Considering First Motorhome Purchase
Hello all, my wife and I are considering our first motorhome purchase. We both love to camp and have always talked about getting a motorhome some day. I am not a mechanic (I can change wheels, oil, br...
Forum Discussion
It will be hard for you to figure out what model/length and floor plan will be best for you since you have no experience. Do a lot of reading here. There's lots of opinions, experience, and answers.
I'd start with what type of camping do you like to do?
There is a difference in general RVing and camping. For example we like to "boondock" in more remote campsites. We don't use hookups very often and the campsites we like will not usually accommodate anything over 27 feet.
On the other hand if you just want to go to places where you can hook everything up and don't mind being close to your neighbors a longer RV is usually OK.
Once you decide on what general length would be good for your type of use you have to start looking at floor plans to see what you must have and what you can live without.
As an example (everyone's wants are different), again we like to boondock and don't plan on living in it full time so less was better for us. I did not want slides, automatic steps, and levelers as it's not if but when they will give you problems at some point down the road. We had a smaller B class camper van and my wifes requirement for this one was a full time queen bed that we did not have to climb over each other to get in and out of (we have slightly different sleeping schedules). She also likes to cook/bake so an oven was required.
As far as what chassis, I wanted something that could easily pull a car or trailer and had enough cargo carrying capacity. Cargo capacity is extremely important and worth researching on any size model you are considering as there are several models that are close to overweight already when you add the gas, water, and passengers. Handling will usually suffer when your close to capacity.
Of the three gas chassis the Ford E450 was my choice over the Chevy or narrower Ford E350 chassis and engines. The E450 has the highest capacity in both towing and cargo but it still depends on who made the box so check the weights.
If you don't plan on towing anything a long distance the Chevy has a little more leg room for the passenger but also extends the front a few inches. Some say they get a little better gas millage with the Chevy but it's nominal and figure they are all around 8 MPG unless you really baby it. If you never plan on towing and want a short camper the Sprinters get much better gas millage but are generally smaller, cost an arm and a leg, and don't have much storage space.
So now I'm looking for a Ford E450 no longer than 27' with no slides, levelers, or electric steps, lots of storage and capacity, an oven, and a queen bed you don't have to crawl over each other to get in and out of. NOT an easy task.
We looked at new ones and almost dropped $70,000 on one that was a slight compromise. But after six months of searching we found a used 2006 27' with only 17,000 miles that met all our requirements and looked like it was right off the showroom floor. The plus was it was from a dealer for under $30,000. We asked a lot of questions on the phone. It had just been traded in and had not even been prepped yet. We drove to the next state, looked it over, test drove it and jumped on it. We saved ourselves over $40,000. Be ready to buy when you are actually looking because if it's a really good deal it won't sit long. We got lucky.
Your requirements will be different so just start looking to see what's available and go to some RV shows if you can and walk through some to get a feel for what general floor plans you can live with and what options you can live without. When buying your first it's pretty hard to get everything right but researching it and trying to figure out what you want as far as use and floor plan will help.
The most important thing is don't make the mistake of buying anything just because it's a good deal. If it's not what you want and is not a good fit for your type of use then it's not a good deal for you.
I'd start with what type of camping do you like to do?
There is a difference in general RVing and camping. For example we like to "boondock" in more remote campsites. We don't use hookups very often and the campsites we like will not usually accommodate anything over 27 feet.
On the other hand if you just want to go to places where you can hook everything up and don't mind being close to your neighbors a longer RV is usually OK.
Once you decide on what general length would be good for your type of use you have to start looking at floor plans to see what you must have and what you can live without.
As an example (everyone's wants are different), again we like to boondock and don't plan on living in it full time so less was better for us. I did not want slides, automatic steps, and levelers as it's not if but when they will give you problems at some point down the road. We had a smaller B class camper van and my wifes requirement for this one was a full time queen bed that we did not have to climb over each other to get in and out of (we have slightly different sleeping schedules). She also likes to cook/bake so an oven was required.
As far as what chassis, I wanted something that could easily pull a car or trailer and had enough cargo carrying capacity. Cargo capacity is extremely important and worth researching on any size model you are considering as there are several models that are close to overweight already when you add the gas, water, and passengers. Handling will usually suffer when your close to capacity.
Of the three gas chassis the Ford E450 was my choice over the Chevy or narrower Ford E350 chassis and engines. The E450 has the highest capacity in both towing and cargo but it still depends on who made the box so check the weights.
If you don't plan on towing anything a long distance the Chevy has a little more leg room for the passenger but also extends the front a few inches. Some say they get a little better gas millage with the Chevy but it's nominal and figure they are all around 8 MPG unless you really baby it. If you never plan on towing and want a short camper the Sprinters get much better gas millage but are generally smaller, cost an arm and a leg, and don't have much storage space.
So now I'm looking for a Ford E450 no longer than 27' with no slides, levelers, or electric steps, lots of storage and capacity, an oven, and a queen bed you don't have to crawl over each other to get in and out of. NOT an easy task.
We looked at new ones and almost dropped $70,000 on one that was a slight compromise. But after six months of searching we found a used 2006 27' with only 17,000 miles that met all our requirements and looked like it was right off the showroom floor. The plus was it was from a dealer for under $30,000. We asked a lot of questions on the phone. It had just been traded in and had not even been prepped yet. We drove to the next state, looked it over, test drove it and jumped on it. We saved ourselves over $40,000. Be ready to buy when you are actually looking because if it's a really good deal it won't sit long. We got lucky.
Your requirements will be different so just start looking to see what's available and go to some RV shows if you can and walk through some to get a feel for what general floor plans you can live with and what options you can live without. When buying your first it's pretty hard to get everything right but researching it and trying to figure out what you want as far as use and floor plan will help.
The most important thing is don't make the mistake of buying anything just because it's a good deal. If it's not what you want and is not a good fit for your type of use then it's not a good deal for you.
