Community Forums

Jcarlson · 01-14-2013, 07:05 PM

I'm new to the world of RV'ing. I don't own one yet but there is one in my future. I'm just beginning to do my homework before making an expensive and ill decision. Problem is that I'm not familiar with makes & models.

I look at the list of makes on RVTRADER.COM and it makes my head spin. There are so many. I'm sure some are foreign and/or obsolete makes.

I'm kind of partial to Fleetwood Bounder but I wouldn't know if that's the Cadillac or Edsel of MH's. Also, and I think this is important to state, I'm starting out looking for older and less expensive rigs - late 1980's-mid/late 1990's.

All that being said what would be say the top 5 makes to consider and which should I run like hell from? Just as with some cars, at some point a certain yr/make/mod was good but went to crap or were crap but became really good.

Thanks
Jim C

Mr_D · 01-14-2013, 07:17 PM

Jcarlson · 01-14-2013, 07:21 PM

Ok, I'll play your silly game. What does popcorn mean?

KSCRUDE · 01-14-2013, 07:39 PM

Probably two of the better MHs out there are Prevost and Newell. Motor homes are like boats. There are many brand, I don't even knowvhow many. Not like say pickups, only about 3 real brands. But there are way more then 5 good brands. I listed two of the more upscale brands, but there are many good coaches out there.

redbaron73 · 01-14-2013, 07:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jcarlson

Ok, I'll play your silly game. What does popcorn mean?

Means that a post like this will be fun to watch. He just grabbed front And center seats with his popcorn!

KSCRUDE · 01-14-2013, 07:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jcarlson

Ok, I'll play your silly game. What does popcorn mean?

I think popcorn means he is just going to set back and enjoy the "show".

Mr_D · 01-14-2013, 07:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by KSCRUDE

I think popcorn means he is just going to set back and enjoy the "show".

EXACTLY!!

I could go on and on about how good Newmars are, but then someone would go on and on about Bounders (or as well call them "Bouncers"). Then the Foretravel owners would chime in, then the Entegra owners, etc.

Everybody has an opinion just like other parts of the body.

palehorse89 · 01-14-2013, 08:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jcarlson

I'm new to the world of RV'ing. I don't own one yet but there is one in my future. I'm just beginning to do my homework before making an expensive and ill decision. Problem is that I'm not familiar with makes & models.

I look at the list of makes on RVTRADER.COM and it makes my head spin. There are so many. I'm sure some are foreign and/or obsolete makes.

I'm kind of partial to Fleetwood Bounder but I wouldn't know if that's the Cadillac or Edsel of MH's. Also, and I think this is important to state, I'm starting out looking for older and less expensive rigs - late 1980's-mid/late 1990's.

All that being said what would be say the top 5 makes to consider and which should I run like hell from? Just as with some cars, at some point a certain yr/make/mod was good but went to crap or were crap but became really good.

Thanks
Jim C

Just to shorten this up a bit can I ask you how much you want to spend?
The range can be from $........ to $1.8M Then people can make suggestions. Also include the year range of what you would like to end up with. Then we can get started

toneumanns · 01-14-2013, 08:17 PM

I was on the fence when I bought my Winnebago. There were a few things that went wrong during my first few trips that I thought shouldn't have happened. Winnebago's warranty took care of everything. Since then the Ford chassis & the Winnebago product have performed well. Hope to head to Florida next week to get away from the cold.

Larry and Suzette · 01-14-2013, 08:41 PM

Oh heck, I'll play.
Tiffin, Newmar, Monaco/HR, Winne, bluebird, ......

Papa_Jim · 01-14-2013, 08:56 PM

You can probably tell by my signature. I think mid '90s to late '90s Monaco Dynasty is a really, really, really, great coach.

dons2346 · 01-14-2013, 08:57 PM

Ok, I'm in.

Custom Prevost conversion,Newell, Foretravel

e8seabee · 01-14-2013, 09:06 PM

Ok, I'll chime in here about how we shopped for ours. "For floor plan shopping only" and a bit of price shopping as well, I went to E-----bay. I went along the left side and set up my parameters about what I was looking for then checked out the pics. Hundreds of floorplans, what is accessable with slides in, how much "useable" room do the slides really give you, one slide, two slide, three slides or four. How much weight all those slides add and what that weight takes away from other "cargo" you may want to take with you. Are you planning to tow a vehicle with you??? What does it weigh? See where I'm going with this??? Are you planning to "live" in it full time or seasonally, or just weekend? Answer most of these questions and then find out which brand fills all this and maybe more of your wishlist and "brand" may narrow itself down all by itself. We personally shopped for over six months before finding the ideal unit for our needs. Good luck shopping and have some fun along the way and when the time is right and things feel right you'll know the one for you. Happy RVing!!!:-)

**NLOVNIT** · 01-14-2013, 09:07 PM

Yeah, you asked a loaded question for this forum. Go easy on him, folks, he's a newbie!

We'll need more info in order to provide some constructive advice. Price point? Gas vs diesel (oh & that's another can of worms)? New/used? If used, how old? How far/often do you want to travel? Do you want to be able to toad your bikes? How handy are you (i.e. will you do maintenance/fixes yourself or will you need to take to a dealer/service center for that stuff)? Etc....

If you haven't already, get yourself to a dealer & look at what they have on their lots to see what interests you.

Lori-