Is there a 'I wouldn't buy a ? Motorhome' - and why?

[Powerstroke2000]

We have somewhat of a budget set for buying a motorhome, and in doing research, I, like everyone else want to get the 'best for my buck'. Many, unsure quite why it is, don't like to say anything nasty about brand/model A, for fear of hurting someone's feelings who have one, or to think someone may argue the reason that they are wrong....but there are those of us out here that would like to hear such information!
I'm at a point where I'm ready to buy, and have come up with a couple of brands/models I like, and like everyone, my budget puts us into one or two X 'year' models, and of course the one we would like (mainly because of specific options came out) that we'd like in the slightly newer model!
It would be nice to hear things like..."I wouldn't buy one lower than such and such a year" or "Engine X sure is nicer than Y" (CAT and Cummins will suffice over any others thanks).
I tend to like a unit where 'more' horsepower is better, as I'm not one to enjoy holding up vehicles on those long mountainous climbs while pulling my loaded 18' enclosed trailer with toys, or vehicle! Add to that, I have my current pickup truck with over 500 HP...why can't they give more motorhomes similar power?
I'll add, the two brands I've been watching more than others, mainly for their floorpans, but with hopes of longevity...are Tiffin models (Phaeton mainly) and Newmar. I'm open to others if they pass the ability to give me the same longevity these two will, plus have favourable floorpans for the wife & I.
Still not sure, being new to retirement if we'll consider going for long periods (months at a time) as we are quite close to our kids/grandkids, but I'm sure many of you have gone through the same thinking!
We've 'camped' all our lives, going through slide in campers, trailers, and even living out of just a canopy on the pickup for 6 weeks back when we where younger, but now life has moved on, and it's time to relax, and enjoy meeting those of you 'like minded' folks, at a similar point in life!
Now, back to reality...getting a Class A motorhome to fit our needs! I'm not apt to like the 'lighter' cabinetry (honey oak?), I keep asking myself...since I'm not a huge sports fan...do I really need an outside tv? I heard something about an 'in motion' satellite system....now that perked my interest, as I'm a fan of having internet more than television, so I can 'research' everything under the sun! 🙂
I keep looking at unit's of 36 feet, but would a 40 be better? Not sure on the hinderance of 'longer is better' when it comes to getting an RV site at some places? Especially if/when towing!
My wife keeps reminding me, of the many costs of ownership, with regard to maintenance (I currently do all my own pickup truck maintenance), fuel, RV/camp site costs, cell phone, insurance and on and on...but hey, it's that point in life, so...so be it!
Rubber, Fiberglass or ? roof...or are there many options there? Is an oven really needed, if you have a convection microwave? Is there a great difference between a Freightliner and Spartan chassis? Do all motorhomes in this realm, have walk around beds?
Is there a particular washer/dryer unit, that is better than another, and are those one's that 'do it all' really work better than the dual washer/dryer?
Do most motorhomes come with Bluetooth radio, so you can do the 'hands free' on your cell phone, AND do they have the MP3 ability, as I prefer to use my own 'burned' CD's with my own music, over the 'bought' CD's (love my tunes).
What year do the 'power' awnings come out, and the power front shade as well?
With regard to the televisions, I often will some older motorhomes with 'older' looking tv's, so when did they start coming out with the newer flat LED screens, or is it just better to get a unit, and then do your own tv upgrading?
Oddly, I happen to see a lot of motorhomes that are having 'upgraded' home type fridges installed...are there particular makes that aren't up to snuff on longevity, or is there another reason?
I see 'air horn' as an option on some...or do all Class A's have one?
What is the MCD shade upgrade...as I sometimes quickly see that as something someone has upgraded?
Twelve volt, or 6 volt batteries...is it really that big a deal?
The one BIG thing to us, of which I very rarely see as an option, is Solar Panels! That's a no brainer to us, as keeping one's batteries charged while boon docking is a must to us, yet I'm seeing very few motorhomes 'with' a solar panel system installed? Is it the extra cost, or do most folks just not boondock?
Full body paint seems to be a mainstay, but is this something one needs to watch for, and are they are to keep up, to look new?
We haven't yet got out and done much in the way of doing a 'walk around' on motorhomes, but 'odd odours' is something that would have me turned around in an instant when walking into a unit. I would imagine one extremely important thing to watch for is a leaky roof, of which can be hidden if not watching for it, and bacteria can start smelling over time as well, but I haven't read anywhere, where this has been a terrible issue?
We live in western Canada, with lots of rain, so this is an important issue to us.
Dinet with chairs, or is a slide in type nook better, or is this just personal preference?

Sorry for so many questions, as I'm sure even more will come to mind over the next while, but I'm hoping to be as thorough as possible...so I don't end up with a succession of regrets.

Thanks in advance on any advice/suggestions you can share, as it's appreciated!

Dale

[JetAonly]

I would not buy a MH without Aqua Hot. If you like high HP/weight then look at Foretravel.

[Mr_Mark1]

Don't under estimate the grammar/format police...... if we didn't have an alphabet with organization, all the words would look the same.

:R :R 😛

MM.

[cvbdsl]

Ok, here are some responses to your question, based on “my” experience. This may or may not apply to you. I am about three years away from “retirement” but when I bought the MH it was supposed to be less.

Also don't worry about the "grammar police" :Ron this site. Some people pick apart posts based on grammar, paragraphs, formatting etc. This has seen a uptick recently and seems to be a new trend for some. However, the vast majority here will try to help so keep on asking your questions - just ignore the ones who criticize format and don't respond to what your are asking.Some other forums may be more polite than this one:B


Now, back to reality...getting a Class A motorhome to fit our needs! I'm not apt to like the 'lighter' cabinetry (honey oak?), I keep asking myself...since I'm not a huge sports fan...do I really need an outside tv?
-Nope, if you want TV outside it is not much of a hassle to run a cable out. Most of our TV watching is done on rainy days or later at night so we don’t disturb the neighborus.


I heard something about an 'in motion' satellite system....now that perked my interest, as I'm a fan of having internet more than television, so I can 'research' everything under the sun!
-My 2003 has in motion satellite, but the software/hardware is out of date. In motion satellite does not give you internet (could be wrong here). I have purchased an automatic dish that works with both US and Canadian TV providers.

I keep looking at unit's of 36 feet, but would a 40 be better? Not sure on the hinderance of 'longer is better' when it comes to getting an RV site at some places? Especially if/when towing!
-I’m about 41 feet without the toad. No problems getting into campsites so far. When towing I disconnect before backing in (of course) and if in a pull through most are long enough. As far as I am concerned 40’ is a pretty sweet spot.

My wife keeps reminding me, of the many costs of ownership, with regard to maintenance (I currently do all my own pickup truck maintenance), fuel, RV/camp site costs, cell phone, insurance and on and on...but hey, it's that point in life, so...so be it!
-OK, it may cost a few dollars here and there. But if you budget it won’t be a problem. Keep some emergency money for reserve. If fuel costs are an issue maybe you shouldn't be an Rver (meant in the kindest way possible – fuel is only a “small” percentage of your overall cost). As for campsites, you may get what you pay for – cheaper is not always better.

Rubber, Fiberglass or ? roof...or are there many options there?
-Not many options as brands have limited choices. However most roof types with proper maintenance do just fine.

Is an oven really needed, if you have a convection microwave?
-Nope, you really don’t need an oven. If you think you do, Coleman puts out a portable camping oven. The convection microwaves work great.

Is there a great difference between a Freightliner and Spartan chassis?
-The old Chevy versus Ford argument. Both have pros and cons. I like the Spartan chassis because my Newmars came with them.

Do all motorhomes in this realm, have walk around beds?
-You have to define “walk around”. Most have a foot or two to get around. My current MH only has that space with the slide out.

Is there a particular washer/dryer unit, that is better than another, and are those one's that 'do it all' really work better than the dual washer/dryer?
-Consensus is that separate units are better, but are mostly found in the more modern units or upscale units. We have a combo unit and it works just fine for us with a bit of planning. The biggest brand seems to be Splendie in the combo units.

Do most motorhomes come with Bluetooth radio, so you can do the 'hands free' on your cell phone, AND do they have the MP3 ability, as I prefer to use my own 'burned' CD's with my own music, over the 'bought' CD's (love my tunes).
-Older models – no. Newer models I suppose they could. However if you are handy you can always upgrade the installed unit. Not an issue for me.


What year do the 'power' awnings come out, and the power front shade as well?
-I don’t know a specific year, but my 2003 DSDP has power awnings for the passenger door and the mid section,

With regard to the televisions, I often will some older motorhomes with 'older' looking tv's, so when did they start coming out with the newer flat LED screens, or is it just better to get a unit, and then do your own tv upgrading?
-I wouldn’t let an older TV decide if I like a unit or not. I have replaced TV’s in my last two MH’s with LED TV’s. Not a big job for most people and there are lots of people who have posted their modifications on this.

Oddly, I happen to see a lot of motorhomes that are having 'upgraded' home type fridges installed...are there particular makes that aren't up to snuff on longevity, or is there another reason?
-The older RV fridges could have problems (my 2003 one runs just fine). But once they die, it may make economic sense to replace with a home type fridge vice a repair.

I see 'air horn' as an option on some...or do all Class A's have one?
-Only diesel MH’s normally have an air horn as it runs off of the air brake system. Most gas MH’s have the old electric horn unless someone has made an upgrade to an air horn kit.

What is the MCD shade upgrade...as I sometimes quickly see that as something someone has upgraded?
-We don’t like our curtain style shade on the front, but there is quite a cost involved with getting an MCD electric shade installed. I just live with the crappy curtain. MCD shades are usually “blind” type shades and are powered.

Twelve volt, or 6 volt batteries...is it really that big a deal?
-12V are usually your starting (chassis) batteries. The 6V are commonly what you use when there is no power to run limited items within the motorhome – they are hooked up to provide 12v.

The one BIG thing to us, of which I very rarely see as an option, is Solar Panels! That's a no brainer to us, as keeping one's batteries charged while boon docking is a must to us, yet I'm seeing very few motorhomes 'with' a solar panel system installed? Is it the extra cost, or do most folks just not boondock?
-Lots of folks on this forum boondock and use solar – I’ll pass on this one.

Full body paint seems to be a mainstay, but is this something one needs to watch for, and are they are to keep up, to look new?
-Full body paint was not common on older “standard” MHs – usually only available on the higher end ones. Not sure when this changed, but my 2000 Bounder and 99 DSDP had the gel coat and decals. My 2003 has full body paint but it was an option then. Most all newer MH’s have full body paint. Basically treat it as you would your car (wash and wax) and it will last. My now 13 yr old MH paint still looks great.

We haven't yet got out and done much in the way of doing a 'walk around' on motorhomes, but 'odd odours' is something that would have me turned around in an instant when walking into a unit.
-Yep, the smell test is still the best. We looked at a couple of dozen MH’s before we bought our first. You wouldn’t believe some things we saw or smelled (dead mice, mothballs – really really strong even with the windows open). Generally you can tell within a few minutes if a MH has been well maintained – it will be clean and the bays will also be clean.

I would imagine one extremely important thing to watch for is a leaky roof, of which can be hidden if not watching for it, and bacteria can start smelling over time as well, but I haven't read anywhere, where this has been a terrible issue? We live in western Canada, with lots of rain, so this is an important issue to us.
-You have to find out what delamination looks like. Some MH’s are constructed so there is no delamination due to water (Newmar comes to mind). Check for soft spots around the slides (each side) and on the roof. Feel with your hands and push on materials to find out if they are spongy or soft. Look for water stains. I “rescued” a MH that had bad water stains but did not have any rot – got real lucky. AC seals had leaked allowing water to stain the ceiling but not the walls. The ceiling was that plush type of material but we got all the stains out and it looked like new (BTW the entire roof was re-sealed before I bought it).

Dinet with chairs, or is a slide in type nook better, or is this just personal preference?
-Totally personal preference, but we found that with the nooks in our 2000 Bound the edges were hard on the legs. Our last two MH’s have table and chairs.

So hope this helps. It’s a steep learning curve but you are asking all the right questions – I didn’t even know what to look for when I started, but I had a great dealer who helped with honest answers and guided us. He was a small dealer but took customer service seriously and his word was his bond. He repaired some unexpected issues with our jacks at his expense a few months after we bought which a lot of “big” places won’t do

[FormerBoater]

Jayco-noslide wrote:
Would respond to y our post but it's just too darn long.

I am shocked that so many could read it.

Paragraphs are your friend.

[Mr_Mark1]

Powerstroke (Dale), you have a ton of very good questions but your post like reading a novel, the questions are all mixed in which makes it hard to read, but I read it!!

-The Tiffin Phaeton's and Newmars are very mainstream with plenty to pick from on the market.

-I think an outside TV is nice to have to watch the news, a good TV show or a DVD (I'm not a sport fan either). If you have kids/grandkids, put a cartoon in to keep'm busy!

-36 or 40 ft. will have a single rear axle..... 40 ft. might be pushing your CCC if you are a full-timer and like to carry a lot of stuff. A 42 ft. will get you a tag axle with tons of CCC. A few manufactures made a short diesel with a tag axle

-I would go with a fiberglass roof if at all possible, rubber will need to be replaced at some point in the future depending on how well you take care of it.

-Most likely a two slide or more coach will have plenty of walk-round space for the bed.

-MCD shades are really nice. I bought one for my driver's side in our Dynasty as the perforated shade that came with it was awkward to raise/lower with one hand. the MCD's can be electric or manual.... I bought the manual and you can use one hand to operate it. I would have liked to have them on all the windows vs. the pleated shades that we had (previous coach).

-You just can't beat a separate washer and dryer with the dryer being 220.

-You can always add more solar panels to fit your needs, we currently have zero solar panels, we just don't need them.

-Full body paint on certain years 2008 or earlier???? ....had the checking problem mainly in the dark colors. Our 2008 Dynasty was starting to check in the black stripes.

-Any of the dinette set-ups are good, just pick the one that you like. Our first coach had the legless table and separate chairs, our current has a J-booth type that I really like.

Good luck,
MM.

[Jayco-noslide]

Would respond to y our post but it's just too darn long.

[Bruce_Brown]

We've owned (3) Newmars now, if we were shopping again it would be another Newmar.

My parents owned a Tiffin, friends owned a Tiffin, a lot of people love their Tiffins - after working on the folks as much as I did and as many trips the friends made back to Red Bay - I wouldn't own one.

Then again I probably wouldn't own ANY laminated MH, so that takes about 98% of them out of the mix. At some point every laminated MH will delaminate. I prefer the huge wall construction method, so that leaves Newmar, Monaco/Hoilday Rambler, and Travel Supreme/Entegra that I can think of - there may be others.

Also, at this time only Newmar and Newell offer Comfort Drive, and having owned a CD equipped MH for almost 9 years now that is a feature I don't think I could be without.

[xctraveler]

Dutch_12078 wrote:

Brian in Michigan wrote:
Check out how much license plates are for the particular unit. It has astounded me some of the prices people pay for plates/tabs.

Vehicle registration fees vary widely from state to state. RV's usually take the biggest hit in those states that asses registration fees based on the value. Weight based registration fees tend to be much lower. States that impose personal property taxes on RV's is another annual cost issue to consider. NY State is not known for being tax friendly, but when it comes to vehicle registration fees, it's a different story. Private passenger vehicles, including mixed use motorhomes, pay by weight up to 6950 lbs, and a flat $70/year fee above that. There is no personal property taxes, although some counties do collect additional specialty fees at registration time, that can bring the total to $100 or so. Many other states are not as economical...

Yes but, NY has very high INCOME tax and if you own real estate it has the highest real estate taxes. They don't get you goin' but they got you comin' what you save in registration fees, they take back in spades elsewhere. EX New Yorker (I hope)

[crasster]

Are you asking for brands or things such as class a, b, c or tt... ?

If so, I would not buy a teardrop TT, because I like a full bathroom in my RV's. 🙂

[Dutch_12078]

Brian in Michigan wrote:
Check out how much license plates are for the particular unit. It has astounded me some of the prices people pay for plates/tabs.

Vehicle registration fees vary widely from state to state. RV's usually take the biggest hit in those states that asses registration fees based on the value. Weight based registration fees tend to be much lower. States that impose personal property taxes on RV's is another annual cost issue to consider. NY State is not known for being tax friendly, but when it comes to vehicle registration fees, it's a different story. Private passenger vehicles, including mixed use motorhomes, pay by weight up to 6950 lbs, and a flat $70/year fee above that. There is no personal property taxes, although some counties do collect additional specialty fees at registration time, that can bring the total to $100 or so. Many other states are not as economical...

[BrianinMichigan]

Check out how much license plates are for the particular unit. It has astounded me some of the prices people pay for plates/tabs.

[rgatijnet1]

I think I would avoid any Winnebago motor homes that have that unusual roof type attachment that will allow the one piece roof to peel off if not sealed properly. I mean getting a leak is one thing but as one poster here found out, the roof can peel off and you get no help from Winnebago.

[WyoTraveler]

What if everybody liked either Ford, Chev, or Dodge. There would only be one vehicle on the market. Even manufacturers know everyone is different. There are numerous models made by the same manufacturer. RV manufacturers make numerous floorplans and sizes. Different life styles, ages, family sizes and hobbies. At different stages in my life I have had TCs, TTs, 5vers, MHs. The one I had at the time was best fo me. My MH I have now is best for me. You may even walk in and say it wouldn't work for you. It is all personal preference. You have to do your own home work.

[dougrainer]

What year do the 'power' awnings come out, and the power front shade as well?
With regard to the televisions, I often will some older motorhomes with 'older' looking tv's, so when did they start coming out with the newer flat LED screens, or is it just better to get a unit, and then do your own tv upgrading?
Oddly, I happen to see a lot of motorhomes that are having 'upgraded' home type fridges installed...are there particular makes that aren't up to snuff on longevity, or is there another reason?
I see 'air horn' as an option on some...or do all Class A's have one?
What is the MCD shade upgrade...as I sometimes quickly see that as something someone has upgraded?

1. Power Awnings came out almost 20 years ago
2. CRT (OLDER) Tv's went away about the 2006/2008 model years. IF the unit has the CRT TV, new LCD type ZTV's are so cheap do not let that factor into your purchase. But, you need to get a discount from the seller, I would ask $500 if they had CRT TV's.
3. Refer upgrades are people that like the residential and do not like RV Absorbsion refers. If the Absorbion has a cooling unit failure and that can cost from $1000 to $2500 to repair they decide to install a residential.
4.Most Diesel Class A's have Air horns. Gas Class A's rarely have air horns because you must install a Air pump to run them.
5. MCD (Automotion also) are electric shades that costs thousands of dollars to install. They usually have 2 shades on each window. 1 is a screen type and the other total black out. A lot of Higher line (above 200K)Motorhomes have these as standard equipment. Doug

[Effy]

bluwtr49 wrote:
Funny thing about "research" the longer you do it the more questions you come up with and than you start over. If you spend you life worrying about making a mistake....you've already made it.

Personally, I've a strong proponent of finding something you like that is affordable and buy it.

I had an engineer working for me that could never make a decision because there was still an unresolved question that another question had led him to. So, he continued to go in circles. I wished him well in his next position.

Segal's law - " A man with one watch always knows what time it is. A man with two watches is never sure"