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..

[cdc]

Did we make a mistake buying our first RV? Yes. I should have listened to advice from all our RV friends and bougth the DP first. We had a TT, bought a 33' HR Vactioner(Gas) and then 6 months later bought the 40' HR Imperial(DP). Didn't listen and it cost a few extra dollars to upgrade.

[Peralko]

When we got to the point of wanting to buy a motorhome, we started to look at 24-28-foot models. After we had looked at several floorplans, we decided we needed to move up to a 34-footer, so we would have a bedroom, bath, of course, a kitchen with a dinette, and a couch. By the time we crammed all of that into a floorplan, 34 feet ended up minimum. Scary at first, but we were glad we hadn't gone shorter, or we would have been itching to replace it much sooner.

[rvten]

Yes we also rented first. Tried a class C after 2 weeks decided it was going to be a class A or nothing. The 27' Allegro was fine but as we spent more time in the MH decided we needed to go bigger. Thats when I made my mistakes. 🙂

[diesel_Dave]

ya, put too much money into her.

[msmith1199]

I didn't make a mistake because I rented first and did a lot of research. One of the things I knew is I didn't want to go too small and then be upset I didn't get a bigger one. I did that with boats. So I went with a 32 foot class A. Some may think that's small, but I still work so we only use it for weekends and maybe a couple of week long trips a year, so it's got plenty of room for what we do with it.

[richmondmj]

Well I did a lot of research and rented first. We looked at several units and then joined RVCG before we bought anything. I'm glad we did that before buying anything and always recommend to others to do the same before they purchase anything. The info they give you helps you make the right decision the first time around. It's more than worth the price of membership.
http://www.rv.org

[rvten]

Our first was an Allgro 27' and when time came to get a bigger one, we made the mistake of going to Fleewood not once but twice. 🙂

[Spirit_Deer]

Valid question, in a way. The guy who sold us ours said we'd be back in a year wanting a bigger one. I don't think so, considering the cost of gas and the area we have to park it in and other considerations, but it seems our salesman has had that happen repeatedly.

Like some people pointed out, it's a learning process. Not only that, your needs and wants change over time.

We chose to go the route of buying an older, less expensive coach as an experiment. It's amazing how cheaply you can get into a pretty decent motor home if you look around a bit. And if you decide it's not the right one for you, you can always sell it. With a used one, your loss after a year or two would be much less than a new one, so where's the harm if it turns out not to be exactly what you wanted. And if you happen to find out you like the used one you started with, so much the better. They're all used after the first trip anyway. 🙂

[Tip]

Yes! Waited to darn long to do it!!:)

[dbehling]

We haven't purchased our first MH, but are currently in the market to do so. What we did do was purchase a TT (Oct 2000) that works for just our family, but with three kids (17g, 10g, 3b) we have found that we don't have enough room when friends come along -- which is a lot!

We are split between buying new -- knowing that we will take a HUGE depriciation the first couple of years, or buying used -- not knowing if we are buying someone elses lemon.

What we have decided it that we want a diesel pusher (we currently pull our TT with F350 PSD), that it has a minimum of a living area slide, an oven + the microwave/convection, private bath -- we don't want the lav next to the bed!, ample storage, diesel generator, etc.

We don't NEED to buy today or tomorrow, but if we find the right rig, we are in a position to move. We use our current setup no less than once a month, sometimes three weekends out of four.

Back to the question: "Did we make a mistake?" I would have to say no, because we were able to learn what we really wanted. We haven't regretted purchasing the TT, but are looking forward to a DP.



*This Message was edited on 24-Apr-02 12:59 PM by dbehling*

[Ames]

We have backpacked, had a pop up, a class C, two class A gas and two class A diesel. Our current 40' Slide would have been a mistake 25 years ago because we were not ready for it then but it is ideal for us now. A mistake would be buying a motor home that does not fit your lifestyle or budget. We used to do a lot of state parks and needed a smaller coach. Now we are going to a bit more upscale places and my wife is a 50amp girl.

[djevans]

Dollar98 . . . We hit our first one right on the money except for the engine. We feel we need a diesel for a vehicle that large. I just don't like the downshifting and high RPM's, even though it seems to run well. The "apparent" engine strain really bothers me. We are in the process right now, of looking for a replacement for a motorhome we otherwise absolutely love.

[Annie]

The first MH I purchased was just a tad too small - no sofa and kitchen a little pinched. After keeping it 2 yrs, I traded up for a 29 ft model with a sofa and a better kitchen area. I am now a happy camper.
Annie
2001 Brave 29A
2001 Saturn SL1
Doggie Dancer 8 yr old chihuahua