RVing is a lifestyle. ALL RVs need care and maintenance. Being an aircraft mechanic, you already understand not to climb into an airplane that has not had anyone look after it. RVs are all the same. They need to be looked at, seams sealed, loose things fixed, new bits and,pieces added or replaced to make it better suited for you.
If your looking new, two dealers I would suggest are Thunder RV in LaGrande and Apache Camping Center in Portland. When we were shopping Apache matched Thunders price. But Thunder being nearly next door to the factory is hard to beat. Northwood builds some really stout RVs made for our region.
No RV will have any resale value, so wipe that notion out of your brain. New RVs drop roughly 30% the first year and keep dropping every day you keep them. To even come close to break even point you need to keep one for at least 15 years. Thats one main reason most of us suggest your first RV to be used. That and the fact that most first timers ideas change within a year or so, and they either move to something else or get out of the lifestyle. No matter what you choose remember, terms,like dry and shipping weights are useless. So please be sure to size your tow vehicle to match tye worst case. Same as,with an airplane. You would never load a thousand pounds of people into an ultralite.
