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..

[EbonyPriestess]

We purchased our first Class A in January of this year. It's 2004 Hurricane 30Q. We love the RV lifestyle and the freedom to go when we please, we both work so we take several weekenders. We've driven cross country once (in the winter, January) and that's when we noticed that our MH did not handle very well in windy conditions. We understand that no matter what size or type RV you drive, in windy conditions you have to be ultra careful. However, we felt that the 30Q (which is actually 31.5 feet) was very unstable and we had to deal with the rocking and swerving, even at 30 mph. We had to pull over a lot and just wait it out. We were extremely comfortable while doing so, but I noticed other Class A's our size and bigger still moving comfortably down the highway. Upon return from our trip we called the dealer and told him our concerns. Not one time did anyone ever tell us that the size and weight of the chasis had a lot to do with the stability of the MH. Our chasis is only 15,700 lbs. We had test driven used Class A's with heavier chasis when we were looking to purchase, but the deal on the 2004 was incredible so that's what we purchased. I found out that stablizers might help and I will check that out this week. If stablizers solve the problem, I would definitely want to keep the one we have. But if not, what we have is fine for the time being, but we will trade it in before the year is out.

[Exeter]

Still shaking!

I just bought my first MH yesterday, will not be in it for a another couple of weeks, 1995 Winnebago Brave. I'm single, still employed and scared, but....anticipating 'the great adventure'. I'm breaking my lease and moving north in it. I'll work at the job site best I can and live in it. On weekends I'll visit friends who'll let me park the beast in their driveway. I want to pay it off fast, it's a basic unit but oh so comfortable looking, I've alway's loved the motor home for it's effieciant layout and accomidations. Wish me luck all, as soon as I figure out how to do 'internet' in it. I'll be back. But let me
echo the 'learning experience', for all we research....it's the actual living that is most valuable.

Onward!

Mike

[Redfox11]

Buy what you think you want, new or used, but when you think you know what you must have trade-up. I have found that things I thought I could "live with" became a real pain later. When you are spending time in your motorhome, keep a pad of paper handy, write down all the little things that bother you, no matter how small, then when you go looking for at differant MH's take that pad with you and check it aginst the new one... if it bothered on the old one make sure it is taken care of with the new one... and than don't compromise, keep looking till you find the one that meets your needs.

[jtanner2003]

Wow popular topic. We bought a 04 seabreeze last August, because we could afford it and it looked nice. It was a total lemon. I finally bit the bullet, traded the lemon in because it was in the shop so much and bought a new HR 04 Ambassador. We love the dp, it was a lot more money but at least I will have it for a while and its what I really wanted to begin with. I just never thought I could afford one.

[carl66vw]

Doller 98. Take some advise from an old man who may never again see the open road..Rent one, go on a trip and see what you think. If you like the experience, rent one twice as large and take a trip. If you are not happy with the second rental, rent one twice as large. If still not happy...Buy the most expensive four-door car or airplane you can afford and book hotel/motels for your trips. With the cost of gas and other fuels, it is cheaper to book hotel rooms. It is not as much fun and you will not meet the wonderful people I have met. It all depends on what you are looking for out of life. Whatever you do, when things don't go the way you expected, don't blame your significant other. Just have fun and enjoy.

[Biznaga]

My mistake is not having enough money to buy any motorhome.:(

[Cookielady]

Our first motorhome was in 1993 and it was a 93 Dutchmen Class C. I loved it but the bathroom was a bit small and the overhead bunk windows leaked no matter what they did to try to fix it.
Then we got a 95 Pace Arrow and the windshield kept popping out. Finally got a 98 Fleetwood Discovery and are very content with it.

here is our Discovery

[Seedy]

We feel we made a good decision on our first MH.
Our financial advisor had a big hand in our decision.
He work it out that IF we made a mistake our investment was so low that if it were a TOTAL loss; it would not be as much as the depreciation on another model.
We know that it is not our final MH but now we are much more knowledgeable.

[NEAR_SOTA]

I am considering a Sightseer also.

Funny that the Mirada had power troubles,wonder what engine and chasis it had. Would love to get a DP ,but that is out of my range.

Hurricanes get good writeups and might get one.

[manleo]

just bought a sightseer winnebago 2004 35 ft. and plan to travel back east for a few months.I retired 12/2002 and want to travel now. I have a 8.1 with the 5 speed O/D allison in it. any one know what kind of mileage I can expect with it. my wife loves it because it has 2 slides. we had a 29 ft class c with no slide out for 1 year and hate every second . it had no room in it. we didn't get much for the trade -in and lost money on it. but got the sightseer for $76,000.it was the show sale price. they had a 30ft next to it for $12,000 more. I also hear alot of bad things about la mesa in davis california but with the price and 2.99 interest I bought there.

[ArmySFCRet]

We purchase our '99 Coachmen Mirada 34', single slide, Ford V10 from a private owner in April of 2002. Hadn't done a lot of prior research but found we liked it very much. It turned out to be an excellent coach with everything we would want or need in a MH. At least we thought so at the time. After two years and 18,000 miles finally decided that we needed more storage, more power and knew the Mirada was not going to go up in value. No mistake, just had to learn what we wanted overall and DP would fill the bill. Decided to stay with Coachmen product and just purchased our second coach. 2004 Sportscoach (Coachmen) Cross Country 354mbs, single slide, 300 Cummins on Freightliner Chassis.

[vacation_on_whe]

I also believe we made the right informed decision moving up from a 1999 Coleman Niagara pop-up to a 2003 Dolphin LX 6342 double slide W-22 coach. In one year of ownership we already have 12,000 miles on her. ....Now I still wish for a 39 ft. NRV Tropical triple slide but I realize the pocket book is not ready for the diesel yet. I'll keep dreaming!!!

[NEAR_SOTA]

Doc that sounds more like a dream coach! Happy for you and I hope someday I can buy one to live out of for 5-10yrs. to enjoy the country.

If memory serves me that is a SOTA coach with all the wmenities one might need.

The way I am looking at this is like a space shuttle and I need to get all systems to be fully functional with the ability to repair most anything if something goes down when traveling.

Happy travels!

[doc_brown]

After 4 years of looking casually, 1 year of serious homework and shopping we just purchased our first MH, a CC TSDP 40' Inspire. The time is perfect for us. We have 10 years before retirement and our son is off at college. We are glad we started with a 40' and a DP was a must. We will let you know how everything turns out!

[NEAR_SOTA]

I have read through the whole thread and it is scary to consider buying a coach\Rig or whatever you want to call an RV.

I consider a tractor trailer truck a rig and an RV a Coach.

Anyway some of the things I am reading are things that could have been addressed before buying. A few people have mentioned the size of the units as being problematic for driving ,refueling etc.. I would go back to the dealer’s you wish to buy from and ask to drive a unit once a week for a month to get the feel of what it will be like after purchase if driving a big unit scares you. Remember you are the one with the $$ and are making a huge investment and if they do not like it walk away and find another dealer. I was lucky enough to drive Jeeps, 6X’s and school Busses when in the service and I hope whatever I might choose will have better andling charctheristics then those units.If not I will research what additions are needed for a more secure ride.That is a reason I want TAG.

I do not like dealers and will try to find a private owner because dealers tend to distract people from what is important. I cannot believe that people actually tout things like stereo’s and Vacuums as being features. If you want a vacuum or a stereo you can add them in. All electronic items can be bought that are up to date ,use less power and weigh less plus are not used for a not so high price. You can get a SOTA stereo for under $1K and adding a vacuum like a SHARK is well under $100. Prices on TV’s are coming down also along with LCD monitors which are great for several reasons .Mainly they do not weigh much,take up less space and use less amps. None of the TV’s in Coaches are HDTV Ready I think so there is another added cost in a few yrs...Most do not have satellite that is really adequate or SOTA so there is another added cost. None come with GPS which for some is a big issue.

People buying MH’s should be more involved with the mechanical reliability than Appliance items is my point. Even the cosmetics can be improved upon if they are not exactly what you need or want.

Plan on spending $5-$10K after purchasing a used MH to do the finishing touches which is what I plan on doing. I would much rather pay $20-$40K for a unit that is mechanically sound then pay $100K for something that has everything one might want for accessories .but be mechanically flawed.

As far as Manfs. Most all have lemons in their line ups, but some have better reps at customer service than others I have read. One among those that is said to have impeccable service is Tiffin, but they do not have an affordable coach that has a a high CCC rating. National I like ,but they are said to have a few cosmetic flaws. One I had recently read about by a few posters is Cracking in the side panel doors which the Co. gaffed off a customer. Not so good for those looking to buy a used National.

Other Cos. I have been looking at are:
Fleetwood-Bounder’s
National-Dolphins
Geogie Boy-Cruise Masters
Winnebago-Vectras,Adventurers & Journeys
Airstream-Land Yachts

(although most do not like FW’s Bounders are said to have good reliability and heavy CCC ratings.I saw that one coach has a CCC rating of something like 800lbs.Hope people that buy that coach do not like water and have a family.LOL

All those are are gas units and I would love to have a diesel,but the cost to benefits ratio does not warrant it for myself. I do not plan on putting more than 6-8Kmiles on the thing for each year I own it.

I think all have a CCC rating of over 2000Lbs.,all are over 32’ long and all can use a chevy powerplant with workhorse or P-30 chasis.Would like to have TAG if possible.Storage is the first thing to look at and what the CCC rating is.If you cannot brin g what you need then you are stuck.

For add-ons I am looking at Solar, Steering and Sway bars. Shocks and Tires of needed. Interior additions I will replace the TV’s,Stereo and pull the booth in favor of a Computer Station for business. Furniture is one thing that can be added to the list of things to replace.A lot of the furniture in RV’s is just plain uncomfortable.Another weak area that a lot of people do not show at some used sites are the bathroom. Do you want a full bath or just a shower.

My point to all this is look for the Mechanical reliability of the coach first then decipher what might be good additions or can be replaced after that. If a salesman tries to tout having a stereo or a vacuum is a major benefit ask him if it breaks ,which it will, will he come over to clean your coach?

Lastly thanks for the thread as it gives more to think about when buying a coach. Maybe it will help prevent some the pitfalls others have had. Just hope I get an honest deal which in this day and age could be a minor miracle.

Happy Travels!