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..

[FrontRangeRVer]

Wow! Talk about digging up an OLD THREAD!

[robert_swartz]

We are planning to buy a used MH to live in and retire. Our money is limited and in checking with some RV parks for monthly living we were told that they don't accept MH's that are over 10 years old. Are there sufficient parks that will accept us when or if our MH is 10 years old? Hope some one will help us.

[cameoRE7]

Bought a 1998 Fleetwood Discovery 3 years ago. After putting about $30,000 into it and knowing what I know now after 3 years experience, feel I could have done alot better and looking back would not have purchased it.

But having said that, I am happy living in it fulltime, hoping the major expenses are behind me and looking to keep it for long time into future.

[HPH]

We went cross country to get a "better" deal on our 1st new coach. With all the bugs to be worked out I would buy locally next time just to have a closer ally in the dealer to help get the coach in and out of service more quickly. True you can go to the factory for service but it's nice to come back from a trip and be able to get it right into the dealer to get some items fixed by the time your ready to hit the road again. Some dealers only service what they sell. Others have 2-6 wk waiting lists if you didn't buy there. In the end we saved 10 grand or so but I won't do it next time. JMHO
HPH

[fourfurz]

We had a great education from this forum and bought our last coach first!

Then again, I may want to sell this one in three years and have a custom bus conversion done just exactly the way I want it. Lots of bucks there. Best way to go if we're going to keep one for a decade though.

[RayChez]

This thread has been going on for a long time. And Yes I made the mistake of trading my first coach within six months and lost lots of money by doing that. But I am real happy with the second coach, so I guess it was worth it.

[jackbuck]

98% buy a second unit within 2 years,its a fact

[mountainkowboy]

Dont get me wrong, we love our HR and got an awesome deal on it...but. If we had it to do all over we would have gone for a used high-end DP instead. We are not retired yet so its not that big of deal. When we retire we will probably get a DP.

[Final_TA]

YES! Thankfully we'll NEVER make that MISTAKE again!

BTW, a word to the wise, be very careful posting your thoughts, there are manufacturer trolls out there just waiting to tattle on you... eh, what can I say, they get off on doing it.

[MHGinTN]

All great questions, BobW! I'll be trying to follow what may get posted in reply.

BTW, have you looked at the 28 foot Lexington or Winnebagos ... except for having to empty tanks and do laundry, they are quite nice and with the Ford v-10 engine have the right power to weight ratios.
MHGinTN

[bobw14612]

First, I'm not too good at this so bear with me on this posting for
info or advice. I have visited many web forums and prefer this one.
I am not new to camping. When younger the summer months was most enjoyed and camping at the lake was the highlight. My parents had a
stationary trailer/camper that was on a campground.

I am at the ripe age of 50 and preplanning retirement. I am an OTR
truck driver so therefore I do not have a residence. The motor home
will be my primary/sole residence. When retired I will be in my home
town area (Upstate New York) during the spring thru fall season. In
the winter will be down south (Louisiana, Florida or Texas). I will
not be racking up high miles for all practical purposes. It is my
intention to purchase and have payed for prior to age 62. I will be
working fulltime up to age 55. From this point I will only work part
of the year/seasonal up to age 59 1/2. From this point I will start
drawing on the retirement accounts.

I will be getting a used motor home, however, not sure or can't get sufficient advice on whether to get a Class A or C. Which ever class
I get will most likely be gas powered. I have many questions that
no one seems to want to answer or not sure:
1) What are the maintenence intervals; wheel bearings, AC flush, etc.
2) Owners on a fixed income - which Class is most affordable?
3) What are the rates for maintenence and repairs typical costs for both classes? What are the maintenence intervals on; furnaces, water
heaters, etc,?
4) As a first time buyer - is there a guide or checklist available for the potential buyer of tell-tale signs of abuse or neglect? What
areas on the motor homes are most likely neglected or face wear and
tear due to weather?
5) What is the difference between the Class C that is over 30ft and
a Class A in reference to:
a) living space
b) costs - maintenence, fuel consumption, etc.
c) storage space
d) vehicle towing

[Up_N_Flames]

My first RV was a 98 Dolphin Class A. My mistake was buying an RV without slides. The slides make the RV so much nicer inside due to the extra space you get. Our new RV has slides and we love it. Now we can have a few friends in the RV and not feel cramped.


Also the Dolphin had the water pump under the bed. Bad place because when we got up in the middle of the night to use the restroom the water pump would wake us up. I also like the Generator up front so it's not loud in the back if we're watching TV in bed or taking a nap.

[Rocket_Heart1]

Simply put - YES ! To anxious and not wise. Buyer beware. After 3 years, and a lot of repairs, it finally is the coach I thought it was.

[RayMag]

My first RV was a 19" Roadtrek. After a few years we found out that it was a little too small for our type of camping.
So we went looking for a Class A motorhome. Our requirements were dimensions around 30-34 ft, diesel, used, and in very good shape.

We eventually found our diesel, 30 ft long, aluminium skin, air ride, ceramic floor, excellent Barth motorhome.

The difference between the two is night and day, and we couldn't be happier about the switch.

[StanleyandIris]

As for the TT versus the MH. I vote for MH and a little Toad.

Set up is 5 minutes and all automatic as opposed to what looks like hours of pushing, pulling, bending and stooping when I watch TT's set up in a camp ground. I think you will tire of this quickly.

Not to mention the generator for those times when you are in the middle of nowhere and want to eat or sleep.