New to RVs.....A Few Newbie Questions
Hello! I'm retired Navy (23 years) and getting ready to retire from my second career (Civil Service). My name is Mark. I'm going to purchase a fifth wheel and towing truck in the next six month...
Forum Discussion
Congrats on retirement, From an Old Coastie also retired in Va.
First suggestion is to look at some lines in person. You can get ideas on floorplans as to what configuration you want, rear living, maximum interior space etc, but once you get an idea on that you need to go look at the lines. Appliances and equipment are pretty standard across all lines, build of the structure and finish varies greatly.
Filon or other exterior will be pretty standard in the price range your looking at but whats under it will vary.
Just like in a home cabinets and furnishings will tell you some. Particle board covered in a shelf paper type material is the cheapest, and will show wear the quickest. Plywood is better, and hardwood is better still. Staples are the cheapest joinery, nails and screws are better with screwed and glued being better still.
Stand alone furniture tends to be better than built in in quality.
How do you plan to use the unit? Always in a campground with hookups? or mostly Boondocking?
Tank sizes become important when having to self sustain, they lose importance if going from established campground to established campground.
Length can be an issue in some older campgrounds, especially the older National Park campgrounds, but can often be overcome by moving outside the park.
As to brands, in your price range the upscale Keystones, Avalanche, Alpine, Montana's and Cougars are popular, others would be Grand Design, K-Z, and Jayco. These lines also give longer warranties than most of the others. And if you intend to buy and immediately hit the road, consider that most dealers are so backed up on service that they tend to work with their own sales customers first, finding a service location while on the road is usually best done by independents and some manufacturers are better about working with them than others, again the brands mentioned above seem to have better reviews than some others.
Dealers, Look for the NON chains. Most of the big chains bring with them all of the scurrilous practices from the used car business, from doc fees to prep charges to PDI cost. Look at the websites for the dealers and if they don't state up front pricing, get a list of the horsecrap fees up front so you can directly compare pricing. Some independents price their units out the door.
Raleigh NC host a couple of RV shows a year, most lines will have dealers there. Va Beach has a smaller show as well.
Happy Hunting
First suggestion is to look at some lines in person. You can get ideas on floorplans as to what configuration you want, rear living, maximum interior space etc, but once you get an idea on that you need to go look at the lines. Appliances and equipment are pretty standard across all lines, build of the structure and finish varies greatly.
Filon or other exterior will be pretty standard in the price range your looking at but whats under it will vary.
Just like in a home cabinets and furnishings will tell you some. Particle board covered in a shelf paper type material is the cheapest, and will show wear the quickest. Plywood is better, and hardwood is better still. Staples are the cheapest joinery, nails and screws are better with screwed and glued being better still.
Stand alone furniture tends to be better than built in in quality.
How do you plan to use the unit? Always in a campground with hookups? or mostly Boondocking?
Tank sizes become important when having to self sustain, they lose importance if going from established campground to established campground.
Length can be an issue in some older campgrounds, especially the older National Park campgrounds, but can often be overcome by moving outside the park.
As to brands, in your price range the upscale Keystones, Avalanche, Alpine, Montana's and Cougars are popular, others would be Grand Design, K-Z, and Jayco. These lines also give longer warranties than most of the others. And if you intend to buy and immediately hit the road, consider that most dealers are so backed up on service that they tend to work with their own sales customers first, finding a service location while on the road is usually best done by independents and some manufacturers are better about working with them than others, again the brands mentioned above seem to have better reviews than some others.
Dealers, Look for the NON chains. Most of the big chains bring with them all of the scurrilous practices from the used car business, from doc fees to prep charges to PDI cost. Look at the websites for the dealers and if they don't state up front pricing, get a list of the horsecrap fees up front so you can directly compare pricing. Some independents price their units out the door.
Raleigh NC host a couple of RV shows a year, most lines will have dealers there. Va Beach has a smaller show as well.
Happy Hunting
