Community Forums

Caspian · 04-16-2013, 08:10 AM

Hi all,

I'm and Irishman living in beautiful Tennessee and was very happy to find the forum and joined immediately.

BUT I don't have an RV yet. Been tent camping for years but my wife and I are thinking the time has come to maybe think about a Class C. I'm finding the whole thing a little overwhelming as I used to think putting up a tent was difficult until I got the hang of it.

Been reading Complete Idiot's guide and although great is making me think it's even more daunting and does't help with the myriad of RV choices.

Any very basic tips on where to start the whole choosing and buying process would be greatly appreciated.

Hope to become an active member of the forum as I learn more.

Regards,

Casp

flaggship1 · 04-16-2013, 08:19 AM

Welcome to the group. Best advice is to take your time and ask questions here. Next advice...
Try rvbookstore.com - some good books, DVDs and ebooks there. Next advice - don't spend your RV money there - but a little careful review and you will find some items that will help get you acclimated and help with the process.

Good luck!

**CLIFFTALL** · 04-16-2013, 08:31 AM

Welcome to IRV2. Good luck with your search.
Cliff

msbarth · 04-16-2013, 08:38 AM

What part of Tennessee do you live in? I am in Obion, TN., located in the upper left corner of TN. by the Mississippi River and the Kentucky state border.

Caspian · 04-16-2013, 08:48 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by msbarth

What part of Tennessee do you live in? I am in Obion, TN., located in the upper left corner of TN. by the Mississippi River and the Kentucky state border.

Hi,

We are just south of Nashville. So many beautiful places to see in Tennessee before even venturing across the state line, but have big plans once we can figure how an RV!

Caspian · 04-16-2013, 08:49 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by flaggship1

Welcome to the group. Best advice is to take your time and ask questions here. Next advice...
Try rvbookstore.com - some good books, DVDs and ebooks there. Next advice - don't spend your RV money there - but a little careful review and you will find some items that will help get you acclimated and help with the process.

Good luck!

Thanks, heading over there immediately

**JohnRR** · 04-16-2013, 10:30 AM

MSHappyCampers · 04-16-2013, 10:32 AM

Hi Casp! Welcome to IRV2! We're sure glad you joined the bunch!

There's a lot to consider when buying your first RV. When we bought our first 5er back in 2001 we had never even been inside an RV before!

We took it out to a local RV park twice and realized we had bought something we couldn't live with!

We then had to take it back to the dealer and swap for another 5er that was what we should have had to start with! That was a VERY expensive lesson!

I would suggest you go to a large RV show and spend a lot of time going through everything there that would be within your price range. If there's no RV show coming up anywhere around you then visit several dealers and do the same thing. Even if you plan to buy a used unit you can at least find out the things you want.

Unless you just gotta have a brand new one, you might want to consider a used one that someone else has taken the HUGE depreciation hit that comes when you take one off the dealer lot!

BTW, I would suggest that you post specific questions over in the appropriate areas of the forum for best results. Not many folks hang out here in the Welcome area!

Good luck, happy trails, and God bless!

stonekeepers · 04-16-2013, 01:59 PM

Hi Caspian,

Welcome to the forum. It is a great resource and there are many helpful people here to answer your questions, so don't hesitate to ask.

We also live SE of Nashville in Cannon county. Everyone has different camping needs, so the best advice I can offer is to read as much as you can and look at lots of different models and floor plans to determine what will work for you.

We recently traded our Class B Sprinter van camper for a 2011 Forest River Sunseeker 3010DS class C. There is quite a bit of difference in the two coaches. We loved the Sprinter and put over 75000 miles on it in about 5 years, but our needs changed and we found that in retirement we needed more room.

You can find just about any size/price camper around and it can be an overwhelming task. Be cautious of deals that sound too good to be true (especially on Craigslist). There are some good deals on used campers, but also some folks trying to scam.

Medico · 04-16-2013, 02:08 PM

Welcome and glad to meet you!

Caspian · 04-16-2013, 04:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by stonekeepers

Hi Caspian,

You can find just about any size/price camper around and it can be an overwhelming task. Be cautious of deals that sound too good to be true (especially on Craigslist). There are some good deals on used campers, but also some folks trying to scam.

Thanks, and great to meet you. Just hope we can identify the deals from the scams, but will probably end up buying through a dealer. I do want to take it real slow though and try to get something that meets as many of our needs as possible.

Caspian · 04-16-2013, 05:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MSHappyCampers

Hi Casp! Welcome to IRV2! We're sure glad you joined the bunch!

I would suggest you go to a large RV show and spend a lot of time going through everything there that would be within your price range. If there's no RV show coming up anywhere around you then visit several dealers and do the same thing. Even if you plan to buy a used unit you can at least find out the things you want.

Good luck, happy trails, and God bless!

Thanks for the welcome. No show in this area I think until January time, but not a rush and there are a few big dealerships to check out. Our goal is to be up and ready for the 2014 season. It's so exciting I can hardly wait, although driving it is still worrying me a little!!!

Bruce C · 04-17-2013, 01:52 AM

stonekeepers · 04-17-2013, 05:16 AM

We looked at all the dealerships in the area and finally bought our coach at Bankston. There is a great guy there named Phil and he is very patient and will answer any questions you have and even help you with the driving. They carry Forest River brands, but sometimes have used campers of other brands, too. It is a very small dealership, but one of the most helpful saleman ever. He even talked us through winterizing over the phone. And, the thing I really liked is that we spent several weeks looking at the same camper and he never pressured us at all. I did some comparison shopping and I could have saved a little by ordering from rvdirect, but we decided to support the local economy. :-)

I found a unit that I sort of liked at Camping world, but got a bad vibe from the salesman there. It was kind of odd...not any one thing in particular, but he was just a little too pushy for me. Cullum and Maxey seemed nice and were not pushy, but we didn't find the floor plan we liked there. (they were not as helpful as Phil, but did let you wander through lots of units without pressuring you to buy) :-)

Keep us posted with your progress and enjoy the hunt!