Texasanne
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Re: First Time Buyer...Updated 03/06/2006
Hi John, Thank you for your lengthy post. I needed every word of it so don't think it was too long for everybody. You sound so knowledgeable about RV machinery and the features that make DP RVs driver friendly. Please give me your opinion about our situation. My husband knows little to nothing about vehicles and I'm the one who gets the oil changed etc. Yet he thinks he wants an RV. We rented one and had a wonderful experience with the rental company and living a week in tiny quarters. Our rental was a new Class C 26' Dutchmen. My husband drove and I followed in our car because our destination wasn't far and towing behind a rental is expensive to set up. Now we are going to rent a 31' Dutchmen with a slide and see if we feel less cramped. We're going from Tx to Az so I'll ride along in the RV this time. You can see we're going at this VERY SLOWLY. We don't have money to waste on a bad purchase. We found out the company who rents has a program whereby you can buy an RV (they like Thor Industries products) and put it in their "program". You get it whenever you want. When you're not using it they rent it out and you get half the rental fee mailed to you monthly. So if you only use it 3x a year you can defray the payments by renting it. The company totally maintains the unit which is where I see a real advantage to people like us. But we get little choice in the unit selection other than size. Cost is something like $60,000 (including all taxes) for a new 26' Dutchmen. It goes up from there as the units get larger. They are very STRICT about deposits for rentals. People must not abuse them or the company has a knack for cleaning them because ours was immaculate. For people as naive about equipment and RVing in general, what opinion do you have on how we should proceed? Also, the choices out there are mind boggling for newbies. Don't you lose a lot of money when you get rid of one? Any info would be SO-O helpful and I would greatly appreciate your time. Texasanne427Views0likes0CommentsRe: First Time Buyer...Updated 03/06/2006
What fantastic information you have taken the time to share. Bravo and thank you! We have been investigating the RV lifestyle and through this website I made a friend who is a fulltimer. She and I have been emailing and she told me a 5th wheel is far and away the roomiest decision for a fulltimer. Plus, she didn't want to be in her "home" all day with driving paraphernalia, maps etc. all over so esthetically she preferred being in her truck and going "home" when they stopped. As a woman, that stuck a chord with me. So . . . how did you handle the vehicle thing? To have a 5th wheel will mean we'll have to sell a car and buy a truck and that has certain ramifications for us with a moderate income (retired). Will you detail what truck you have/get because I admire and adhere to your checklist approach. Again thanks, Texasanne475Views0likes0CommentsRe: First Time Buyer...Updated 03/06/2006
Thank you for writing such a comprehensive article on purchasing a motorhome. I'm so new on this subject that you might call me a pre-schooler. We've always traveled (US and worldwide) by flying, then renting a car and staying in hotels/motels. But my husband is allergic to so many things these days that even a top-notch hotel can have something in the air that sets him off. So, he said he wanted a motorhome so it would be "like home". Now, we have NEVER been in a motorhome except to walk through one. People have tried to be helpful with suggestions from "get a 5th wheel to only buy a diesel pusher". I know nothing about repairs of any kind nor have I ever driven something like a bus. My husband thinks he'll be fine with the driving but he is no handy man. We're retired with a moderate budget. We want to drive to National and State parks and enjoy the scenery, nature and walk around watching birds. I dream about going to places and staying a couple of months. Then coming home and catching up on household matters, getting my hair cut, going to the doctor and then hitting the road again. Is this realistic? Will we have nothing but headaches with maintainance and fuel going ever higher? We are going to take the big leap by RENTING a motorhome. It's a 29' coach called an Admiral (no idea the manufacturer). I like the floorplan and the RV people charge a fortune for a security deposit so most people don't smoke or damage anything for fear of losing that deposit. So it should be smoke-free. We're going out for 2 weeks. Anybody with time to write me and knowledge to share I would love to hear from you. I will spend the time it takes to research and ask questions and listen to answers. By the way, Johnny T, what motorhome did yo eventually buy. I mean manufacturer and model, please. I'm curious what met your criteria. Looking for information, Texasanne475Views0likes0Comments
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