look into the rv you wish to purchase and ask others how easy it is to heat and cool.

My 05 jayco designer 5th wheel only has one ac but even in 100 temps it's comfortable and we have been down to 4 degrees and only used two electric heaters and had no issues keeping the rv at 70.
Our neighbors have a new expensive 5th wheel and even with 2 ac they run all the time and it gets warm next to the big back windows and in the winter they have a draft and have to use electric heaters to help keep from using a lot of propane for heat.

We are almost there. We looked for a perfect for us class A pusher for 3 years. Thanks to SF member Armored and lots of research we settled on Foretravel.

A fully restored 1993 U300 GrandVilla dropped in our laps 2 years ago we love everything about it.

If you decide to go with a DP, do not fall for the newer, flashy coaches. All the the investment goes into the finishes...big screen tv's marble floors and counters, etc. It is more important to look underneath at all the systems you can't see. Everything upstairs is cosmetic and can be changed.

Buy a well sorted coach from the golden years...1995 - 2003. The top brands in my opinion are Prevost :+), Foretravel, Newmar, and Monaco.

Our coach was 430K in 1993. The company is still in business and supports the classic coaches with service and parts. We paid 40K and it is like a new coach. Everything has been restored and works and will for my lifetime.

There are only a few legacy brands left from before the booms and busts. Most others went bust and were resurrected, many by hedge funds. These brands grab customers with finishes, not guts.

Be careful with low milage used coaches. High milage means it has been used. It is not good for these things to sit, that is when things break.

Have fun and good luck!





Here is Robby Krieger from The Doors driving my coach. :+)

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Jeff Yarchin,

quote:

Originally posted by GrumpyBiker:
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I'm not an RV kind of guy but, man, I can enjoy something like that!

quote:

Originally posted by GrumpyBiker:
A class A has a continuous roof line from the driving portion thru to the back of the coach.
A class C is a van driving cabin that you climb / crawl thru to a living area.

"Climb/crawl?" I guess it depends upon the class C. Here's a view from the back, toward the driving position, of a 2016 Winnebago class C on a Sprinter chassis:



Stooping, a bit: Yeah. But, no climbing/crawling. Not even for me, at 6'4" tall.

Go to an RV show. Look at everything.

For just yourself, you have a lot of options. A lot of the class B and class C motorhomes built on Sprinter chassis aren't any bigger than my F350 crew cab long bed.

We rented a class C before we bought anything. It really helped us define our wants. Anything big enough for us was going to big to park at beach town restaurants, so it was clear we were going to be towing something. For us, a truck and trailer made sense.

I know you said you don't want to pull anything, but you might find a small, used Airstream that you can tow with your current vehicle.

My wife and I have been full timing for 4 yrs now. Below is my coach.





Cost depends on location, season, how long you stay in one place, you can get better prices for month stays. Also you can boondock on designated federal land for 14 days in one spot for free, I have paid anywhere from $300-1200 electric included for a month. I have memberships at two RV parks one in Branson, MO and then I am based out of Rapid City, SD at the other. Tires time out on my coach not wear out 6-7 yrs that is the biggest expense in one chunk. I do all my own repairs/maintenance upgrades myself.
What's nice about a class A or C you don't have to l leave the unit to set up in bad weather if you don't want to. There are pros and cons for both. It is all what you are looking to do.

These are all some pretty impressive looking RVs!!! The bus-like ones I think are really beyond me. I don't think I'd ever be comfortable driving one. LOL

quote:

Originally posted by AllenInWV:
These are all some pretty impressive looking RVs!!! The bus-like ones I think are really beyond me. I don't think I'd ever be comfortable driving one. LOL

It's just like driving a car/truck once you master the turns. What really matters most is in front of you. Focus on the keeping the front wheels between the lines and the rest follows.

It definitely takes some practice but the extra room is awesome once you arrive. In the beginning you can ask for pull-through sites at the campground. It makes it easier.

The most important thing is to not rush, don't let other drivers push you and think ahead a bit to avoid narrow roads until you get comfortable.

You drive better when you are relaxed, which comes with concentration and practice.

quote:

Originally posted by Ozarkwoods:
My wife and I have been full timing for 4 yrs now. Below is my coach.


Snip

Cost depends on location, season, how long you stay in one place, you can get better prices for month stays. Also you can boondock on designated federal land for 14 days in one spot for free, I have paid anywhere from $300-1200 electric included for a month. I have memberships at two RV parks one in Branson, MO and then I am based out of Rapid City, SD at the other. Tires time out on my coach not wear out 6-7 yrs that is the biggest expense in one chunk. I do all my own repairs/maintenance upgrades myself.
What's nice about a class A or C you don't have to l leave the unit to set up in bad weather if you don't want to. There are pros and cons for both. It is all what you are looking to do.

Beautiful coach! What supplemental brakes are you using for the Jeep? I'm in the process of setting My JKU up for flat towing. I need a hitch plate and brakes. I already have a Roadmaster Falcon tow bar that came with the coach.

I agree with Jeff Yarchin's post.
Buy the bones!
A flashy low dollar coach will eat you alive and be hard to unload onto somebody else.
A dark colored coach may look nice but will also absorb the suns heat like a magnet. It will also stretch the paint on the fiberglass and lead to cracks, not to mention paint damage from going in and out of campsites and rubbing branches and brush.
There was a reason many RV's used to be polished Gel Coat not paint.

Top of the line coaches use top of the line power trains. If you buy a coach with a high end Diesel and the accompanying Allison trans you can put 700,000+ miles on it before even considering a rebuild, MORE than a lifetime of normal use. A gas engine will suck gas and wear itself out moving all that weight. A diesel has all its power/torgue were a gas engine fast idles. As stated earlier, Tires time out, you don't wear them out. Beware of the date code on the tires on a used rig. The tires may look like new but 7 yrs is about it for useful/safe service.

If you plan to full time don't buy something TOO small you will quickly outgrow it. Make sure your storage is adequate, make sure your liquid storage tanks are LARGE! I have 100+gal.fresh water tank, 50 gal. black water, and 50+ grey water, They fill up fast!

Look for a QUALITY RV that may be older, plan on putting some money back into it for updates.
You will be a happy camper, with money in your pocket to use for other things.

Picture of my 1995,Cummins M11 Celect, Allison 4060,8 outboard mounted air suspension, 4 wheel air disc brakes, 40' Foretravel.

quote:

Originally posted by Jeff Yarchin:


Beautiful coach! What supplemental brakes are you using for the Jeep? I'm in the process of setting My JKU up for flat towing. I need a hitch plate and brakes. I already have a Roadmaster Falcon tow bar that came with the coach.

Thanks Jeff your FT has always been a premium coach.

I use the US Gear unified brake system, only because I had the system from my previous coach. If yours has the integration port from your air brake system I would go with

Road master 9100

We spent most of the day today looking at toy haulers. We looked mostly at 5th wheel models, made by Forest River. Not sure if that is a good brand, but they make so many different models with different names. Vengeance is the one we primarily liked.
Not sure if anybody has experience with this.
We were going to look at a class C, but they did not have many of those.

quote:

Originally posted by Aquabird:
We spent most of the day today looking at toy haulers. We looked mostly at 5th wheel models, made by Forest River. Not sure if that is a good brand, but they make so many different models with different names. Vengeance is the one we primarily liked.
Not sure if anybody has experience with this.
We were going to look at a class C, but they did not have many of those.

Can I recommend Grand Design?

Whatever you buy have the dealer install a LED light strip under the awning .
I just installed this on ours last weekend.
Bought this a year & 1/2 ago.
I'm all healed up after surgery so I finally got it up & on.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: GrumpyBiker,

Wouldn't you know it....
The local RV dealership is having their open house and of course we found one we want ! 'sigh'
So we have an appointment to get ours appraised & see if we can get a deal that we can live with.


''Tis the season for Open Houses" and it's a nice way to walk thru a bunch of models without a salesman hawking over you.

LOL You suck. I've been looking at literature for the Vista and Via myself.

I don't know if I'm excited , anxious or nervous.
I don't like change & we love our current motorhome but we found one that would serve us until we are ready to buy our retirement RV.

But it all comes down to the numbers.