3-4 Month Trip $50 Purchase Budget: Rent or Buy?

We have always gone with a trailer as I don't want the extra motor to maintain. If we were going that route, we would go with a class C for the good blend of size and cost.

As for having kids, that was the reason we got into camping, to take the kids camping. Our kids were 1 year, 5 months and 4 weeks etc for their first trips. They are still camping at ages 27, 24 and 21.

For similar age, quality, and living area the relative costs are approximately

Class A + toad = 100
Class C + toad = 90
Fifth wheel + truck = 80
Travel trailer + truck = 70

If you don't need a toad you can take about 20 off the Class A and Class C.

If you already have a toad or truck and you think you can ignore their cost, look up "opportunity cost".

There is a couple things to think about. If your going to travel to see the sites, what kind of a rig would be best for you. A class A or C and a tow car or a Truck/SUV and a trailer. That way you can park and then go explore the area. Saying that, I would set my budget at $35 to $40,000 and then spend some money on new tires. etc. Go to RV Trader or Craigslist and check out what is available in that price range and I think you will find something.
We just bought our last RV at a consignment shop and we were pleased with the service. Even though we bought it As Is, they went thru it and made sure everything was working and for the most part, it was.
Since you are going to be working in your RV, I think I would look at either a TT or a Class A. They have the room you will need.
You might want to rent an RV for just a mini trip and get a feel of the lifestyle and if it will work for you. Some folks spend lots of money and then they hate it.

Tour some used A's and used C's. Take some for a spin. Many newbies think C's are easier to drive than A's, as the cab of the C's remind them of a van, but really A's can handle quite well. Buy one that has been well cared for, suits your family, looks good, and is priced well. Reasonable to keep potential resale in mind, though after the trip, you may well want to keep it; we see many people camping with small kids. And after escaping this winter, you may want to escape future winters. So make sure you buy one you like, as you may get hooked.

Also, you might want to consider a towable unit. I love my motorhome, but a well matched trailer and tow vehicle can be avoid option for many people. Your tow vehicle can double as a daily driver and travel trailers may be more cost effective than A or C.

mcangelo4 wrote:
Thanks for awesome feedback I just saw this hit the 2nd page.... Looking to pull trigger before year end. Do I stay away from models like these where there seems to be not many for sale?

http://hudsonvalley.craigslist.org/rvs/5826926624.html

It looks like a possibility; the price seems a bit high (certainly for your stated price range, and possibly for the unit itself). I personally probably would look a little bit older, paying careful attention to how well maintained the unit is--in particular, whether the sealing of the roof has been kept up with well so that there is no water intrusion. This would seem to me to still be in the rather steep depreciation area of the curve. However, it's not my decision. With a unit of this age and mileage, you shouldn't have to worry about tires needing replacement or major chassis service.

Do give some thought to how well the layout would work for you. Think about how you'd go about your daily activities; is the kitchen laid out reasonably to make meals? Can you watch TV without craning your neck? Is there space for another person to do something while you work without bumping elbows all the time? Also pay at least some attention to how accessible things are with the slides in; some designs make it hard or impossible to get at closets or the bathroom without moving a slide, which is not the most convenient for travel.

I've been generally satisfied with the construction of my '98 Coachmen class C. The interior appointments and fit and finish do show signs of being built to a price, but the basic construction seems reasonable and the wiring and plumbing is competently designed and installed. There generally is adequate access for maintenance and repair, though occasionally it takes a little puzzling out to find what that access is. Whether Coachmen today is similar, better, or worse, I have no way of saying.

As for popularity of a specific model, that's not much of a concern in my opinion. The vast majority of the components in an RV are much the same from model to model. The appliances come from the same few makers, the furniture and fittings are fairly standardized, the windows from a few specialist companies, etc. Servicing a rare model isn't much different from servicing a common one in most cases.

OP, I agree with others that purchasing a lightly used Class C is a great way to go. The newer and nicer that it is (and that you keep it), the more it is worth for sale next spring if you decide the lifestyle isn't for you. Class A tends to be more expensive than Class C. I think you are more likely to find a newer used C than A, because rarely do newbies buy a Class A and decide they don't like it and sell it relatively new.

Just a suggestion, look for a Class C with either a toad included, or a Class C that is setup for a toad if you have a car that you plan to take with you. Buying the rig already setup will be cheaper, easier and allow you to hit the road faster.

Class B is SMALL. For a weekend trip, they are great. For a minimalist couple, it might work for 3-4 months, but I wouldn't like it. If it rains and you are both jammed in a small van for a couple days, its gonna get REALLY small. If you have to be in/around the rig for work most days, its gonna get really small. Benefits of a B include better mileage and no need for a towed vehicle... but if you are working from the camper and the spouse needs to go to the store... what are you going to do? 4 months with no second vehicle will be quite annoying.

I think a 26-30 foot A or C with a slide would be ideal. Small enough to fit in most places, small enough to more easily drive, but large enough to provide creature comforts for a 4 month trip.

One other option is to buy a used truck and trailer or fifth wheel. Might be harder to find that kind of rig for $50K, but if you need or have a truck anyways, you are halfway there!

In terms of NY to FL to CA in a couple months, you'll be fine! When I was younger we did a family cross country trip in 6 weeks. Maryland, down south, across west, up north, back east, down south slightly, back up north and back to Maryland... in 6 weeks... in a van... and 26 foot non-slide bunkhouse... with 2 sisters, the parents and a dog.

4 months to do all that should be fine. That should be plenty of time to explore, see the sights and have fun. $15K spending money seems like a good estimate. Hopefully its high, but fuel, food, groceries, site fees, incidentals, etc can add up. You are giving yourself almost $4K a month. I think you can do it for less than that, but its probably a good place to start your budget.

I agree with Verizon MiFi. Verizon has the best coverage across the country. Be prepared that some days you won't get signal. Be prepared that "free WiFi" at campgrounds is likely to be spotty at best.

Good luck on your decision and hope you have a great time! I wish my job afforded me the ability to take on an endeavor like this!!!

Thanks for awesome feedback I just saw this hit the 2nd page.... Looking to pull trigger before year end. Do I stay away from models like these where there seems to be not many for sale?

http://hudsonvalley.craigslist.org/rvs/5826926624.html

Thanks Matt!

I am good on the internet I understand the perils of travel...have multiple brands/hotspots. Satellite IMP not fast enough...so if I am that "remote" it wont work well....

Class C- Is this the only thing I should consider? Seems becuase ease of resale?

That being said what are top brands to resell?

Suggested length for what i am doing?

Car in tow?

We pretty much counted on Verizon for internet. Switch over to VZ from Sprint for the coverage and we were without internet for exactly 1 night in Ark. Used the free tablet VZ gave us for switching as a hot spot and also for Waze and navigation. What a deal. I think we hit 30 GB one month (streaming videos), but most of the time 20 gb was enough. Verizon lets you bump it up and down every month and now they let you carry over unused minutes from the previous month.

We usually stayed in one place for a week. We also tried to travel on Wednesday, which made it easier driving and easier to get a reservation. A few places we stayed only 3 or 4 days, a couple we stayed at for 10 days and one state park 2 weeks.

I put some money into the OTA antenna (Wingman and a Sensor Pro booster) and that paid off getting digital OTA TV in places with no cable. You may think TV is a luxury but it kept the boredom factor down on days when we needed to stay inside. It also helps to be able to get a picture of the local weather.

If you go older than 10 years, there are a lot of nice class As on the market. Matt C said 10 years old is a magic number, but I notice he has an 80's GMC (really nice rig BTW Matt). The only downside is that some buyers will also believe in the 10 year old magic number and it will be a little harder to sell when you're done.

We did exactly what you're thinking of doing. We brought a cheap 20 y.o. gasser and kept it for a couple of years to figure out 1. if we liked the lifestyle and 2. what we wanted in a class A. Sold it for more than I paid for it (but not more than I had into it).

MC,
You haven't really said it until the end, but you have two problems.

First, yes you can buy a coach now and sell it in the spring 6 months older and 15K more miles and about break even. Try to stay to less than 10 years old as many believe that is a magic number. Count on buying new tires immediately as they will probably be aged out.

Second, working on the road will require internet. Satellite is real expensive and not worth it unless you are going into the sticks. Get a Verizon (best coverage but not cheapest) either Jet-pack or use a phone and an inverter to run the computer (laptop 100watt - Desktop with big screen 500watt). Make sure that you watch the data plan and don't get caught short. Verizon has new plans that make a lot of sense for people like us.

Matt