Forum Discussion

Spedunkle's avatar
Spedunkle
Explorer
Feb 27, 2017

First Time Buyers - Help Wanted

Hey everyone :)

Me and my girlfriend have spent the last 2 1/2 years together (we both work from home) and have decided to dive into full time RVing. After initially looking at travel trailers, 5th wheels, Class C then Super C, we finally settled on class A meeting most of our needs. Super C's "C+" can meet our needs and I prefer the thought of having a semi cab around us when traveling but they are generally out of our $140k-150k budget insofar as we've seen. We think it's because we want the interior to look and feel like something we can live in for a long time and many RVs seems to be built out of materials that are designed to fail(?).

We went to the dealer and spent a few hours looking through Thor and Winnebago newer model class A's but we were very unimpressed with the feel of those interiors. We did get a great idea on how large a layout actually is in the real world, though.

I would like to know if anyone would happen to know of any class A/C+ that would fit the following criteria that maybe we have not looked into or are taking for granted.

-$140-$150k price tag
-Full time
-Enough room for 4 comfortably - though 2 will occupy the RV for the most part
-Has unique or innovative features that most experienced RVers look for in their 2,3 or 4th RV
-We are larger 250+lb
-Drivability is #2
-Washer/dryer
-Five to ten days boondocking ability
-Diesel engine
-Safe wheel base, as close to 60% as we can(?)

Overall, we've researched our hearts out and really love the look, feel and layouts of the 2011 Tiffin Allegro Bus's - however we're not sure if we are overlooking anything and would like some help.

(We do have RV Consumer Group information purchased)

Archive: Answered Questions:
Snowy conditions/non-optimal roads at times (safety for us is #1)
Do any RVs have the edge over cold/hot weather conditions in general, or are there features to look for specifically to ensure our comfort in more extreme temps?
Class A
  • Spedunkle's avatar
    Spedunkle
    Explorer
    Feb 27, 2017
    Isaac-1 wrote:
    First I would like to say that in my opinion residential refrigerators are NOT a good choice for boondocking as they either require massive amounts of solar panels, and a large battery bank with inverter and/or running your generator for hours each day to keep your food cold.


    ncrowley wrote:
    I would look at Newmars. They are very well insulated and I think they are built very well. Look at older Dutch Stars.


    timmac wrote:
    motorhomes they tend to be made for mild climate but dual pane windows do help but the thinner walls on motorhomes usually don't do so well in the very low temps.


    Thank you very much for all your help :)
  • timmac's avatar
    timmac
    Explorer
    Feb 27, 2017
    As to cold weather 5th wheels usually have the high insulation packages, as to motorhomes they tend to be made for mild climate but dual pane windows do help but the thinner walls on motorhomes usually don't do so well in the very low temps.
  • ncrowley's avatar
    ncrowley
    Explorer II
    Feb 27, 2017
    I would look at Newmars. They are very well insulated and I think they are built very well. When we living in our Newmar while our house was being built, the area was hit by a 100 year storm and we got lots of snow and very cold weather. We woke up to below 10 degrees for a couple of mornings. We used less propane than anyone else in the park. The top of the coach had more snow on it than anyone else (meaning the snow was not melting because of heat rising through the roof). We were very impressed by its cold weather performance. Look at older Dutch Stars.
  • Isaac-1's avatar
    Isaac-1
    Explorer
    Feb 27, 2017
    First I would like to say that in my opinion residential refrigerators are NOT a good choice for boondocking as they either require massive amounts of solar panels, and a large battery bank with inverter and/or running your generator for hours each day to keep your food cold. By comparison an absorption refrigerator can run for months on a typical RV size tank of propane. Sure there is a trend toward installing residential refrigerators in RV's they hold much more food in the same footprint, and cost the same or less than an RV absorption refrigerator, which maybe great if you are moving from electrical hookup site to electrical hookup site and only need to run the generator to keep them going while on the road.

    As to the hot / cold issues, the answer is yes, some models are better insulated than others, have dual pane windows, and some even have options for basement heaters and electrical heating pads to keep the water and waste tanks from freezing.
  • Spedunkle's avatar
    Spedunkle
    Explorer
    Feb 27, 2017
    Mr.Mark wrote:
    Just my opinion, top-of-the-line 2009-2010 units, and even before, are made of higher-end materials and will not fall apart even after 20 yrs. if maintained and properly cared for. ALL RV's will need work from time to time, it's just the nature of the beast.


    Okay thank you, I will look into these more now with that in mind.

    rr2254545 wrote:
    You need to rethink the snowy conditions - a diesel motor home has no traction in the snow or ice - chaining one up would be a hard task


    Thank you, I am going to change the question to "Do any RVs have the edge over cold/hot weather conditions in general, or are there features to look for specifically to ensure our comfort in more extreme temps?"
  • rr2254545's avatar
    rr2254545
    Explorer
    Feb 27, 2017
    You need to rethink the snowy conditions - a diesel motor home has no traction in the snow or ice - chaining one up would be a hard task
  • Mr_Mark1's avatar
    Mr_Mark1
    Explorer
    Feb 27, 2017
    Just my opinion, top-of-the-line 2009-2010 units, and even before, are made of higher-end materials and will not fall apart even after 20 yrs. if maintained and properly cared for. ALL RV's will need work from time to time, it's just the nature of the beast.

    Around 2007-2008, lighter flat screen TV's were installed. The age related replacements will be (maybe) dual powered fridges (residential is best and cheaper), roof maintenance, awning covers/fabrics, etc. And, tire date codes are crucial to check.... about every 7 yrs. they will need to be replaced or inspected, 10 years max according to some people. The 7 yr. mark works for me.

    Batteries last about 5-7 yrs. AGM's are best and a lot less maintenance and worth the price just for that reason alone.

    MM.
  • Spedunkle's avatar
    Spedunkle
    Explorer
    Feb 27, 2017
    Mr.Mark wrote:
    2007-2009 upper end Monaco's (Signatures, Executives, Dynasty) and Beaver's (Marquis, Patriot Thunder) would fit your price range and have beautiful interiors/fit and finish.


    Thank you very much, MM. We absolutely LOVED the Monaco 2011-2013's that we saw - but the wheel base/rv consumer group reviews we saw made us take a step back and consider how much our safety meant to us.

    I've never driven a motorhome, or anything over 20' - I do learn quickly, but I don't want to pretend I know what I'm doing yet - I barely know why wheelbase ratios are important :P

    Does the age of those upper end 2009-2010's really matter - are they destined to failure at the 10 year mark like I read so much about, have you read anything on the topic?

    Again, thank you.
  • Mr_Mark1's avatar
    Mr_Mark1
    Explorer
    Feb 27, 2017
    It wouldn't hurt to look at Newmar's and Monaco's. When we bought our 2008 Monaco Dynasty in early 2007, we had looked at the Tiffin Allegro Bus. Actually, the Tiffin Zephyr would have been the equal to the Dynasty. (I didn't know that at the time).

    2007-2009 upper end Monaco's (Signatures, Executives, Dynasty) and Beaver's (Marquis, Patriot Thunder) would fit your price range and have beautiful interiors/fit and finish. The Roadmaster chassis w/tag has 10 air bags.

    The Newmar line of the King Air, Essex, London Air.... nice coaches.

    These larger upper end coaches will have large holding tanks, Aqua Hot heating, larger generators and possibly solar on the roof to maintain batteries. You would just have to pick the 'year range' that will fall into your budget.

    One of your requirements about the snow/bad weather.... I would hate to maneuver a 40,000+ lb. coach in slippery conditions. Can it be done, yes, safe...not to me. I know sometimes you might not have a choice to relocate but wait for the roads to clear. Only a 4x4 type vehicle is best for that.

    Good luck,
    MM.

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