Realistic budget?

[RVPioneer]

After all this, and it will surely continue, if the OP can easily afford a payment of $1800/mo plus the other costs of ownership, then get the biggest loan possible that has an $1800/mo payment and buy whatever tickles your fancy. Toss in the $40K for a down payment and hit the road.

Forget the “buy the last one first” or “buy small and cheap and figure it out” recommendations. Get what you want and what works for you now. Stuff changes. And if you plan on enjoying the RV lifestyle for 15, 20, 30 years, what suits your needs today, may not tomorrow. Besides, what worked or works for someone else, may not work for you.

[vito.a]

Originally Posted by soarak

Your usage pattern does not seem compatible with DP for two reasons:
1) you will not drive it enough to make sure the engine and the fuel system does not accumulate sludge. A DP needs to be driven a lot to be problem free. The less you drive the more problems you will have. Corrosion in a diesel engine will set in much faster than in a gas engine.
2) it makes no sense economically considering you are not paying cash for it.
This might change if you are close to retirement.

Also, I might get a lot of argument on the next statement I am going to make, but the gas class A can be a safer option. A DP has most of the weight behind you (30k-40k) and more, and very little reinforcement in the front. The mount for the generator and generator itself adds very little integrity to the chassis. On the other hand in a gas class A you have an engine and a solid frame to support it. There is a lot that needs to be crashed before you get crashed.
Looking at RV crashes videos and pictures is eye opening. Think about that as well. You don't need to make a mistake to end up in a crash.

Sorry, but I disagree with almost everything you posted. I've been driving (and storing) diesel coaches for 40 years and they store much better than gasoline coaches.
Even the gasoline generator in a motorhome will not store very well (the carburetor will gum up). A diesel generator will store for months.

I'm sorry your Sprinter diesel had issues after being parked in Maine through the winter. But, it's not comparable to a 15 liter Cummins or Detroit Diesel.
Our 15 liter diesel can sit for months at a time and then fire right up. We keep it maintained and use a fuel additive.

If you are in an accident, would you rather be in an overloaded van, or a 40,000 pound diesel motorhome sitting up higher than a semi truck? And our chassis is 8" X 3" 60,000psi rectangular steel with 10 airbags and 10 shock absorbers!

Best of luck to you and the OP in his search!

[mrsportys]

Originally Posted by MichaelInNM

Okay, so we have the credit scores near 800. We have $40k-$50k in cash. We can easily afford $1800 payment. We plan on buying used.

Please help me understand what price range we should be looking in?

I know the folks that say if you can’t pay cash you don’t need it. Well, I’m financing. Probably 15-20 years too. I just have to find a way to get some peaceful vacation...

Edit: looking at class a diesel, tag axle preferred, under 10 years old.

Bought new 2015 35k Fleetwood bounder gasser. Do my own oil changes. Easy enough. Added 5 star tune, beautiful.
We bought our last first. Unless you sell your “sticks” as the folks who sell their homes and buy $300,000 do, I wouldn’t spend that much on a rv unless your full time.
Oh, someday, winter in Florida? A lot of rv places don’t want an rv in their park that’s over 10 years old.
Yearly insurance $700
Bath and a half. Fireplace.... yup, didn’t think I’d want one but certainly works out in colder weather.
Shower, I laughed at a lot of diesels we looked at how small they were. Ours is a decent size.
We looked and drove diesels. Took a couple years but interior, slides made the decision for us. Compromise, wish we had a king bed but works.
Trips overwintering in Florida, month long trips out west ( from Wisconsin)
Watched neighbor buy new class C , year later 38’ diesel, year later, that do gone he bought condo in Florida.
Towing, we use tow dolly, 5000 towing capacity no problem. Can use several different cars vs spending a lot on tow. At AND new vehicle to tow all four tires down.
msrp $148,000 paid $102,000.
A hell of a lot smaller payment than $1800 minimum a month wow.
Good luck

[mlpeloquin]

Originally Posted by soarak

Very insightful post, worth ignoring, except maybe you can benefit from some education.

https://www.bulktransporter.com/flee...y-consequences

Ok. That is from eight years ago when ultra-low-sulfur diesel was new enough for all the problems to show up. Don't you think that in eight more years that they have not solved or mitigated the problem by now? Try finding something more up to date. If they had not, my 2013 diesel dully would have had big problems by now. It sits for weeks at a time and starts and runs just fine. So does my diesel pusher.

[Isaac-1]

One thing that always concerns me in these threads is the attitude that people should spend as much as they can afford. If I really wanted to I could liquidate a number of assets and go out and probably be able to pay cash for a new or nearly new Foretravel Realm, or Newmar London Aire , though if I did I might also be needing to hire a divorce attorney. But instead when it was time to buy our first class A motorhome 4 years ago, I spent $22,000 on a 14 year old Safari Trek, and have overall been very happy with my decision, and have no intention of replacing it anytime in the foreseeable future.

[mlpeloquin]

Originally Posted by mrsportys

Bought new 2015 35k Fleetwood bounder gasser. Do my own oil changes. Easy enough. Added 5 star tune, beautiful.
We bought our last first. Unless you sell your “sticks” as the folks who sell their homes and buy $300,000 do, I wouldn’t spend that much on a rv unless your full time.
Oh, someday, winter in Florida? A lot of rv places don’t want an rv in their park that’s over 10 years old.
Yearly insurance $700
Bath and a half. Fireplace.... yup, didn’t think I’d want one but certainly works out in colder weather.
Shower, I laughed at a lot of diesels we looked at how small they were. Ours is a decent size.
We looked and drove diesels. Took a couple years but interior, slides made the decision for us. Compromise, wish we had a king bed but works.
Trips overwintering in Florida, month long trips out west ( from Wisconsin)
Watched neighbor buy new class C , year later 38’ diesel, year later, that do gone he bought condo in Florida.
Towing, we use tow dolly, 5000 towing capacity no problem. Can use several different cars vs spending a lot on tow. At AND new vehicle to tow all four tires down.
msrp $148,000 paid $102,000.
A hell of a lot smaller payment than $1800 minimum a month wow.
Good luck

Ten years old is not a problem. They don't want junkers. All that I have gone to that had the rule have stated that they will look at it when you get there. If it has been maintained, it will not be a problem.

[vito.a]

Michael, I think you should look and learn before assigning a price cap.
My advice is to look at Entegra diesel coaches. More specifically the Aspire, Anthem, and Cornerstone. You will get more coach for your money from Entegra.

If you want what is considered the best quality available today and are willing to pay a premium, then look at Newmar or Foretravel. There are several great models in both lineups.

Look at as many coaches as you can. Take lots of notes and pictures. You will learn from each coach you see.
All the best!

[Tom48]

Originally Posted by Isaac-1

If this is your first motorhome, I really would suggest buying something cheaper and use it as a learning tool, with the plans of selling it in a year or two when you have a better idea of what fits your lifestyle best. The problem is if this if your first motorhome, you don't know what you don't know. You can try to get it right, but only experience over time will tell you what features are really important for you.

I concur. If you have not been an RVer of some sort, a late model DP is a lot of money to find out you'd rather be in a hotel or a different rig. A friend was sold by a big rv place high pressure sales man that he needed a brand new high end Fleetwwod DP. Lost a big chunk of money when in six months he decided he needed a fifth wheel and a pick up. Said the DP was too rough to drive all day and the pickup pulled the 5er like a breeze.. About a $100,000 bad decision.

[Jautry]

It appears you have a handle on paying cash....or financing your RV. Whatever you decide, don't let all the "puffing" handed to you by a salesman, or private owner, negate the need to spend time looking at and understanding everything about your new purchase. Don't drive away wondering about some strange ticking or squeaking sound. Good Luck.

[Isaac-1]

To follow up on the you don't know what you don't know theme. The problem is that after a year or two living with certain features of a motorhome, you will likely form strong opinions on them, many of these things may be things that you have never even given any thought to. Things like top hinge vs side hinge cargo compartment doors, how you hate the position of the sewer hose connector due to it being hard to reach. At the same time you will realize that there are things you likely obsessed over when deciding what to buy that later realize makes no difference to you, like that outdoor TV that you have yet to use after 2 years in the RV.

[New2road]

Isaac-1 makes a great point. Sooo true. When we started looking three years ago I was sure a Class C or Super C was what I wanted. DW was ok with the C, but didn't like the Super C cab (too industrial). Looked at Class A and she like the layout. almost brought a CS 3610 but she didn't think we needed the second bathroom and the L shaped couch. After living with our CS 3719 (she just about full timed in it last summer) things we thought we needed (drop down bunk)(dinette bunk) are no longer important, but that second bathroom is now in play. The driving was her biggest issue. The gasser plain scared her a few times and seeing me wrestling the coach all day kept her pretty keyed up.


Dialing in how you are going to use the rig will help as well. short trips, long stays, access to a casita may mean one rig works, long trips lack of other facilities may push you another direction.


best of luck

[mrcummins]

We were in your position 6 years ago. We started with a budget of $300k and no hurry to buy. After a year of looking we found a 3 year old coach with everything we wanted except it was 42 foot instead of 45 and it was just over $200k and it was a Phaeton instead of a bus. What we found is that the more you spend the less storage you get. If usable space is more important than prestige look for a mid level coach (Phaeton, Dutch Star, etc) instead of the higher end models and don’t rush into anything

[Treker Vic]

Originally Posted by MichaelInNM

Okay, so we have the credit scores near 800. We have $40k-$50k in cash. We can easily afford $1800 payment. We plan on buying used.

Please help me understand what price range we should be looking in?

I know the folks that say if you can’t pay cash you don’t need it. Well, I’m financing. Probably 15-20 years too. I just have to find a way to get some peaceful vacation...

Edit: looking at class a diesel, tag axle preferred, under 10 years old.

Buying a house on wheels has significant costs that go with it.
I don't know how you derived at your dollar numbers, so I will just throw out some thoughts.
Frist I would add up all monthly payments and multiply that by 6. Put that amount on money in a rainy day account.
Using ball park numbers this is what to expect for MH costs.
Taxes and insurance $100/mo
Maintenance $100/mo.
Operating costs, fuel, tolls, etc. $100/mo.

As for age of the MH, condition is more important. One a little older could be a better buy than a newer one.
Your description as to how you are planning to use it suggests you might want to consider going wih a smaller unit.
In short terms, don't strap yourself down to the point you can't have fun with it.

Happy hunting

[FrankenRV]

Originally Posted by DRM901

I've heard $5k-20k in ongoing annual costs is to be expected. So, plan on saving $1500/mth for the bumps in the road in your just in case fund.

From what I've seen, most MH loans are for 120 months. Can you do a home equity loan? Better rates.

Or just leverage the heck out of it all. Put the minimize down, get the longest term possible, and declare bankruptcy after you have your fun and walk away.

Home equity loans may have better rates, but the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act limited the deductibility of the interest. Prior to the Act, you could take a home equity loan of $100K, use the proceeds for any (legal) purpose, and deduct the interest if you itemized. The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act now requires that you use the funds to buy, build, or substantially improve your home, AND that the money must be spent on the property whose equity is the source of the loan. So if you borrow against your home, you must use the money to buy, build, or substantially improve your home. See IRS Publication 936 for additional details.