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Re: Customizing new RVs?
Actually, the Era 70X is exactly what we were looking at, that inspired this post :) We liked that floor plan, but felt like that 2nd row of seats would just be in the way. Nice to know they pop out easily. I was assuming there would be some kind of things bolted into the floor that would make a big hole if we tried to remove them. We have 2 small dogs (cavalier and american eskimo!) rather than kids, so we won't really have a use for extra seats anyway. I would be interested in seeing if winnebago or anyone else for that matter starts doing 4x4 versions. We wouldn't be going off roading or anything, but it would be nice to have if we ever go out in the winter time or if it's rainy and muddy at a camp site. I am still really interested in the thor vegas 25 foot version too. We'll have to check them both out and see what we like more. I like different parts of both.. the Era could blend in easier and has nice features, but I think the vegas would check off more boxes for us.. seems to have a roomier bathroom and the rear "living room" seems like a fun idea, as long as it's not a pain to turn it into a bedroom. Still plenty of time for reasearch over the winter as we don't plan to buy really until at least the springtime.675Views0likes0CommentsRe: Customizing new RVs?
We didn't want to get anything we'd need to tow, we both drive small SUVs and don't really need a big truck for anything else... it would be a waste to buy one just to tow a camper 2-3 times a year. So we thought it would be better to have a small motorhome to go camping in and for me to use for my side biz for some of the more expensive conventions (hotels nearby charge $100 a night normally, and $400 a night during the convention... buncha crooks). We definitely need a permanent bathroom though. I was looking at roadtreks at first and they seemed kinda weird, like there's a little toilet in a closet and you gotta be standing in the hallway to use it? that's not gonna work for us :) I like the layouts on some that I've seen that have the 4 captain's chairs up front. we just felt like that 2nd row of them would never be used and not having them would free up lots of usable space. I wouldn't mind having a little fold down desk behind the driver's seat, so I can spin around and get some work done. There's an Airstream that has that, but the pics I've seen the desk looks super tiny. Another thing that bugs me is having a sink in the B bathrooms, they look so tiny yet they seem to all take up valuable shower elbow room.. why not just leave em out and let people watch their hands in the kitchen sink? We'll look at the smaller A's and C's too, not ruling them out. I do really like the Thor Axis and Vegas that I just found last night, the 25 foot version with the living room / bedroom in the back seemed pretty cool. And I like the floor plan for the winnebago brave 31 foot too. Those seem to be one of the only new RVs we could afford that would let us can watch TV comfortably, instead of all the others that hide the tv off in the corner somewhere. We want our TV right in front of the sofa :) I like the sound of a 4x4 motorhome too :) Just what I need to survive the zombie apocalypse. I did see some of them before but it looked like they were all expensive custom jobs.674Views0likes0CommentsRe: Customizing new RVs?
Hmm... I dunno about the citation sprinter, but actually looking around the Thor site I think their class A "RUV"s might be just what we're looking for. Really digging the floor plan with the big L sofa in back. We were kind of hoping to have a permanent bed though, but looks great otherwise. I'll have to show that one to the boss and see what she thinks :)379Views0likes0CommentsRe: Customizing new RVs?
rockhillmanor wrote: If you decide on a B and after awhile more of the family wants to come with you can always pick up a nice used pop up trailer and pull it behind you. Many of those have showers and toilets. Yes that's what we were thinking. I have 3 young nephews that I'd like to take camping, but I doubt their parents will want to come too. I think they'd rather have a break :) so we could rent a small trailer for if we did that.379Views0likes0CommentsRe: Customizing new RVs?
We're not planning to buy until spring, and also planning to rent one first to see how we like it. Right now we're just looking around online, checking out floor plans and different brands. We're not going to be full timing, it's mostly just going to be used for a few long weekends a year, and I'd be using it to go to game conventions for my side biz and "boondock" in the parking lot for a night or 2, or stay at nearby campgrounds and drive there and back, rather than staying in hotels that are really expensive during the conventions. So I also was thinking class B because I'm guessing it will get better gas mileage in general? And the conventions are another reason I'd like to be able to blend in more. I was looking at the smaller Class C's (or B+?) but we also kind of worry about having too many seams that could spring a leak some day. If it was a full van it would be like all 1 piece. Or does that not really matter? We were also looking into smaller Class A's like the new Winnebago brave, but were thinking that a B would be easier to get serviced.. like we could just take it to any mercedes dealership? I do kind of like the Winnebago Trend though, that has the bed that drops down that we'd have for if we ever had company. So we don't really need anything too big. Mostly looking for small and easy & fun to drive, I doubt we'd be traveling more than a days ride anywhere so I don't think we need massive tanks to boondock for weeks on end :)378Views0likes0CommentsCustomizing new RVs?
Hi folks So I've been doing tons of online research (but still haven't set foot in a RV since 1970-something). Right now I think we're leaning more toward Class B. It will be cramped, but it's just 2 of us. We just need a bed and a bathroom, most cooking would be done outside and I imagine if we ever took more family along, we'd probably see about renting a small trailer for them to sleep in or make them rough it in tents. We're thinking Class B will be easier to drive and we like the idea of being able to park it in more "normal" places. Anyway, one problem we're having with all of the classes is none of them are laid out how we want. Do dealers do any kind of upgrades for you when you buy them? Or do you have to do them yourself, and void any kind of warranty you might have had? For example, we're looking at the floor plan for the Winnebago Era 70X. Also the Airstream that was laid out in a similar way, with the 2 front seats that spin around so you have 4 seats in the front part of the coach, around a little pedestal table. Since it's just the 2 of us, we think we'd have more room if we could rip out that 2nd row of seats, to make room for a little doggie bed behind the driver's seat, and have a kind of walkway where you get in and out of the side door easier without that 2nd seat on the passenger side blocking the path. I figured I could probably do it myself with my trusty socket wrench, but I don't want to leave a gaping hole in the floorboards. We're looking at new stuff, but would also like to try and find something used that's just a few years old to save a bit.. are these updates that a dealer could do for us? or do we have to find a company that specializes in customizing RVs?8.8KViews0likes28CommentsRe: Thinking of getting an RV - lots of questions
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 :395Views0likes0CommentsRe: Thinking of getting an RV - lots of questions
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?395Views0likes0CommentsRe: Do you use an outside TV?
That's cool that a lot of folks use it, I was thinking it was more of a novelty thing. I like the idea of a family movie night around the campfire, but our family is the 2 of us and our dogs. Though there will be times we'll have some a relatives along for the ride too. We're also not sports fans so we wouldn't gather round the TV to watch football. I'm just thinking it for us it would be an extra cost for something we rarely use if ever. However I would love to have an outside kitchen and/or slide out gas grill though :)359Views0likes0Comments
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