Everyone has an opinion. What's yours?

[cureousity]

We're a newly retired couple thinking about purchasing our first rv and wondering what to get. We don't want to start out with the gigantic brand new model, but are looking at something gently used and reasonably priced. We plan to travel a lot and stay in it for up to several weeks at a time so will need something roomy enough for us and our pets. We're soliciting educated opinions, what's yours?

[Isaac-1]

My suggestion is to buy class A in the 11-17 year old range, a Class C may also work, but most Class C's lack the cargo carrying capacity for extended trips. The 11-16 year old range I feel is the sweet spot on depreciation vs still having a modern engine, reasonably contemporary styling, etc, this is also the point where condition becomes more important than age when it comes to the price. If you take some time you will find there is a sharp drop in prices on motorhomes as they cross the 10-12 year old mark, a large part of this is that most banks will not directly finance a motorhome which past 10 years of age. As a result the potential buyer pool shrinks, and therefore so do the asking prices.

Now if you do decide to buy an older motorhome I would strongly suggest buying a n upper end quality built ones, not an entry level model. The quality built coaches with features like full body paint, real wood cabinets, aluminum or fiberglass roofs, etc. age much better than the lower end models, even so try to shop for ones that are well maintained, were stored indoors, etc.

[Floridastorm]

For just two senior citizens with a small dog or two I would suggest a small Class A. My wife and I had a 24 foot Class A Sprinter on a Dodge chassis. No dogs but had my young son with us. Was easy to drive and park. But, had plenty of usable space and all facilities. A 24 foot Class C would not have anywhere near the same space as the driving compartment takes up some of the space and is on another level from the main floor.

[jplante4]

Similar situation. We retired recently. We got a 28 foot class A gasser for short money and did vacations and weekends in that for 2 years before retirement, but it was pretty apparent that it would be too small for our planned 6 month big adventure. Sold the gasser and bought a 35' DP. 2 people and a small dog. I think the size was about right, not so big that it was difficult to maneuver, big enough so we weren't running into each other (well, the dog was always under foot, but that's just the way he is). We chose a model with no slides and didn't feel cramped because of the interior layout. If you get one with slides, make sure you try to maneuver around the coach with the slides in (getting to the bathroom and ridge underway).

[Flapper]

We started on the same search a year or two before I retired. While not the most important, budget was a consideration. My very old 4Runner needed to go. After lots of research, we decided that a truck and 5th/trailer was the right mix. Something we could leave in a campground, and then use the TV for getting around. Going up to a class A and towing a car was just too much for the budget. Going the towed route meant we didn't have to be too big, and had a better chance of finding more campsites.

Decided on an F-150 Ecoboost, with all the towing/payload options. It is a daily driver, so didn't want to be saddled with too much truck. Finally settled on a Jayco 26.5 RLS Fifth wheel. It just made all the numbers for the truck to carry/pull it. Took many trips to all three coasts, most being 3-4 weeks, in that combination for the last 4 years. We found the 30' fifth was overall a great match for the needs of 2 adults and 2 50-60 lb dogs. Not so much if we tried to add in my daughter/granddaughter for short 3 day trips - it was pretty crowded. Some of state parks were unable to accommodate the length IF we didn't make reservations well in advance, but overall it wasn't much of a limitation. We did tend to stay at private campgrounds on the longer trips, as full hookups were easier to get.

A roof tear resulted in the walls of the fifth delaminating, and insurance totaled it. All small fifths have gained weight since we bought ours, so no replacement that the truck could handle. The big lesson - buy more truck than you think you need! Some of the newer fifths that are a foot or two longer, with more slides, would have been fantastic. We are now waiting on delivery of a 32 ft. Travel Trailer. Might have to be slightly more selective on campsite selection, especially with how "backable" the access to the site is. But I don't anticipate that it will be much of an issue. New one has main living double slides, which will make it feel huge.

For longer trips (a month, etc.) pay attention to basic daily needs storage - cookware, clothing, cleaning, etc. What you can get by with for a week is much less than for a month. We found, with that size, that a month was about enough for us - then we wanted to get back to a "real" house. After that, it started to feel limiting for daily living. That's where the bigger fifths, Class A's, etc. start to come into play.

[NCWriter]

How big are your pets?

I've met a lot of other couples/singles who did what we did in early retirement - bought a Class B van conversion van, and toured the US and Canada, staying one to five nights at national and state parks or other scenic sites. We loved it, parked it in our driveway, and used it often as our second vehicle.

Class Bs are great if you are willing to find a place for everything (but not everything you own!) and keep everything in its place...do your laundry and buy groceries at least once a week...and get along well with your traveling companion. Large, tall people might find the space too tight. No tow vehicle needed.

Now we have a slightly larger class C with two slides which provides more space for the addition of a large dog. We still travel the same way and still do not feel the need to tow another vehicle.

Just depends on your goals as others suggested already. Sightseeing vs staying in one place for weeks at a time, which calls for a bigger RV and tow/towed vehicle.

[ken56]

This decision is strictly up to you. As stated, how are you going to really use it and what comfort level do you actually need/want to accomplish your goal. Personally, I am not of the school of bigger is better yet I do desire a certain level of comfort when we travel. We have a 30ft. TT and its well suited for our needs (plus 2 cats). I have no desire to tow another car behind a class A or C just to get around after I set up in a campground. Neighbors have a very nice class A and the cost of maintenance is nuts plus the issue of storing it if you can't keep it on your own property so you better have pretty deep pockets to own one. My little TT sits in my driveway and is minimal in maintenance costs, I like that part.

As far as comfort goes, a 5th wheel is probably the most bang for the buck for long term living, but then you need an adequate tow vehicle to pull it and if you don't have one now you need to get one so investment wise you can have a class A with about the same amount of money you will invest in a 5er and TV.

So, it all comes back to what do YOU want.

[tatest]

You have to first figure out how you want to use it. Continuous traveling leans toward motorized RVs, long stays at a few locations leans toward towables. How many people, how much time living in it suggests things about size. Then, do you want a house on wheels, or areyou looking for a camping experience?

We shopped RVs for almost two years looking at travel trailers, class A, B and C motorhomes, and small fifth wheel trailers before we figured out that how we wanted to use it (mostly travel, and short camps with a club, occasional trips with children and grandchildren) put us ina 30 foot claas C roomy for two but capable of housing up to six for short trips.

The friends that got us into RVing went through three travel trailers and and a small fith wheel in 12 years, and have just lately moved on to a 25-foot class C. How they were using their RV evolved from local camping to traveling, but it took them a while to figure out how their needs were changing.

If you are going to stay anywhere for a while, you need local transportation. This argues for a towable RV, tow vehicle as transportation, but with a motorhome you have the option of towing a second motor vehicle for this purpose.

[2gypsies1]

Just to give you an idea of what's out there and floorplans, check out this site. On the left you can click on all types such as Class A, gas and diesel; Class C, 5th wheels, travel trailers, etc. You can see floorplans so you can figure out what kind of space you need and also what year for what price.

http://www.pplmotorhomes.com/

It really depends on YOU. Everyone is different as to what they like and retirees use all kinds of RVs.

Other things to consider are - do you have a truck now. If so, you might want to go with a travel trailer or 5th wheel. If you have a towable car (Google 'cars you can tow') then you might want to go with a Class A or C.

[nineoaks2004]

Your best bet is to take the time to look, maybe rent, decide what is best for you
your family and your situation. What pleases some will not necessarily please you.
So my advice is to look around and make your decision based on what you want, need or expect. Making a mistake can make you miserable and also very costly. If you buy used make sure you have someone very knowledgeable about RV's check it out.
Good luck on your future travels...

[Jpbeck1]

When my kids go off to college we will probably get class A in the 25 to 30 foot range. We'll tow my wife's crv. Although I've gotten the towing and setting up our travel trailer down to a science, I've always liked the idea of pressing a button and being set. It's a trade off though because you'll have to disconnect the toad though anyways. There's no perfect rv. But having my wife make me a sammmwhich as I'm driving sounds great! Not having to stop so she can pee sounds even better though.

[JnJnKatiebug]

We have owned just about every type of RV. Our favorite is/was the Class A DP. After about 6 years we decided the cost of ownership was not worth it for the amount of time we used it. We went back to a TT but will probably get a large fifth wheel when we retire. My opinion is the fifth wheel is the best bang for the buck.

[Veebyes]

Yours is the situation we were at in late 2006. The decision had been made to get a RV. The research had been done. Over 2 years had been spent lurking here on RV.net. We had it down to only 4 or 5 models of 5ers. Had to be one of them. The first was going to be the last. Further it was going to be no more than a few years old.

It was a question of scouring the internet daily looking for one of those 4 models to pop up. None of them were common production models. We were prepared to travel for the right one, & we did. It took a full day & 3 flights to get to where it was. Bought it, put it in storage for 6 months then flew back to pick it up for a 2 month shakedown/delivery trip to where it would be based.

10 years & over 150,000 miles later, no regrets. Have not seen anything we like better.

Do the research. Buying mistakes is expensive.

[D_E_Bishop]

Our choice is an "A". We have a big, to us, Winnebago Adventurer 32V which is really 33 feet and it has two slides. It is much more than we need but I really wouldn't want to give it up. Much nicer than the old Bounder 27D which was 28' and no slides. We do miss the bedroom in the Bounder, we had twin beds and three big windows back there. The Winnie has a lot more storage but is kind of a cave with just two small windows by the bed(short queen) and the seldom uncovered escape window.

[Lwiddis]

Consider renting an A and a C for a minimum of a week each as well as visiting RV shows. Discuss your preference of camping style....fancy RV park, RV park, national-state-County parks, dry camping, boondocking etc. Fit the RV to your style.

[PawPaw_n_Gram]

Rocky Road is great, but Vanilla goes with everything.

That's my opinion and I'm sticking to it.


We full-time in a 36 ft travel trailer. If we had it to do over again, we would prefer a Class A.

As someone else said on this forum a few weeks ago - travel trailers and fifth wheels are for living, motor homes are for traveling.

Yes, a motor home, Class A or Class C, requires a second drive train of a towed car for daily driving. Frankly I consider the issues with towing a daily drive vehicle are minimal compared to the issues of towing a long heavy trailer, trailer tires, etc.

Most importantly - look at the various models, how can your wife cook a meal, can you use the shower, where would you story things, how comfortable are the chairs/ couch?

We all plan to spend a lot of time outdoors, but when traveling you will have rainy days, cold days, windy days.