Community Forums

Disneyfix · 03-04-2012, 07:06 PM

I figure my MH out the door purchase limit will be $200k. Family of 4, kids age 7 + 10. What would all you experienced MH experts do? I am looking for insight, experience, all the things a noob needs....Knowing what you know now! Buy new, used....?????
Thanks,
Chris

Dr4Film · 03-04-2012, 07:17 PM

Trust me, there are way too many used RV's for sale that it makes no sense to sink extra money into a new one and then lose 25%-30% of its valve as soon as you drive it off the lot.

Do your due diligence, research, lurk on web sites and read, read, read all there is to RV's, floor-plans, amenities, needs versus wants, etc. then make your decision as to what year, manufacture, model and floor-plan you want to have. Then start looking for that one special RV that will fit your desires.

Dr4Film ----- Richard

Tom-NC · 03-04-2012, 07:18 PM

HI,

As a newbee who never had a motorhome I would first off rent one to see if we like it and how much we would use it? The rental would be a Class C type unit roughly about 24-28 feet in length. You would have room for the youngsters up in the bunk overhead and on the dinette or couch.

After you try it awhile then I would make my decision on time of use and how long you will be away from home. After that I would move up to a new unit Class A type and possibly 30-35 feet in length since you will want to tow a vehicle at this point and you could purchase one for less than 175K.

Finally before doing all the above I would purchase or subscribe to motorhome magazine as they have a lot of answers and great artixcles plus a motorhome section of units that are for sale.

Good luck and I hope this helps.

Disneyfix · 03-04-2012, 07:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dr4Film

Trust me, there are way too many used RV's for sale that it makes no sense to sink extra money into a new one and then lose 25%-30% of its valve as soon as you drive it off the lot.

Do your due diligence, research, lurk on web sites and read, read, read all there is to RV's, floor-plans, amenities, needs versus wants, etc. then make your decision as to what year, manufacture, model and floor-plan you want to have. Then start looking for that one special RV that will fit your desires.

Dr4Film ----- Richard

I guess getting the quality manufacture right in the first place is the hard part.

mgscott4 · 03-04-2012, 07:21 PM

I would get a good used RV for around a $100k and invest the other $100K for my kids college fund.

Checkout Used RVs for Sale - PPL Motor Homes

I am sure you can find something you will like. Checkout the different floorplans.

Gary RVRoamer · 03-04-2012, 07:22 PM

We bought a3 year old luxury class coach when we were in that position. Could have had a new one os a lesser breed, but figured I got more for my money this way.

ghoststories · 03-04-2012, 07:26 PM

Hello and welcome to iRV2. Take your time and check out different floor plans and models. Find what works for you and your family. Good Luck!!

ga traveler · 03-04-2012, 07:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Disneyfix

I figure my MH out the door purchase limit will be $200k. Family of 4, kids age 7 + 10. What would all you experienced MH experts do? I am looking for insight, experience, all the things a noob needs....Knowing what you know now! Buy new, used....?????
Thanks,
Chris

I had many customers ask me about what price to pay. I always recommended that they never spend all the money on the motorhome. I have had customers who had nice motorhomes but couldn't afford to use them. If you are mech. inclined you can buy used and do most upkeep yourself. If you buy used, try to find someone who is qualified to check it out. Diesels are quieter and nicer but much more expensive to maintain.

camping fam · 03-04-2012, 07:28 PM

Take your time and find a good used unit you have a great budget to work with and whats the worst that could happen while you are looking for a great buy on a used moho you mite just find a deal on a new unit. Best of luck and dont be afraid to ask questions I wish we would of been able to do what you can do. We just found what we wanted and bought it but that was back n 2006 when the economy was a little bit different...

Bee950 · 03-04-2012, 07:52 PM

If you can find a used Entegra, buy it and you are done. I was in the same boat you are in. New ones loose money so fast that you can find double the coach on the used market. I know their are so many makers, with so many floor plans, etc. I went to the biggest dealer I could find and spent about 5 hours at the place looking at everything. Once you start looking, you will start to figure out what you want. In my case, every MH I went into was getting compared to the Entegra, so I just gave up and bought one.

LindyT · 03-04-2012, 07:58 PM

We were in a similar situation to you several years ago. We bought a used Holiday Rambler Endeavor 40PDQ. We ended up calling that our "practice bus." The thing was an absolute disaster -- everytime we left the driveway I'd spend the next two weeks fixing something, but we really enjoyed it. We learned what we liked, what we didn't like, what we'd change, etc.

I think it's fair to say that your first motorhome won't be your long-term motorhome, so do keep that in mind. No matter how much you prepare or research, there WILL be things that you will want to change and upgrade -- especially with a family of 4.

Good luck. It's an exciting process - and traveling with kids is the best.

336muffin · 03-04-2012, 08:26 PM

Welcome to the forum, there is a lot of good advice in the answers above.

RickO · 03-04-2012, 08:45 PM

Welcome to the forum! You have a great budget to work with and I think it's fair to assume that you've already figured out that you'll need to also spend money to operate and maintain it.

In 2007, I spent a bit more than that buying a new Itasca 40DP as our first ever RV. We've loved our coach, and has already been mentioned, the economy was much better then... so buying new seemed like a good idea at the time.

I'm not into "regrets" but I will say that if I knew then what I know now I would have spent a little time looking for a good used coach and that logic has never been more valid than in today's market.

It's easy to just go to an RV Show, get caught up in the bright lights, and purchase a new one but there is a BIG price to pay for that convenience. Another benefit of buying a coach which is 1/2/3 years old is that the "bugs" have been worked out. Nearly all coaches have a laundry list of mfg defects which have to be fixed in the first year.

You can use our search feature to find opinions on quality manufacturers. In the price range you're looking at, I think you'll find a lot of support for Tiffin and Winnie lines as well as others.

Best of luck to you.

Rick

bluepill · 03-04-2012, 09:31 PM

As already stated, there are good deals on late model used units. Keep in mind that many new units have only a 12 month warranty - even at list prices over 200K. Because of the complexity of modern motor homes, quite a few bugs can show up in brand new units, so don't expect new to be as trouble free as a new good quality automobile.
Do the numbers, including sales tax and insurance, when you compare. Remember that new units can be bought for 25 to 30 percent below "List" price if bought off season and are not the hottest floor plan or model.