zippinbye wrote:
Greetings All,
I was member here, inactive since 2015; it seems my account was deleted due to lack of use.
Anyhow, I just re-joined, pleased to see I could reclaim my old username. My RV history started in the early 2000's with an Alpenlite truck camper. This forum was a tremendous resource to me as I considered that purchase, and learned the skills necessary to use and maintain my rig. The TC was fun, but child #3 made it beyond impractical, so we switched to a fifth wheel, in 2009 or 2010. It's a 2004 Thor Jazz 278 bunkhouse, single slide that is an actual 32 feet. I did a lot of upgrades to it: stripped the carpeting and laid vinyl plank flooring, reupholstered everything, massive TV and sound system upgrade, lifted the suspension to fit well with my Dodge 3500 4x4 tow rig, along with a bunch of electrical tweaks and other small fixes.
I currently sit in that rig typing this post, as I isolate from my family for 14 days due to CV-19 concerns (I returned from Korea a few days ago). With immune-suppressed family members, I'm playing it safe and staying out of the house. I'm parked in the side yard at my home, with full hook-ups and a hot tub nearby. So it's not too bad. We lived in this RV for 6 months when our house had a mold issue. We being me, the wife, 3 kids, and 2 dogs. I was never uncomfortable, nor was anybody else really, until summer temps pushed beyond the limits of our single 13,000 BTU A/C unit. But due to the "cabin-fever" and general chaos of being stuffed into 250 square feet of living area for a prolonged time, fond memories of the experience are non-existent with my wife and kids. Hence, there has been little eagerness to spend time in it anywhere on earth .... even if it's in an awesome natural setting, like a mountain lake or at the beach. We have only taken 2 RV trips since our house was rehabilitated. I've known for some time that I needed to consider a nicer, newer, fresh-to-us RV in order to rekindle an eagerness to take camping road trips. Now we can shed the bunkhouse requirement, since there is just one kid left at home. So that opens up a lot of options that did not exist when I was hunting for a fifth wheel with easy sleeping for 5.
I have considered a diesel pusher as an eventual goal, always putting off any serious searches due to the capital investment and operational/fixed costs compared to the fifth wheel (which is basically free to own), along with the proverbial spousal resistance, which I expect others on this board have had to hurdle at some point.
Imagine my elation today, when my wife knocked on the door and dropped off dinner, while keeping a safe, germ-free distance and uttered these words: "Maybe we should get one of those big self-driving RV thingy's - you'd have more room, and we could just turn the key and go if a bad situation happens." I tried to act casual in my response, and said, "yeah, that's something we should look at." In my mind, that lead to a Tim Allen moment ... oh, oh, oh more power, bigger, better, oh, oh, oh (scratch the armpit). So here I am.
As great as I think a DP might be, I do have a some reservations still, but it's time to sort through all the possibilities. One issue is I'm debt-adverse. I would only consider a cash purchase or big down-payment, low interest financing with an aggressive pay-off schedule. That, along with a desire to avoid later engines with DPF or DEF, places me in the target model years of 2000-2008 most likely. I also like the idea of a rig that has probably plateaued on its depreciation curve. Just a few years ago, I thought I'd need a $80 to $100,000 budget to get anything decent in a DP. But now I am seeing some really nice rigs in the sub-$50,000 range, so that's where my mind is. Just yesterday, I fell into a YouTube "wormhole" and watched a RV dealer walk-through of a 2000 Monaco Diplomat 38D with a Cummins ISC 8.3, just traded by the original owner. It appeared to be highly maintained and tastefully optioned/upgraded, and made the impression of being an incredible "bang for the buck." 155,000 miles on the odometer, asking $29,950.
Over the years, I have purchased a number of older, well-maintained, cars, trucks, motorcycles, boats and airplanes. At the end of the day, old is old and there are potential pitfalls, no matter how loved the machine has been. But the value of buying something I could have never afforded new, but has a lot of remaining life, has always been very attractive to me. If I could find a pre-DEF 2008-ish model year quality coach for a good price, right back to something like the 2000 Monaco referenced above, I think that would be in my sweet-spot. I am open to guidance from anybody that has gone through a similar thought process.
As I am in the early stages of trying to learn much more about DP coaches, one thing I have not got a handle on is seat-belted positions aft of the driver and copilot seats. Is there a timeframe (or a manufacturer) that is more likely to have seat belts installed at the sofas, dinettes or chairs? I'd like to be able to secure at least two more passengers, aside from the up-front seating positions. I feel like our family is much more insulated from injury in the cab of our modern pick-up truck while hauling a fifth wheel, with numerous airbags and other safety features than we would ever be in a big, rolling fiberglass box greatly devoid federally mandated safety features. But seat belts would appease me a bit. I welcome comments from those who have weighed the safety of riding in a tow rig vs. a Class A. I've seen the post-crash pictures of both self-contained and towable RVs; it's clear the RV structure does little to protect human occupants, but the tow vehicle seems to come out better most of the time. So it's not a trivial consideration.
I know posts from newbies trying to make a decision come along all too frequently. But I do not think there is a better way to learn than gaining perspective from those who have passed this trail ahead of me. I won't be disappointed to be talked out of a Class A, as I'm certain a change in fifth wheels would get us back in the road again. And that's the main goal. But we sure like the idea of all of us sharing the living space as we roll, being able to pull over at anytime to use the amenities, etc. I hope to be primed and ready to act when this virus is on the down swing!
Thanks, and take care of yourselves, and each other (from a distance).
Here is a great LINK that may help in the decision - as Wolf learned a lot over the two years and despite all the recommendations to try used first he purchased a new DutchStar from Newmar..
How do I even Start looking for a good Class AWhile a little long it appears you have a little time on your hands so the read may be interesting, and may help fill some time.
Hoping you have a larger screen to work from in the RV. in reading your post it appears you are pretty handy so used will not be an issue, but once you decide post again to get as much feedback as possible on the chosen Coach.
First and most Important IMHO, will be to List the Mission - then to go through that list and prioritize what you NEED - Want and would Like, as the likes often overshadow the NEEDS!
FloorPlan, FloorPlan, FloorPlan, FloorPlan did I mention FLOORPLAN :) - next is Quality of the Build (Manufacturer) and level of Quality - I'm a big fan of Wood - Solid Wood - Engine and where it lands in the DEF world - again IMHO - Big Deal - Tires and Age/Quality - Storage - inside or out as it grew older - as most coaches in the 12-20 year category age painted and Paint Checking is common on most that were stored outside - For me personally I use the Coach in the Winter so heat - non Propane was a big deal - Hydro Hot and it's condition...........as you can tell I could go on an on - a PM might just be better if you think I could help more.
OH, then after the Class A decision, then you need to start thinking about the TOAD, :)
Read through the recommended Link - maybe ask the question again on that forum - as it seems to be a lot more active.
Hoping this is of some help.
Best of Luck,
