the inverter are very nice.
Many people swear by Sanicons, I prefer the simple sewer hose.
Auto power cord and water hose are great.
Auto leveling jacks are nice, 4 verses 3 is an age old argument, have had both, prefer 4 (less wobble when parked).
Cat verses Cummins, Tomato-Tamato, Torque verses HP.
Outside entertainment center and kitchen, personally, Huh?
3 Camera rear and side view system, I would like 65 camera system.
Fiberglass or metal roof, rubber is worthless.
Aqua-hot, personally $, Huh?

I have personally found that a 38 footer with 4 slides to be the perfect size MH for us. Lots of room, slightly shorter wheelbase (easier to maneuver) with greater CCC.

[HD4Mark]

A couple of quick thoughts.

One big "we like" that surprised us was the dishwasher. At first kind of a novelty but we use it a lot.

Before you buy try to make the bed. It sounds silly but if it is a pain to make it won't get done. Beds that have one side to the wall are the worst.

Our automatic awning is no fun. If the rig your looking at has one try it a few times.

[CaptPat]

Here are some things that made a difference when purchasing our current coach:

Ceramic tile floors throughout instead of carpet--bedroom is carpeted.
Stackable washer dryer
4 slides
King size bed
Aqua hot
China toilet instead of plastic
Pass through basement storage with slide trays
Slide topper awnings
Window awnings
Tag Axle

The one thing I wish I'd have had done before taking delivery was to install a solar panel to maintain the batteries when the unit is in storage.

[Craig P.]

Quote:

Originally Posted by mythplaced LIKES: Residential Refrig DISLIKES: Residential Refrig

You like, but don't like it? I'm confused...