First Time Buyer...Updated 03/06/2006

[JohnnyT]

This post is intended to be helpful to the first time buyer of a motor home. For those of you who don't fall into that category or believe this post is incomplete or off the mark, do us all a favor, and enlighten us. If all you have to offer is criticism with no corresponding constructive comments, no one besides yourself will benefit from the experience. So please improve or expand on this post in a constructive way.

The issue at hand is how to select the coach that best matches your wants and needs and offers the most promise of not being a perpetual headache.

I think there is an order to thinking through selecting a motor home that best maps to your wants, needs, and pocketbook. There are a lot of issues to get at and understand. Going about the process out of sequence will circumvent some critical steps and increases the potential that in the end you will not be as satisfied with what you buy as you could have been. I've heard it said that nothing can be seen until seen in a form that you're looking for. You give yourself the edge by determining your wants and needs first, letting them guide you to the make and model of motor home. Focus on deal making after your prioritized wants and needs have lead you to the type, make and model, and level of fit and finish that best fit your pocketbook.

BUDGET
I believe the first step for most will be to establish a framework relative to cost: decide how much you want to spend, how much you can spend, and how much you are willing to spend. For the most part you can count on spending more that you initially thought. Knowing what the max you can spend is a place to start.

While the initial cost is a lot more than the tip of the iceberg, the cost of ownership and operation bear some thought as well. Gain some insight into annual insurance cost, maintenance, and storage fees. Start making a list of items that will be purchased to support the RV. Don't forget the dingy and associated costs if you're planning on dragging one around, tow bar, braking system, car insurance and registration. Think about chemicals, hoses, adaptors, critical spares, tools, as well as outdoor furniture, grill, mats, and kitchen gadgets, cleaning supplies, hooks, and toilet paper holder! Then add on the operating costs: fuel, camping fees, charges for radio, television, and telephone, etc.

I personally think it's a mistake to go into the process thinking you can always trade in or up. It's a costly strategy. Try to get it right the first time. For many, the choice will boil down to compromising what they want to fit with what they can afford. All the more reason to spend the time and energy to figure out what you want and need and then prioritize your selections to get what you can afford.

Once you have established a framework for purchase budget and ownership cost, use that frame work to construct the best coach that will fit into it. At this point in time you may have a gross idea of size diesel pusher or gas... new versus used. You may even have a specific manufacturer you're interested in. These choices, especially the make and model, ought to flow from your wants and needs.

WANTS AND NEEDS
Go to work figuring out what you want in terms of livability and travel-ability. A good place to start is deciding if you're going to be a parker or a driver. Most motor homes are better suited to one or the other. Coaches with lots of slides are terrific when parked, but coaches with fewer slides may seem roomier when driving down the road with the slides in. Things to think about if you're a driver include how much room there is to move around with the sliders closed, and access to such things as storage areas and facilities like the washer/dryer.

The next and crucial step is to figure out what you think you want for power train, chassis, floor plan, features, amenities, and gadgets. Look at a lot of coaches, even trailers, and see what combinations seem to fit your lifestyle the best. As you get immersed in the process, I think you will find some of your original thoughts will change. The following checklist will give you some things to consider. Keep in mind that the right coach is out there; it just takes hard work to find it.

Will you spend more waking hours driving or parked?
What features need to be accessible while driving?
How many people do you need to sleep?
Is a queen-sized bed appropriate?
How long will you be using the coach at a stretch?
(weekends versus long trips)
How much storage will you require?
How fussy are you about the quality of workmanship in furnishings?
How much counter space do you want in the kitchen?
How often will you use an oven or washer/dryer?
Will a dinette or table and chairs suit you best?
How much privacy do you want for the bathroom?
Does anyone require upgraded seats or bed?
Will you tolerate losing speed on hills?
Are you concerned about miles per gallon or emissions controls?
How far do you want to be able to travel between fuel stops?
How much capacity do you want for water, black, and grey tanks?
Do you require pass-through storage for long items?
Do you want basement doors that open in a specific direction?
(to the side or up like a bus)
How important is soundproofing or insulation?
How important is entertainment, inside or outside?
How many televisions, and where?
Speakers or refrigerator in basement to use when camped?
Can you find the features you want in a used coach?

Livability... Casual Use to Full Timing

RESEARCH
Buying a motor home is easy... the hard part is selecting the one that will best fit your needs. Do a lot of looking and as much research as you can. Take notes about what you like and dislike in each coach you see. Do not accept that what you want is not available. After our first month of looking, we had a floor plan we liked but everything else was wrong. We almost bought that floor plan because we were beginning to think what we wanted was not available or economically attainable. Any fool can buy a motor home; the trick is not to be foolhardy about the process of selecting the one. Some people are smarter than we are; it took us months of intensive research, giving up every week end visiting dealers, hours of reading magazines, exploring all the internet sales sites, and forum surfing. In the end, we looked at 26 different models from 12 different manufacturers, and test drove most of them. We also visited a multitude of factories and found people to discuss ideas and assumptions. One thing to keep in mind, make sure that you adopt your own ideas and make your own priorities for features and functions. Others will have valuable insights, but those insights and perspectives will reflect their own priorities. As you listen, try to understand not only what they think is important, but also why. Get as many variant opinions as you can in arriving at your own conclusions. What's perfect for one can be a horrible mismatch for another.

There is no substitute for spending time in a prospective coach, visualizing daily routines in terms of workability and comfort and convenience... sit in every seating position, open and close everything that will do so, adjust anything that has an adjustment, especially the driver's and passenger's seats. Lie down on the bed, open up any convertible couches and test them for comfort. Walk through meal preparation and maneuvering around in the coach with a full complement of people and pets, both with sliders in and out. Go through the exercise both indoors and outdoors. Open the sliders and the awnings at the same time to check angles and clearances. Think through loading and unloading: is there enough space and is it easily accessible? See how cords and hoses roll in and out.

Do not expect that what you will get is any better than what you see in the showroom. So many times I got that response to an inquiry about a noticeable defect in terms of fit, finish, or operation. As you are deciding on the coach and examining the details of fit and finish, do not limit you looking to the interior. Look hard in all the equipment bays and in the engine compartment. A lot of unnecessary breakdowns are set up when the coach is mated to the chassis, look for hoses and wiring too close to heat source or that will rub, abrade, or get pinched, look for lapses in sealing seams. In other words, fit and finish has two flavors: cosmetic and functional. If what you can see looks slipshod, then what you can not see is not going to be any better.

Choosing Gasoline or Diesel Powered?

SELECTING THE DEALER
It seems that a lot of dissatisfaction that people experience lies at the doorstep of the dealer they choose. In other cases, I think some buyers have unrealistic expectations about how the dealer will react to their concerns and problems. Thorough vetting out of the dealer is of utmost importance. Talk to as many people as you can who have done business with the dealer. Also have some very frank discussions with your perspective dealer, starting with the salesperson, and then a review of your expectations with the salesperson and the sales manager together. Be specific, give examples, and require specific responses. Do not accept "You're in good hands All-State" responses.

TAKING DELIVERY
When you go to pick up your coach from the dealer have a thorough checklist of items to check. Do the inspection systematically. There are several lists already created that you can use as a starter. Here are a few thoughts.

„« Do not schedule your pick up of your new motor home on a Friday or a day before a holiday. That way the pressure to get it done will be lessened and there will be time for corrections to be made. Have extra time built into your schedule. Have a place to stay so there is no need to rush the inspection if you're picking up your coach remotely from where you live.

„« Make sure that all the documentation and manuals are present. Do an inventory and do not forget to get a list of all the serial and model numbers for all the warrantee registration. It's the job of the dealer to provide that.

„« Operate and test everything. Make sure you can do it yourself... and then do it, and have your companion do it. We got the in motion satellite and the home entertainment system; I am still the only one who can operate them...

„« Take notes of what you see that bothers you or questions that come to mind. If you don't get satisfactory answers to your question, just ask them again and again until you're satisfied. You have paid a lot of money for those answers.

„« Question anything you do not understand. Make sure you and spouse do not leave with any unanswered question... Nothing worse than to discover something and then hear the words, "I was wondering about that."


„« Do not assume anything has been checked or is working properly. Check them yourself, especially fluids and tire pressures... which means bring a suitable tire gauge. It would also be useful to have one of those indoor/ outdoor thermometers with a remote sensor to check air conditioner and heat performance, including the dash air.

„« If at all possible, go through the manuals and documentation before you do your acceptance inspection. Just take a couple of hours off in a corner; you will be amazed at the questions that will pop up. It's better to do that before you do your walk through.

„« Use one of the many cookbook PDA lists that are around. The best one I found was at http://www.rversonline.org/ArtFactoryPickup.html There is also a special section on air brakes on the rversonline site.

„« Do a test drive that will approximate how you will drive your motor home.

„« Go into the process expecting to have glitches and some your expectations not to be met. Focus on resolutions instead of recriminations. Don't let someone else's ignorance spoil what should be a very special day!!

OUR PERSONAL EXPERIENCE
From my own experience and what insights I have gained from private discussions with a number of first time buyers, the really tough issue is nailing down your wants, needs, and priorities and then overlaying the price one will have to pay. In our case we spent more than we originally set out to spend, but less than I could have. Deciding which manufacturer was not the starting point, it was the place to end...

Here are some of our answers to the questions I posed above:

Will you be a driver or a parker... In our case we are drivers. We tend to drive a lot and never stay in one place for very long while others will pick a destination, go there and plant themselves for a period of time, then return home. We wanted the maximum of space in the coach when the sliders were closed which was a governing factor in determining floor plan and the number of sliders. We also wanted certain key storage areas accessible and wanted access to the washer/dryer with the sliders closed. We wanted to maximize the kitchen counter space and be able to use the seating area and table while underway or for those times we stop in route. So we opted for a dinette which has the advantage being able to convert into a sleeping position (albeit for a short person). We also preferred not to deal with the chairs while underway which have a tendency to want to move around if not securely strapped down.

In terms of the bathroom, we wanted the toilet area separate from the shower and sink. We wanted to be able to separate the bathroom from the bedroom and the living area for those times when there would be others on board besides my wife and me.

We also chose to eliminate the up-front TV for increased visibility and to avoid a source for bumping heads. We wanted it placed elsewhere in the coach and at eye level so we wouldn't crane our necks up to watch.

We needed a floor plan that would comfortably sleep 5.

How far do you want to be able to travel between fuel stops... how much capacity do you want for water, black, and grey tanks... These are good issues to raise on forums; you will get a wide variety of answers. We arbitrarily decided we wanted a 1000 miles for fuel, and 3 to 5 days capacity for water and holding tanks.

It helps to be reasonable and recognize that it's better to start with the minimum you are willing to settle for and then the maximum you're willing to pay for. Be conservative in your estimates.

We wanted to have pass-through storage in the basement as well as sliding drawers, which eliminated some coaches including one that had our favorite floor plan in it. While you're thinking about storage, keep in mind there are different options for the type of doors used on basement storage. Aside from the conventional, there are bus style doors that cantilever up and out of the way, as well as side opening doors. Our coach has all three types.

We put a premium on insulation and the soundproofing of the coach when parked, so we paid attention to the specs and tested the noise level in the coach in terms of isolating the inside from the outside. We were focused on not being disturbed and not disturbing our neighbors. We wanted the coach to be as quiet as possible on the road as well as when parked.

We opted not to buy used, although there are many compelling reason to do so: initial cost and the potential that new coach bugs would be worked out. Part of our criteria was to bypass anything that had not had continual use, since disuse often accelerates the deterioration of such things as seals, hoses, belts and the like. In the end, we concluded we were unlikely to find a match for our wants and needs in a used coach and focused on going the new coach route. Once we decided we wanted a new coach, we soon discovered that it was going to require us to order one to get exactly what we wanted and would fit into our budget.

So we began to reduce the number of potential manufacturers from 12 down to 3 since the others did not offer what we wanted or their level of fit and finish wasn't acceptable to me. Having said that, I believe that with minor exceptions many of the manufacturers we deselected would have worked for us, had their offerings been a match to our wants and needs.

We placed a priority on which manufacturers would give us the most flexibility to make minor alterations to their standard fare; that got the list down to 2. In the end, we chose the one that gave us the most flexibility. Their reputation for warrantee support was also a determining factor, but any of the final three would have given terrific support based on their reputation.

In our case, we did not place a high premium on after sale dealer support. This is not a course I would recommend for every one but our situation was such that we were comfortable in taking on the responsibility of managing our service needs. It did take some work to establish a network of support once we bought. We have been fortunate to have had only one coach related issue, which was very minor. Other problems we have had were with the generator and our satellite system, where we dealt directly with the manufacturers with satisfactory results. We found both the coach manufacturer and the manufacturers of the specific components were very helpful in answering any questions that popped up.

When our coach was being built, I visited the factory to follow progress on the construction, timing the visit so I would be able to inspect what I was expecting in terms of wiring, plumbing, and interior construction. I was able to see our coach and other coaches down the line so I inspected each step of the build process.

This post will raise more questions than it answers which in part was the intent, and the offer up a process to get the answers...

If you interest is in Buying A Used Motorhome Here are Some Thoughts For First Time Buyers

Good luck in your odyssey it's a worthwhile journey.

JohnnyT

[Jackjagt]

Front Diesel may be noisier than you'll like. Diesels make more noise than a similar gas engine. That's why putting them in the back is a good idea. Also, Diesels are way heavier than gas and they would have to modify the front accordingly.
Of course manufacturers will make anything that sells. This may not take off, but they must think so. 🙂

[AMoreau]

Hello, I'm a very new newbie and really appreciated JohnnyT insight into getting an RV. We are about a year and half from getting one. We are just starting our serious look at everything. We are planning to rent one for a long weekend to see if this is what we really want to do. Right now we are sailors and own a 34' boat that we will sell to get into the RV world if that's our direction.
I can't believe all the choices out there. We have been to a couple of RV shows and we have settled on the fact that we want a DP. We know what it's like to live in a 34' space because of the boat. I understand Tiffin is coming out with a diesel in the front end. I don't know if that makes a difference?
Well this is my first post and you will be seeing me around. Great Forum! I know I'll be learning a lot from it. Thanks. Al & Candy & Kerri & (Bella Rose)

[jim_martin_pa]

Thanks for the input

Wow, you spend a lot time preparing the buyers giode

Thanks again

Jim

[william_purcell]

Outstanding job! If you are considering the purchase of an RV, READ AND FOLLOW THIS POST. We are now in our second RV. We had some general dreams about what we wanted in our first, but more than anything else, we totally lucked into what turned out to be a good purchase. After a year and a half, I retired and we moved into it full time. We learned a lot more then. Althought we were still satisfied and comfortable in that coach, we decided to full-time for a long while, so we wanted to look at options for a new coach. We went through essentially the same process that Johnny describes, incuding going through more coaches than I care to remember. Every time, we took several pictures inside of each to help jog our memories. Once we had made up our minds on the "what" we sat down to bargaining.

Now, I have another recommendation, especially for those considering a NEW coach. We sat with dealer after dealer going through their sales pitches and their scripted negotiating play before I found a booklet on the web by Bob Randall, "The RV Buyers Survival Guide". I paid $17.95 for it on the web and figured that since I was about to buy a $200K machine that the investment was worth the risk. Was it ever!!! As I read the guide, I could see the antics of at least 4 or 5 negotiating sessions we had been through. And based on what I learned from the guide, the best "deal" we had been offered up to that point was still not very good. We had almost jumped on one of them! In the end, I walked into a dealer and gave them the list of what I wanted ordered on our new coach. I also told them that I wanted 26% off of retail or I was not buying. They called me the next day and said OK. We wound up with EXACTLY the coach we wanted, our way, and the end cost was less than I had expected to pay for a coach. We've been living in it for the past 17 months now and like it even more than the day we picked it up.

Bottom line: It's YOUR investment--DO YOUR HOMEWORK FIRST.

[cdc309]

I read your article about a lot of useful information. But for those that would like to see for themselves, I found a brand new site called RV Video Showcase. It can be found as .http://www.rvvideoshowcase.com This site is great for first time buyers, or for folks undecided on what they want to purchase. It contains VIDEO from most Manufacturers. The Video is in most cases a complete company profile including factory tours, testimonials and product lines.

It also includes the RV Dealers that carry the inventory. It is an easily navigated site without a bunch of Advertising clutter.

For anyone who is into Video, this is a great site. Be prepared to stay a while. Once you look at one video, you'll be compelled to continue right through their play list, which as I said before is quite full of great information

[Texasanne]

What fantastic information you have taken the time to share. Bravo and thank you! We have been investigating the RV lifestyle and through this website I made a friend who is a fulltimer. She and I have been emailing and she told me a 5th wheel is far and away the roomiest decision for a fulltimer. Plus, she didn't want to be in her "home" all day with driving paraphernalia, maps etc. all over so esthetically she preferred being in her truck and going "home" when they stopped. As a woman, that stuck a chord with me. So . . .
how did you handle the vehicle thing? To have a 5th wheel will mean we'll have to sell a car and buy a truck and that has certain ramifications for us with a moderate income (retired). Will you detail what truck you have/get because I admire and adhere to your checklist approach.
Again thanks,
Texasanne

[DIYGuy]

My wife and I have learned more in the last 6 months about RVing than we ever thought possible, mostly due to the incredible range of knowledge on this list. We are now looking for our full time RV.

We put together our feature checklist so that we could make apples to apples comparisions on the various homes. The first thing we looked at was the engineering and quality of the slide mechanisms. I think that it is indicative of the overall quality of the engineering of the unit. Even if it's built with the best materials by the most talented craftsmen, if it's designed wrong, it can't be fixed. Small detour on quality, most of the time, quality is confused with value, luxury, longevity. Quality is an objective analysis of does the unit sucessfully meet the requirements and specification. Each of us has our own requirements and specifications, so what may be a quality unit to me may not be a quality unit to somebody else. For us that means I place high requirements on durabilty, sound engineering design, no identifiable weak links, and finally, livability.

Make your own checklist of the things that are important to you.

Our checklist had 25 items on page 1, and if passed page 1, another 40 on page two.

Some idea of what's on our lists:
Slide mechanism attachment points.
Sealant beads uniform or glopped on.
Wire bundles neat and properly stress relieved.
Kitchen trash bag storage.
Kitchen knife storage.
Where does dirty laundry go.
Fan in shower.
Fan in commode.
Usablity with slides in.
Can I cook a pasta dinner?
Can I cook BBQ ribs w/ red bliss potatoes and lemon broccoli (Favorite Dish)?
What's happens when I shave? (In one, I hit the commode with my leg when I bent over the sink.)
Can I see all of the guages when seated in the driver seat?
Can I reach all of the controls. (In one, the shift selector pod was behind the steering wheel and unreachable without leaning quite far forward.)
Cross breeze in the Master bedroom.
TV location? (Watch without head twisted?)
Front door covered by awning?
Where does hobby stuff go.
Cabinet H/W.
How much vinyl vs. solid wood.

We spent last weekend, (20 hr. total) at the NE RV show crawling under and over every Class A DP (and few others for reference to make sure on the premise of a class A DP) in our budget going though our checklists.

Here's a list of most of the homes we completely inspected.

Damon Tuscany
Tiffin Phaeton
Travel Supreme Select
Monaco Diplomat
Alfa See Ya (The GOld DVD has a lot a great generic stuff on it)
Fleetwood Providence
Monaco Lapalma
Itasca Ellipse
Beaver Monterey
Fleetwood American Traditions
Tiffin Allegro Bus
Fleetwood Excursion
Itasca Meridian
Travel Supreme Envoy
Fleetwood Bounder Diesel

We had it narrowed down to four units, both with a long list of pluses and only a few minuses.

Travel Supreme Envoy
Alfa See Ya Gold
Damon Tuscany
Fleetwood Excursion

We then spent an hour or more in each one of these looking at livability and going over my minus list to verify 1st impressions. I had the Damon low on my list, and had removed it when the dealer rep asked me if I would come back in 20 minutes and talk to the Damon executive about my concerns. I did, and I came away thinking that many of the items would be discussed in the next planning session.

The one with the most interior storage by far was the Alfa See Ya. Can't get past the angular design on cabinet faces and the dashboard. Just didn't feel like home walking into it.

We had it narrowed down to the Envoy or the Excursion.

On the way out, we saw a DoubleTree Mobile Suites 36' 5ver with a very nice picture on the living room television. We went in so that I could look at the electronics and see how there were getting the TV signal. (It was a DVD) While in there however, I was running my checklists through in my head and found that it was solving most of the small minuses we had in either of the DP's. The other thing we noticed, is that with 4 or 5 people in the Class A's we were crawling over each other. In the 5ver there were 6 people watching TV, with others walking in and out. SO....Our long weekend of looking at DP's showed us the right unit for us is a 5ver. Wouldn't have figured it out without the checklists generated by the ideas planted in the 1st post of this thread. I have the 5ver list down to a few and will follow this up with our purchase experience in the apropriate forum...

Thank You.

[AggieDad]

Howdy QAQueen60!

We have both bought and sold an RV through PPL, and we were very pleased with them. But you need to understand how they work.

PPL is strictly a consignment sales lot. They do not own the RVs they sell, they do not prepare them in any way other than what the owners request, and they do not warrant them. They will do a complete systems check prior to purchase for a reasonable fee.

Every unit on their lot, and they have a bunch, is open for you to go through with no salesperson following you around. The price is prominently posted, and there is an information sheet available for each unit. When you want more information or a test drive, then you ask for a salesperson. Salesperson is probably a misnomer. They make no effort to sell you. Probably a better term would be facilitators. They will take your offer to the owner, and of course they will write up the sale.

PPL is a full service operation and offers financing and insurance, a complete service department, and a nice parts and accessories store. I do all my RV shopping at their store, and I was very pleased the one time I used their service department.

I hope this all helps.

[BabyBear]

I just bought my first motor home last week,and since I have never even ridden in one before I'm fairly certain I must have made a mistake of some sort. It's a 1984 Fleetwood Southwind 30 footer with 69,000 miles on it,and I paid $4,000. It looks good and there isn't supposed to be any mechanical problems or probles with the motor home itself except for needing new batteries.

I bought it because I plan on moving out west next spring,and I figured the best way to do this would be to take a motorhome out there first and wander around until I found a place where I wanted to live. I have no idea if I will keep it or not after I buy a house to move into. I kind of got camping out of my system while I was in the infantry. I know this is a higher order of camping that that,but we will have to see how much I like it.

Never been camping in RV parks before,so I'm still trying to figure out things like "how do I get my mail?",and "how can I hook up to the internet from a motor home?".

[Albslb2]

To Johnny T. Absolutely a fabulously done artice. Now the only thing I need is a haggler to get the 400K RV down to 50K and the bugs removed with a paid up Fuel card for about 20000 gallons, and the bills paid for life. Only a spoof but superbly done.

[Dave_Bowers]

.

[QAQueen60]

We live in the Houston area, and are getting ready to buy our first RV (Class A). We've visited the website for PPL Motor Homes in Houston, and are impressed with their web page...lots of information and photos. Question is, has anyone had any experience with PPL, good or bad?

Thanks in advance...

[Texasanne]

Thank you for writing such a comprehensive article on purchasing a motorhome. I'm so new on this subject that you might call me a pre-schooler. We've always traveled (US and worldwide) by flying, then renting a car and staying in hotels/motels. But my husband is allergic to so many things these days that even a top-notch hotel can have something in the air that sets him off. So, he said he wanted a motorhome so it would be "like home".

Now, we have NEVER been in a motorhome except to walk through one. People have tried to be helpful with suggestions from "get a 5th wheel to only buy a diesel pusher". I know nothing about repairs of any kind nor have I ever driven something like a bus. My husband thinks he'll be fine with the driving but he is no handy man.

We're retired with a moderate budget. We want to drive to National and State parks and enjoy the scenery, nature and walk around watching birds. I dream about going to places and staying a couple of months. Then coming home and catching up on household matters, getting my hair cut, going to the doctor and then hitting the road again. Is this realistic? Will we have nothing but headaches with maintainance and fuel going ever higher?

We are going to take the big leap by RENTING a motorhome. It's a 29' coach called an Admiral (no idea the manufacturer). I like the floorplan and the RV people charge a fortune for a security deposit so most people don't smoke or damage anything for fear of losing that deposit. So it should be smoke-free. We're going out for 2 weeks.

Anybody with time to write me and knowledge to share I would love to hear from you. I will spend the time it takes to research and ask questions and listen to answers.

By the way, Johnny T, what motorhome did yo eventually buy. I mean manufacturer and model, please. I'm curious what met your criteria.

Looking for information,
Texasanne

[Montanadreamer]

I, too, thought that was some great info. I just wish I had seen this before I got my rig.

I don't think I got a bad deal, but I probably could have done a little more "homework" before I signed the papers.

I don't know if anyone touched on this yet concerning the financing (I just spot-read some of these posts) and I learned this lesson when I bought my car a year before.

When it comes time to put down a down payment if you're financing, STICK TO WHAT YOU'RE WILLING TO PUT DOWN.

I haven't been on RV.NET for awhile but I think I have a post somewhere on what I did when it came time to get the financing.

The dealer wanted $2000 down that day. I told them I had a better idea. I will give them $1000 (because of the age of the motorhome and because I had a feeling they wanted it off the lot, seeing that there wasn't a whole lot of older used vehicles and they seem to be REALLY trying to sell me on this thing.

They tried three times to coax another thousand out of me and I told them three times I was walking off the lot. If they were'nt in any hurry to sell, I'm sure they'd have said "ok, hope to do business with you in the future" and let me walk.

Finally, the fourth time was a charm. I drove off with my RV and they only took a $1000 down for it. I'd probably still be renting an apartment if this didn't work so it was a gamble that paid off.

I was pretty pleased with myself.

I think I just came to the RV lot on a day when no one was making their sales quota. (all the salespeople were sitting at thier little outdoor plastic table bs'ing when I showed up - didn't even get up when I asked to see some of their vehicles.

[Lyman]

Sailingnuts: Consumer reports may rate someday, but your best bet is to look at every one you think you might want and read up on the maintenance problems of those particular units for the last few years.

Arlosmith: 79 Pace Arrow 27' for 5K. Toad is a 2003 Indian Chief for 27K. Nice pair, actually. The PA can sleep 10 easily so for a bunch of bikers who just need a bathroom, shower, place to leave their gear and sleep/eat, it was great. Ladies get tired of riding on the bikes, they can drive up in the RV while the guys ride.

Kristen: 1990 to 1992 Jayco 5th wheel with slides. Problem is your F150 won't pull it. You might be very happy in an Airstream though, if you can find one of the silver ones cheap. I'd stick with a bumper/frame hitch on your truck. And don't exceed the tongue weight recommended for your truck's towing capacity. Ford can tell you the exact specs, and you can have the dealer measure on a scale the actual empty (except for water) toungue weight of the trailer you choose.

Ennis: Tell the dealer to bite you, and walk. Unless your heart is definitely set on that one unit, try this. 2000 Pace Arrow Vision 36B. 36.5 ft vs. the 32ft. of the 05, but get this. Same floorplan, includes a washer/dryer, you will use the extra space, and be happier (unless you just have to have a tub). Instead of 105K to 126K, you're looking at 68K to 72K, and the original owner has likely fixed any known issues. The 14K for your TravelLite Trailer may or may not be a good deal. Depends on the year of it, and whether the dealer is really using it to your benefit or his on the price of the unit.

UReady. Both the Pace Arrow I had (79) and the one I traded it in for (2000 Pace Arrow Vision) are going to be fine in Alaska during the summer. I lived in Fairbanks for 5 years in the Air Force, and many people have the RV's up there. Currently I'm living full time in my 2000 in Colorado Springs, and the weather is similar as typical Anchorage winter weather (even got to -20 wind chill last winter here. Windows are double pane, but I still put up inslation panels. This year I may even skirt the unit. To keep the interior about 70 degrees, I go through 20 gallons (100 pounder is 48.00) of propane every 10 -12 days during the winters here. I could save propane by using space heaters but won't run them when I'm not home (I work daily Mon - Fri).

Knowing the dealer or having something in common with them helps, too.
I ended up living in the 79 after the divorce. 8 months later, I'm window shopping for a bigger unit and run into an old harley salesman now working RV's. I'm riding Indian. My 79 (mind you he's never even seen it) is worth 12 - 1500.00 max (3.5 years after purchasing for 5K). He wants 75K for the 200 Pace Arrow Vision. I don't have a down except the 79. He gives me 7700.00 for the 79, raises the price on the 2000 to 77K and we start hunting for financing. I come up with it first, and it's a done deal. I drove it from their PDI point to my RV Park spot and parked it. Start it about every 20 days and let it run for a couple minutes. Insurance says I have to move it once a year. It's almost that time to run it around the park once.
By the way. You live in them full time and only Foremost and one other company will insure it. You live elsewhere and just drive it for vacations, everyone wants your money. And no insurance company can say why.
NOTE:*** Here's the real kicker for those of you thinking of selling your homes to get one and just travel. Without a primary residence, you cannot deduct the interest payments for the motor home on your income tax as a 2nd residence. Your RV becomes your primary residence and the IRS won't let you deduct. Whether a primary or secondary residence, your motor home payment is a secured loan, not a mortgage. Only as a secondary home can the interest payments be deducted.