Community Forums

K&J PNW · 11-23-2020, 06:52 PM

Thanks for the information. It's finding a reputable inspector that may be difficult to find, especially if we decide to purchase out of state. We need to visit some local dealers, but it doesn't look like they very many used RVs in stock. I'll keep checking. I know it's going to take some time to find a used RV vs. purchasing a new one.

**NLOVNIT** · 11-23-2020, 10:10 PM

Our XSH handles beautifully on the road. I'm sure Dan's does as well.

You'll find a reputable inspector if you go to NRVIA's website. Tip: Search outside the immediate area for where the coach is listed. I had a problem finding one for a coach where it was located, but changing the search zip to one located 50mi away got me what I needed.

Lori-

RichardE · 11-24-2020, 03:59 AM

This is my opinion, and worth exactly what you paid for it. Motorhomes are not Hondas. The universal truth is that if you have a motorhome, be it new or 30 yrs old, you or someone you pay WILL work on it from time to time. Inspections are good, maintenance records are good, but neither is any guarantee that something will not malfunction 2 miles after driving it away from the sale.

I am not trying to scare you away. i am suggesting that part of your research before jumping into this lifestyle should prepare you with reasonable expectations of motorhome ownership. There are many things to consider when contemplating the jump to full timing and seeing the country. Medical, repairs while living in the coach, mail, and bill payment are just a few.

I love this lifestyle. We live in our coach about 6 months of the year, and I do ALL the maintenance. I do see a large group of people, probably driven by Covid to finally live their dreams, who are leaping into the motorhome business with unrealistic expectations of mechanical upkeep. Like many others have said, two years from now, there will be a glut of poorly maintained moho’s on the market, owned by folks who are upside down on the loan.

schad · 11-24-2020, 06:43 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by blang311

I would disagree with the poster on going with gas unless that is what you truly want long term, buying and selling RV's is always a money losing proposition.

Certainly it's better to buy your "forever coach" right away. But is the OP realistically going to be able to do that? He's never had an RV before. It's going to be hard to figure out exactly what he needs without any experience.

Normally, buying used would be a good way to protect against depreciation. But it's my opinion that the used market is in a massive bubble right now. I suspect that the one-year depreciation will be lower, in absolute dollars, on a brand new gasser than on a 2-3 year old DP.

schad · 11-24-2020, 06:50 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RichardE

This is my opinion, and worth exactly what you paid for it. Motorhomes are not Hondas. The universal truth is that if you have a motorhome, be it new or 30 yrs old, you or someone you pay WILL work on it from time to time.

Sorry for the rapid-fire responses, but that is very true and very important. If you are not terribly mechanically-inclined, you may want to lower your purchase budget to save room for repairs.

ga traveler · 11-24-2020, 08:21 AM

You will be spending a lot of time in your motorhome. That means a lot of stuff. One of the most important things is the carrying capacity of the motorhome. Make sure you can carry all the “stuff” you need.

Roadmiester · 11-24-2020, 09:14 AM

Any make/model can break. A bolt left out is something no one will see until what ever it was supposed to hold falls off. No inspection would find something like that. Leave some money for fixing things. There are little nickel and dime items that add up for spending time in these things. Sewer hoses, water hoses, filters, pressure regulators, seems like it takes some time before you truly get your MH where you want it. Did the previous owner do some of his own "improvements" that you might find later and try to figure out why they did what they did. Somewhere along the way the plumbing in the wet bay was changed and does not resemble the owners manual at all, with no documentation. Something to look for. We have a mystery valve that took some time to figure out why our water wasn't flowing. A tech had turned the valve to the off position. Will you by buying an extended service plan? That's a whole other issue to decide. Biggest thing is until you've lived in it you really won't know. We had a couple things that we thought we did not want, but after living in it we discovered we love those features. We had a must have list and stuck to it. Glad we did.
Good luck, take you time. Once you are living in it that's not the time to have regrets. We got lucky on our first purchase, got what we wanted and can't wait for the next trip.

Roadmiester
09 Dynasty Regal IV

K&J PNW · 11-24-2020, 08:32 PM

Thanks for the information. We plan to visit some local RV dealers and drive a few, and getting a potential buy inspected will be a top priority before we buy.

K&J PNW · 11-24-2020, 08:38 PM

Thank-you for all of your thoughts. I wasn't even aware of Entegra until you mentioned it and they make a beautiful coach. Not sure we will be able to afford something like this unless we go back quite a few years, but that has us thinking about considering an older luxury coach. We have been checking a site that shows floor plans and you're correct, we're going to have to memorize them.

K&J PNW · 11-24-2020, 08:42 PM

Thanks! This site has far exceeded what I thought I might learn. As you and others have said, the market is low on inventory and we most likely will be paying a premium on anything we buy. We're most likely not going to purchase for at least 6 months, but I'm certain things will not change by then. I'm glad to see all of the positive comments regarding the Tiffin Phaeton model.

**NLOVNIT** · 11-24-2020, 08:47 PM

After you look around some & get some seat time in some, you will need to narrow down your candidates or you'll get completely overwhelmed with all the choices out there.

When we were shopping for our diesel, we looked at every mfr out there & everything within a 3yr model yr. We narrowed down our selections to a top 3 & then asked for suggestions here & on other forums specific to those mfrs. Some tried to suggest mfrs outside of our top 3, but I had already crossed off the list what I wasn't interested in. Ya have to stay focused once you get your "short list". If not, you'll end up like the dog in the Up movie....getting distracted anytime there's a squirrel put in front of you.

Have fun shopping & keep a notebook w/you so you can jot down what you do/don't like about what you've seen. They all blur together after you've looked at several dozen of them. Been there, done that.

Lori-

K&J PNW · 11-24-2020, 08:51 PM

Thanks for the information. We started to look at the different Tiffin floor plans and will look at other manufacturers, as well. It really helps us understand what we're looking at when we find a potential motor home. It is all about due diligence and we intend to do our best. We have discovered a number of other manufacturers since we've joined this forum. Somebody suggested looking at an older luxury coach and we've viewed a few of them that were as old as 2008. They looked nice, but the it may take some time to understand the benefits of an older luxury motor home vs a newer used mortor home.

saddlesore · 11-24-2020, 08:55 PM

I suggest going back a few more Years and look at pre DPF/DEF/Regen Country Coach, Beaver, Foretravel

K&J PNW · 11-24-2020, 08:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Crasher

You will have to take everything posted with a grain of salt and do your own research, as everyone has their own concept of quality. In my case, I have owned Winnebago, Fleetwood products (Southwind Bounder, Pace Arrow & Discovery) and Tiffin (2 Phaetons and 1 Allegro Bus) I've had a sample of several brands. The last three have been Tiffins for a very good reason. We enjoyed all of them, but the Tiffin products gave us just what we were looking for in quality, reliability and convenient service from my local dealer. My son had a couple Newmar Mountain Aires and I put them a notch above Tiffin Allegro Bus. I have been in the Thor products, but was never impressed enough to ask the price. Most would not include Thor in the same class with Newmar, Entegra and Tiffin.

Now you have one more experienced opinion to add to the mix. You have a lot to take in before you can make an informed decision. Don't be in a hurry. Check out several and drive as many as you can. If you are like many, you will know when you have found yours.

Thank-you for your opinion! You've certainly have experienced a wide range of motor homes from different manufacturers. We're going take our time and see where it takes us.