Looking for first RV

I think you are on the right track looking at something like the Sightseer or something similar with a small tow car if you want to part time travel and see the country. This combination will give your lower fuel cost over a fifth wheel. You will find the small tow car is nice to explore the surrounding areas and visiting city's and tourist attractions along the way. The shorter MH will allow you to visit and get into more NP's and SP's. There are more sites available for that size vs a 40 ft rig. Look for one with at lease 70 gals of FW. If you plan on staying a week lets say inside Yellowstone NP. Good Luck on your search.

For us, it was a fairly easy decision to go MH as our family car has a 3500-lb towing limit. Maddening to know that the identical car (a Kia Sedona with 3.5L V6) is rated in the UK to tow 6600 lb. We didn't take a toad, as our trips were almost always one night per stop-over.

We got a Class A for the usable interior space, as the driving area was part of the living space once parked. We also didn't want to be bothered having to assemble the bed every night, then dismantle it the following morning. The shortest one we found with a permanent bedroom was our 32' Georgetown. An '02, it had only 12,000 miles on it when we bought it in '08. The ease of set-up was another reason for a MH.

Due to the cost of running the beast, particularly when we were buying gas in small coastal towns at $4.50/gallon, and the much higher cost of CGs than they used to be, we had to give up the lifestyle. It was eating up too much of our IRAs.

The MH was sold in mid-December. We'd put an additional 6000 miles on it in the three seasons we used it. The big expenses during our ownership were new tires when we bought it and a new fridge at the start of the 2013 season.

brnzbk wrote:
Thanks for all of the replies, we are researching online and plan to visit some dealers and hopefully a RV show.
I'll keep you posted with our progress.

I think the issue is not so much visiting RV shows but actually driving different types of RVs. Obviously if you're used to driving significantly large trucks, that might not be an issue, but for most of us, the differences matter. Even with a TT, having had a 6.5ft, 7.5ft, and 8ft. wide trailer, for some of us that's a significant difference. Same for length.

When you say 2 to 3-week trips, that could mean moving every day on thousand-mile trips, or traveling 50 miles and plopping in a resort-style campground. You really need to consider that when you consider the type of RV you want.

I do think needing to tow another vehicle pretty much nullifies the advantage of a motorhome. Obviously not everyone with a motorhome feels the need to do that, but if you do, I'm not seeing a big advantage over a TT.

You hear it over & over, for traveling a class A is better than a towable because of the hitching & unhitching time.

I don't get it. After watching so many class A owners fool with the connecting & disconnecting of their toads, what is the difference? If there is a minute or so average time difference, who cares? You are on vacation or retired. What is the rush? What does it matter?

Seen & been in some very nice Class As. They are the motoryachts of the RV world. The towables, with their trucks are the production cruisers. As the boats cruise the same water, the Class As & the towables run the same roads. The view is the same from both.

It comes down to what you want to spend & what luxury level you want.

You already have a truck. You will not haul a 30 footer with it but there are many TT,s you can haul.
I would determine what the truck is capable of hauling. Go to an RV show and a couple dealers to get an idea of what is available. Then hit craigslist for a suitable TT.
You should be able to find something decent for the neighborhood of 10k or less. Use it as much as possible for a year or two. by your 4th or 5th trip you will know what you like and what you don't.
Sell it and get your forever rv!

I had a trailer and now have a class A. You need to decide how you are going to use it. I like traveling in the Class A a lot more than in the truck pulling the trailer. It is much more comfortable driving and the passenger can get up and use the restroom. Setting up is faster. The holding tanks are much bigger and there is a built in generator so boon docking is very easy. I like having the small, fuel efficient car available when we get to our destination. However, the class A is 39 feet so we need to be careful where we go. We cannot fit into many of sites in the national parks so we stay at parks outside the national parks. We are tall so we need to make sure we have the clearance we need. Being self contained, there are more systems so maintenance is more complicated and therefore more expensive.

Thanks for all of the replies, we are researching online and plan to visit some dealers and hopefully a RV show.
I'll keep you posted with our progress.

Several points that have to be considered:

1. budget - Motorhomes cost more and can be more costly to maintain. If you don't have to worry about costs, and you really want to try owning a motorhome, go for it. Consider also that you will probably want to tow a car so you don't have to take the motorhome with you when sightseeing or running for supplies.

2. tow vehicle - If going with a TT or FW, the tow vehicle can serve as a second vehicle. Of course, it's not going to have great gas mileage.

3. storage cost- If you cannot keep your RV on your property consider storage cost which is often based upon total length.

4. ease of maintenance - We downsized from a 29' TT to our slightly shorter (26'9") Minnie and when it comes to washing & waxing and maintaining the roof, it's all I want. As I get older, I don't want to maintain a large FW or motorhome, and also with our budget, we'd rather spend the $$ traveling.

5. ease of navigation - The larger the unit, the more challenges you can have navigating "tight" gas stations, city streets, etc. Also, longer units may restrict your choice of campsites. Whether camping at private of public campgrounds can make a big difference with this, and also if you typically plan a trip and make reservations ahead of time.

6. Buying used may be advisable if you're not sure what you want to do. That way, if you decide you want a smaller/larger or different type of RV, you can minimize any financial loss.

Bottom line....take your time and look at all the options that are out there. Balance the "wow" factor of larger, fancier RVs with how much and how you plan to use it i.e. if you're going to use it for a full time residence for half the year or so, you'll want to go larger (FW or motorhome). If you're going to use it for a lot of shorter trips or even trips of a couple months, you can get by with smaller, depending on your needs and lifestyle.

Good luck, and I hope you're on the road and having fun real soon!!

Honest disclosure: If money were no object, I'd love a nice coach for longer trips and I'd have a really nice hybrid for when I want to enjoy a more tent like camping experience.

I'd agree with others on Class C - but then again I do love ours. We are in different boats - We're still taking my girls on week and weekend trips, your looking for part-time travels. As others have said, motorhomes are great while you travel - bathroom and kitchen is accessible while rolling down the road. And pulling in to a site during wet weather is a lot easier with a motorhome.

We started with a pop-up, then TT, then a summer home, now a Class A. It's older but we only use it once a year, Michigan to Florida and back.

You have a decent tow vehicle so that's a plus for going with a TT, less outlay to start. You also don't need to tow another vehicle so you can do some site seeing. Personally, I think that's where the advantages of a TT end.

As mentioned, a motorhome doesn't require any setup if you're just stopping for the night or the weather is bad. If the weather is cold, the MH is already warm when you stop, hot weather it's already cool. No waiting for it to get comfortable. Traveling, the wife can grab me a cold bottle of water from the fridge, make a sandwich, use the bathroom without stopping.

Is there more maintenance to a MH, sure. It's another drivetrain plus license/registration, insurance. Is that added cost worth it, that's up to you and how you'll use it. For me it was but I do almost all my own maintenance, I'm retired so I have the time.