rgatijnet1 wrote:
CaitySue wrote:
darsben1 wrote:
You will likely be to long for most national Parks, forest service and city county campgrounds
I just bought our Senior Pass so we can camp at National Parks, etc. We are still in the process of trying to buy an RV. What is the maximum length allowed in those parks? I'm so glad I saw this response!
If you book your parks at reserveamerica.com, you can find a campground layout and the length of the rig that each parking spot will accept.
Don't know what state park campsites are like on the Left Coast or the mid-section, but here on the Right Coast, our 36' Holiday Rambler Endeavor fits just fine on most of them. You gotta watch out for the trees going into the parks, but all the ones we have camped at are do-able. In fact, I've seen tag-axle rigs going into the same parks with no problems.
As for the Holiday Rambler product itself, we have been most pleased with the fit, finish and quality of build. Yes, we bought an older coach with over 80K miles on it. It is a Ford gasser with a Triton V10 on the F53 chassis. The F53 is a very reliable chassis as is the Triton V10. The F53 rides like a battle wagon, so be prepared for that. It is a common review, and although new shocks seem to help, it's just an inherent issue. The F53 was built to be a delivery truck and motorhome manufacturers latched on to it. There are normal aging problems that will have to be addressed, as we have already done. We just replaced the front leaf springs....shocks will be next. Brake calipers and brake lines were done a couple of years ago. I've had to adjust the slide's vertical height to get it back plumb, but again, that's not unexpected. We had a slight roof leak that I chsed for several months....found it to be the joint of the metal roof and the end cap. Resealed it, pulled the old carpet (it was nasty anyway), cloroxed and dried the flooring, replaced all the carpet and we're good to go! Took us about 3 weekends to do that job. Good thing about a gasser is that if you're slightly handy with a wrench and a screwdriver, you can do most of the routine maintenance yourself. Pro-tip...add Seafoam to every tank of fuel!!
If the one you're looking at has a good maintenance record, doesn't seem to have any obvious leaks and no history of them, and it fits your lifestyle when camping/living, I think you'll be fine. The purchase price does seem a bit high to me, but that may well be the market it's in. Find several average prices for similar models from everywhere across the country, and them come at them with a price you are comfortable with. Maybe they negotiate, maybe they don't. If you are happy with the deal you make, it was the right deal....no matter what anyone else ties to tell ya.
Good Luck!
