45 footer as first RV

Too big for first RV? Depends on the person. I have a friend who struggles to back his Ford Ranger. I have noted larger RV's may not be space effecient, just larger.

azdryheat wrote:
A friend just bought his first RV, a 45 foot DP. It got me thinking how many people buy a rig this size as their first RV or is it usually an upgrade?

I also have friends (maybe same folks you are referring to) that just did the same. No experience RVing, retired @ the young age of 54, sold home, purchased a gently used Newmar Essex, and hit the road. They post travel pics on FB & seem to be deliriously happy.

azdryheat wrote:
A friend just bought his first RV, a 45 foot DP. It got me thinking how many people buy a rig this size as their first RV or is it usually an upgrade?

It's all relevant.

You couldn't pay me to pull a big rig like yours! Yet I did buy a big coach like your friends!:B :W

I have had a few including trailers. 38, 45, and now a 36ft Monaco towing a Smart car. Never had any problems with any of them but we saw this 36 that we really liked and now its ours. Took some getting used to--for one thing the tales on here about basement a/c taking up storage space is BS. The 38 with basement a/c had far more storage than this the 36 with the a/c on top. But we are getting used to it, Heading to Pigeon Forge for a week Sat. Buy what YOU like!!!!

Unfortunately it’s been too many upgrades. I’ve owned almost every type of RV over the last 50 years. Once we could use a rig 100+ days/year decided to switch from a 5er to a DP 17 years ago. Because of post on this site that 36’ was the max for public campgrounds I made the mistake of buying a used 36’ DP. Took less than 2 years to learn that 36’ max is BS and it’s STILL posted on here by those that do NOT own a big rig.

As you can see below I’ve gone to the max and during the summer we boondock in public CGs 80% of the time as finding sites big enough is not that hard. I would say 42’ is ideal because it can be srunk to 40’ if making reservations without being a problem getting in the 40’ site.

In 12+ years I never hit a curb with my 42’ but I’m still hitting a few with the 45’ after 6 months… The learning curve. Unless you have been around large vehicles starting at 45 feet will be a challenge for a while unless you take a drinking coarse.

It’s all about where you want to stay and where you want to go.

We met folks at a nice park in Maine with a few year old 45 Newell four slide, full timers.

Never had an RV before. Their friends did it, they thought they would like it, sold the house, bought the big coach, towed a Cadillac and were having the time of their life.

Went from RV Resort to RV Resort. More power to them.

We like the occasional state or county park. The longer you are the less spots you can find. Height is an issue as much as length.

I think starting too small is the bigger mistake but are you just going to weekend or maybe a week? Small probably ok.

Occasionally a week or two is a different rig than 2-3 months (or longer).

Executive wrote:
Buying the biggest RV first. certainly will save you money in the long run. With the depreciation these beast suffer, you usually lose big money everytime you trade UP.....Dennis

I try to stress this 2 new RV'ers. THe sooner you know what you really want buy it straight out vs. taking baby steps.
My first TT was a 34' model, followed by a 40' 5'er.
I bought the dually truck 1st because I know I wanted a big fiver with lots of space.
If I were to go the clas A route it would be large as well.
Keep in mind there is nothing wrong with smaller units if that your style.
The key is to buy your final rig first vs. working your way towards the goal. I understand finances are a factor, but trading and upgrading will only cost more $$$.

If I were to full time which I have no desire to do I would want a 45
Had a gas 34 and knew that was the size that worked for us so looked for something in that range in a DP. I think as time goes on we will end up in a small sprinter style.

Everybody has their own preferences. Myself, a 36' gasser is as big as we want to go. We travel without a toad since that makes it so much easier to stop on the spur of the moment to see things. When we were dragging a car, we drove past things we wanted to see as we just didn't want to go through the hassle of finding a place to turn around, maybe have to unhook, maybe not find parking. Even Cracker Barrels became off limits because while they almost all have RV parking, it is just converted double-space car area. Long enough for the coach but not with a toad. They are also usually in congested areas that just don't have room to park anywhere else. We now rely on Uber or car rental for destination mobility. Areas without those resources almost all have either shuttle service or everything is close enough you can walk to the amenities.

On one Monaco forum that I belong to, there was a coach for sale years ago that ONLY had the mileage from the factory down to Florida. That single trip scared the new owners enough, while driving it, that they put the coach up for sale.
Hopefully the new owners of this 45' coach is experienced in driving large vehicles.
I also hope that he got one without the usual mechanical problems that can discourage a new owner from the RV lifestyle and can also destroy one's finances if they maxed out the budget when they bought the coach.