Confused Need help Newbie here looking for frist

[rs680]

Hello everyone. I am a single semi retired guy that will be doing most of my long distance travel in the summer I have 3 to 4 months off every year and me and my dog are tired of sitting at home alone. So nows the time to get a Rv so I will be ready to go early spring.

Now the question What the heck should I really buy. New, Used and if so how many years old. Motorhome, class A B or C , 5th wheel, tt. REg, light or ultralite.

There is just to many to chose. I have been studying this for 6 months now.
No matter how you look at it they all have good points and bad. The more I ask myself what I need the more confused I get.

I was leaning towards travel trailer or 5th wheel But now I am back to Class A or maybe C or B. Gas unit 30 ft range

My question is What are those must have things and what is the ideal size when it comes to small more remote campgrounds. I spend most of my time away from the big resort campgrounds.

Is there a Company that builds for the cold Canada winters. I live in central Ontario and will be mostly traveling in northern Canada.

Also I have heard not to buy anything over 10 years old is this true and if so why.

I am sorry for all the question I have tried to do the research myself but just find the more I read the more I do not understand

thank you

[Bumpyroad]

Pop-Pop C wrote:
IMO!!ifit whew just me and my dog I think I would go for a midsized class C.
Around the 30'-32' range . Ease of getting around and price.

I used to think that a 30 footer was sort of a b@stard length. too long to be small, too short to be big. but then perhaps that makes it a perfect length?
bumpy

[Pop-Pop_C]

IMO!!ifit whew just me and my dog I think I would go for a midsized class C.
Around the 30'-32' range . Ease of getting around and price.

[ArchHoagland]

I'd suggest renting an RV for a week or more. You will develop a feel for what you like and DON'T like.

Most people on here have had several RV's and learned as they went along.

I seriously doubt you will find the perfect one on the first purchase so I'd suggest buying a used one first.

[Bumpyroad]

just noticed a comment on the web site:

sharon
Created on 01/12/11
Be ware of renting a trailer from private owners without seeing unit first. The unit I rented was not clean, carpet with spot...

bumpy

[J-Rooster]

IMHO, the first thing I would address is my budget what can I comfortably afford to spend on a RV? And stick to the price that you want to spend no matter what! Next get out and look at Motorhomes and 5th Wheels and make a decision what you would prefer. I'm currently at a RV Resort in Lake Havasu City, AZ. (The Beachcomber) and a lot of Canadians live here for 4-6 months. Some have Motorhomes, and 5ers or TT's and some just rent single or double wide trailer houses while they are down here ($900.00 to $1,100.00 U.S. per month you might want to consider that also?). More of them are buying 5ers (5th wheels) and storing them down here, ($50.00 per month US for outside storage & ($200.00 per month US for inside storage) they don't drive them at all there's a gentleman here at the Beachcomber that owns a diesel pick up and he moves the trailers for the Canadians for a small fee. You might want to consider that also. If you decide on a RV and want to drive yourself then as mentioned stick to a price, then size & floor plan, engine & tranny then colors. If your interested in renting a place down here send me a PM and I'll get you a phone number and a rental price list. Fly into Las Vegas and take a shuttle bus to LHC! Lots to do down here to many activities to list. Good Luck in what ever you decide to do! And if your a Canadian and you don't say Ah down here in the U.S. We send you back to Canada for retraining!

[frankdamp]

There aren't very many Class A's under 30', particularly in the 5 year old used market. We looked for many months and only found one, a Beaver Patriot "Charleston" DP and it was a '92. The dealer wanted 2.5x the NADA book value and wouldn't budge. It sat on the lot for over 2 years before it sold. We already had our GT by then and the dealer went bust.

Since Triple E is a Canadian brand, you might want to check if they are more heavily insulated for conditions there. We see a few around here since we're close to the border and I've heard good things about their build quality.

[2112]

^^ rvfryer wrapped it up very nicely.
Well done!

[rfryer]

All RV’s are compromises between comfort and amenities and access to places you may want to go. And different types are best suited to how one wants to travel. MH’s are nice for primarily traveling on pavement with short stops as opposed to “camping” somewhere for extended periods, especially off pavement. Think big bucks, they’re not cheap to operate. And it’s very likely you’ll want to pull a toad. A big rig of any kind can be a PITA to sightsee in busy or tight quarters and you won’t like breaking camp to run to the local store. Not a good choice for true remote campgrounds.

FW’s tend to be big and they tow well. But the pin weight is very heavy and it takes at least a ¾ ton TV to pull one and possibly more depending on the size. Height can be an issue and they don’t work well for forest camping for that reason. You also lose the use of the PU bed, but they have a lot of storage space. They’re used by a lot of full timers but again not the best choice for remote camping.

TT’s would do the job overall pretty well, depending on the size. You don’t have the storage of a FW but you still have the PU bed free. The longer it is the more restrictions you’ll have getting in more remote areas. If I were forced to draw a line somewhere for remote camping, I’d say stay below 25’. I go as far back in as I can and I use a 16’ TT and I might still manage up to about 19’. After that too many restrictions for my taste. But one doesn’t have to go all the way back in. The smaller ones you can pull with a ½ ton, the bigger ones think ¾ ton.

You didn’t mention TC’s and that’s another option for one person and a dog. It would work well for traveling and with 4wd you could also get it in some very remote places. Except for some heavily treed areas, again because of the height. You wouldn’t have the space of the other types of RV’s and you’d have the same issue of breaking camp to sightsee or run to the store of a MH.

I’m not fond of untralights, I tend to associate weight with build quality, which is important if you go off pavement. Northwood is one of my favorites, they’re designed for that and I hear good things about Lance. I’m sure there are some others out there I’m not familiar with, too.

I’d look for a pristine rig a few years old, you won’t take the major depreciation hit if find your original criteria is not what you really want in a unit and you want to change it out. You mention the 30’ area and I’m not sure that’s not overkill for one person and a dog, I think you could go much smaller and still be comfortable and with less access problems. Good luck in your decision, once you clarify how you want to travel and where you want to go, your style, it will be much easier to narrow down the field.

[frmAloha]

You don't mention if you have any previous experience with an RV. If you haven't traveled with one before this, you could easily make the wrong choice. Have you considered renting a unit first to see how you like it?

[alkillion]

You need to remember that you will need to store what you get for the months you will not be using it.
I park my RV on a concrete pad behind my house. My current rig is about 35'; I could not get anything longer down the alley and into my parking spot.

Good Luck

[JimM68]

I an only speak for my own experience.
And I'd never do anything but a class A with a toad.
My lil jeep wrangler will go anywhere, anytime, and I like to explore.
I don't like to break camp if i run out of beer.
So I watch the world out that big windshield, stop and setup in 2 minutes when I get to a good place, and run my lil jeep all over hell and creation.

[AK49er]

I agree with NCWriter on all points!

[NCWriter]

I understand how you feel because it took two years for us of considering every option before we bought. It gets overwhelming and you hate to commit to the wrong thing.

We (two people) travel the way you describe, long distances mostly in the summer, three to four months and about 10,000 miles a year.

The used Sprinter diesel Class B we bought three years ago was in your price range, and you mentioned possibly considering a B. The smaller interior space is not for everyone (that's the potential minus), but we found a B to be ideal for the way we want to use an RV at present.

These are the pluses from my experience:

Fuel mileage in the low 20s or better per gallon of diesel, depending on how fast we drive. We have about a 600 mile range between fill ups.

We do not need to tow a second vehicle behind.

Virtually any campground can accommodate a class B van RV.

Signs that read "no RVs" for certain roads, parking areas etc, in National Parks and other locations are not a concern - on asking, we are told, "Oh, you're OK," and waved on in.

The smallest tunnels I've ever seen (in South Dakota) were not an issue.

We have everything (food, water, bathroom, change of clothes) when out sightseeing.

At home, we can park it in our driveway, very convenient, and use it for hauling, too.

The turbo diesel engine is a workhorse that never breaks a sweat in the Rockies.

The set-up on arriving at a campground takes only a few minutes to check the site's level situation and plug in the electric cord if there is power at the site.

Departure is also very quick. Unplug, fill up if you need fresh water, dump the holding tanks if they need it. Hit the road.

Cleaning our "home" on the road every week or so on long trips takes just a few minutes.

Class B vans have an excellent resale value, especially diesels.

Canadian companies pioneered the van conversion market that exists today, and you could visit a factory or two. Layouts vary - some are more open than others, giving more visual space. Interiors often are hand-fitted with top quality solid wood cabinetry that holds up extremely well.

Feel free to send me a private message if you have questions about B type RVs.

[2112]

You may also consider height. My TT had a much lower clearance than my current FW. There are streets I can't use because of overhead tree branches.