First we defined what we were after, then started hunting for the models that fit.
This was OUR spec. Everyone here will have their own take.
Some of our main specs were:
1. Front entrance: didn't want a mid stairway.
2. 4-Door fridge - full timing --need all the fridge space we could get.
3. 2 slides is nice. 1 big slide is enough.
4. Decent bathroom with real sized shower.
5. Washer/Dryer - sitting at a laundromat sucks and the price adds up.
6. Diesel generator - lasts longer and enabled us to keep LP for cooking and hot water.
7. No booth. Takes up too much space. We ended up removing the table and chairs and put in a small chest freezer and more storage.
8. Full side-to-side bay storage (Roadmaster or similar Chassis)
9. Cummins Diesel instead of Cat - easy to get parts and help.
10. We wanted an LP oven, but didn't get that and rarely missed it.
NOTE: CHECK THE TIRE AGE (oval MMYY stamped on tire). They last 7 years MAX!!! and they cost $500+ each to replace. No matter what they look like factor the tire age into your decision/negotiation $3000+ replacement. Most bad RV things happen due to bad tires. Invest in a TPMS too.
We looked at a lot of RVs and ended up with a 1999 40' Monaco Dynasty. It had 104k miles and no sun damage. 125CF of storage. It was $236,000 new in 1999. We bought it in S. Florida 5/1/14 for $35,000.
During the next 2 years we put about $5K into it with 4 new rear tires (8yr old 1 blew) and rebuilding the chassis AC ($1800). IVR2 and RVForum.net were priceless resources!
I was able to do a few DIY repairs that probably saved $3K with a little help from Google, YouTube, forums and in one case an uncle that drove trucks for a living.
Sold it 6/1/16 for $35,000 including maybe $1000 of extras we had added like water softener, lots of extra water hose, electrical cords, adapters, etc.
Net cost of $6K-ish for 2 years, 22,000 miles of amazing travel.
http://20fromnow.com - if you scroll back to 2014 you'll get the whole story.