New to researching Rvs

Personal opinion... Almost all older, cheaper RV's are best owned by folks with considerable Do-It-Yourself skills & time, or by folks with deep pockets. Otherwise they will sooner or later become large immobile pieces of yard art. The less you spend on the purchase, the more you're likely to spend on needed repairs.

That's my take, anyway.

Jim, "Caution! Do not look into laser with remaining eye!"

I would look at a used Coachman Freelander 21QB when considering a very tight budget and the woman of the house will be the sole driver. They are the short side of rigs yet still accommodate Mom & Dad with two kids, and also Grandma on occasion. Those units are entry-level, meaning they are at risk for water damage. But find an older one cheap and in good condition, and take care of it. You will need to get creative with indoor storage when accommodating 5 people. Consider tote boxes in the front bunk for clothes and other necessities. You will have far more outdoor storage than you can utilize. Maybe store some totes out there.

Coachman Freeelander 21QB is only 23.5 feet end-to-end on the Ford chassis. The Chevy will be 6 to 9 inches longer, all related to the front van portion. The house remains the same.

21QB Floorplan


Years ago a sister to the 21QB was built under a different brand but I don't recall the name. Hopefully someone else will chime in and share it. With both name brands, that will help to locate an affordable used one. Given these were made in various lengths and floor plans, be sure to focus on 21QB "QB" mean Queen Bed. "21" is supposed to be the length, but it is really a few feet longer.

If I had a young family and on a very tight budget, an older 21QB would be my choice. Of coarse watching very close for the water damage, and maintenance thereof along with over-all condition. The choice goes against everything I preach on when shopping for a motor home. But the tight budget & family circumstances would mandate otherwise.

One point when shopping....if the inside smells moldy or musty, it likely has hidden water issues. Also look for interior water stains on walls and ceiling. Any stain is trouble. A 6" stain could mean the wall may be rotted out.

I agree with what Bordercollie said.

We also bought an old RV. It was 19 years old when we bought it, it is now 24 years old. It is a 1990 Winnebago Warrior.

The effective lifespan of RVs is about 15 years. After that, they start falling apart. If they are garage kept this can be extended.

Older RVs are going to probably have rubber roofs instead of the nice fiberglass roofs of today.

Trust your nose. If you walk in and smell mold or rot, walk away. Water damage is often what takes down RVs and repairing it can quickly cost more than the RV is worth. Water damage is almost always more extensive than what you initially see from the outside, and ripping out the damage quickly becomes a money pit.

Another problem with older RVs is the lack of replacement parts. My 1990 E350 cruise control motor cannot be found anymore, so I don't have cruise control anymore.

If you are, like we were, in a tight spot when buying, be aware that you will probably be shelling out a few thousand dollars right off the bat to fix things.

We bought our RV for $7500, but had to put $1000 into new tires, $500 to fix the generator, $1000 into the cab AC, which had to be converted to the new refrigerant, and more.

Steve

You may yet be at a stage where you need to decide on answers to some basic questions, before getting into what to buy.

Why do I want a RV?
How do I plan to use it?
How much time and money can I afford to put into this activity?

What to get, how much to put into it, depends a lot on how you think you might use it. You may need a lot more space if you are going to live in the RV extensively, compared to either using it as a travel vehicle or a weekend cottage in the woods or at the lake.

Motorized works better if you are going to be moving more than you are sitting, but there are other reasons for choosing a motorhome, like your towing issue. However, if you are parking a motorhome in one place for a long time, then you are back to towing, only now the tow is a second motor vehicle.

As for age, I don't think there is any measure of "too old." Condition is more important than age. I know people who have found excellent RVs, motorized and towable, that were 20 to 40 years old, for a few hundred to a few thousand dollars. The are useful for the way they will be used (in most cases, a week or so at a nearby campground every month through the camping season). Cost of ownership is low because price and value are low, keeping cost of money, insurance, and licensing low.

But cost of using the RV, when traveling, is another side of the picture, because that means money for fuel, tires, drivetrain maintenance, and for that purpose a RV that is newer in the sense of "less worn out" is less likely to have a lot of surprise expenses from deferred maintenance catching up with you.

So if you are just going to run out to a nearby campground every so often, what fits your needs can be quite different than if you want a RV to live in full time and travel 50,000 miles a year. And there is a full spectrum of needs and solutions in between.

For singles and couples, more interested in camping than having a full-scale house on wheels, a camping conversion of a full-size van, or even a minivan (like the old VW campers) is an alternative. But that's camping, a different lifestyle than living in a 240 to 400 square foot house on wheels. That's the "how do you want to use it" question.

Hi Ron Jim the person with Collie in their NAne and everyone who replied thank you do much The coachman rounds scarey water damage potential. My family has akergues to mold What do you think of the other brands I mentioned for tight. Urgent? I saw a 97 minnie winnie for 29k I think. I wish I could afford the born free and lazy days no leaks in roof so yo the fiberglass and shape. So I know budget always dictates what we can buy afford but if you were to fill in the blanks of this sentence what would you say? Try to save at least ----- and buy a use rv like a - or - that will be less problematic. I'd rather save more and get something that won't be like a pasta strainer when it it rains lol. Who else besides born free and lazy days makes an rv with a good roof that a newbe lik me could snatch up used? I'm a piano tech and if my business picks up and I could sell Rome pianos that would sure help. So I'm not necessarily owed minded to a coachman but Leary. That would be like the time we bought this old Jett's from a guy a friend of mine knew. Nothing but trouble. So what I'm hoping to do is find a reliable rv like the reliability of a honda or toyota without having to save up a to. Is that possible? Does older reliable and affordable exist in the rv arena? By affordable. Since everyone's budget is different I mean reasonably priced? How little should one expect to spend to assure themselves of a safe virtually trouble free class c? Then I can say honey we need to save at least this much fir a good rv. That means x amount of extra piano tunings or pianos sold in basically looking for an older rv which was well taken care of with honda or toyota reliability. I know a lot depends on how it was maintained. There are some beat up abused Hondas and toyotas out there. So having it checked us critical. Being sight impaired us no big deal. I can smell and feel very wrll add that yo a great rv inspectors expertise I should hopefully be ok. I hope I'm not asking to much. I just want my first r v to be an incremdable experience rather than the one u had with that Jett's. No heat windows did to open ac worked a little engine was good at least. We re lo I g our toyota and want an rv we can love and even give a pet name to. Thanks again. You guys are great
Marshall

Hi Steve
If I missed anyone I m sorry. How do I plan to use it? I'dike to go to some of the campgrounds here in eastern ps and nj including going to the jersey shore and depending on furl costs a trip to Indiana to visit my wife's family. It would be fun to take a week and camp along the way I e turkey run chain o lakes potato creek. When er lived there my brother in law took us camping. We enjoyed it except the time we used a tent lol. Since his passing this April I thought camping might give my wife closure. We may rent a cabin but wow expensive unless you do rustic no bathroom or ac.

My wife is fearful of toeing a tt because of having to use the side mirrors. My being sight impaired will be challenging to help her back into a campsite. I was told towing a small car is easier. Backing up a pop up is tough I'm told two wheels. I'm told also the lift system can go bad leaving you with a useless box.

So an rv might be our only choice righ? Campsites are s o much cheaper than a cabin rental. So we re wanting something for the hey lets.call french creek state park and see if they have any campsites available. Or the lets take the rv to the family reunion I case anyone needs to rest etc. thanks again. I wish you guys would write a book about purchasing an rv. I'm taking the boys to the library later. Maybe they'll have book on rv purchasing
Marshall

So an rv might be our only choice righ? Campsites are s o much cheaper than a cabin rental.

As was mentioned in another thread a couple of days ago, RVing really isn't a cost savings for travel/accommodations. Especially in a Class C RV that gets 8 MPG. The biggest benefit to an RV is having your own place to stay and not having to leave the event to go eat and sleep.

Pianotune5:

The previous posters have provided good advice. I have some concerns though. You noted that your wife has an issue using the side mirrors on the truck. You should know that driving a Class C *will require* extensive use of the side mirrors. Using the rear window may or may not be possible due to the floor plan. But, when driving, changing lanes, backing into campsites, it's the side mirrors. Secondly, the RV lifestyle per se does not generally save you money. It's the lifestyle that is important to most of us. As noted earlier, you should expect to get about 8 mpg overall with the RV, less if the generator is used extensively, and there is the purchase price of propane as well. If the tires need to be replaced, you are buying 6 not 4. So, before buying an RV, think again about how you will use the RV most of the time, as was suggested earlier. Is there a less expensive option?

Wishing you success on your quest. Bob

ron.dittmer wrote:
I would look at a used Coachman Freelander 21QB when considering a very tight budget and the woman of the house will be the sole driver. They are the short side of rigs yet still accommodate Mom & Dad with two kids, and also Grandma on occasion. Those units are entry-level, meaning they are at risk for water damage. But find an older one cheap and in good condition, and take care of it. You will need to get creative with indoor storage when accommodating 5 people. Consider tote boxes in the front bunk for clothes and other necessities. You will have far more outdoor storage than you can utilize. Maybe store some totes out there.

Coachman Freeelander 21QB is only 23.5 feet end-to-end on the Ford chassis. The Chevy will be 6 to 9 inches longer, all related to the front van portion. The house remains the same.

21QB Floorplan


Years ago a sister to the 21QB was built under a different brand but I don't recall the name. Hopefully someone else will chime in and share it. With both name brands, that will help to locate an affordable used one. Given these were made in various lengths and floor plans, be sure to focus on 21QB "QB" mean Queen Bed. "21" is supposed to be the length, but it is really a few feet longer.

If I had a young family and on a very tight budget, an older 21QB would be my choice. Of coarse watching very close for the water damage, and maintenance thereof along with over-all condition. The choice goes against everything I preach on when shopping for a motor home. But the tight budget & family circumstances would mandate otherwise.

One point when shopping....if the inside smells moldy or musty, it likely has hidden water issues. Also look for interior water stains on walls and ceiling. Any stain is trouble. A 6" stain could mean the wall may be rotted out.

The 21' is the length from the back of the camper to the end of the overhang.
I have it on a 2010 chevy and I think it is 25.5 ft. overall.
Bought it brand new and would do it over again.

Capt.Storm wrote:
The 21' is the length from the back of the camper to the end of the overhang.
I have it on a 2010 chevy and I think it is 25.5 ft. overall.
Bought it brand new and would do it over again.

Interesting how that is measured. Our rig manufacture measures outside max end-to-end with the model name closely reflecting that dimension. ex: Model 2350 is 23'-8" end-to-end.

You say the 21QB is 25.5 feet over-all length, but their website states 23.5 feet HERE. Maybe the newer models are 2 feet shorter than previous years.