First timer - diving in
Hi all,
We are new to this, but have shopped for RVs off and on for many years (when kids were kids) never pulled the trigger. Recently our lifestyle is under significant change. We now have the freedom to travel and make our own schedules. So we are going ahead with a purchase. After reading the new buyer thread I think we are on the right track with a 34 ft. Motor Home. We have rented one in the past (Luxury MH) and also rented a small travel trailer (other end of the spectrum). Both were good experiences and have given us a feel for what is involved. It is just me and the wife. Two grown kids are on their own (mostly).
After leaving my corporate job, we are now full time landlords, and are used to making repairs of all types on our own, with some limitations. We're not afraid to take on anything with regard to the MH. I have restored an old Corvette ground up, rehabbed multiple buildings, built one, and do mostly all my own home/auto repair and maintenance. So we feel we can handle this. We can weld, woodwork, plumb, some electrical, most mechanical, etc.
We are planning to purchase this week from a private seller. The MH is a 2010 Winnebago class A and has just 11000 miles. We had our choice locally between a couple of the same model and are happy with the floor plan. This one has less use, while the other was a lived in during winter. We need to do a complete operations and condition check now that we are ready to make a deposit. We plan to go through the manual, and look for signs of trouble throughout.
Our interest is driven by: (1) we like to travel with our dog, (2) are always concerned about hotel cleanliness and quality (wife tears them apart to find bed bugs), and (3) are generally thrifty. This is a huge move for us and comes with a lot of anxiety. To reduce that, we are choosing something we think will be adequate for as long as we are interested in having one. We are also buying used, but not worn out.
We are getting into this just below NADA low retail, but it seems the value is easily overstated using the NADA tool. For example, this model comes standard with three slides, so if you add those to the list as options the price gets inflated. I took the approach to add nothing to the list of options, even though there are several listed on the original invoice. Still we are below low retail. Both sellers we approached were in sync on price level and we pushed them both, so we feel as though we are at the right price point.
After reading this, please raise other red flags we should look for. Our first trip will begin immediately heading from New England to Denver, then touring around the west until we get homesick. Some form of checklist to verify everything would be very helpful.
Thanks in advance for any and all inputs!
G & C
We are new to this, but have shopped for RVs off and on for many years (when kids were kids) never pulled the trigger. Recently our lifestyle is under significant change. We now have the freedom to travel and make our own schedules. So we are going ahead with a purchase. After reading the new buyer thread I think we are on the right track with a 34 ft. Motor Home. We have rented one in the past (Luxury MH) and also rented a small travel trailer (other end of the spectrum). Both were good experiences and have given us a feel for what is involved. It is just me and the wife. Two grown kids are on their own (mostly).
After leaving my corporate job, we are now full time landlords, and are used to making repairs of all types on our own, with some limitations. We're not afraid to take on anything with regard to the MH. I have restored an old Corvette ground up, rehabbed multiple buildings, built one, and do mostly all my own home/auto repair and maintenance. So we feel we can handle this. We can weld, woodwork, plumb, some electrical, most mechanical, etc.
We are planning to purchase this week from a private seller. The MH is a 2010 Winnebago class A and has just 11000 miles. We had our choice locally between a couple of the same model and are happy with the floor plan. This one has less use, while the other was a lived in during winter. We need to do a complete operations and condition check now that we are ready to make a deposit. We plan to go through the manual, and look for signs of trouble throughout.
Our interest is driven by: (1) we like to travel with our dog, (2) are always concerned about hotel cleanliness and quality (wife tears them apart to find bed bugs), and (3) are generally thrifty. This is a huge move for us and comes with a lot of anxiety. To reduce that, we are choosing something we think will be adequate for as long as we are interested in having one. We are also buying used, but not worn out.
We are getting into this just below NADA low retail, but it seems the value is easily overstated using the NADA tool. For example, this model comes standard with three slides, so if you add those to the list as options the price gets inflated. I took the approach to add nothing to the list of options, even though there are several listed on the original invoice. Still we are below low retail. Both sellers we approached were in sync on price level and we pushed them both, so we feel as though we are at the right price point.
After reading this, please raise other red flags we should look for. Our first trip will begin immediately heading from New England to Denver, then touring around the west until we get homesick. Some form of checklist to verify everything would be very helpful.
Thanks in advance for any and all inputs!
G & C
