First Time Buyer...Updated 03/06/2006

Sondra wrote:
Hello, first time buyer here with my husband. Floor plan is very important to us, we plan on driving down to Florida for 4-5 months out of the year from Illinois.Thank you, Sondra

Sondra, you really should look at used motor homes. First, because this IS your first one, you may decide after just a few months that it's just not the right one for you, or you may find yourself wishing you'd gotten a fifth-wheel, or you wish you'd gotten a condo in Florida instead. Trade it in on a new one in a year or so, if you still want to.

Second, because ALL motor homes have problems, by the time someone puts several thousand miles on it they've worked out most of the bugs. A new motor home very often spends its first few MONTHS in and out of the shop to bring everything up to snuff. There are hundreds of different systems and thousands of separate parts in an RV. It is simply not possible for an RV to come right off the production line at 100% and very few dealers will go over it with a fine-toothed comb before it hits the lot. Also, with many things, it's impossible to know whether it's working right or not until you go out and use it on the road. If you buy used someone ELSE had to go through all that crap.

Third, because for half the money you can get twice the coach. You can then afford to have modifications done to suit you and make it into a custom coach. Suppose you discover that the sofa is the most uncomfortable thing you've ever been on (and you couldn't tell until you'd used it a few times)? How would you feel about having to replace a brand new sofa? Modifications to something that's not new are easier to stomach! And just imagine what the depreciation would be on a new RV.

A lot of people use their coaches very gently - especially when you're talking about a luxury 40 footer. I would expect that to be fairly easy to find in excellent condition with low mileage, due to the fact that it was probably used just as you intend to use it. The idea that a used motor home was someone else's headache is seldom true and having a knowledgeable independent RV service person thoroughly check everything out BEFORE you sign anything will go a long way toward assuring you of that.

Take all that money you'll save and spend it on Coach Net emergency roadside coverage and safety additions and upgrade the televisions and buy a portable dish and other things like that. The useability, convenience, and personal comfort of your RV is far more important than the age of it. A lot of those things you'll buy will transfer to a new coach when the time comes too.