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..

[StanleyandIris]

No error. First purchase, 41'DP, Cums 330, Allison, Freightliner, 2 slides, bathtub, 3tv's, outside shower, W/D. Used. Have no desire for another, this one seems made just for us and I love the groovy interior. I hope to still be using this one 25 years from now and then hand it over to my brother's kids for them to use with their families.

[rbrogan]

Heckyes!!! but the biggest was buying the next then the next may soon be rid of the albotross.. cant speel either

[moman1]

No mistakes, but a couple of regrets. You know how you always end up finding a better deal on a better MH right after your purchase? I always keep an eye out for a better rig. I am satisfied that I got a good deal because I'm selling my MH for sale on the internet with much more miles than mine for $10k more than what I paid. I know I have equity in it right now and that's going to be the end of me. Our limit was $45k when we purchase back in May and the $10k in equity means now we can look at the $55k level. However, that still doesn't get me much newer or into a DP like what I want. And BTW, that is my only regret; not getting a DP. But I just couldn't afford the premium.

[Nerraw_and_DW]

RVBunny wrote:
We do love our motor home

Keep it 🙂

We started with a travel trailer, traded up to a fifth wheel, and within 4 months of going full time, traded it all in for a motor home. Love it!!

[RVBunny]

we have a class A motor 2003 Winnebago Brave, home with only 2 slides, we are going to go full time. we are wondering if we should go to a travel trailer with 3 slides we do have a truck that would pull 8680 dry weight. we don't know if it would be best for us, in storage, the new tt, looks like it has a lot of storage, We do love our motor home, Never been in a ( TT ) before. This is my first time ever writing on a forum , I have enjoyed reading all your info some real good information out there. from RV Bunny

[driveby]

Well yes. We rented, used and enjoyed Class C. researched, asked questions, researched some more and then went and bought a very nice TT. Turns out we're not TT people. MH suit our life better. Having said that this site allowed us to get exactly what we wanted in a TT and setup. No probs there. Just not for us. NO way I could have know that without buying. Again tho, this site helped on pricing so I didn't take a haircut on teh 28 days of ownership 😉 Now my Ford truck OTOH!!! Cheaper to buy a older TJ for a TOAD than trade for an Escape and have one vehicle. Oh well, I just get more toys 😉 😄

[just_loafin1]

First one a used class C Lazy Daze...Need I say more? Second one a used 1996DP Holiday Rambler Endeavor 36` 24000 miles cost $50.000.. one slide. 230 Cummins.
I installed Banks With all appropriate gages. TranSynd,Inmotion,Solar,LDCTV.. G670 tire upgrade. New 10cube Refer..Memory Foam Mattress. Everything in top working order. Thinks its a sports car...10+mpg....I have no intention of ever trading
Just_loafin

[J-Rooster]

$-98, First one too small 24 feet! John

[bownder_will]

Bottom line - if your'e over 50, dont' go for a Class C. No matter your'e age, don't go for antyhing that isn't diesel or fuel injection.

We just bought an 03 Minnie 24ft with ford v10 and bedover. We are both well over 50 and we just love it.....traded an 03 36ft bounder for it..... We have a home now and just don't need that big of a MH.

Back in 97 we bought a 95 Coachmen Class C 22 fter. Used it twice and didn't like it. Had it a year and sold it for same as I payed...
Bought a 5er......but didn't like driving a big truck around Fl. for the winter....sold it after two years for 1000 less than I paid for it.

[zoondoggie]

Yes & No! We purchased a 20 foot trailer from my wife's sister. Good price, very nice. We soon learned with the four of us, with the dog, that this style of camping was way to cramped. We looked and looked and wound up with our current MoHo and have been very pleased so far. Now I am anxious to move up to my ultimate MoHo, the Diesel Pusher. My wife however is not... Yep I will be keeping this one for some time to come.

Cheers

[kylesbrown]

Yes, our first class A was a 94 37' Pace Arrow with a 454 gas engine that could not bare the thought of bypassing a fueling station. We took this thing on one long trip from York South Carolina to Shelbyville TN, about 500 miles one way. Sure was nice but the fuel bill just kept killing up. Going up the mountains of North Carolina being passed by 80k lb trucks I/we decided to be on the lookout for a Diesel Pusher or a 5th wheel.

After 8 months we traded for a 2005 Fleetwood Pride 395. With a wife that likes to read, and a 100 lb Lab we needed more room. 40' and 5 slides we have all the room we could ask for.

Now just where to get a larger truck the F350 is just not cutting it up those same NC hills....

[mslucky]

No mistakes for us. In February 2005 we purchased a 35 ft, 1997 Allegro Bay. No slides. Less than two years later and over 12,000 miles, we couldn't be happier with our choice. Other than the usual/everyday problems, we've had no worries. We took alot of the advice from this forum and did lots and lots of research, we rented a class C and Class A, both gas. I cannot tell you how many RVs we looked at and inspected. But for the amount of money and time invested I think we made the right choice. Tiffin products are great!

[frankdamp]

We sure-as-hell did. We decided to buy a low-priced MH to see if we liked the lifestyle. Loved the life-style, hated the MH. It was a 1985 Class C with a Ford 460.

First lesson was - don't buy a carburator-equipped big V8, particularly one built towards the end of the time when air injection and over-rich mixtures were the means of meeting emission regulations. We were lucky to get 6 mpg ot sea-level and it dropped to less than 5 in the mountains.

Second lesson was, don't buy from a winter sports nut. PO was a snowmobiler and used the RV to go sledding in the Cascades. Should've caught on to the fact that he and his buddies were shedding their wet snow suits inside the RV. Found major rot in the sidewalls because the inside window-pane drainage system couldn't handle the amount of moisture.

Third lesson was, don't get a main bed that two people can't get out of independently. Our rig had a corner bed where the person on the left side was trapped by the back wall (pillow end), the right (sidewalk side) wall and the end (wardrobe) wall. You couldn't get out of bed from the sidewalk side without a major disturbance of your partner.

Fourth lesson, old folks like us have difficulty getting into the over-cab bed of a Class C. If you're the slightest bit claustrophobic, you can't sleep up there anyway.

Bottom line - if your'e over 50, dont' go for a Class C. No matter your'e age, don't go for antyhing that isn't diesel or fuel injection.

We'd love to get back into Rv'ing, but are limited by existing vehicle (Kia Sedona) and a paraniod dislike of big trucks as our only vehicle. We can only afford one vehicle as both daily driver and TV and DW will not consider a full-size truck or derivative SUV.

Maybe a TrailManor is in our future. Personally, if budget permitted (which it doesn't), a mid-1990s 35' DP would be ideal, particularly one on the Gillig chassis which I got to know well as a transit coach driver.

You can but dream!

[thebrushman]

I think in this case mistake is a relative term, Other than buying something that just doesn't fit you at all, many of us buy something, use it for a while and then want something different. I don't think this is a mistake we all like change sometimes and motorhomes are no excepltion. We have had 2 class C's, 3 5th wheels, and 3 class A's.

[wolfman01]

I think everybody makes a mistake on their first MH purchase. Some whoops's are just bigger than others. Mine was not noticing the roof leak signs. The cost to repair it properly, carries a 5 figure price tag, so I'm left with finding a means of making it work. I've had it reasealed, as the old ones were going bad, and also had new rooftop A/C gaskets replaced, as those were REALLY bad. Everything that can be done without resorting to a total teardown and rebuild, has been. I'm still trying to chase down some stubborn leak points. I guess I can always hope and pray for a massive hailstorm, so the insurance company will cover the bill right? 😉