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

[Gale_Hawkins]

This post is long so if you are not Paul and do not like long post then this is one you will want to skip to save you the time to post that it is not well written which is factual. 🙂

Paul that is a touching post of how your grandparents planted the positive motor home experience in your mind as a child. I did not catch your state but the place you go get your car tags would be the place to start to get it titled again. Sometime people turn in the title to keep from paying taxes.

From your post I gather you go in the MH from time to time and it has stayed dry inside assuming it has been setting outside so you know you do not have water damage over the past 5 years. DO NOT worry about the tires at this point if they look so so and have the minimum air pressure stated somewhere around the driver’s door and if they are the 19.5 wheels that will be around 65 pounds most likely for that generation. Just do not get out and run it hard with those tires but slipping around to get service and checking it out if the MH is worth fixing up should be OK. 20-30 mile local trips do not require the best of tires and if the cracks are less than 3/32 deep Michelin states they are not show stoppers in and of themselves. You can deal with the tires before you put it over the road. Defer all like expenses until you know you are going to put it on the road and have the paper work in order.

Getting the gas out would be a good idea but you may be able to do that with the electric fuel pump by defeating the safety feature at the oil pressure sending unit. The safety device prevents 12 volts from reaching the fuel pump if there is no oil pressure and I assume that an 87 would be set up that way but I think you also have a mechanical fuel pump at the engine as well. There should be a fuel filter ( rather large) in the fuel line near the tank and most likely mounted on the frame. I think yours also has a fuel filter in the carburetor when the fuel line screws in at you can remove after you remove the fuel line. However I would not get concerned about the gas supply just yet because it is not required to get it at least to start and run a few minutes.

If it was parked with clean oil some would start it up with the current oil if it was clear but there could be moisture in the bottom that would get picked up if started so just draining it out and replacing it and the filter would cost less than $20 for both from like Wal-Mart. I would just go with 10 W 30 or 10 W 40 or even 30 weight because you will want to change in most likely in a few hundred miles any way or I would.

Ideally I would remove the plugs and put a couple 50/50 mixture of like motor oil and diesel in each cylinder and leave out the plugs so you can bring up the oil pressure with the starter but first I would turn it over by hand (socket on the crankshaft pulley bolt) just to make sure it has not frozen up (stuck piston). The junk yards will take an engine that has been frozen up for years and start doing the soaking with the 50/50 mixture and working with the engine to get it freed up over a period of a days. A lot of people do not know it but if moisture does not get built up on the crankcase (and most often they do not) the sitting does not really hurt an engine in a mechanical sense. I have seen old trucks, tractors, dozers, etc sit for 10-20 years and fire up and be OK. You could dry start it by putting squirting a little gas into the carburetor but since you may want the MH for a long while I would pull the plugs because you may want to replace them anyway since I think new plugs for my 454 was only like $12-$15. For $3 you can get a spark plug boot puller and can save you hours and tearing up your old wires which should be fine to test start it. With no plugs in it will take little battery power to turn it over and bring up the oil pressure but I would not turn it for more than 30 seconds at a time because starters when not designed to turn under a load for very long.

Assuming the engine turns over fine you could then install the plugs (check the gap and I would guess .035 would be about right based on what it would be in a Chevy). Just to get it started I would squirt about an ounce of gas into the carburetor and turn it over to see if it will try to start. If it does you can keep it running by squirting (I have used a catsup bottle) a little gas at a time into the carburetor. I have seen one backfire and catch fire so I would make sure I had an old coat or something to put over it carburetor just in case. If the engine starts and kind of runs for a few minutes you should be OK on having a functional engine.

Then you could look at removing as much fuel as possible either with the electric fuel pump or taking it out the filler opening if there is not plate designed to keep people from stealing your gas by preventing a hose going down the tube. Those tubes are very long also. If you do it by the electric fuel pump that is in the tank then you have tested and proven the electric fuel pump to be functional but it would take a long time to pump our 40-60 gallons of gas. If the tank has a drain plug then you are good to go with out messing with all of the other stuff. Remember a spark could be one too many so make sure not to bang the wrench against metal when removing it. Diaphragms in the mechanical fuel pump (if you have one with your engine) can dry out but fuel pumps are easy to replace (if you have access). I would only get concerned about the fuel filters at this point if you can not get the smell of gas when starting the engine.

Check for fuel line leaks if it does start and run. Later you will want to look at all hoses and belts (any and all rubber stuff). Ideally you would drop the transmission pan and replace and refill it to bring it backup to full but I would first move it around the place a little which will be all you can do until you get it tagged for the road. Then you can start on brakes, etc but if they stop it OK for now then you can turn your attention to other issues like the AC units, Generator, convert, etc. I would get one engine and one coach battery initially. After that you could turn your focus on the appliances, etc.

Best of luck but go slow on spending cash because if either the engine or transmission is bad you can get great running units for a fraction of what may cost you to get the Grand parents MH on to the road again.

[ACDCROCKER]

Hi all. Im new in rv-ing, but in the same respect im not. My grandparents would take the family on trips frequently in the 1987 Sunsport. My grandma, being 83, drove it, a 30 some odd foot motorhome. My grandparents are now passed away. Im 19, 19 years later and still love the idea of the motorhoming. The motorhome currently sits with no title (qoute on qoute) from what the family says. My first question is how to do I get the title? The motor home hasn't been on a trip for 5 years. Before stating it up, what do I do? My idea is to empty the fuel tank and put less than half in of new fuel. After this put new oil in it as well as a newer battery. Theirs no reason it shouldn't start, since their isn't that so called computer stuff in it....Which all in all makes life simpler. The tires look reasonbly good, but I would like to replace them, im guessing their about $175 a peice? The tires them selves are not dry rotted and have decent tread on them. Other than that it's a few cosmetics. I love the thing and I would hate to see it get wasted and just sit. I hate seeing cars sitting, and Im not even a pure car guy. I know it gets 4 miles per gallon and cost about $140 to fill, which isn't bad considering the fun, you know? Im not married, I have no kids, I just want to have fun whikle I can, smartly with lesser chance of breaking down or breaking anything.

Thanks for the help, it's greatly appreciated. And sorry for the long post.

Thank-you

[simplewebs]

very good information!!!

[maggie00]

Very informative. We have learned through our years with various types of RVs what we think will be appropriate for a Class A which we hope is in our near future. From a pop-up we went to a travel trailer. Using the pop-up taught us what things we wanted to improve as we moved to a TT. The TT has certainly been beneficial in teaching us what to look for in the living arrangement of a MH. Thankfully via our good Sam's connection we have seen numerous RVs and gained knowledge from fellow RV'ers. We are not glued to one particular floor plan, the floor plan just has to have certain aspects, and all the storage possible. All of that we can handle -- we are just frightened of deciding the mechanical specs since neither of us are mechanically savy.

[alwims]

James, my wife is 55yrs old and has been a Traveling RN for about a year and a half now. Her specialty is OB, 15yrs. I'm 52 and disabled on SSD, but can still get around ok to do the driving and housework, etc. We decided to go full time RVing on the last couple of assignments so we purchased a very inexpensive Motorhome, ('95 Rexhaul RexAir Widebody, $24,000 invested), just in case we didn't care for the RV lifestyle. So far we are loving it.

We love the freedom of taking the stipend and staying where we want to. The only problem we have encountered is, we are in Maplewood MN. and all the campgrounds shut down except the Casino because the water freezes. We've got 3 weeks left after Nov. 1st, which is when this campground shuts down, so we'll be going to the Casino to camp. They shut their water off also, but still let you camp at a lower rate. You have to use your on-board water, but they let you fill up for free. The problem with the Casino campground is it is 44 miles from the hospital my wife is working at. Be prepared to encounter these kinds of problems.

Also, take this advice to heart. When living in a Motorhome with your spouse, LOVE alone will not sustain your marriage, as a mater of fact, Love ain't got nothing to do with it, You really have to LIKE the person you're living with. We like each other and are best friends so it works out great for us.

BTW, what company are you with. We switched to Nurse Choice when we went full time RVing and are very happy. It's a quick response company and the assignments are 4 to 8 weeks. The Motorhome allows us to pack up and move to the next assignment rather quickly unlike when we stayed at their housing. Example, we were in Show Low AZ on a 13 week assignment with the other company and my wife re-upped for another 13 weeks staying in their housing. We could not believe how much packing we had to do before we could leave for the next assignment.

Keep us informed as to what you do. BTW we like this Motorhome so well, we'll probably wear it out before we upgrade. Yes we could use a little more room, but we are surprisingly very happy with it.

[Barry_E_]

John,

My wife and I have found a wealth of very helpful information on this site. Thanks in large part to your posts, as well as the input of so many others, we made the final decision yesterday.

and pick it up tomorrow...

Barry

[bigbubba1959]

My wife is a travel nurse now for 3 years.We love the traveling and we are looking into going at Rving full time within the next 6 months. We hate that part about them paying for an apartment and feel as if we are missing out on tax free housing stipend. Let the company pay for our motorhome!!

[pons]

Thats some good food for thought. I could start out small and stay in thier housing at first and camp between assignments until I decide if I like it or not. Thanks Gale,

[Gale_Hawkins]

James it sounds like you are considering doing two new things at the same time so your cup may be full. Taking short term nursing positions in different locations can be interesting I am sure. Living fulltime in a motor home can be interesting I hear.

Unless you are 100% certain about both you may consider picking up a very nice used motor home say for $40K - $50K even although you could find some really nice stuff in the $20K - $30K range. As I am sure you have read on this site some do not have full access to their new coaches for the first two years as sometimes they come with factory defects like things do no work correctly, they leak or have other issues being complex machines. While going with a late model used one does not insure no problems either but one way or the other you might consider purchasing one at least 6 months before you would take a position as a traveling nurse and do a lot of 2 day trips in it to learn the ropes of towing and living on the road if this is actually your first time.

While I believe in being positive if both of these major life changing decisions do not work out and you decided the full time MH living was not for you then you could give away to a needed group a $50K used motor home and still be $$$ ahead over buying a new $250K+ rig. If you are going to be working at a new job in a strange city leaving your wife in a strange RV park every few months I expect you can find a way to test the waters even if it meant getting an apartment the first time or two out.

Doing what you are planning could be the best or worse move you will ever make and while you can hear some thoughts on here remember adjusting to a different career and living style can be more of an emotional adjustment than a physical one. Best of luck and my thought is if you really want to make the move then go for it. Regrets can be expensive emotional things as well. 🙂

[pons]

Well I'm a virgin at this so be gentle guys and girls. I an RN and 55yo. I want to go full time with the wife doing travelling nursing. They will give me a $1100-$1600 housing stipend each month tax free plus my wages which will be about 80K-130K depending how much I work. They also offer a health plan with dental and eye care.
I have $50,000-$100000K to put down on a coach. I just started looking and the first one was a Foretravel U320 2004 heavily optioned coach. It was alot of money $342000 but they are quick to drop price to $315,000. I don't understand why dealers advertise so high but readily drop prices without me asking them to. I read on here somewhere to drop 35-40% off a new coach price and maybe 27% off used. Is that the deal?????? Can we live full time on less than 2k a month. My housing will be supplemented and want to put as much money away as possible. They will pay .42c a mile first 400 miles out and same deal coming back. My assignments will be 4-13weeks long. I c take as long as I want off between assignments but figure no more than 2 weeks each time. Can I make this work if I buy a high optioned 42 foot coach to full time in (like a American Eagle 42F or a Monaco Dynasty) that Id buy for between $180,000- $250,000. Are nice parks close to large cities easy to find?? What do they cost per month? I know you guys are bright and will jump in here and educate me.................HELP!

[Mr_Mark1]

I have a Monaco product and they are really good except for the dealership. The Dealer service dept. is SO full it's very hard to get an appointment. If both of these units are at the same dealer, ask the dealer how full their service dept. is.

My selling dealer is about 15 miles from my house but I take it 60 miles away as their sister store has more service bays and more flexibility in appointments. I didn't think about that when I purchased. It's not really a big deal as I like to drive my coach and I make a fun day of it. It might get old later.

Also, your tow vehicles are rather heavy (5500-6500 lbs). I have a Land Rover LR3 that I thought about towing but decided to park it and get a Honda CR-V. It's lighter and less expensive if it gets rock chips, broken windshield, etc. My Land Rover has a heated windshield that would cost over $700 to replace.

Actually, I have become a real Honda fan as this little CR-V is perfect... it's seats 5 comfortably, has leather, heated seats, navigation, AWD and gets 20 mpg's city, 28 hwy! It is amazing how much I can put in the back as it has a two level storage area. The Honda only weighs 3,400 lbs.

As far as a supplemental braking system, I chose the M&G system that attaches the Dynasty air-brakes to the Honda's master cylinder. Whenever I apply the brakes on the coach, the Honda's brakes are applied at the exact same pressure. I'm very please with this system because you don't have to remove anything from the front foot-well area like a Brake Buddy.

Connecting everything for towing will take 10 minutes max!.

Happy travels! Mr.Mark

[bigdogxray]

Great information, my wife and I have just sold the big boat and are looking at Class A MH's. I must say the number of makes / models, options etc can be quite confusing. One thing I have noticed is the large number of 1 year old coaches with around 5-6000 miles for sale. Is this attributable to people who choice the wrong make/model, or jumped in and then didn't like the lifestyle?

We are down to choosing between the 41 ft. Forest River Charleston and the Holiday Rambler Endeavor. Any thoughts anyone may have would be appreciated. Also any thoughts on towing either our 2007 Caddy Escalade or our 2006 Ford F150 King Ranch as well.

[retiredlife]

Perhaps if you are close enough to the factory and are able to watch in go through production it might be better. I would think that unless you already had a self-contained unit to park at the factory, it doesn't matter. Anyone have any other thoughts?

[Gale_Hawkins]

One has to wonder if a custom ordered coach with the name of the new owner already known may not get a little better attention than one being pushed out to go into inventory?

I have heard quality only cost once and that is up front.

[Mr_Mark1]

wcb5300, I did the same as you. I bought my first coach new exactly the way that I wanted it and I had changes made while it was on the assembly line.

I have friends who bought the wrong coach from the start and sold it rather quickly. That loss alone would have allowed them to get the right new coach from the start.

I have an '08 Dynasty and these are the things that I wanted after years of reading magazines, reading on sites, etc.

-full tile floor
-leather seating
-dishwasher
-stacked washer and dryer
-all electric coach (no propane)
-king bed
-four separate slides
-two euro recliners w/ottomans across from the sofa (didn't want two sofa's)

When I ordered, I was on the cusp of which year to buy, an '07 or '08. The '08 Dynasty had the larger grey tank added at 70 gl. from 56 gl. Monaco incorporated the side camera's into the side mirrors, the front TV and bedroom TV's were larger. I also got the outdoor TV that slides downward from a credenza behind the passenger side sofa. When the slide is out, a motor lowers the TV for outside viewing. This set-up allows the bay storage to freed up for other things. The dash changed slightly, the radio is closer to the driver and the air controls are where the radio was located (insignificant changes really).

I feel that I'll be much happier with a new coach even though there are always 'adjustments' rather than settling on another coach because of price, etc.

You got a better deal as I got mine for 22% off MSRP. But, I'm happy with everything so far, I'm just anticipating my next trip!

Happy Travels!:C