A real honest-to goodness "NEWBIE"
I am the essence of "new" to rving. Never have. Always had a secret desire to. Retired. Not rich. Moderate income. I intend to travel around and see some of this great country of ours. My first pref i...
Forum Discussion
Get a note pad out and start writing down what you want and like about different RV's and manufacturers. It won't be long before your head will be swimming in options and floor plans. It will get confusing very quickly.
As you narrow down your choices, sit in them for awhile. Ask the salesman to leave you alone and just sit there. Picture yourself cooking dinner, relaxing in the evening, sleeping in the bed/bedroom, showering and even how the toilet fits. It sounds funny, but some motor homes have tight toilet areas for larger people. As you do this, see how the model you're in fits those needs and how you plan to travel.
Go outside and check the storage, make sure the things you want to do can be stored in the coach. Will it have enough power to tow the size vehicle you want to take with you.
Short DP's 34'-36' are great for getting into some campgrounds, but may not handle as well as the longer ones. 38'-40' will get you in most places, but you may have to plan ahead. We take our 40' to Yosemite, but we know what spots we can fit in. 42'-45' can still go a lot of places, but are often used by those dedicated to full timing who really need the room to keep from going crazy and to haul their stuff. *** I'm sure someone will argue with what I just wrote, but I'm speaking generically, not about the guy that has a 45' that collapses to 25' and can travel through a lake!
Lastly.....are you handy. Life is easier in an RV if you can do some basic repairs, keeping you out of repair facilities. DP's are fairly complicated and you need to have patience in dealing with all the systems. I know some who went the DP route, but later returned to a gas coach because it was just simpler to operate.
You're already ahead of the game by being smart enough to come here before buying. Once you find a coach you're interested in, do a search for issues. Some issues may be small and uncommon, or you may find a huge issue that might prevent you from buying. Not to pick on Thor, but they're having issues with their slides on their popular Palazzo DP. Apparently, they have found a fix, but there may be two model years that the slide mechanisms were just not up to the task.
Good luck in your search.
As you narrow down your choices, sit in them for awhile. Ask the salesman to leave you alone and just sit there. Picture yourself cooking dinner, relaxing in the evening, sleeping in the bed/bedroom, showering and even how the toilet fits. It sounds funny, but some motor homes have tight toilet areas for larger people. As you do this, see how the model you're in fits those needs and how you plan to travel.
Go outside and check the storage, make sure the things you want to do can be stored in the coach. Will it have enough power to tow the size vehicle you want to take with you.
Short DP's 34'-36' are great for getting into some campgrounds, but may not handle as well as the longer ones. 38'-40' will get you in most places, but you may have to plan ahead. We take our 40' to Yosemite, but we know what spots we can fit in. 42'-45' can still go a lot of places, but are often used by those dedicated to full timing who really need the room to keep from going crazy and to haul their stuff. *** I'm sure someone will argue with what I just wrote, but I'm speaking generically, not about the guy that has a 45' that collapses to 25' and can travel through a lake!
Lastly.....are you handy. Life is easier in an RV if you can do some basic repairs, keeping you out of repair facilities. DP's are fairly complicated and you need to have patience in dealing with all the systems. I know some who went the DP route, but later returned to a gas coach because it was just simpler to operate.
You're already ahead of the game by being smart enough to come here before buying. Once you find a coach you're interested in, do a search for issues. Some issues may be small and uncommon, or you may find a huge issue that might prevent you from buying. Not to pick on Thor, but they're having issues with their slides on their popular Palazzo DP. Apparently, they have found a fix, but there may be two model years that the slide mechanisms were just not up to the task.
Good luck in your search.
