Community Forums

Ksjayhawker · 05-23-2015, 11:19 PM

5th wheel or Class A / Class A or 5th wheel...why does this have to be so hard!! Okay, 2.5 years out from retirement and full-timing it. We are debt free and will have a budget of $120k for our new home on wheels. I can get a new diesel truck and 5th wheel with my budget or a used Class A approximately 7-10 years old (diesel). Our plans are to travel for the first 5-8 years, staying in one place for approximately one month at a time.

I realize choosing between the two is a personal decision. My question lies on the sustainability of the 5th wheel over the long haul. Are the frames durable enough to withstand moving all of the time down the road? I really like the idea of starting out with "new" but I think a Class A chassis would hold up more our retirement scenario. Please give me some guidance!!

LarrytheBear · 05-23-2015, 11:36 PM

If you go with the fifth wheel your daily driver will be your truck. If you go with class A you can choose a more comfortable daily driver that gets better gas milage. It may not matter to you but your wife may feel differently.
There are many other factors such as ease of overnighting in a parking lot in a class A, not having to stop for passenger potty breaks.
Just a couple of thoughts.

plasma800 · 05-24-2015, 12:08 AM

Can I ask a couple questions?

1. Are you mechanically handy with wiring, diesel or gas engines?
2. Do you have extra money in the 20k range available in case you need it for immediate repairs?
3. Do you plan on driving how many miles a year? Are you "moving a lot" type of people? Or slower paced.
4. Have you ever operated rvs in the past?
5 forgive me for asking, but are you fit? Middle of the road? Large? Helps in sizing decisions, particularly in bathrooms and showers.
6 how soon before retirement can you procure the unit before you move in? This allows for time to make major fixes early.
7 are thinking class a diesel or gas?
8 are you a "bigger is better" type, or do you like simple, minimalism in indoor living?

No wrong answers.

hal1phx · 05-24-2015, 09:21 AM

We too went through this question ... for us, the larger truck to pull would be too big for some planned areas (specifically SanFran). Storage also came into play ... Our decision was based on these two issues mainly ... after being out & about a bit ... we happy with our choice .... mainly watching set up and tear down procedures with 5ers ... Its also nice also the have everything handy while traveling ....
Just my opinion .....

Ksjayhawker · 05-24-2015, 10:27 AM

1. Are you mechanically handy with wiring, diesel or gas engines?

I would classify myself as a "trier":-). I am a student of YouTube University. I have worked on gas engines before and currently drive a diesel truck but have only done minor repairs on it. I know absolutely nothing about wiring.

2. Do you have extra money in the 20k range available in case you need it for immediate repairs?

We would but I cringe at the thought!!!

3. Do you plan on driving how many miles a year? Are you "moving a lot" type of people? Or slower paced.

Since we have never RV'd before, I am guessing in the 5-8k range. We are anticipating staying in one area for about a month, visiting sites within a 250 mile radius of where our "home" is located.

4. Have you ever operated rvs in the past?

We have not.

5 forgive me for asking, but are you fit? Middle of the road? Large? Helps in sizing decisions, particularly in bathrooms and showers.

I am fit. I will be 50 and my wife 51 at retirement. I am 6'1/205 and wife 5'6/120 (hope she doesn't read this

6 how soon before retirement can you procure the unit before you move in? This allows for time to make major fixes early.

We still have 1 1/2 years. I plan on making the purchase six months before our voyage.

7 are thinking class a diesel or gas?

From what I have read and salesmen I have spoken to, diesel is the way to go.

8 are you a "bigger is better" type, or do you like simple, minimalism in indoor living?

Since we will be full timing, the minimum length would be 36'. I am a bigger, the better type.

Thanks for the questions. It has made me think.

Barbaraok · 05-24-2015, 10:38 AM

We've been on the road for 9 years now, so maybe we have a little perspective. We think our decision of a Class A DP was the right one. And when we started we had two cats who traveled with us and never having to move them from their home on a travel day was a plus. First time you pull into a park in the middle of a rain storm and you can just wait until the worst passes before hooking up/setting up you'll appreciate having everything at your 'fingertips', so to speak. Do make sure that you take 10% of your purchase price and put it into a repair/maintenance fund and add to that each month - - things will wear out/breakdown and need to be fixed. An older, gently used DP (families with teenagers don't generally purchase DPs) will already have all of the 'new unit bugs' worked out and you can get some really good buys if you are patient.

Barb

MSHappyCampers · 05-24-2015, 12:38 PM

Class A DP! No question!

JFXG · 05-24-2015, 02:13 PM

We went with a DP when we started three years ago; no regrets. Couple of points: Size. You will be living in this, you will not want to be "camping" all the time. Get a unit that has the amenities that you want to live with. Also, bumping into each other and squeezing by each other in the kitchen gets old and irksome fairly quickly. (We learned this some years ago on our boat.) buy a unit that is large enough to live in comfortably. "Too big" becomes normal quickly, but "too small" lasts forever.

Quality. For a unit that will withstand the rigors of 24/7/365 usage, buy high quality. Subscribe to the RV Consumer Group (www.rv.org) and look at their ratings. Look for units from top regarded builders, rated for fulltiming with high ratings. If this negatively impacts your budget, simply move your target age back. Buy 10-12 y/o instead of 7-8. With a high quality manufacturer the age won't matter. Quality lasts.

Good Luck!!

Fulltiming since '12
2002 DSDP 40, FL, Cat 3126

Steve n Jan · 05-24-2015, 04:20 PM

We started out with an Airstream, then went with a large fifth wheel with a dually diesel pickup and then to a 45 foot coach. We'd never go back to a truck and trailer again. I would advise if you buy a big coach to invest in an extended warranty, radiators, transmissions and engines on coaches are very expensive..

plasma800 · 05-24-2015, 04:25 PM

Contact Skyboss - he has some good things to say about particular warranties, which I also think is a good idea

twogypsies · 05-24-2015, 11:53 PM

Our first 8 years of full-timing was in a 33' 5th wheel and diesel truck. Friends introduced us to Jeeping and the 5th wheel was showing its age so we looked into another RV. We always hated driving the diesel truck around.

We switched to a Jeep and a 40' diesel motorhome and it was perfect for us for the next 8 years. We had lots of fun with the Jeep on trails with friends and had a comfortable quiet vehicle for traveling backroads and siteseeing. We also enjoy birding and spotting other critters and you can't do that with a diesel truck.

UncleBilly · 05-25-2015, 12:50 AM

As someone once said...
If you park more than you drive... Get a 5th wheel
If you drive more than you park... Get a Class A DP
😜👍🏻

1996 Country Coach Intrigue 😜

SpaceNorman · 05-30-2015, 10:49 AM

We're new to the RV game - and are expecting to find ourselves fulltimers (or close to it) once we retire next year.

We opted to go the motorhome (2012 HR Endeaver 43' DFT) and toad (2012 Jeep Liberty) route - for several reasons. First and foremost - we liked how "solid" the motor home chassis feels underneath us as compared to virtually any of the 5'ers we looked at. Second, it seemed like the motor home house systems are more "industrial strength" than any of the 5'ers we looked at. Lastly, we're betting that even though we plan to move regularly - it's far more likely that we'll put more miles on the toad over the course of the year (sightseeing jaunts, day trips, errands, etc) than we will on the coach.

Our rationale was that by minimizing wear and tear on the BIG ticket item (the coach) we'll get a longer service life from it - and come out further ahead than we would purchasing a pickup truck large enough to safely tow a 5'er with comparable living space AND driving the wheels off of it using it for sightseeing, day trips and errands as well.

It's way too early to tell exactly how that's going to work out in the end ... but it's the rationale behind the choices we've made so far.

thumpergirl · 06-03-2015, 07:59 PM

I'm having the same kinds of questions. I will be having to decide what kind of rig to get. Right now I have a nice little, newish (2013) Chevy Cruise that gets great gas mileage and I'm really conflicted about what to do when it comes time to purchase a rig. I've been trying to compare the costs of going with a motorhome (class C) and tow my Cruze (which needs to be towed with front wheels up) or trade off the Cruze for a truck and get a trailer. I am on a limited income so $$$ are a huge factor when it comes to overall costs. I get a funny feeling in my gut when I think of getting rid of the Cruze...it's such a good car and paid for! I won't be able to afford a new Class C, nor a new truck...not too worried about finding an affordable trailer, should I decide to go that way. The price of Class C's are out of control right now, even used ones...at least any that are in decent condition. So, the dilemma continues.

I'd welcome any more comments from anyone, in addition to those already in this thread. There are so many factors, perhaps someone can give me some advice from their own experiences on costs, etc between the two options.

I appreciate any advice and thanks!