new camper needs help!

You leave a lot of open ground here so I'll start you off.
Without knowing how tight your budget is we really are at a loss to help you. You may find a great low price on something and then need to spend $1,000 or more for tires to be safe driving the kids around. Are you good at repairing things? Older used campers will develop problems that need some wrenching, plumbing or electrical know how to fix.
Have you ever camped before? If no, you may want to start off with a tent to find out if it is for you and the kids before you drop a bundle of money.
Again with money. You don't list where you are located at. Around the northeast US you can figure on $60 or more a night for full hook-ups for that class C. Tent sites are cheaper.

Good luck! Hope you get the kids into camping.

Look for a quality used popup, they are great for starting out, easy on the pocket book, and hold their resale really well. Easily towed by your Expy.

With a class C, you have an engine, and transmission, and expensive tires to maintain, and more expensive insurance.

As you camp, you will learn what you really want in a camper. Also what you want/need will change as the kids grow. Our bunkhouse was great when my son was 5'2", now that he is 6'2" he no longer fits on the bunks.

Consider getting a professional to inspect the RV you have a great interest in buying. Yes, they cost but you'll have some peace of mind. However, IMO "looking good" usually means the RV has been taken care of by the owner such as roof maintenance, oil changes etc.

Trailers are usually less expensive than Cs and As. An appropriate size trailer depends your SUV numbers....look at the driver's door jam. Two most important numbers are max payload and max tow weight.

Move along quickly, kids will be back in school very soon!

A motor home is one extra motor vehicle to insure ($) and maintain ($$). Your Expedition should be able to handle a trailer of reasonable size. I'd suggest limiting that to something under 20 feet overall length if possible, and under 4,000 lbs dry (unloaded) weight.

Unfortunately everything is priced at a premium right now. You'd be better off waiting a year or so until demand falls off somewhat. In the meantime you could still have a great time with a $150 tent, some sleeping bags, and a simple propane or butane stove (one or two burners). That's how I took my two kids camping; I couldn't afford a trailer until about the time they were graduating from high school. But if you really can't resist the bite of the trailer 'bug', a popup will be your best choice because it will cost less to buy and also cost less to tow (the low profile means better gas mileage... wind resistance costs more than weight when towing at highway speed). Besides, a short and easy-towing popup expands to a much greater length when set up.

Well Mom,

Did you notice that 2 out of three recommended a Pop-up. There are lots of reasons for this. Pups have a top that is usually a single piece of fiberglass and so are less likely to dissolve because a roof leak went unnoticed. And everything else about them is also less expensive.

If you really want to try out a Class C, Rent one. They are very available. Yes, it will be somewhat expensive, but you won't have to:
Register
Insure
Store
Maintain
or worry about it.......

Matt

A popup is solid choice for a newbee, the only problem is, its about the worse possible thing to try and backup.

OK sorry, I had to look for where you are, never heard of Hesperia.
That region and I assume living in the rv full time you will need to consider a few things, first, a towable rig (Travel Trailer) is well within your vehicles abilities, go small. while you may have the ability to tow a 30+ foot trailer, heating and cooling one can be a challenge. A 22' to 25' box, bunkhouse in particular may fit. With the smaller size, a single AC unit has a chance of keeping you comfortable, anything bigger will be tough. the smaller size will also be easier for a newby to handle towing wise until you have time to acclimate.
Tires need to be 5 years old or less, no sign of water intrusion, and to be honest, if you dont have a friend who can help with selection, it can get tough to cover all the areas needed, from electrical, to delamination, to structural, you have a lot of things to get familiar with. You Tube can help with inspection and what to look for, also with how to videos, but if you are caring for two kids at the same time, it wont be easy.

wanderingaimlessly wrote:
OK sorry, I had to look for where you are, never heard of Hesperia.
That region and I assume living in the rv full time

You assumed she is homeless?? C'mon man....

Presuming your Expedition is reliable and roadworthy, DO NOT buy a motorhome if you're on a tight budget. And if your Expe is not in good mechanical shape, spend the money on that or a more reliable vehicle.
Tight budget? Best bang for the buck is a tent.
If you must have a RV, I would suggest either a popup like some said or a small hard side camper, for the reasons already mentioned.

No need for another big engine and all the maint that comes with a heavy duty vehicle and license, insurance, etc, if you already own one.

And if you don't think you can tow a small trailer (skills wise), you will be challenged in a moho as well.

Good Luck!

A popup is a good suggestion for starting out on a budget. It provides a significant improvement in comfort and convenience over a tent, while being pretty friendly on the budget. (A tent is, of course, also a viable and very economical option.)

As motorhomes go, class C's are relatively economical to keep operating as far as the chassis goes. The majority are built on Ford van chassis, and parts and service for them are readily available and comparatively affordable, and the chassis themselves are pretty reliable with basic routine maintenance. That being said, the routine maintenance is not free, and it's wise to expect some will need to be done sooner or later--probably sooner--for most any used unit you get that's more than a very few years old. Tires often need replacement due to age rather than treadwear, after around seven years or so. Brakes often need service for similar reasons.

The rest of a motorhome, the house part and its systems, will generally need some more or less constant tinkering and fixing of minor odds and ends. If you're handy, or willing to become handy, a lot of that can be done on one's own. You basically are getting a cheaply-constructed apartment that is subjected to continuous seismic activity when you're traveling, and that's rough on things.

That all being said, there is something very special about travel in a motorhome. Having everything you need for a home at hand in your vehicle is just a really cool and handy thing. Pulling over to get a glass of water, or a snack, or use the restroom, or whatever is extremely convenient.

I've generally found that traveling by car and staying in a motel is cheaper if I'm only staying someplace for a few days. For several days or a week or more at a destination, taking the motorhome often becomes more economical: the cost of gas is made up for by the savings in a campground vs. a motel. It's often not fair to compare them, though, as it's a different way to travel and some wonderful places to camp just don't have other lodging convenient (or vice-versa). But, for travel on a quite tight budget, an RV in my opinion doesn't make the most sense in a great many cases.