RVER wrote:
Motors do not like sitting around and you are not driving enough to really exercise and engine without long periods of standing which is horrible for the engine. By the time the kids are bigger and out of the house or big enough to care for themselves, you will be ready for a new rig so go with BIG suv with the long wheelbase and able to pull the trailer and then when kids fly the coop, get a class A and be done with it. Class A will depreciate by as much as 50% in 2 years, scary but true!! NOT all but some and that is like urinating money away! Trailers depreciate less and cost a lot less to buy, insure and maintain.
Some good points here. However, in regards to Motors, drivetrains in a Motorhome sitting for long periods of time, I'd like to point out a few things.
Really, I would not let that aspect affect your decision one way or the other. At least for us, it was/is very easy to solve this: Just make it a point once a month or so to take the Motorhome for a drive somewhere. An errand, a trip to visit friends or relatives, even just drive around the block a few times. Anything, to 'exercise' it and keep seals lubricated, brakes from freezing up or rusting, etc. Don't need to drive it very far, just enough to get everything (engine, tranny, tires, etc.) up to working temperatures. Same thing with the generator - fire it up once a month and let it run for a while, turn on some things inside to run off the genny and exercise it.
I've found that doing this keeps everyone excited about the next camping trip, even in the dead of winter when we're not camping. At least once every couple of weeks, on Saturday morning when everyone wants me to go pick up something for breakfast, I just fire up the MH and take it to Bojangle's, McDonald's, or whatever everyone wants for breakfast. My daughter loves it when I do this and ALWAYS insists on going with me, because she absolutely loves riding in it. The previous poster is right - on the road, nothing beats a Class A.
However, all that convenience and luxury on the road comes at a very high price, in terms of $$ as well as in floorplan limitations I've already mentioned. You just have to decide if that price is worth it for you.
If you go with a TT and van for other reasons I've mentioned, great. If you go with the MH for the convenience on the road it gives, thats great, too. I just wouldnt let the concern about it sitting for periods of time influence your decision much. As I just explained, its very easy (and fun actually) to prevent that from being a problem.
