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..

[Diplomat_man_20]

If you can afford it go for what you really like the first time, you loose money every time you change MH.

[angelino]

Sure did,
I bought a used Seabreeze form a private party and the rig looked brand new.
What i discovered was that the brakes were shot, the shocks were shot and the unit leaked like a siv when it rained.
Also, I paid for a 1994 and when I checked with the dmv for registering, it was a 1993. Somehow the person who sold it to me was able to register it as a 1994 in Arizona!!! What a scam!!!

Angelino

[AreWeThereYet]

As the kids grew so did the RV!!!!!
1st - 13' 1975 Aristocrat Lo-Liner
2nd - 18' 1980 Class C Tioga
3rd - 24' 1995 Class C Tioga
4th - 32' 2000 Skyline Nomad 5th wheel

Kids are gone. Son in the Navy, Daughter 18 and graduates this year
Present - 2004 Winnebago Brave 34D
Future - ????? 10-15 years to retirement before decision.

2004 Winnebago Brave 34D
2004 CRV toad

[howitzer]

My first motor home was a Coachman 280. It was nice and served us well till my daughter grew the sleeper was getting to short.

[2Sooners]

We searched for 6 months before buying. We love ours, but if we were buying again I would probably go for the full basement rather than a half. Other than that, we would do the same all over again.

[readytoretire]

Not so much a mistake on the first one itself,, the mistake was not buying one years earlier..

Good Luck

[butterfly_girl]

we Did in my opinion...we bought from a dealer that is changing hands.....Right now it had been 3 weeks and we still don't have it.....service said that they are waiting on the sales to tell them what they are to fix....sales has no sales-manager at the moment...this change happened between Monday and Wednesday...I am about ready to insist that we get our money back and start over on a different Moterhome....

[Dollar98]

I can't believe this thread is still going. This is some great reading. There is enough material here for a book. I can't get enough of it. Thanks folks..

[Jloucks]

ROFL! I think you summed that up perfectly! 😃

too true! A Quantum Camper (bigger on inside then outside) would be perfect!

[Sorney1]

I know people always say that the best way to determine what you want is to rent one first.
I sort of think this is hog wash except for considering the basics. Do you want a Class C with the only bed up front overhead. Yes, renting one could convince you that you don't want that, but I think climbing into one at a dealer would convince you of that anyway.
Most of the rest, you have to live in it a while, travel in it a while to really figure out what you want.
And you never end up with the perfect motor home. If they made such a thing at the right price, there would not be this thread. Sort of like a boat, they don't make a one size fits all situation, boat either.

I want one that is about 23 feet long outside, has the space of a 43 foot quadruple slide on the inside, is outfitted in luxury, has at least 500 hp, gets 23 mpg, and sells for $43,000. Let me know who makes it please.

[SRT]

No. Actually our first motor home - 1985 HR Holiday Rambler 27' Imperial class - was bought from a good friend that we regularily camped with our pop-up. We knew the history of the RV. We bought it in 1991 when my friend and his wife bought a new class A. It was nice getting into this motor home as our last vacation trip with the pop-up was a disaster. It rained 90% of the trip out to Oregon and back.

Our second motor home - 2000 HR 32' Vacationer (no slides), F53/V10 - was bought new in July of 1999 at a motor home rally. They gave us such a deal on a trade-in we couldn't pass it up. We had been researching our next motor home purchase for several years by then. We went with HR again because the quality of the '85 (still squeaky tight after the 35,000 miles we put on it-65,000+ total miles. Plus we had an opportunity to go through HR's factory plus some of the other manufacturers in the Elkhart, IN area.

We are still very happy with our choice as we can fit into most National forest campgrounds quite well. Of course, had to add the Banks kit to the 275HP motor and a Davis Tru-Trac & Safe-T-Steer to the front. Last year added the Henderson rear stabilzer bar. Also replaced the factory shocks with Monroe RV shocks on all 4 corners. Now it tracks quite well on rutted roads and cross-winds and doesn't "pound" so much on the bumps and pot holes. Just like it should have from the factory.

[Economical_Hand]

Just take time to check out Fleetwood, never owned one. But several
I have talk to in the repair business, said stay away. But will be quick to say it is the construction area of MH!
But ours is not a Blue Bird, either. DeWayne

[Sunny95]

Knowing what I know now, I would never tell someone to go buy a new class A. When my wife and I decided to go RVing, we bought an older 37' Allegro Bay used. We knew very little about RVs at all. Within months we knew what we liked and disliked. We traded for our second Class A @ Lazy Days and were told by our salesman that we were average. He says that most people trade their first rv after 12 months and every 3 years after. Don't really know if that is right but after watching this web site it sounds about right. I think that I will stop for now and enjoy what we have for quite a while.

By the way, once you have a slideout, you will never go back!!!

[Backman]

I think there is a difference between a mistake and not well informed or educated about motorhomes. I was looking for something for my wife to ride in where she could be more comfortable since she is disabled. I started looking for a large SUV, small class C and ended up with a Class A, 2002 Hurricane 29d, no slides two years ago. The price for the Larger SUV and the motorhome were close to our budget. After the past two years of camping (we used to camp when the kids were small some 20 years ago, pop up, 18ft, 21ft and 24ft travel trailer) we decided to move up to a MH that had slideouts and much more room than we had. After a year of homework, we purchased a new MH with three slides and love it. It works perfect for my wife.

[HurricaneWillie]

Our first MH was a 1993 22' Cobra Class C. We inherited this little gem (21k km) from my father-in-law so we weren't out much money (a few thousand for repairs/needed maintenance). We used it for 2 seasons and nearly doubled the mileage. We enjoyed it very much for driving and sleeping but found the living quarters quite confined during those inevitable rainy days. Storage was also quite limited.

So we went to the local RV show this year to look for accesories or other ways to improve it and then decided that a new one was the way to go.

We finally decided on the Hurricane 30Q for many reasons:
- adequate size for us
- well designed and efficient living areas (quite comfortable for a 31' with no slides)
- well equipped (awning, back up camera, generator, vented roof AC)
- reasonable quality entry level Class A with 2 year bumper-to-bumper warranty
- AFFORDABLE

I know it will be a big improvement over what we had, but there's always a next step and probably something we didn't think of...would have liked those hydraulic levelers...

Can't wait to get out in it!