Looking for first RV

my parents had several Class C's over the years and at one point decided to downsize, and bought a TT because they thought the less maintenance would be easier. It didn't take but about a year before they decided the easier set up in the MH was worth the larger size and cost. With a MH, you can pull into a site and do nothing to hook up... and be set for the night. that is a great thing if it is raining, or weather has turned, or you are just plain tired. That is also one of the main reasons, that I will go from the TT I have now to a MH when I retire. I have set up TT in rain, hooked up to leave in rain/cold, and had to make a mad dash from truck to TT to escape weather numerous times. Also it is sometimes hard to find a pull through site long enough for truck and TT, and especially one that is level enough to not have to disconnect (even for an overnight)

Seems you read of many people who upgrade and eventually upgrade to a Class A. We started with a motorhome and we are not sorry. 4 years of fulltiming and we still are happy with our choice.

brnzbk wrote:

There is a 2004 Winnebago Sightseer WFD 30B w/24,000 miles, Ford V10 gasser for sale near our home for 31K, we are considering this as a possiblity for a Class A, the TT is still in its' infancy for research.
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From where I have been in my years as RVing I will tell you to buy that motorhome or another one, I have had 5th wheels, truck campers, travel trailers, small class C and 2 class A's, and will tell you Class A is the best when it comes to RVing, just make sure it has a slide out, its a must now days and sells better when your ready to move up.

I am only 55 and my wife is only 48 and we have done plenty of RVing and already and know what's best, when we retire we are NOT going fulltime.

Have you considered renting a Class C for a couple of trips to see if you really like the RVing lifestyle?

We will be doing a mix of sightseeing and camping, probably some 2-3 week trips.
Retired (sorry about the typo).

What kind of RVing are you planning to do? If it's going to the local state park and enjoying the sun and the lake, a TT will work fine. If you are planing on extended trips with a lot of sight-seeing, a MH with a toad is a good alternative, comfort in camp, easy setup etc, and good gas mileage for sight-seeing. You might also consider a class C.

brnzbk wrote:
We are both retited

What does that mean?

At any rate....we have a Class C and a TT, and my brother has a Class A. Therefore, we have experience with several different aspects of RV'ing. I would say that if your style of camping is to go to a place and stay there a while, then you will probably like the travel trailer w/tow vehicle. Setting up the trailer takes longer than a MH, but this won't matter if you will in one place for a while. Also nice to not have to manage an additional drivetrain too.

If however you are the types to roam around a lot, then you will probably come to prefer the MH. A smaller Class A such as the one you desire will probably be easier to manage overall than a long truck/trailer combination. Even though you might be setting up and taking down the MH every day or two, it won't be a big deal as this takes up so little time.

Our style of camping is to roam around and see the sights during the daytime, and then go to a state park and camp for the evening. Sometimes we stay an extra day at the park if we like it a lot, but many times we leave the next (late) morning, and are off to our next destination. Our Class C is only 25' long, so it is extremely easy to manage in any parking lot or driving situation. It is also extremely easy to set up and take down. It can take as little as three minutes to go from parking brake setting to pulling the evening meal out of the fridge. We have no use for a toad, as our MH will get us anywhere we desire.

Our TT is still used, but it is now permanently parked at some land we own, and serves as our cabin getaway. I do not ever see using it again out on the road.

hth,
Phil

Good idea to buy used. Bad idea IMHO starting with a MH. Just too costly both up front cost and maintenance costs. Stick with a TT, and make it light enough to be easily towed by your truck. If you find you really like the life, selling and upgrading in a couple of years is easy