Newbee question for long timeRVer's

2gypsies wrote:
A 10 year old motorhome is just fine for traveling full-time but when you find one you should really get it checked out thoroughly by a private inspector - not the dealership. Also check the tire dates. So that you won't have to put a lot of money in tires right off the bat they should be 3-4 years old or less.

A diesel in this age would be better than gas, in my opinion, because it would just be broken in. :) Mileage doesn't count on a diesel. If you can find one by a private party it would be best because you can 'feel out' the owner as to how the motorhome was cared for and he should be able to give you all records for maintenance/repairs done on it.

Also consider a top manufacturer. We full-timed ten years in our Newmar and it was great and looked like new when we sold it. We previously full-timed in a 33' 5th wheel before the motorhome. We liked a motorhome best because we were able to pull the Jeep. We didn't like driving a big truck around when we had the 5th wheel.

A good manufacturer will have better insulation, double pane windows and solid cabinets with good drawer fittings. Everything about it would be good quality and will hold up better.

If you're willing to put some money in an older one to update it then I think you'd do just fine.

I do have concerns though on you not having RV'd previously and it sounds like your wife isn't totally sold on the idea. Having full-timed for 16 years I will say that you BOTH have to want to do it equally or it won't work. Is she really willing to give up all the 'stuff' in the house? Are you both extremely compatible that you can live together in a small space? Do you have the same travel expectations such as siteseeing, outdoor activities, staying in rv parks or campgrounds or out in the boonies, moving around or sitting in one place, possibly volunteering in parks?

If you're not going to retire for a couple years yet I might suggest either renting at least a 30'32' Class C (big enough to have some extra space) and doing so for a couple weekends to see how you do. It's very expensive to rent so you won't want to do a lot of it but it would give you an idea of living in a small area.

Good luck!