New to RVs -- Planning for First One

[Triton318]

Hello,

I just joined this forum. I'm a former sailor who has made a major change in his future plans -- instead of seeing the world from the deck of a sailboat, I'm going to see the United States from an RV. I'm going to be working full time in the beginning, but I work remotely for my employer, only requiring a high-speed Internet connection. Later (I'm 51 now), I might look into doing the work camper thing.

I would appreciate any advice and suggestions for choosing an RV based on the following criteria:

1. I will have $18,000 to spend. I want to pay cash and not finance anything. I'm very handy, so I don't mind doing some work to fix something up. I have the skills to repair and add mechanical, electrical, and plumbing fixtures/gear. I'm definitely going to be buying used, both the trailer and the tow vehicle.

2. I will be spending about three to four months in each location, moving as the seasons change to experience the weather I enjoy: 50 to 75 degrees daytime highs, low humidity, clear, sunny skies.

3. For living space: a bed that can remain permanently set up (don't want to be converting a dinette or pull-out sofa into the bed each night); a bathroom with a toilet, sink, shower, and holding tank; a kitchen with fridge, oven/range, double sink, and microwave; a comfortable seat/chair; a permanently arranged dinette for eating meals. I don't need a lot of space. I lived aboard a 28 foot sailboat for a year and a half; it was tiny.

4. I've pretty much ruled out a motor home, because I will occasionally need to drive a considerable distance to visit family. I would like to be able to leave the "home" where it is, and drive a more fuel efficient vehicle. So I'm considering either a travel trailer or a fifth wheel.

I think what would be most helpful to me right now is to first decide which would be preferable based on my criteria: a travel trailer or a fifth wheel.

Thanks in advance for any help you can offer!

Jay

[Stan3718]

Good topic. I'm shopping now and finding good deals on TT''s but most salesmen have been in hibernation mode. I've walked out of a few dealers due to them not pricing 14 or used units. They are all wanting to sell that just arrived unit. Good luck.

[Still_Searchin_]

FWIW, our second TT was a 22ft. wilderness, 10 yrs. old, purchased for $6k and everything worked well. No slide. Then found a 10yr. old chevy silverado 2500 for around $8k if I remember right. Kept that combo for 10 years. Once we bought the truck first and looked for a trailer we could pull. But last two trailers were bot first and then looked for the tow vehicle that would pull them. Our 3rd trailer was purchased new, and we really love the space with slide on the rig below. Advantages of a trailer are lighter weight for same length + use of the truck bed w/canopy. Folks that love 5vers say they have more stability, but the right tw/tt combo can have excellent stability too.
We've never experienced sway with the combo below.

[RVcircus]

I have about $14k into my truck and trailer. The truck is a 1999 diesel Suburban with low miles and the travel trailer is a 2001 rehabbed travel trailer.

We looked at options for about 10 years until we finally decided what was right for our situation and made the move. The truck fits our family of 6 comfortably with plenty of room for gear. We decided we didn't want to take on any debt with the trailer and found the perfect project for us. We ended up with a hybrid bunkhouse with a hard slide and double bunks for the 4 kids. The trailer took a few months to make road worthy, but we were able to make it our own during the process.

There are plenty of options out there if you're handy and have some spare time. We saved our trailer from the scrap yard and don't regret it a bit.

[Veebyes]

The transition from boat to RV is very easy. RVs are much simpler & much cheaper things to maintain. They are put together in a much cheaper manner too. No more bilge diving to get at something though you will be scratching your head wondering 'What were the builders thinking?' when they put something together.

Have fun. You will probably look at it like I have mine with a marine mind. You won't make it float but you sure can upgrade the way things are done & make it more boaty.

[mds1]

Nice thread. We are going to the RV Show in January, not to buy, but to try and decide what class RV is best for us. Sorry I don't have much advise to offer at this time. We are leaning towards a fifth wheel because we will be parked a lot.

[nomad_289]

Triton318 wrote:
4. I've pretty much ruled out a motor home, because I will occasionally need to drive a considerable distance to visit family. I would like to be able to leave the "home" where it is, and drive a more fuel efficient vehicle. So I'm considering either a travel trailer or a fifth wheel

Don't overweight an occasional long trip vs. daily flexibility.

As a single traveler needing only high-speed internet I would seriously reconsider a Class C or A motor home <= 26ft. The flexibility of having access to cooking etc. at all times will save money on meals, etc. You can explore without the constraint of backtracking to your towed RV every night. Stay a day, a week or a month (to save on campground fees) Downside: 10 mpg 😞

Second choice (best match to your original criteria and price range/value) would be:

BumpyRoad wrote:
I'd suggest considering a TT and put a cap on your pickup to carry/store stuff.

X2.

Grit Dog wrote:
18k budget is doable especially this time of year. I'd look for a nice older Cummins 12v 2nd gen 2wd for around 10k and use he rest to get the nicest 5ver you can find

The older Dodge Cummins diesels get 21+ MPG and are strong tow vehicles, should run 200K+. Rough ride though.

TT: low height makes for easy exploring.
5th: great towing stability, storage and living space. Height can be problematic.


.

[wannavolunteerF]

Triton, enjoy the winter using your spare time to make the trailer yours.. Take some time to look at the mod thread in the Travel trailer (TT)forum and then the DIY forum for lots of ideas.. also you can google RV mods... or even Pinterest.. lots of pictures and ideas... to make the TT work best for you. Lots of hints that can be easily done to give you more storage, update the 70's colors you probably have in your 81 TT and make it more usable.

[stugpanzer]

Considering your 'needs' for a TT or 5er I believe you should consider finding one that will match your requirements for fulltime living then go get the truck. I recently bought a 2 wheel drive 2005 Ford F250 super duty with 6.0L diesel that had 99k miles for $11,500. Your best bang for the buck will probably be a TT as you can find some really nice early 2000's at reasonable prices.

[silverfz]

With ur budget .if it was me.living in.the temps your discribing with think of 2 options.
A older c class and a 5 yr old cruiser .i have a 07 vstar 1300 that goves 50 mpg and needs a oil change 5 k miles. Verizon wifi and your done. If you do car a smaller tt coupled to midsize suv. If u really drive alot an suv is the way to go .

[Ron3rd]

With your budget, I would go with the Travel Trailer. Our old trailer was a 25ft Aljo with a slide out. Great trailer with a lot of room for 1 or 2 people but gets tight with 4. We paid $16,000 out the door in 2004. Sold it to a friend about a year ago and it's still a good trailer. Easily 1/2 ton towable with the proper truck. 25 foot is a great size IMO, and I highly recommend the slide out.

[Grit_dog]

18k budget is doable especially this time of year. I'd look for a nice older Cummins 12v 2nd gen 2wd for around 10k and use he rest to get the nicest 5ver you can find.
Search up north states in the fall and snowbird states in the spring.
I just saw a cherry 94 cummins grampa truck with only 100k on it for $10k in Seattle CL last week.

[Karfae69]

Invest in a mobile hotspot for wifi, RV park wifi can be marginal at best. We travel with a Verizon Jetpack and it is worth it.

[Matt_Colie]

Translations for Titan:
Boondocking - Anchor out
Gunkholing - Wally Docking
Dump - Pump out
FHU - Along side with full service
Most of the rest of the words we use are usually understood by the RV community, but they think you are a little strange.

The amount of fuel burned will be WAY more than cruising under sail and way less than cruising in a power boat.

The only really important difference between and RV and a boat is that water can leak out of an RV.

Matt

[2012Coleman]

Sounds great! Pictures?