Hello Everyone,
My husband and I have been living on this fantastic website and are so excited about going fulltime next year.  We have been doing lots of research, bought the 5th wheel info ratings at rv.org and plan to go to a big RV show next month.
Choosing the right 5th wheel  and right size is a bit tricky.  We would like to do it right the first time.  How much emphasis should we put on the rv.org ratings?  Right now we are considering the New Horizon, Excel and Elite Suites that are rated for fulltiming.  Does anyone have a New Horizon and are they worth spending the extra money on?   Thanks to Howard and Linda and everyone else in this forum for being such a great source of information.  We look forward to the day we get to meet you.  We are also setting July 4th, 2009 as our fulltiming date.
Dixie

Well we are all excited for you. I know the choices are hard to make. There are so many 5th wheels out there with their share of Alabama fluff and you have to look past that at the nuts and bolts. Everyone will tell you that there is so much eye candy out there that sometimes you miss the real important issues. Make note of what those issues are and look into them first...be sure that what ever rig you buy is built solid with all the insulation you can get and all the storage you can get. Make sure you can make a sandwich on the kitchen cabinets without running out of space. Can you watch TV without someone constantly walking in front of you coming in or out of the RV? Do you have room for all the neccessities....To be determined by you....Brand name does not mean that you will have a perfect rig...only you can make sure that happens. You should spend 2 hours in a RV moving around and doing what you will be doing while living in one. How does it feel. Is the carpet residential grade.... Are the plumbing fixtures residential...cabinets all wood with heavy duty drawer guides. How much weight will you be able to pack in the RV? How much room do you have in and around the potty? Can you bend over in the shower....shave your legs?? You need to know what you need and then look and see if the rig you are looking at has it. Remember you will be living in this RV not camping in it. I know that the other Dreamers on this forum will add to what I am telling you and you should make note of all these things and use them to make your decision .

Dixie,

After a couple of years of research we have focused on the HitchHiker 5th Wheels built by NuWa.  If you haven't checked them out, I would strongly suggest that you include them in your research.  Here's a link to the NuWa Owner's Forum which will also link you to the NuWa website where you can see floorplans and pictures of all the models:  http://www.nuwaowners.org/

In my opinion, NuWa's management is committed to quality manufacturing and quality customer service.  I know that's who we'll be buying from when the time comes!

-- Edited by wmalefyt at 16:09, 2008-08-23

Dixie,

First of all, Welcome to the forum.

You've already had some good advice about finding the "perfect" RV. All of that Fluff, (as Speedy calls it), it just that. Fluff! You need some of it, so your dream home looks nice, but quality of materials and workmanship are much more important in the long haul.

Take your time, and don't let a salesman steer you into something he wants to sell, rather than what you want or need. Check the past posts here and glean what you can from the great answers that others have received. Then, ask your own questions. The folks here are very friendly and willing to help in any way they can.

Hope to see you on the road soon,

Jim

Maybe he's getting ready for the next RV Dreams Rally?

Well I stepped in that one....Then I always manage that don't I...TEEE HEEE Speedy Slick Legs

Thanks for your nice welcome and answering my questions.  I would love to here more about Dale and Bev's New Horizon when they get it.
SpeedySlickLegs you are a real hoot.  I have been enjoying reading your post. We all need a good laugh sometimes.  Thanks again.  Dixie

We're in a NUWA 2007 Champagne 35 CKQG and loving it. 

Any problems we've had thus far have been handled very easily by warranty service.  (Considering we are in Alaska, they just told us to get the problem fixed and send them the bill.  Their check showed up promptly.) 

The insulation can't be beat.  All NUWA have DOW solid blue insulation and we added storm windows.  Not dual pane windows, but real live storm windows.  We love them.  We've spent the prior 4 months in Alaska with no condensation problems.  The one window without a storm window is the escape hatch.  When I open the interior wooden doors to the escape hatch, I fall in love with my storm windows all over again. 

The Champagne has solid cherry wood for all the cabintry. 

Mike Mitchell is the greatest CEO.  He stresses customer service.    Check out the htttp://www.nuwaowners.org/forum/.  (By the way the owner's forum is completely independent of the company.)  Some company people respond to queries on the forum but owners own the foreum.

If you plan to FT -- I strongly suggest you check out the size of the holding tanks. We met a FT couple recently traveling another brand 5th wheel. They have a total of 40 gallons of gray water holding capacity -- we have 50 gallons of gray water (shower & bath sink) plus another 50 gallons of kitchen plus another 50 gallons of black water (and 100 gallons of fresh water).   It really makes a huge difference is how long you can stay in a place you may want to visit.

(We aren't particularly frugal with water and we fill the gray waste water tank after 3 days of showers.)

-- Edited by LeslieW at 02:43, 2008-08-25