Thanks All for the Great Advice - Now Goodbye

[Born2Run]

I wanted to say thanks all for this wonderful forum and for all the great postings. I have been reading it religiously for months for advice on purchasing a brand new rig. You have all taught me well! I have decided that there is no way am I going to drop $150k on a motor home to have it exhibit many manufacturing defects and find that dealers lack the ability to service the rig timely and the customer service provided by the manufacturers lacking. I didn't intend to do much boondocking so finding RV parks for spur of the moment trips seemed a pipe dream. My wife and I intended to visit every baseball park in the US to enjoy the game, a beer and a hot dog. Well, based on what I've been reading, I've decided to spend the $ on a new Porsche and use the SAVINGS for hotels. We're still going to visit the ball parks, the national parks, beaches, etc. but this way, we'll enjoy the ride and not worry about our new car sitting in a dealer for months. Thanks again so much. Stay safe. See you on the road.

[Glennabbott1]

Enjoy the games!!!

[Winterbagoal]

May the Porsche be with you.

[saddlesore]

Sorry to see you give up .. Just keep an eye out for these buggers when using public accommodations ..

[Winterbagoal]

Originally Posted by saddlesore

Sorry to see you give up .. Just keep an eye out for these buggers when using public accommodations ..

That's exactly the reason why "we RV".
After a while the cost of the hazmat suits offsets the savings on the hotels/motels.

[astrnmrtom]

Good luck on you new adventure. Yep, a hotel won't leave you stranded without cell service in the middle of no-where. You're Porsche may, but you'll have a heck of a lot more fun on the twisties than in a big box on wheels.

[grindstone01]

RV lifestyle and ownership is not meant for everybody. I like camping but I would not spend a dime on going to a sports game. For me a motorcycle out "funs" a porsche any day.

Different strokes for different folks!

[Winemaker2]

RVing ain't for everyone!
You are way ahead acknowledging it up front than finding it out later.
Have a blast doing what you enjoy... what more can any of us ask for?

[Born2Run]

Thank you all for the well wishes. I'd be lying to you if I didn't say I was a bit envious of all of you. My dream has always been to purchase a motor home and tour the US. I had looked forward to it in my retirement years. I look up from my car longingly at you driving along with those beautiful rigs heading for your next destination. I pass you cautiously and look up into the cab to see whose driving and your mate sitting in the passenger seat and wonder what it would be like - NO, not your mate, I wonder about driving the rig. I wondered what it would be like to sit out on the side of the rig, under the stars, with new friends and the ball game playing on the TV while we sat around and spoke of glory days. My dream was the Winnebago/ Navion 24D, which would have been perfect for my wife and I for the purposes we intended. (And I looked forward to that very first trip breaking it in...yes, that way too, if you know what I mean. I even read about how thin the walls might be and how sounds inside the rig could be heard outside, especially in a quiet RV park. Devil's in the detail, right?) However, after reading this forum and the Navion Facebook page I just couldn't bear to have the issues that seems to be the case with all new units. I might rent a unit just to see what I am missing. Anyway....stay safe. I'll see you on the road.

[Phil G.]

I'm not sure how much RV research you did ... but you might have missed these superb models:
https://www.coachhouserv.com/

[Ron Dittmer]

Born2Run,

Living in Chicago as a kid, for many years my parents took the family of 6 in our 1967 Plymouth Fury towing a small pop-up camper, out west to all the national parks during the month of August thru Labor Day weekend. Cramped full of people and stuff, I would see the occasional Winnebago Brave and made a promise to myself to own one some day.

I never did own a Brave. I married at age 20. We started a family at age 25. Three months after our first born, we bought THIS MOTORHOME and owned it for 24 years. At age 50, we replaced it with THIS MOTORHOME and plan to own it until we are too old and dangerous to drive it.

Buying "The Right" motorhome that is robust and meets your need is what it's all about. Indoor storage also helps immensely in keeping our rigs so long. It is an adventure that my wife and I find priceless. I understand your decision, but respectfully disagree with it.

We never work with reservations because a schedule ruins the experience. This places us in secondary campgrounds, close enough to what we came to see and experience. Our rig works well facilitating us comfortably while staying in places with limited facilities. We do spend many nights in-between destinations in Walmart parking lots and an occasional rest area. We sleep well in such places, and doing so also lowers our trip costs.

In our later years, we have also been doing a little overseas travel to other countries in Europe, Israel (the Holy Land) and Egypt (ancient pyramids & temples). We obviously live out of luggage and hotels then, a firm reminder why we love our vacations in the United States in our motorhome.

[Phil G.]

Originally Posted by Ron Dittmer

Born2Run,

Living in Chicago as a kid, for many years my parents took the family of 6 in our 1967 Plymouth Fury towing a small pop-up camper, out west to all the national parks during the month of August thru Labor Day weekend. Cramped full of people and stuff, I would see the occasional Winnebago Brave and made a promise to myself to own one some day.

I never did own a Brave. I married at age 20. We started a family at age 25. Three months after our first born, we bought THIS MOTORHOME and owned it for 24 years. At age 50, we replaced it with THIS MOTORHOME and plan to own it until we are too old and dangerous to drive it.

Buying "The Right" motorhome that is robust and meets your need is what it's all about. Indoor storage also helps immensely in keeping our rigs so long. It is an adventure that my wife and I find priceless. I understand your decision, but respectfully disagree with it.

We never work with reservations because a schedule ruins the experience. This places us in secondary campgrounds, close enough to what we came to see and experience. Our rig works well facilitating us comfortably while staying in places with limited facilities. We do spend many nights in-between destinations in Walmart parking lots and an occasional rest area. We sleep well in such places, and doing so also lowers our trip costs.

In our later years, we have also been doing a little overseas travel to other countries in Europe, Israel (the Holy Land) and Egypt (ancient pyramids & temples). We obviously live out of luggage and hotels then, a firm reminder why we love our vacations in the United States in our motorhome.

Ron ... very nice comments from you above!

I think I completely understand Born2Run's final decision, based on what I think their travel life-style probably is.

For what it's worth, I completely understand the Porsche bit as I was asked to keep the carbon blown out on a friend of mine's Porsche while he was gone away on the road as as a salesman. By exercising extreme restraint, I managed to take good care of it by watching how high the tachometer went.


However, a Porsche should never be taken to some of the beautuful and pristine places in the U.S. where our small Itasca motorhome has taken us in complete comfort. I have backpack camped, car camped, truck camped, van camped, and done the motel/hotel thing ... and none have come close to the complete joy from our RV wonderings on this great country's back roads and byways.

[n2zon]

It's a lot of fun to own a coach. It's also not a hassle-free experience. As others have said, it's not for everyone, and that's perfectly OK. Lots of things are not for everyone. I have skydiving friends. None of them will come diving with me, and I see no sense in jumping out of perfectly good airplanes.

[Highway 4x4]

Just wondering what the quality of the large Sprinter and MB van conversions is like. Much smaller but could beat a hotel.