Help with Choice of RV

[Roxanne]

Hello everyone,

I am new to the forum and surely need some help. My husband and I are new to the RV scene and have been trodding the RV lineups trying to decide which one to get. First, we thought we should go with a 36 foot because we were a little intimidated by the 40 foot ones and had concern with handling differences, but found the price was not that much different than getting a 40 foot. Next, was which one to get!!! That was the hard part. We have friends that have the Allegro Bus and are thrilled with it. We also have friends that have the Winnebago Journey and love that too. We looked at the Journey and it was certainly beautiful. We liked the '07 because of price and it didn't have all the new emisions which don't help in the fuel factor. We also looked at the '08 Fleetwood Discovery which was great, too. We then looked at the Fleetwood Bounder which offered a lot for the price. We were going to check out the Monaco Diplomat, too.

Right now, we are so confused we don't know which way to turn and want to make the right decision. There are so many wonderful used ones out there and that may be the way we go depending on price. But, the dealers out there are offering great incentives for new ones, especially the 2007 leftovers.

Can someone help me as to whether or not we are looking in the right direction being we have no idea what we are doing? (LOL)

Thanks

Roxanne

[Roxanne]

Hello everyone,

I am new to the forum and surely need some help. My husband and I are new to the RV scene and have been trodding the RV lineups trying to decide which one to get. First, we thought we should go with a 36 foot because we were a little intimidated by the 40 foot ones and had concern with handling differences, but found the price was not that much different than getting a 40 foot. Next, was which one to get!!! That was the hard part. We have friends that have the Allegro Bus and are thrilled with it. We also have friends that have the Winnebago Journey and love that too. We looked at the Journey and it was certainly beautiful. We liked the '07 because of price and it didn't have all the new emisions which don't help in the fuel factor. We also looked at the '08 Fleetwood Discovery which was great, too. We then looked at the Fleetwood Bounder which offered a lot for the price. We were going to check out the Monaco Diplomat, too.

Right now, we are so confused we don't know which way to turn and want to make the right decision. There are so many wonderful used ones out there and that may be the way we go depending on price. But, the dealers out there are offering great incentives for new ones, especially the 2007 leftovers.

Can someone help me as to whether or not we are looking in the right direction being we have no idea what we are doing? (LOL)

Thanks

Roxanne

[sharbra]

Tiffen makes a great product, so I wouldn't bypass a good look at their product. Our first MH was a Phaeton, we then traded up to a Beaver Monterey (a little larger) and now have a Country Coach. I must add though that while we were looking the Allegro Bus from Tiffin was high on our list.

[Roxanne]

Thanks Sharbra,

I never saw the Country Coach in person. How do you like it? What made you decide on that one?

Thanks

Roxanne

[NLOVNIT]

Roxanne,

Welcome to irv2 . You will get a lot of valuable & helpful information from the folks here. Feel free to post often & whenever you have questions. We're all glad to help.

Choosing an rv can be a very daunting & confusing time. Doing careful research, taking your time & tempering that with thoughts/comments from current owners will certainly help you weed through the dizzying arrays of possibilities out there. Only you can make the choice that's best for you.

These are the things I considered when my husband & I decided to purchase the coach we have:
#1 How often we were going to be using it & how much mileage we would be possibly putting on it. Since we both worked, use would be 1-2 weeks per year combined with numerous 3-4 day extended weekends; keeping travel within surrounding states meant not that much time on the road. This lead us to go gas instead of diesel.
#2 Ammenities for the price (i.e. bang for the buck), length & floorplans we liked. I made a spreadsheet for each coach we considered & listed pros/cons & ammenities we wanted of each. Mfr websites that allow you to compare models (within their lines & outside their lines) really help.
#3 Dealers within reasonable proximity of home that carried the mfr's we liked. I didn't want to end up having to drive several hours (or several states) when (it's never a case of if, it's always WHEN) I needed warranty work.
#4 Service after the sale. No matter how nice an rv is or how good the deal is, having a dealer with a service department you can rely on is valuable. Sales without service is no bargain.

Good luck in your search & post in the New Rig Show-Off! forum when you make your purchase.

L-

[sharbra]

Ours is a 2006 Intrique that we bought used this summer. So far we love it. Our reason for wanting to upgrade from the Beaver was we need more seat belts so we could travel with the grandsons. We have one 5 day trip with them under our belts and wonder why we didn't upgrade sooner. Unfortunately we are tied to home a lot by our business so there is some frustration seeing the MH sitting there just waiting to be used. We leave next week to take it to our property near the Oregon Coast and put it in the barn for the winter. We do love the coach though.

[BOB E]

You might take a few days & tour the manufacturer's assembly plants for two or three of the units your are interested in. Check out how they build the basic body structure, what materials they use, how well they're insulated, etc,...
This will give you a "considerable" education and, if nothing else, help you decide which RV you "don't want".

[Edmund A Skibinski]

First welcome to the IRV2 website Roxanne, the choice is going to be difficult, base your selection(choice)on how much coach you can get for your money, what floorplan(s) will best suit your needs and what is the main differences between a 2007 model and a 2008 model, Good Luck and I hope you find the coach that best fits your criteria. Ed.S

[Latitude]

Roxanne Welcome aboard!!! You will find some very helpful and knowledgable people here,

My $.02
First set the budget
Second decide on floor plan
Look at travelling, sleeping, eating with slides in or out
Make a list of things you want(not deal breakers) and things you 'Must' have (the deal breakers)

Take your time and have 'Fun'
Rick

[Roxanne]

Thanks so much. I am out to look at a 2003 Monaco Executive 40PBT that has only 7500 miles on it. It is loaded to the hills. I guess if you are going to bite the bullet, you might as well go first class. I don't know much about this one in that I know it has a tandem axle and has every option available. We are going to see it today. It was garaged and used very little. Not sure what price would be right. It's so hard to go on NADA and plug in all that information to get the correct used price results. Any one have any hints or tips as to what to offer on these vehicles? This one new with all the options is $400,000. I think he is asking about half of that.

Thanks

RML

[Roxanne]

One more thing I wanted to ask. Is the Roadmaster S-Series Chassis a good one? I was also looking at the Freightliner Chassis since we were looking at Winnebago's. I know Winnie likes to be lower to the ground. I am trying to get knowledgeable on the different chassis's. I understand there is also a double or high rail chassis which makes the coach sit up higher. Wasn't sure if one was better over the other.

Hugs,

RML

[GaryKD]

Hi Roxanne and welcome to iRV2. At the risk of being redundant, consider focusing on the floor plan and features that make the coach match the way you will RV. Engine, chassis, and a lot of other stuff maybe should be secondary choices.

1. Are you're going to tour ( a few days stay in many different places)? Are you going to stay in one place for a month or more at a time?
2. RVing in in really cold or hot weather?
3. Driving mostly on Interstate highways?
4. Staying in mostly private CGs?
5. How many people will travel with you (seat belts)?
6. In the parked position (slides out) is their room and furniture for the way you will live, entertain and eat? Is there storage room for pots, pans dishes and whatever else is needed to prepare a meal?
7. Can the person who cooks prepare and serve a meal easily?
8. Who sits where for eating?
9. Is there enough sleeping capacity?
10. Who sleeps where?
11. In the travel position (slides closed) can you get to:
11a. the bathroom?
11b. prepare a meal in a rest area?
11c. who sits where when traveling?
12. Are the TVs in the correct location.
13. Is there enough inside storage for what needs to be carried?
14. The shower needs a seat.
15. Can you get the colors and fabrics you want?
16. How long will you keep the coach? If a couple of years, used may be better than new.

I would not worry too much about the chassis, engine or transmission. As long as they are brand names they are pretty much bullet proof.

The only exterrior item that would be a show stopper for me is the coach must have hydraulic jacks, not electric jacks.

Good luck and keep us posted on your progress.

[bkorne]

Having had a lot of difficulty trying to get help from NationalRV, maker of the Dolphin and others, I would check out the manufacturer's reputation for service and availability before considering one of their coaches. Monaco seem to have a good system for new buyers to get help with their coach when needed. I wonder if they deliver on their promises better than NationalRV ?

[MonacoMama]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Monaco seem to have a good system for new buyers to get help with their coach when needed </div></BLOCKQUOTE>
Monaco's phone system on tech support is awesome!