Buying our first MH

[AGC]

Hello all my wife and I are looking to buy our first MH. We originally wanted to buy a TT but after several months of research and debate we agreed that spending a little more money on a MH is worth it for our family. We have two kids ages 11 and 9, we've done lots of tent camping but decided that it was time to step up and buy an RV

We are currently looking at a 2007 30' BT Cruiser, it has three slides and has about 20k miles and will cost us just under $40k with a tow dolly.

Can you guys tell me if BT Cruisers are good MH and what do you think of the price.

[AGC]

I’m definitely looking forward to having an RV. I’m trying to schedule a pre-purchase inspection next week in Reno, NV. Depending on what they find will determine my next steps. If it passes inspection my plan is to fly out and inspect/drive it before I pay for it. My wife and I have been talking about getting an RV for some time and was set on a TT until we really thought about the benefits of having a MH over a TT and we think it will make the trip itself a lot more enjoyable (I hope). I know it will cost us a little more but I’m hoping it would be worth it (MH over TT). It’s interesting that I’ve purchased cars that were more expensive sight unseen and at times without a pre-purchase inspection and I was nowhere as nervous as I am right now with buying a MH. To me a MH is a lot more personal than a car (if that makes any sense at all)

[Jopops]

I'd agree w/ checking your weights carefully. I fell in love w/ another manufacturer's upper tier line of Class C's only to discover before I signed on the dotted line that the OCCC issue exists on motorhomes just as it does on travel trailers.

I had almost bought a rig w/ ~1600 pounds of OCCC. Which isn't a lot once you dice that up between what you can put on the front and rear axle. Than you have to subtract the weight of your family; it really didn't leave much left over.

As beautiful as that rig was, we went with a relatively stripped Winnebago. There is most definitely a drop off in creature comforts, but I did net myself almost 3k pounds of OCCC. I can pretty much pack it within reason and just turn the key.

Which for my family was sorta the whole point.

[PghBob]

One issue not addressed yet is weight. Newer Ford E450s have a max. total weight of 14500 pounds, I'm not sure of the max. weight capacity for the year you are considering. It could be less. The weights of all options and fluids are subtracted from this max. weight to give you the weight of people and stuff you can carry (Occupant and Cargo Carrying Capacity - OCCC), no matter how much room you have. The longer the RV, the addition of slides, and any levelers all subtract from the OCCC. Given a family of four, with growing children, and the stuff you might want to carry on your trips, I would suggest you carefully check out the OCCC of the unit to make sure it can safely carry what you expect it to. A 30 foot RV with 3 slides is going to weigh a lot without people and stuff.

You can also check the date codes on the tires yourself to insure that they are not over five years of age. Other posters have noted this, and I encourage you to follow their advice.

Finally, when you get to check out the interior of the unit, look around the windows and the front over cab area to check for signs of water leaks and damage. This is not a good thing, and can be quite expensive to repair. Best wishes on your RV quest.

[ronfisherman]

AGC wrote:


Looks like my minivan weighs less than 4k lbs, so I'm hoping the MH can handle it....it's a Ford E450 with a V10 and heavy duty towing package

Do not forget to add weight of dolly. They weigh 400 to over 600 lbs.

[AGC]

When I spoke to the owner they mentioned that the tires were changes a year or so ago, she mentioned buying heavier duty tires as they also towed a vehicle behind the MH.

Looks like my minivan weighs less than 4k lbs, so I'm hoping the MH can handle it....it's a Ford E450 with a V10 and heavy duty towing package

One of the reason we prefer the MH over the TT is that it would make travelling much better. We drive down to FL annually to visit family and usually drive straight through, this year we stopped at a rest area for a few hours and it would've been nice being in a MH instead of the SUV. Being in a MH will allow family to access the rest room anytime they need to and since this unit have seat belts in both the couch and the dinette the kids can sit in either places.

[Mike_Leslie]

Better check if the minivan is light enough for towing behind the motor home. Our minivan was too heavy. We bought a Honda CRV. I miss the Dodge MIni, but have bonded with the CRV. I was surprised how much room the CRV has.

Sometimes we travel with our grandchildren ages 11 and 13. Our 29 ft 2003 Winnebago Minnie with two slides works great. Sometimes I wish we had the overhead bed instead of the entertainment center, but the dinette and jackknife couch work great. The children continue sleeping as we travel.

Our conclusion is that if you are going to travel, a motorhome works best. If you are going to mostly stay at one place, then a TT would work. Or a Fiver would work if you invest in a 3/4 ton pickup. Now that we motor around, we prefer the motor home. Sometimes we tow a car, sometimes we don't.
Good luck.
Mike Leslie

[dicknellen]

5 year old tires need inspection, 7 years or older time to replace. Dick

[Hank85713]

I would have someone look at it first to see if its condition is really as described. Had a friend go to lost wages to look at a real nice MH per the ad, lucky for him he rode with another couple. Got there and came home without it. Said it was basically trashed/dirty and not at all as described. Yes it was supposedly a 1 owner. There is the saying 'buyer beware' for many reasons.

[j-d]

If you're going to tow a minivan on that dolly, be sure the dolly is wide enough. If you can get Make/Model of the Dolly, should be able to look up the widest "track" it can accept. Not a deal breaker, but a surprise you don't need if you drive a vehicle out there expecting to tow it back. You might also need different tire straps than are currently with the dolly.

Dolly VS Minivan Thread

[AGC]

Thanks for the quick responses

We've been looking for the past 12 plus months going back and forth between a MH and a TT. At the end we decided that a MH was better suited for our needs and figured the extra cost was acceptable.

This unit that we're looking at belongs to a private owner they've owned it since new. I am in the east coast and the MH is in NV which means I would need to fly out and drive it home. I was thinking of having an RV dealer perform a pre purchase inspection before I fly out. Since I'm new to RVing I would not know what to look for and figured I let the professionals do it for me.

As for price it seems like it's in line with others out there and actually a little lower than most dealers. I figured it being a one owner coach was a plus

I plan to tow my minivan and on occasion will tow my civic both of which are front wheel drive vehicle and figured a tow dolly would fit the bill.

Is $40k too much for a 2007 BT Cruiser, it has three slides and has about 20k miles. From the pictures and video it looks pretty nice. We thought about buying new but the price is just too high for us now and this being our first time into RVing we wanted to limit out investment.

[ronfisherman]

Gulf Stream Conquest BT Cruiser were a popular model. Biggest problem with them (all Gulf Stream) was getting repairs done. Dealer were not paid enough if at all.
Beyond that check the tires and for leaks.
NADA shows value inline with the price you stated.

[klutchdust]

Invest some money into having a mechanic inspect the coach and possibly someone experienced with motorhomes to do the same. So many things can

and will go wrong with even newer coaches that can be very costly. Read some of the postings here concerning water leaks,etc. Pricing is tough. I agree

that PPL is a good source also rvtrader.net . I found my coach in Minnesotta and I live in CA. but a bargain is where you find it. Tires! learn tire codes.

tread depth means nothing. Some coaches sit in storage for a while while rodents chew on the wires, inspect every inch, be sure all systems work

and enjoy traveling with your new ride. Try to not get all goo goo eyed at the first one. An overlooked problem can be $$$.

Class C's get around 5 to 10 MPG. 10 is downhill in neutral. 7.5 is about average. That's why they have 55 gallon fuel tanks. Towing I think is around 5.

[Hank85713]

Is this from a dealer or pp? Check everywhere you can for pricing and options. As noted there are some dealers that sell cheap, particularly those in texas it would seem. As to the tow dolly is this with or without a vehicle included. what do you plan to tow? Tires are just the first of what needs to be checked but yes they are high $$ items to replace ($1500 or so). Since it is a C also check well for leaks and other issues.

I searched craigslist and found ours and hope you have also. Take a look to see how it stacks up aginast what you found.

[midnightsadie]

check the tire date if there 5yrs old they gotta go, tread might be great but tires dry rot ,and will come apart going down the road doing thousands of dollars in damage to the under side of your rv.