Considering buying my first motorhome, and a little unsure

15K for a used Motorhome will be difficult. I'm not saying impossible but will take a while to find something halfway decent that doesn't need $$$ worth of work. Parts and labor rates are high and if you don't do maintenance yourself it can get expensive quickly. I would first start looking where they sell a lot of motorhomes, places like PPL, and others in Texas. There you can see their inventory and see if there are any around 15K. Check Craigslist in your area also.

A travel trailer might be a better option, especially if you have a truck already.

To give you a general idea, browse this site to see floorplans and what you can purchase within your budget. Note, you can click on motorhomes, 5th wheels, Class C's.

http://www.pplmotorhomes.com/classa/class-a-motorhomes.php

Good luck finding the right one for you!

The best way to figure out if your budget is reasonable is to start looking around at what you can get in that price range. I think it might be a bit tight, but not too far off. Prices do vary somewhat regionally. Around here, it's possible with some searching to get basically sound and operational and reasonably reliable motorhomes for $20k or somewhat less...though they aren't always plentiful.

You'll likely be looking at 15-20 year old motorhomes, give or take. At any age, but especially that old, the condition and maintenance are by far the most important things to look at. An unmaintained top-of-the-line RV will be a far worse deal than a well-kept lower-end model.

Make sure you budget appropriately for maintenance and repairs. In particular, if the tires are getting old, figure how much replacements cost; for a typical class C, that might run around $1000, and likely more for most class A's. Most motorhome tires need replacement due to age before they need replacement due to wear or milage.

Or find a motivated seller. We want to upgrade and are unloading our Class C for low 20's.

I remember when I was about high school age, my parents didn't have a big budget, and wanted a motorhome (we had had several trailers). They bought an ugly cheap one (think cousin Eddie). When we went camping no one cared that we usually had the oldest or ugliest or smallest RV in the campground. We camped quite a bit in that RV, even years later my wife and I still went camping with them in it. It's long gone now but the memories and stories we seem to talk about most were all from trips in that old, small, motorhome.

Your budget is a little low but it can still find options, especially in the class-C market. If that's your budget, then that's your budget. May take a little more work or upkeep, but remember it's really all about the "good times, awesome memories, and new fishing spots".

I agree with many of the responses. At that price range, you are looking at an older motorhome. Get one that has full maintenance records and it is desirable to know the history of the motorhome. A big plus is it has been kept under cover. Try and talk to the previous owner. That can tell you a lot about the care the motorhome had. Have someone independent go through the major systems. Do an oil analysis.

are you set on a motor home. a travel trailer and (depending on what you drive now) a tow vehicle in that price range is far more realistic, gives you more options and lets you drop the rig and explore. my setup is very basic and leave some stuff to be desired but if u look at my avatar a WJ like mine can be had for 2-5k I paid 2k for my prowler (another 1 to get it road ready 3k total) and those are fancy worthless Canadian dollars. 15 gets you a half ton and a nice rig if you play your cards right

IMHO, it is unreasonable. 15K will only get a 20+ year old motor home and it will certainly be subject to serious maintenance problems.

If you do find one for that price, you should have another 5-10K set aside for maintenance.

What Jebby said. ^
Buy an old under powered mh and plan on being handy or think dual purpose vehicles.
Pickup for a DD vehicle and a TT or TC to go with it would be my preference for part time low use.
Imo the convienence of a mh is realized when A. You're not comfortable or capable of towing or hauling. B. You prioritize the convienence of getting up to make a sandwich while driving down the highway. C. You spend enough time in it that the house may as well be permanently mounted so you don't have to deal with long trailers or loading and unloading.
Handful of trips a year with an old cousin eddy mh doesn't appeal to me from the standpoint of driving an old "moving van" cross country and the maint and upkeep on a drivetrain that will collect dust most of the year.