Buying a Class A

[mack14]

I am considering buying a new A class motor home, but there are so many manufactures and models to consider. What we also find that here as not many dealers that carry a selection of a class diesel pushers, and yes I do not want to travel into the USA to purchase one as many people have advised me against his also the warranty issue, conversion rate. We are going to be travelling across Canada, and into the USA if time allows.
PLEASE HELP.

[cruzbill]

I take it you're from Canada, eh? Toronto RV show

Buy Tickets Today for the 2018 Toronto Camping & RV Show

[mack14]

Sorry, live on the prairies. We only have one rv show per year and spoke to dealers and said that they are only doing gas A class next year. So hence, this is why I am here looking for the advice of the experienced and well travelled people.

[Flyboy757]

Don`t know where Clavet, SK is and google maps doesn`t either!!
Suggest you do a google search of Calgary, Edmonton, Lethbridge, maybe Reqina, etc RV dealers and check their inventories for Class A diesel pushers. A road trip to check them out IF you find something of interest.
Do your homework before purchasing anything, especially if you are new to RVing. Have a friend with RVing experience? Use their knowlwedge and experiences. Take them when you go looking at rigs.....
RV sales people can be very persuasive (pushy). Know what you want, how much you want to spend and stick with YOUR plans, not the salesmans!

[Mountain Art]

We live in small town SK as well and bought a Class A about a year ago. We looked at the few there were available in SK, did a tour to MB to look at a few, and several tours to AB.

[Vanslam]

The easiest and most helpful would be go to RV shows and watch as many RV youtube videos as possible, the internet is your friend (lol). Hopefully it won't take you 2 years like me until I found mine. But I am very happy with what I found. And you will bounce from manufacturer to manufacture but that is part of the learning curve and fun so they say.

[Mountain Art]

Oops hit send too soon. We ended up buying a used one privately and although we’ve had surprises probably no more than if we had bought from a dealer. We found price wise the dealers seem to want to make a lot of money on a deal and really don’t contribute much. They certainly didn’t seem likely to fix any surprise maintenance issues that likely will arise.
The most frustrating part of the whole deal was getting the SK safety done. The shops able to do the safety seem to view it as their opportunity to do anything they feel like whether you agree or not and then you get to pay their bill. Be very careful where you take it to get that done.
Good luck!

[NC25T]

This forum can help a lot... several small local dealerships where I live do not keep class A rv’s Let alone DP’s.

Possibly post your budget and what you are looking for and people can help steer you the correct direction on coaches to look at. I visit rvt.com, rv trader.com, lazy days, camping world, general rv and a few other large dealers to look at their inventory.

Possibly traveling to a large RV show might work for you. Not sure when you could travel but possibly fly in to whatever town it’s bejng hosted at so you can walk through numerous coaches.

[saddlesore]

What is available in the northland can be a bit barren... And Really depends on what your budget is....The Upper levels of coach builders if contacted may be able to ship a coach (new or used) in under bond to a nearby RV dealer to you (let them deal with the import/customs hassles)
Newell, Provost conversions, & Foretravel come to mind.... never hurts to call and ask.

[luckyd]

Dealers for MH's in Canada are few. Some good ones in Alta. and
BC. The problem is the "SERVICE". I would strongly advise you to
look privately, and "MAKE SURE ALL SERVICE RECORDS ARE THERE".

This can be a big investment so be very careful. Learn the word "no"
and try to learn all you can about what you want/

First figure out the size, DP or gas.
Make a list of "wants"
Look at floor plans
Realize the restrictions of RV parks in Canada such as size,
power hook ups, etc.
How often will you use the coach.
Storage.
Winterizing.

In other words........use this forum to ask, ask, ask, and ASK.
We are all here to help.

Good luck

[bobmac]

Fly down to the Tampa RV show in mid January - you will find it faster,simpler and cheaper in defining what you want. You will see virtually every manufacturer and floor plan currently made. Check them all out and home in on what you like about each and start narrowing down your selection. Makes no sense to drive hundreds of miles to see one or two you might be interested in - in Canada. Whoever told you not to buy in the US has likely never done it. I have twice as have hundreds of other Canadians due to the fact there is extremely limited selection. Good luck.

[buzz57]

You are embarking on a difficult journey. Internet is the start to look at brands and floor plans. Once that is done then the work starts. In Alberta, Calgary will have the biggest selection on the lot to choose from(MORE DISPOSABLE INCOME THERE). Woody's rv in Edmonton is getting some 18's in(drove by today) and a good mix of gas and diesels, be prepared for price shock!
I have been tire kicking for quite a while and the US is still a bit cheaper after exchange if you are in the used market, but patience and persistence is required! Good luck!

[LSBEH]

Hello, I have a 41' Monaco Dynasty that we purchased on a private deal in Oklahoma. That was 7 years ago, but only after doing detective work, and shopping for about 2 years. Don't be afraid to buy in the US, but be sure to decide on a make and model that you can legally import into Canada. The federal government has a web site (called RIV) where you can see what you can import. You will also need a letter from the manufacturer, indicating there are no outstanding safety recalls. Regarding price...class A motorhomes are based on US dollars any way (just like aircraft). I'm in the middle of the cold/bald prairie as well, so if you want to visit about it, just send me a private email.. h.vandesype@sasktel.net

[Darber]

D. here in Ajax On.
I have researched for a class A since 2015 RV show in Toronto.
I will sell my home in the spring and go full time for a year.
My conclusions,
-By used
-Your RV is probably in the states when your ready
-Go to the RV show "LOOK" at everything... look no buy
-Talk to everyone from RVs to insurance... it will be overload but you will learn
-YOUTUBE has everything you need to know,want to know,dont know you need to know...I have never used youtube until i started looking for a RV...type what is in your mind and it will be explained
-As i'm getting ready to by a RV this winter/spring I will also drive a car down to Florida for a car service ($500) and kick tires and make sure I have my perfect RV for my needs.
If I can help let me know!
D.