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..

[LCook]

Yep! Our first unit was a class C with the bed over the driver's compartment. On our first trip, after the second night, my wife informed me that I would be sleeping alone up there. We kept that unit less than six months. 🙂

[rickb]

Wasn't a mistake, I don't think, but was an interesting learning exercise. I used it for it's intended purpose and still have it, although not using it much, right now (that's the Bounder).

I've got three completely different kinds of units and I like each one for it's unique features. One thing I do is look for reasonable 10year old or so units. The price/feature/maintainability/repairability curves intersect reasonably at that stage (my economic sensibilities).

The Bounder is just huge inside, to me. Lots of space, comfy shower and room for one of us to work and the other to get away and rest. Cabinetry is cheap, but I love the space and I love the fact that everything on it is standard and can be fixed by a Chevy dealer for the running parts and by any RV person for the household parts. I converted the back end into an office with wrap-around counters - it's a great place to work.

The Truck/Camper combo is comfy to drive, separable (giving me a separate vehicle and the ability to tow a boat, to boot). It's liveable inside, but certainly not as spacious. The high bed platform raises some - uh - interesting conjugal possibilities...

Latest has been the class "B" Coachmen. Spacewise, it's really tight, frankly, but I'm getting used to it and, surprisingly, quite enamored with it. I can go anywhere at the drop of a hat, park it anywhere, and it's reasonably economical to run. Complete opposite from the Bounder in all categories. It's pretty good when I'm on my own, running between California and Southern Utah.

So, I dunno. I like them all for different characteristics. I don't think I'd call any of them a "mistake", but perhaps the circumstances under which they were obtained changes, and then I start looking around for another one.

rickb

[joelbaker]

We thought we could get by with one slide but it just doesn't work. Also, 34' turned out a bit small but not altogether undoable. The lack of a second slide kills us. So only three months after our first purchase we are actively looking for a (preferably) triple slide DP for floorplan and length.

[Banandangees]

Being a very conservative person, like my father and his father before him, I very seldom have ever bought anything that I felt I couldn't afford. That includes a used Winchester bike in 1946 up to a pretty well equipt new, off-the-line Dutch Star DP in 2002; and, usually, with a fair amount of research concerning what it was I was about to purchase. Have I ever made a mistake and wish that I had bought something different or nothing at all, you betcha.

Our motorhome selection, the DSDP, we have been very happy with, as I am sure we would have been had we chosen a different but similar model. Being our first ever MH, we have nothing to compare it with. But, so far, no regrets. Financially, we knew that we could afford it going in. Both of us were in agreement with that. That is the big consideration. Can you afford what you are thinking about buying, especially something of this magnitude; knowing that, unlike a home, what you are about to buy will depreciate in value? Also, if you are really into RVing, have you purchased less than you can afford wishing later that you had gone with something "bigger" or more "plush"? I suppose, that is where the research comes in.

So far so good for us. But, like my old Indian friend, Herky Horney, used to say, "you never know what's around the next bend in the river!"

[GWFULTZ]

We started looking for a truck camper to take to Alaska. Truck dealer asked "how big is your Camper?" Camper dealer asked "How big is your truck?" We found a 21 foot class C which was wonderful sitting on the dealers lot (just the 2 of us and a 5 pound dog and that damn cat). We bought it and found out it wasn't wonderful on anything longer than a weekend. We traded it for a 31 foot class c (after 5 months) which we kept for 2.5 years (This one made the Alaska trip). Great coach but no place to really stretch out in the evenings. We now have a Class A with 2 slides and it is much better. All the comforts of home and mama is happy.

[MotorHomeGuy]

1st MH was a 2001 Bounder, 32' with twin slides on a Ford chasis. If I had to do it over again it would be on a Freightliner chasis and diesel powered. Unfortuniately, fiances do not allow for such so I sold it and purchased the next best thing -

[Buckshot38]

The wife and I purchased our first RV back in the early 70s and we had a 19' Fan (long gone) a 25'
Prowler and then a 31' Prowler. Then we moved to Ca. and sold the Prowler and bought an Eldorado minnie. What a piece of junk. We had to send it back to the factory and it had to be completely rebuilt. We got rid of it after a few years and moved to Fl. where we got back into my first love, boats. We live in Jacksonville and it really gets hot here in the summertime and when it's that hot boating is no fun. After a couple of years we decided to get another RV and picked a one year old Minnie Winnie. It was a good RV but it had no slide and was too small. Winnebago had just come out with their Vectra and we decided to buy a 33RQ. I spent a lot of money on that coach including the installation of a Banks exhause system. Then I decided to weigh the rig and found out that we were 40 lbs over the capacity of the front axle and we weren't in it. The rear axle was within 300 lbs of being overloaded. Our next motorhome was made by one of the major manufacturers and it turned out to be one huge lemon. Everything that could go wrong did
problem after problem and most of it electrical. After 2 1/2 years the case was finally settled, Attorney fees were $38,000 and we lost out big time. I had a 96 DSDP for a short time and that was the best motorized rig we ever had. Then we started in with a truck and a fifth wheel and then a bigger truck and a bigger fifth wheel and now we have an 01 Dodge dually diesel and a 29' dbl slide HR Alumascape. I am going to have open heart surgery in a few weeks and the wife and I want to get a 34' Newmar after I recuperate and hit the road full time.

[djevans]

pemery . . .

I love my RV, but I like the "Vision" better. The stock Chevy is about the same as the stock FORD in 1997. I will tell you, (pre-BANKS) we had no trouble leaving Nashville last year, going to VA Beach, then to New England, then to Canada, and back to Nashville. About 3000 miles. It's was just that on some hills, we didn't "do it" very quickly. Now we do "it" quicker "everywhere!" 🙂

I hope you enjoy your Pace Arrow as much as we have ours and is as trouble free as ours has been. I've been waiting for two years for something to go wrong. ...Other than very minor issues, nothing.

Good Luck and be careful driving to Texas

[jrf]

Lot of posts here.

I made a big mistake.

My mistake was not buying my first MH sooner.

[pemery]

Hi Don, We just purchased a 97 Pace Arrow Vision w/slide . It has a Chev 454. I will be going to Texas in 1 wk to drive it home. I hope I didn't make a mistake by not going diesel...Paul

[bagman]

The only mistake that I made on our first MH purchase was paying too much! Probably could have got it for 4-5 thousand dollars less. Bagman.

[PSDExcursion]

Our first motorhome was a used 1985 34' Coachmen President with 208" P30 454 Chevy chassis in Jan 1993. On our first trip to Florida in March 1993 we stopped at Camping World in Myrtle Beach SC because we ran into the "Storm of the Century " and almost got blown off of Rt 17 in NC and had the roof vent in the bathroom ripped off. While at Camping World it was windy and a mild 65° but after getting a new vent we stayed behind the building and camped out there since they had free water and electric back then. Then it dropped below freezing overnight and we drove to St Augustine Beach FL the next day. The first night we ran out of propane at 2AM and our pipes froze when it hit 27° and the weather sucked the whole week we were there.

But the reason I think the MH was a mistake is because we also have two Timeshares and it just wasn't used enough to justify the insurance etc. So since we had a diesel 4x4 Excursion we purchased a 41 ft TT that has much more room and tows like a 5th wheel TT with the optonal torsion axles and Hensley Arrow hitch. I love MH's but the combo we have now just works out better since a diesel MH with the room of our dual slide-out 41 ft TT would cost a few hundred grand and another drivetrain to work on.

*This Message was edited on 29-Jun-03 01:58 PM by PSDExcursion*

[ole_trucker]

if anyone says they didn't, they be lyin'!!!!!!!!
will and ina
00 38dww HR endeavor
330 cat and 2 dalmations
no toad (yet)

[GrahamG]

Don,
Found it - thanks. No need to be sorry though!
I have also taken a look at RVonline and am astonished by the selection available. Just for kicks I focussed on "London Aires" and found several at or below the PPL price I mentioned. I guess that I need to know (say) the top 5 websites. I am visiting California mid Aug and will have a chance to see some RV's. You mentioned about insurance, maintenance etc, but I thought the biggest cost would be the parking fees? I will try starting a new thread and see what comes. Thanks again. G.

[trailertrash]

I don't think we made a mistake on the first one. I had an opportunity to purchase ours for 50% of retail, from a guy who as going to lose it to the bank. I think as we started to use it, learn more about the lifestyle and our trips became longer in time and distance, our needs changed as well. Funny thing, we just purchased another one this year and we already have a list started for our next one.