First Time Buyers (Used)

[Sdyer1357]

First off please excuse any stupid questions i may ask. We are very new to Rv-ing both my Wife and i are in our late 50s and still working. We both are self employed so getting away at short notice is not a problem. We would like to do many long weekends and at least one long stay (60 days) per year. The 60 day trips being 1500 miles each way and park. The long weekends maybe 1000 miles total. We have a small dog and a parrot(best friends) the parrot can stay home for the long weekend trips :). Apart from that it will be for the most part just my wife and i. We know that we want to go with a class A but maybe on the shorter side, We have a small budget of $25,000 to buy a used coach. So far we have looked alot on Craigslist and a few local dealers. Not test driven yet. i looked at a ITASCA (29ft) last night and liked what i saw although i know nothing about this ( or any other maker. I have room at my home to park and store so that wont be a problem. We live in New Hampshire where the weather can be extreme ( Cold and Hot) so i think we will need GOOD heating and cooling as well as insulation.
Some questions i have for you all are

What are your thoughts on ITASCA 27 - 30 ft, 2000 - 2004
Where are the best places to buy Dealers or Private
What are the biggies to look for when buying
I am seeing a lot of deals in Florida, Is it worth going down to buy? (one of the places we want to spend some time )
We are not set on ITASCA, So do you have any recommendations in the 27ft - 30ft range.

Thank you all for your help Steve and Carol (New Hampshire)

[bsinmich]

I just sold my 2003 Newmar 2 weeks ago. My roof was not fiberglass but Brite-Tek and the warranty was still in effect for another 6 mo. Newmar is one of the few who will give the R factor of walls, floors and roofs. I also had dual pane windows with no problem ever. They make the MH quieter and better insulation factors. Quality makes a difference.

[OutdoorPhotogra]

TXRVCouple wrote:
Texas has no state taxes!

No income tax but sales tax. Does TX exempt RV's from sales tax?

[Bumpyroad]

Ductape wrote:

Bumpyroad wrote:
the Itasca will have a fiberglass roof. that puts it head and shoulders above much of the competition.
bumpy

An opinion not universally shared.

JackUtah needs a new roof

if you want a lot of interesting reading, do a search on EPDM roofing.
some fiberglass roofs may have a problem. ALL rubber roofs will have one.

bumpy

[Ductape]

Bumpyroad wrote:
the Itasca will have a fiberglass roof. that puts it head and shoulders above much of the competition.
bumpy

An opinion not universally shared.

JackUtah needs a new roof

[Kidoo]

Bumpyroad wrote:
any vehicle that needs to be titled/licensed/etc. regardless of where you buy it, where you license it will cost you tax/fees/etc.
bumpy

But if you buy it and license it only in a state that does not have taxes, you should not pay taxes?

[Bumpyroad]

any vehicle that needs to be titled/licensed/etc. regardless of where you buy it, where you license it will cost you tax/fees/etc.
bumpy

[TXRVCouple]

Texas has no state taxes!

[Bumpyroad]

be wary of dual pain windows. do a search.
bumpy

[Ivylog]

OP, a gas engine is good to about 36' and then a diesel for 38+. Not enough difference in MPG at 30' or 36' to worry about. Many smaller A's will have a 3500 lb hitch which will limit your choices for a toad while bigger ones usually have a 5K hitch.
I bought a used car from a dealer in Fla this past winter and he gave me a 30 day temp tag and no sales tax as I titled it in GA. I looked at the same car at a county auction and they stated that unless it was shipped out of state, sales tax would be charged. The above post about delivering to GA adds up but not sure why the difference. Had much the same on a MH I bought in AZ, but they delivered it to NM so I did not have to pay AZ sales tax.
For cold weather I'd put dual pane windows at the top of the list and then heated tanks. I would also want to know how to winterize as some are fairly easy (low point drains & hot water heater bypass valves) while others are not.

[Kidoo]

Sdyer1357 wrote:
No sales tax in New Hampshire, So if i go to Florida for a deal i will have to remember that.

I bought a pick up truck and an enclosed trailer in NH, it was nice not to pay taxes, although I had to pay back 15% taxes in Canada, yerk! I also bought a Truck Camper in Pensylvania and was exempt from taxes as being non-resident.

There are many many RV for sale in Florida and Texas, you might find a deal that will outweight the taxes.

I am not sure, but in Florida you have to pay the state taxes, no matter if you are resident of Florida or not, you cannot be exempt. But the dealer that sells the RVs in Cocoa says he can delivers the RV in Georgia so you will not have to pay the 6% Florida taxes. Since you do not have taxes in NH, you would probably be exempt of taxes, all you need is a temporary license plate and insurance to get back home. Another dealer, Camping World, said he could deliver in Georgio also.

I do not know about Texas taxes if you can be exempt or not, a call to PPL could clarify this.

[Sdyer1357]

No sales tax in New Hampshire, So if i go to Florida for a deal i will have to remember that.

[John_Wayne]

Rent a few for a few long week ends or in your case being self employed rent mid week it may be cheaper. Get an idea what you have to have and what you can live without. Check how much you can tow you will need a toad. Get slides at least one. Does wife like to bake can you live with out an oven. Can you live with microwave / convection. Will you be going where it's hot. Usually 30amp will get you one A/C 50 amp will get you 2 A/C. (you will not be able to run 2 A/Cs at the same time on 30 amp service)

[Billinwoodland]

Sdyer,
After you make the deal, some dealerships will add a cost for the PDI. This can be as much as $1,000. Find this out up front when you are negotiating. Also, do not believe they did a thorough job on their inspection. You must hire your own independent inspector to go through the coach. I had really good luck searching for "mobile rv repair" to get a list of techs that could do the inspection. The price will be all over the map. Call several of them, tell them what you are after, and ask them what their pre-purchase inspection includes. The shining star will be real obvious. Some of them will also have yelp reviews. The inspection should also include the tech driving the coach. There are two general areas that you need to be concerned with. The coach systems and the chassis. My engine was low time, so I did not take the coach to a ford dealer for inspection. However my inspector went over the engine/tranny (as I did, get under it, look for leaks, worn belts/hoses, etc) and he used a magnetic dip stick in the tranny and engine oil looking for metal fragments. He gave me a comprehensive written report and charged me $250. He gave me ~ dozen dealer must repair items which included new tires. Dealer took care of me, partly because they knew I had my own tech. That absolutely was the best 250 I have spent. And BTW, having a written document from a respected independent tech was a great negotiating tool with the dealer. After they took care of the dozen items, I went back and did another inspection to find out all of them were not done. They did not get my money until the job was done. Buyer beware!

[Kidoo]

Street view for Cocoa Beach RV
https://www.google.ca/maps/@28.43551,-80.76117,3a,75y,200.74h,72.29t/data=!3m4!1e1!3m2!1sJVYry8lczTI0Ds-VJYT4FQ!2e0!6m1!1e1