Thinking of buying an RV, looking for advice/wisdom

[jtaby]

Hey folks.

I find myself in the peculiar position of being young, and with money and time. I'm planning on taking an extended (1-1.5 months) trip around the national parks of the western US, spending up to ~5 days per national park and using this time to reflect, plan, and get some personal work done on my own time (internet connection, power for my laptop).

I'm considering buying a Class C motorhome, and I wanted to know from you guys whether or not what I'm about to do is a terrible idea or a reasonable idea considering the following parameters:

- I'm budgeting ~$15,000 for a used early-mid 2000s Class C motorhome.
- My current plan is to try to keep the motorhome in my possession after the trip for a few months to see if I'd use it. If not, my hope is to be able to sell it for about a $5-10,000 loss.
- I plan on having some friends join me for parts of the trip here and there, but I'll likely be alone for much of the trip.
- This would not be a place for me to live, it'd be a vehicle for me to travel in, camp, hike, fish, etc.

So, considering I've never been in an RV, and considering how I plan to use it, do you have any advice for me? I currently drive an Audi Q5 and based on my research, that SUV can't tow a meaningful trailer behind it and I'm concerned the depreciation cost of the car after that kind of trip would be more expensive than buying a cheap RV.

[bikendan]

jtaby wrote:
On the one hand, the idea of unhitching a trailer and riding around in a car/truck sounds awesome. On the other, not having a shower and a toilet sounds miserable, especially considering an extended trip (30-40 days).

if you get a truck, you'll easily be able to pull a trailer that will have a shower and toilet you can use, even without hookups.
even the smaller TT's, will have these. even some popups will have a shower and toilet.

[jtaby]

On the one hand, the idea of unhitching a trailer and riding around in a car/truck sounds awesome. On the other, not having a shower and a toilet sounds miserable, especially considering an extended trip (30-40 days).

[Fishinghat]

Since depreciation would normally exceed rental or leasing costs, give some consideration to not buying but renting. (Also, sales taxes, license and insurance costs are based on annual rates, not monthly.)

A pickup camper or towable RV would be a better choice than a Class C or B, if you are focused on owning.

Finally, check out the web site for PPL motorhomes in Texas. They have a large consignment lot and you could get an idea of what your money would buy in a used RV.

[wa8yxm]

If you go the JEEP and Trailer route.. you gonna love the JEEP.

I used to use a Scamp (13 footer) I would suggest a sixteen for you if you are going to go that route. Wife and I liked the 13 but it's a tad chummy.

And there are a couple of things I tell people which I need to modify for you.

First: (No mod here) MOTOR____ like to be driven, Be it a motor home, a motor car (Automobile) a Motor boat or whatever if it has a motor it likes to motor down the way... The absolute worst thing for these vehicles is to sit there and do nothing for months on end.

Trailers.. Well other than dry rot of the tires (Which applies to Motor____ other than boat (no tires)) do not has as big an issue with just sitting.

NORMALLY I would recommend a motor home with towed car.. But in your case. we are talking a light weight trailer with a fuel efficient tow vehicle so.

The reason for recommending the MH is this: Driving my 38'er with towed the Vortec 8.1L V-8 sucks about one gallon every eight-9 miles.. A roughly same size 5th wheel trailer with a honking big pick up to tow it.. Roughly the same.

Running to the store for some Brown Sugar.... (Something I may do soon). the towed is in the 20's... Just were in the 20's I'm not sure yet, A more modern towed can easily do 30's on the MPG chart (last fill was 23 MPG on mine)

That big honking pick up.. Perhaps 16 if you get a tail wind.

But in your case you can use a small compact light weight TT with a jeep, Likely get 30's bobtail and possibly even towing (20's for sure towing). And of all the sports cars sent to Car and Driver for test driving.. JEEP almost always wins the Bang for your BUCK contest.. Not all that many bucks when compared to say a Mustang or Corvette,, And lots and lots of BANG (FUN).

[jtaby]

I looked up towing options for my Audi and generally speaking, the advice is along the lines of "proceed at your own risk" and "Q5 is not designed with this in mind", mostly since it's based on the A4 chassis. I'd rather not take the risk on it to be honest.

[westend]

Nocal guy? Buy a used Asian truck and a slide in camper. Use Starbucks, McD's and your cellular plan for the Interweb. This assumes you don't own property to park a trailer when done with your excursion. If you have a home with parking space, trailers make excellent guest quarters.

If you're not afraid to tow with the Audi (why should you be?), a small pop-up or hard-sider is all you need.

[Itching2go]

These are all great suggestions, and I think your idea is a great one. One thing to keep in mind, though. Your note indicated that you were going to do some work on your own time. If that work requires Internet access, be aware that you will not find convenient internet access in many/most national parks out west. And if your plan is to use cellular data, coverage can be very thin to non-existent, especially if your plans include Yellowstone. You'll likely have better luck at private campgrounds outside of the parks, but not only will your costs go up, but you'll also be missing the wonderful experience of camping inside of the National Parks.

[ncrowley]

I would also recommend a truck and trailer. You could get an older Tundra and a trailer under 5000 pounds and be in good shape. Make sure the truck can comfortably tow the trailer. You do not want a trailer that weighs near the max towing capacity of the truck. The weight you will use is the trailer loaded for a trip. That would give you a good vehicle for driving around once you get there.

[jtaby]

You guys are starting to see how little I know about this stuff 🙂 Thankful for your time and answers.

I hadn't considered Class B until now, but looking around it looks like I can get a pretty nice Class B for $20-25K which is above my budget, but which seems to better serve my needs (something like http://sfbay.craigslist.org/sfc/rvs/4348772133.html for example).

I'm still going to look for a truck/suv and a TT but at least I've now narrowed down my search.

[gbopp]

Welcome to the forum. If you're young, have time and money, obviously you're not married. 🙂

Did you consider a Class B? It's smaller but, you could eliminate a tow or towed vehicle.

Probably a TT and tow vehicle, truck, van or SUV, is your best bet.

Ask lots of questions before you make a decision.

Enjoy your travels.

[bikendan]

jtaby wrote:
You guys make a good point. It looks like I can buy a used jeep wrangler for ~$10k and a travel trailer for $5-8K...

you need to look at vehicles that are built for towing, not for vehicles built for "playing".
the Wrangler is NOT a good tow vehicle, unless you get a popup or teardrop trailer.

you need to look at a ladder-frame construction/rear wheel drive tow vehicle that has a factory tow package. the longer the wheelbase, the better. that's why a Wrangler is not a good choice.

a Tacoma matched up with a 19' or smaller TT would be a good small combo to look at.

[PastorCharlie]

jtaby wrote:
You guys make a good point. It looks like I can buy a used jeep wrangler for ~$10k and a travel trailer for $5-8K...

A Jeep Wrangler is too lightweight for towing anything of significance. The tow vehicle needs to be substantially heaver than the trailer to have good control. It may do well with a small Coleman Popup. A Wrangler if a great vehicle to tow and use for getting around.

[Deb_and_Ed_M]

Many (most?) of the National Parks were designed with "cars" in mind - if you hope to use a Class C as your vehicle, it might be hard to find parking spots in all those wonderful Scenic Turnouts. Either think SMALL with a motorized RV; or go with the trailer that you can leave behind.

Re the thought of a Wrangler with trailer: while sightseeing with a Wrangler with the top off is just about as fun as it gets: it's not a secure vehicle at all, not a great tow vehicle due to the short wheelbase; and they get poor gas mileage - about the same as a full-sized van.

[jtaby]

You guys make a good point. It looks like I can buy a used jeep wrangler for ~$10k and a travel trailer for $5-8K...

[fla-gypsy]

kzspree320 wrote:

donn0128 wrote:
Instead of a MH a decent TT and tow vehicle might fit your budget better.

X2. That way you can disconnect the tow vehicle and be able to explore and fish. You could always tow a vehicle with the C, but that's just more expense. Obviously, how much you spend and what % of it you get back depends to a large degree on your buying and selling prowess, as well as how well you take care of it while in your possession. Good luck. Have fun.

X3