Thinking of getting an RV - lots of questions

[rvnoob]

Hi folks. As the title suggests we are thinking of getting a RV and have tons of questions. Hoping some folks will actually read all this and maybe offer some advice 🙂

We want to travel, but having dogs makes it tough, we don't want to leave them in a strange kennel full of fleas or guilt friends/family into dogsitting (thus making us have to return the favor!).. and they're our kids so of course we want to bring them too. We probably won't go out camping so much as use it for road trips and not needing to get a hotel. Also I run a company on the side and would like to use it to attend conventions where hotel rooms are really expensive, but parking is cheap.

We don't need one of those big busses, but we do want something that's real nice (not luxury, but nice). Looking around a lot of manufacturer websites I think something in the 30 foot range would be good. I like the idea of the kinds that have bunk beds off to the side.. we'd use the bottom bunk for our dogs and the top probably for storage. One floor plan I really like is the new winebago brave 31 foot version that looks like it isn't out yet. I think I just like that the TV is actually in front of the sofa instead of making you look sideways to watch it like every other RV. I also like the minnie winnie with the bunk beds. There's a place nearby that rents RVs so I thought we'd try renting one for a weekend to see if we like it. It's called cruse america, are they any good?

Anyway... about the class C vs A.. I'm guessing it means with a class C I just need a normal class C drivers license and it's a lot like driving a big van? But for class A I need a class A license and it's like driving a bus or big truck? I just have a normal driver's license, is it more based on the size and weight and I'm going to need to get a truck driver's license? I kind of don't want to, but if I have to, I can... So if we went with a minnie winnie or similar, I could use my standard license, but a Brave or similar I'd need a new license?

Do RVs get hot in the summer like a car does? We require air conditioning and lots of it 🙂 The AC runs off of your generator (or your truck engine?), and heat runs off of propane? Or can propane also power stuff? We have a backup generator at home for when the lights go out, that runs off our household propane tank.

Say we wanted to leave the RV and go see a movie or a museum or casino or whatever, and we're going to be gone for a couple of hours when it's 98 degrees outside.. Can you leave your generator going 24/7 even if you're not there so the dogs will be ok? I imagine it's a really bad idea to leave anything running in your RV unattended.. or would it be ok?

Also about generators, just from average use how long can they last on a full tank? Do they use your RV gas tank or do they have their own? If you're out "boondocking" but you want to watch tv at night and run the AC, can you run your generator 24/7 or is that just asking for it to have a short life span?

I watched a youtube video where a young couple was raving about their composting toilet.. are they any good? I'm not looking forward to the idea of pumping a weeks worth of poo into a teeny hole in the ground, but I guess it's a necessary evil. For your average use in most 30 foot style RVs how long can 2 people and a couple of dogs go on a full tank of water and stuff, just taking a quick daily shower and general use? We'd like to be able to go off the grid for a few days at a time, without having to leave to refill anything half way through our trip... though for really long trips I imagine we could go a few days in the wild and then hit a RV camp sight to refill and do laundry for a day and then go back out?

Do you always have to have dinette? Every single RV seems to have them. I usually carry 8 or 9 spare tires with me everywhere I go, it's hard squeezing into some restaurant booths so I doubt I'd fit into any RV dinette. I do kind of like the idea of a front seat that spins around and there's just 1 bench for the other side of the booth, but there doesn't seem to be too many RVs like that, not that I've seen anyway.

When you buy a RV, is it basically the same process like buying a car? I hate haggling 🙂 Is it true you can write off some of it on your taxes since it's treated like a home? And if I use it for my business, can I write off stuff for that too, like it was a home office that happens to have wheels too so I could also write off gas and stuff? When you get a loan, is it more like a car loan where it's just around 5 years? Or long like a mortgage?

That should do it for now, I'm sure I'll have tons more questions later. Thanks for reading this far 🙂

[bee_46]

We, too, had to buy used as the price of new was out of our budget. We bought a used 2003 just this spring. Things we looked for were the condition of the inside and outside (was it treated gently), mileage, maintaince records (the former owner had a folder full), and of course how it ran when we test drove it. We did buy on our first look-see as we drove 400 miles to look at the vehicle. We then had our mechanic go over it after we got home. Our first trip our was over 5,000 miles and it performed well. Only two minor problems including a blown tire that can happen anytime.

Ideally we should have taken it to a mechanic before we bought, but that wasn't possible. The maintaince records kept by the former owner were a big plus.

We did buy from a private seller, not a dealership. You can buy used and get a good RV.

We did look at another used RV and did some homework first and found that recommended tires were no longer available for that model and year. So we passed on that one.

[NYCgrrl]

rvnoob wrote:
Yes that is what we plan to do. We're going to wait till the spring and rent a RV for a long weekend trip and see if we like it enough to want to take the plunge and buy one of our own.

Now that I'm learning a lot more, it probably wouldn't be practical for driving it to conventions.. they're all downtown on streets that were laid out with horses in mind not cars or RVs. And the cost of gas to get there and back would probably just as much as it would cost to pay the price-gouged hotel rates. So that's not something I'd look into unless I had it a while and really knew what I was doing.

We are also probably going to have to buy used, and that worries me.. it's not like buying a used car there's so many other parts to consider and i'd worry the last guy didn't take good enough care of it. So we definitely want to make sure if we buy used we get something good that's not falling apart or has a mold problem or something.

So yeah, we're definitely not in a rush at all :

Glad you figured out that downtown center RVing with dogs really wasn't going to work out in most places.

Buying used isn't the end of the world even if you don't know the mechanics. Hire an experienced RV mechanic to do a check over before you buy. Your neighbor with the RV probably has a source or 2 for you.

[rvnoob]

Yes that is what we plan to do. We're going to wait till the spring and rent a RV for a long weekend trip and see if we like it enough to want to take the plunge and buy one of our own.

Now that I'm learning a lot more, it probably wouldn't be practical for driving it to conventions.. they're all downtown on streets that were laid out with horses in mind not cars or RVs. And the cost of gas to get there and back would probably just as much as it would cost to pay the price-gouged hotel rates. So that's not something I'd look into unless I had it a while and really knew what I was doing.

We are also probably going to have to buy used, and that worries me.. it's not like buying a used car there's so many other parts to consider and i'd worry the last guy didn't take good enough care of it. So we definitely want to make sure if we buy used we get something good that's not falling apart or has a mold problem or something.

So yeah, we're definitely not in a rush at all :

[tibbitts]

There is a lot of misinformation in this thread, but my main suggestion to the OP is to rent an RV very similar in type and size to what's being considered. You have to remember that there is suvivorship bias on the forum - people who have given up RVing for one reason or another generally don't hang around the forum.

RVing isn't an experience that everyone enjoys, and not every application for RVing is appropriate for all RVers. For example, one of the stated objectives was visiting downtown convention centers, and that's a very specific requirement that isn't something I'd personally attempt in conjunction with RV travel, for several reasons. Especially not if I was a first-time RVer.

[Wingnut647]

In PA if your rv or truck and trailer combination weigh more than 26,000 lbs you will need to get a non-commercial Class A license.

[Steve1950]

since you don't like snow, don't buy a rv now. instead read rv.net everyday until you are ready to buy. that way your questions and many you never thought about will be answered. it costs even when you're not using it.

[stetwood]

BarneyS wrote:
Many of your questions are answered in our Forum FAQ which is located in the blue bar at the top of this forum and also stuck as the first post in this forum. It is a collection of links to various threads over the years that have been asked on just about every RV topic.

I would spend a few hours looking it over. I am sure it will give you a lot of help.
Good luck.:)P
Barney

This excellent advice. Another thing to do is log on, click on the newest tab in the red banner, and select the forums you are interested in opening them in new tabs, go through the first page of the forums, selecting the topics you are interested in and open them in new tabs and read a the topic and a few of the responses on the first page, most of what is posted after that first page is redundant and is like this post UNNECESSARY for the most part.

[rvnoob]

More questions 🙂

It's looking like we're going to have to get a used motorhome, as new ones are just too far out of our price range for the size and floor plan we would want. But being totally new, we're scared that we won't know what to look for other than cleanliness. What are some warning signs, other than black mold spots?

And also, what about the engine? We really don't want to end up stranded 500 miles from home. Should we just look for the lowest mileage? Or could low mileage on an old RV be a bad thing, because it probably sat around for long periods and wasn't used enough? When we buy it, will the dealer do a thorough check and fix everything, or do they just change the oil and say it's good to go? We wouldn't want to buy it and then have to sink thousands more into a new transmission or all new tires and brakes.. looking for something as turnkey as possible 🙂

and, how easy are they to modify? Like for example, we hate the idea of watching a little TV off in the corner somewhere. We want a sofa and a TV right in front of it, and it seems like to have that we'd have to install it somewhere, like above a dinette or something like that. We also wouldn't want any big old fashioned TVs, so if it had those we would probably want to take those out for extra cabinet / storage space. Is that stuff you can generally do yourself or would it be better to have the dealer do any installations of new stuff?

[frankdamp]

Our current (second) MH is a 32' Class A gasser, F53 chassis with V-10 engine. We love it, but the dreaded cost/benefit thing has hit us broadside. We'll be selling it in the next few weeks, probably through a local and well respected consignment dealer.

When you start dipping into your IRA just to fund an RV trip, you have to step back and decide if it's really that important. We've decided it's not. When we started with our first RV, a 26' Class C, gas was around $1.75 a gallon, State Parks were $15 a night and the fancier commercial CGs were maybe $22.

Now gas is still close to $4, SP's are pushing $30 and we haven't seen a commercial site less than $45 this season.

We'll miss the lifestyle, but, from our perspective, it's just not feasible any longer.

[frankdamp]

Our current (second) MH is a 32' Class A gasser, F53 chassis with V-10 engine. We love it, but the dreaded cost/benefit thing has hit us broadside. We'll be selling it in the next few weeks, probably through a local and well respected consignment dealer.

When you start dipping into your IRA just to fund an RV trip, you have to step back and decide if it's really that important. We've decided it's not. When we started with our first RV, a 26' Class C, gas was around $1.75 a gallon, State Parks were $15 a night and the fancier commercial CGs were maybe $22.

Now gas is still close to $4, SP's are pushing $30 and we haven't seen a commercial site less than $45 this season.

We'll miss the lifestyle, but, from our perspective, it's just not feasible any longer.

[mileshuff]

We store our 5th wheel at a local storage facility. We chose a covered sight to keep wind, rain and sun off of it (No snow here). Really helps to keep trailer looking new and roof last much longer.

[bikendan]

Giselle wrote:
Normally RV requires speical permit licsne, however it sometiems also depends on the size of the RV your are choosing.

this is NOT true, should be RARELY.
and i think you're using the term RV for a motorhome. the term RV covers travel trailers, popups, 5th wheels also, along with motorhomes.

[Giselle]

To get an RV is like a dream come true for many people and seems that you alwys have planned to ghet an RV. It can be a great family vehicle. Normally RV requires speical permit licsne, however it sometiems also depends on the size of the RV your are choosing. The generators and battreis for RV are very high performance, and I would recomend it be OFF. If you are in a movie and if some fault occurs in the generator, you never know what is going to happen. Moreover , the battries this days are of very high perfromance and they last for very long. Keeping the RV offd while not around is recommended.

[wintersun]

A great place to get information is at campgrounds in your area or RV parks. People are generally happy to let you look at their setup and they will answer questions and you can see how they actually "camp" with their rig and pack for travel, etc.

The simplest RV to use is a travel trailer that you can tow to a camping area or RV park and leave it behind while you use the tow vehicle (crew cab pickup truck or large SUV).

It is not practical at any convention or trade show that we have ever attended to find a place to legally or safely park an RV nearby. All the ones we attend are in the downtown area where you pay a hefty premium for parking. We avoid even having a rental car and book a room at a hotel withing walking distance of the show location or take cabs.