Anyone make a mistake buying first MH ?

[Dollar98]

Just curious.. No matter how much research you do , it seems there is no substitute for owning and using a MH.. Anyone buy one and then realize you made a mistake on the first one.. If so, how did you rectify it. I haven't felt this way yet and hope I don't.. With all that is involved, I could see it happening.. I believe the best advice I got was to buy an older one and then see what you really want by trial and error..

[mpierce]

Branson in Tucson wrote:
Yes. Just forget all the other Gas MH and buy the DP.

This!

[Branson_in_Tucs]

Yes. Just forget all the other Gas MH and buy the DP.

[Bucky1320]

It depends on your definition of "mistake". Like someone said, it's all a learning experience. IMO the only mistake is paying way too much. That's a hard mistake to fix.

[Band47]

Yep. We had a truck and fifth wheel all paid for, but the DW wanted a motorhome....so we have a 34 foot Tiffin and a motorhome payment. We have had the Tiffin for 3 years and the damn thing still leaks. Been to Red Bay 4 times and the dealer a dozen times. Each time they find something else is leaking.......should have kept the truck and the fifth wheel....

[oilcan4]

Dollar98, In 2004 DW and I bought a 37' coachman gas Santara class a with two slides, 8.1 Workhorse chassis, soup to nuts rig. walking around the dealers lot 9 months later we looked at a 40' Sportscoach DP with three slides and also every option and a mind blowing foll body paint job. they offered 3.99% for 15 years and a purchase price of $175,00 down from $240,000. Drove it home two days later and never looked back, its still serving us well. DW used to get motion sickness in gasser, never in DP. the biggest concern with a big rig is where are you going to keep it. check your town ordenances.Good luck in your quest, contact us with any questions. Oilcan 6

[Dutch_12078]

Having owned about 20 different RV's over the past 50 years, I can honestly say that not one of them was a "mistake". In all fairness though, I can say that 2 or 3 were certainly "learning experiences".

[shaneperch]

My first motorhome was a superior that had a lot wrong with it. I learned a lot. It had a 413 H and needed new points had to boil the radiator and had to replace a lot of hoses and wires. but it ran great great after that It was only a 22 foot class A I have gotten into buses and learned a lot when I got into those a whole other can of worms to deal with diesel engines huge transmissions air systems air brakes etc. then went and got a Holiday rambler. 1984 with a great engine and tranny and a worn out house both ac units shot bad plumbing leaks bad pump bad toilet as the previous owner lived in it with wife and 4 kids for 9 months. fixed a lot of that. I learned a lot about fixing the coach or house whichever you call it. now i have a 1979 Dodge Avcvo that has a great coach everything works . but needs a carb. so I made a lot of mistakes but learned so so so much. my problem is I can't buy a new RV but I still want one and I have to get old used ones. one other thing. I feel if you insist on gas. go with a high end class C these class As are too big for smaller modern gas engines and the v-10 is a guzzler. If you go big go diesel.. if you have a more limited budget, go used. Mistakes are a great teacher make a few it's good for you.

[MagillaGorilla]

My first motorhome was an older unit, 12 years old, when we bought it. It fit our price point and had good bones but needed some love. I gave it the love it needed and it served us well for a few years. We had a few minor issues with it when we owned it but all in all it was good to us. So for us it was a good purchase.

Here is the dilemma when buying your first unit:

Buy used, save money and see if you like RVing. The down side is that when buying used you could be buying someone else's junk. That may cost you a ton of money and cause you to hate RVing. This is not always the case but it is a risk.

Buy new and then find out that you don't like it, bought to small, bought to big, did not get the right floor plan and so on. Now if you want to change rigs you will loose your shirt. That could make you hate RVing.


The correct answer for most people is all about how thick your wallet is. Buy what you can afford, don't stretch your budget and you will be OK.

[smacdiesel]

I would probably buy the exact same unit as I have now. My Winnebago is perfect for my family. I plan on trading up to a DP eventually though, only because I love diesels.

[rickhise]

Bought one on line from a dealer 250 miles away mistake one
Went the cheap O route and I got what I paid for
A unit of pressed wood an doll house fixtures

The upside is perhaps what few trips we plan for a few in the spring and a few in the fall long week ends meeting the kids we will get our 10k money's worth. As life time house boaters how could I have settled for less than above average quality?

[dezolen]

It's referred to as 2' itis or time to upgrade.
Personnally I am very happy with our first "starter coach"
Can't imagine needing anything else having moved up from 2 tt, 1 5th wheel.
This is it ( but who knows in 3-5 years)

[slemnah]

They say to buy your last motorhome first but I didn't follow that advice. I bought a 97 HR Imperial with one slide and an 8.3l C Cummins engine. I realized very quickly that we needed more slides and a larger engine as well as aqua hot, residential fridge and tag axle. I now have a Safari Panther with a CAT C13 525hp, 4 slides and all the things I found I wanted. I loved my Imperial but I really love my Panther.
Steve

[93mastercraft]

Yes, we purchased a Palazzo. How did we rectify it? We really haven't. It's a mistake I will have to live with for a long time to come. I cannot afford to trade it in or sale it. Dealers know about the slide problems and most informed prospective purchasers now do too.

Thor motor coach has done a wonderful job at attending to our warranty needs. The Thor techs have been absolutely awesome! Unfortunately, the damage was done in the beginning. I don't feel like there is anything that can be done to provide a permanent fix to the large wall slide Schwintek system.

[Motherfrost]

Hello everyone...I am a new owner of an old class A and I've been reading your replies and decided it's time I join and post.

I bought a 1987 Coachman classic on a whim at an estate auction after being assured everything worked a couple of months ago. The grandkids and I had longed for but never expected to buy one. I checked the going price before bidding and it appeared I did alright. The inside was in great shape and a new roof had been done 4 years ago. So first time out the fuel filter clogged as I should have expected. That was replaced and she is running fine. I did find out the in dash air doesn't work, the oven has a problem and there is a leak in the fresh water going to the toilet. I will be taking her in for a thorough going over by an rv service place I found before putting a lot of money into the rv.

So am I sorry I bought it? Not yet but as I read this forum I'm thinking there may be de lamination in one of the sides.

[TlovesBinaRV]

Wish we would have bought it somewhere else