I need some help!!! (deciding on a rv)

Deb and Ed I was just down your way last week at Canaveral. Nice Port and the people were very nice as well. Thx for the info.

The big thing you want to check is water damage, leaking roof, clearance lights , around windows, doors, corners, floor around doors etc. widows in cab over bed, delimitation on out side walls. Date code on tires RV tires age out before they wear out. Most change if over 7 years old.

so for a 32 day trip I will pay 7000$ after the extra mileage. I would rather buy a newer rv and then sell it immediately after than give away 7 grand. plus with a rental could I easily extend my trip? And this trip will be a lot of "look out the window kids". Yes a lot of driving but I live on the east coast and there's really no easy way for me to get out to the west coast without doing a lot of interstate rving.

The driving? Hubby and I did a 9065-mile trip to Alaska and back in 26 days. And yes, we saw a LOT of cool stuff (I have the hundreds of photos to prove it). We did NOT have kids with us, though. Our chariot was a 2004 28' Class C with no slides - the beauty of that was not having to be particularly level....we could simply pull into our site, hook up the water and electric, and for the moment, we were done.

Re RVs: the one you want is "somebody's pet". The one stored indoors when not being used. Carefully maintained. The 2000+ Ford E-450 chassis are pretty much bulletproof, and offer the safety of having factory airbags, etc.

Artum Snowbird wrote:
I would say do the rental. It will cost you a lot, but it will be trouble free most likely, and you won't regret it ever. Buying something 17 years old is just a time bomb waiting for something to happen, it might ruin your holiday, and most likely will.

You will learn so much, and be so prepared to make a good decision later if you so decide.

Nobody has ever regretted being educated, and nobody has ever regretted having a good time.

Just do it, and enjoy the learning curve, give it back when you are done, and then come back and ask your questions.

In this situation, I have to agree with this. Yes, renting will cost a lot. But you know nothing about RVs, you'd be buying an older rig with no idea what is currently wrong with it (regardless of the seller, at that price range, you're not going to be told everything that matters), and you have only a few months to figure out all the potential problems and get them fixed before your trip.

You don't have enough time to work out any problems on a purchased motorhome AND get those problems fixed before your trip. That means you'll end up dealing with those problems on the road - and with your planned itinerary, you're going to find you never saw anything but the inside of a bunch of RV shops.

Rent the RV and enjoy yourselves. If you really enjoy the lifestyle, then consider buying one. That way you'll have time to learn about RVs and their idiosyncrasies and you'll have time to get any problems fixed correctly without ruining your vacation. If you find the RV lifestyle isn't for you, then you're just out vacation money ($5000 isn't that much for a trip that long).

Ok so my family and I are taking our first rv trip this summer and we are trying to find an rv to purchase. We thought about renting but the prices we are seeing are in the 5000 plus range and then extra for mileage. Don't laugh but we are doing a 9,000 mile, 35 day tour of the US. Yes we are crazy. I figure if we don't like it we can just come home. Ok so I've looked at what seems like 1000's of rvs in the 88' to 02' range. We know we want a class c with queen or double bed in back and the couch/2 captains chairs up front. something between 26 and 30'. The problem i'm having is figuring out why a 92' with 85,000 miles is 10,000 and a 99' with 43,000 miles is 9,000. A few things I know that are important- good ac, working refrig gas/elec and a good generator and newer tires. What else do I need to look for and how can I tell what brands are higher end than others? Is their a buying guide in the forum? Any help would be much appreciated. JUST TELL ME WHAT TO BUY!!!! LOL...

Price differences between similar RV units follow the same logic as cars. It's what the market will bear and the perceived quality. Said another way: a Mercedes and Ford Focus, both could have 4 doors, same mpg but very different pricing.

In comparing the 2 units of different ages you sited, are they both made by the same manufacturer?

Yes. In general, buying is cheaper than renting.

What will you see other than highway at 250 miles per day, every day for 35 days?

I would say do the rental. It will cost you a lot, but it will be trouble free most likely, and you won't regret it ever. Buying something 17 years old is just a time bomb waiting for something to happen, it might ruin your holiday, and most likely will.

You will learn so much, and be so prepared to make a good decision later if you so decide.

Nobody has ever regretted being educated, and nobody has ever regretted having a good time.

Just do it, and enjoy the learning curve, give it back when you are done, and then come back and ask your questions.

Yes I've been thinking about the amount of driving. The good thing is that we can extend the trip 3 more weeks if we are enjoying ourselves. Might be better to think of it as a two month trip. do you have any opinion on the age of an rv as a factor in buying it? thx for your response!

Not laughing. More like grimacing. That is averaging over 250 miles per day, every day. Something like 5 hours on the road, figuring average of 50 mph counting stops for fuel, food, rest.

Prices will be according to brand initial sell price (high end to economy), condition, owner's opinion of his value (frequently overly optimistic), etc. if you are not familiar with RVs in general and motorhomes in particular, have any rig you are considering looked over by someone who is.