Community Forums

benf39 · 11-05-2007, 09:36 AM

Hi, I am a Fire-fighter from Melbourne and am retiring after 31 years service
And intend buying a RV plus toad and travelling for 12 months or more in the US, this will be our 5th and longest stay. I have almost worked out all the issues that had been confronting me; my wife and I are going to the US in March April next year. Many questions and I suppose so many answers, type of unit to buy, size, make, layout, gas diesel etc. I have been looking on the internet at various motor homes and my head spins. The toad will be a 2005 2006 Jeep Liberty which I think is OK. The RV is the big choice, it must have at least 1 slide and max lenght up to 32 to 34 feet ,.A Diesel Pusher would be nice as I think they have better resale value, the downside is initial purchase price. On the other hand if I buy a gas A Class or a larger C Class the outlay wouldn't be as much but I think they are harder to sell as I would be selling it after about 18 months. Apart from the toad I would be looking at $55,000 US for RV purchase. At the moment I think the Coachman Concord 275DS gas seems OK to me.

Thanks Ben & Janice
Australia

benf39 · 11-05-2007, 09:36 AM

Hi, I am a Fire-fighter from Melbourne and am retiring after 31 years service
And intend buying a RV plus toad and travelling for 12 months or more in the US, this will be our 5th and longest stay. I have almost worked out all the issues that had been confronting me; my wife and I are going to the US in March April next year. Many questions and I suppose so many answers, type of unit to buy, size, make, layout, gas diesel etc. I have been looking on the internet at various motor homes and my head spins. The toad will be a 2005 2006 Jeep Liberty which I think is OK. The RV is the big choice, it must have at least 1 slide and max lenght up to 32 to 34 feet ,.A Diesel Pusher would be nice as I think they have better resale value, the downside is initial purchase price. On the other hand if I buy a gas A Class or a larger C Class the outlay wouldn't be as much but I think they are harder to sell as I would be selling it after about 18 months. Apart from the toad I would be looking at $55,000 US for RV purchase. At the moment I think the Coachman Concord 275DS gas seems OK to me.

Thanks Ben & Janice
Australia

Edmund A Skibinski · 11-05-2007, 11:21 AM

Welcome Ben & Janice to the IRV2 website, hope you have a pleasant stay while you're here in the United States.
The amount you want to spend might get you a Class C but I think you will have to spend a little more money to get you into a nicer Class C or even a small Class A gas.
The Jeep Liberty is a good choice, hope this information helps. Ed.S

j griff · 11-05-2007, 12:20 PM

benf39
Congratulations upon your upcoming retirement - your 31 years as a fire fighter make you deserving. Enjoy !!

I'm sure you have looked at tons of classifieds and have a good idea of price ranges for the various models of used Class As and Cs. I think that right at this moment the whole RV resale market is down (economy, fuel prices and winter coming on, and it is my opinion that because of higher initial price, used diesels are harder to sell, hence perhaps easier negotiating for lower price). My crystal ball does not tell me how things will be when you are ready to buy next spring.

Your choice of the Jeep Liberty is an excellent one. We have several friends towing them trouble free.

If we can be of any specific help following up on a lead in our area (greater Saint Louis metropolitan area) let us know. We hope you will find just the right combination MH and toad and enjoy your time in the US.

Skip- Kerrville, TX · 11-05-2007, 05:52 PM

G'day mate, and welcome to iRV2. What a neat way to celebrate your upcoming retirement.. hope you and Janice have a real blast!

RV Wizard · 11-06-2007, 12:23 AM

Ben & Janice, welcome to iRV2.com. We are glad to have you join us here and look forward to reading of your adventures and experiences in America! Congratulations on you retirement. You have gotten some good info so far and I am sure you will get even more befoer you arrive for your travels here. You may want to consider a used unit that is only a year or so old and has had all the bugs worked out of it. It will depreciate the most the first couple years. Good luck and enjoy the website.