Retired, first time buyer
Greetings everyone, I am recently retired and looking for my first motorhome. I'm interested in a Class C maybe 22' to 24' long. We intend to start out with some long weekend trips not too far but w...
Forum Discussion
Nice to meet you Ric, welcome and thank you for the compliments, much appreciated.
As a former Field Engineer I do fall into the category of those that love to fix things which makes it easier to justify some of the expenses. My wife says that I'm a perfectionist because I will fix the smallest things, maybe so.
Everyone so far has given very good advice. You may get more exposure with a new thread of your own as more members look at new threads as a rule it seems. I am still learning myself but I will try my hand at it:
"Small or large? Newer or older? Car toad or not? Diesel or not? Small class a or small b/c?"
I am not aware of the size of your family so I can't say go small or large. What I will say is since you mentioned the fact that you have no interest to perform some of the required maintenance tasks involved with an RV I might suggest that you look for a size that suits your needs as closely as possible, and go as new as possible for the technology included and lesser wear.
Being that it is just my wife and I, and because of the capital outlay, we went with a size comfortable for just the two of us. We like the idea of traveling on our own and being able to stay where we like. There are lots of RVing apps for your phone that allow you to make reservations while on the road if you are on an extended trip, among other things and even more websites for information. One of the good points of smaller versus larger is that you are not restricted from certain campsites. Ours is a 23'8" Class C.
Towing a car is definitely a good idea if you need the mobility. Towing comes in 3 flavors: 4 wheels on the ground, puts miles on the suspension and tires of the vehicle in tow; 2 wheels on the ground still puts wear on the car; all wheels on the trailer, saves wear on the vehicle. Make sure the RV you would consider can pull the weight of the configuration you decide on.
The life of a diesel engine will usually surpass that of a gas engine, other than that I can't say.
One thing to keep in mind when in the market is to ask on the forums for a reputable dealer in your area that you can either buy from or be able to take one from a private seller to be checked out prior to purchase. I have found checklists on what to look for in an RV when we were looking but none touched on some of the things I found.
Some things I would suggest you keep in mind while trying to decide:
- Bigger is not always better, it can also mean higher costs to maintain,
- There will always be something that needs to be done no matter how new or old your choice is
- When you purchase try to be of the mindset that it is both a house and a vehicle and as such needs the routine things both demand during their respective lives
In the short time we have been camping I can say that the folks we have run into were quite respectful of noise and quiet times so maybe look into trying a campsite rating website like "Good Sam" that may help you to avoid situations you have had in the past. National campsite chains like KOA and the like may be better choices for you.
Feel free to ask more questions here, let us know how things are going and, if you decide to post a new thread, please leave us a link to get there from here.
Whatever you do I wish you best of luck and safe traveling.
PS: as for the queasiness, in case you didn't know, most rigs of that size usually come with stabilizer/leveling systems that stop it from the subtle movements when you walk around inside.
As a former Field Engineer I do fall into the category of those that love to fix things which makes it easier to justify some of the expenses. My wife says that I'm a perfectionist because I will fix the smallest things, maybe so.
Everyone so far has given very good advice. You may get more exposure with a new thread of your own as more members look at new threads as a rule it seems. I am still learning myself but I will try my hand at it:
"Small or large? Newer or older? Car toad or not? Diesel or not? Small class a or small b/c?"
I am not aware of the size of your family so I can't say go small or large. What I will say is since you mentioned the fact that you have no interest to perform some of the required maintenance tasks involved with an RV I might suggest that you look for a size that suits your needs as closely as possible, and go as new as possible for the technology included and lesser wear.
Being that it is just my wife and I, and because of the capital outlay, we went with a size comfortable for just the two of us. We like the idea of traveling on our own and being able to stay where we like. There are lots of RVing apps for your phone that allow you to make reservations while on the road if you are on an extended trip, among other things and even more websites for information. One of the good points of smaller versus larger is that you are not restricted from certain campsites. Ours is a 23'8" Class C.
Towing a car is definitely a good idea if you need the mobility. Towing comes in 3 flavors: 4 wheels on the ground, puts miles on the suspension and tires of the vehicle in tow; 2 wheels on the ground still puts wear on the car; all wheels on the trailer, saves wear on the vehicle. Make sure the RV you would consider can pull the weight of the configuration you decide on.
The life of a diesel engine will usually surpass that of a gas engine, other than that I can't say.
One thing to keep in mind when in the market is to ask on the forums for a reputable dealer in your area that you can either buy from or be able to take one from a private seller to be checked out prior to purchase. I have found checklists on what to look for in an RV when we were looking but none touched on some of the things I found.
Some things I would suggest you keep in mind while trying to decide:
- Bigger is not always better, it can also mean higher costs to maintain,
- There will always be something that needs to be done no matter how new or old your choice is
- When you purchase try to be of the mindset that it is both a house and a vehicle and as such needs the routine things both demand during their respective lives
In the short time we have been camping I can say that the folks we have run into were quite respectful of noise and quiet times so maybe look into trying a campsite rating website like "Good Sam" that may help you to avoid situations you have had in the past. National campsite chains like KOA and the like may be better choices for you.
Feel free to ask more questions here, let us know how things are going and, if you decide to post a new thread, please leave us a link to get there from here.
Whatever you do I wish you best of luck and safe traveling.
PS: as for the queasiness, in case you didn't know, most rigs of that size usually come with stabilizer/leveling systems that stop it from the subtle movements when you walk around inside.
