Went looking at an RV dealership yesterday since I've only looked at photos and hubby hasn't looked at anything. We started with Fifth Wheels then moved to the travel trailers. We did decide we wanted a fifth wheel, even though they cost more. We saw a lot that we liked but there was one Durango we really liked. That was pretty much the only manufacturer they had in a fifth wheel.

So we know the type of floor plan we both like now. Hubby agrees with me about the rear living room area. We liked the Durango 325CK because of the rear living room and open kitchen with the smaller island. It's about 34', so that's about the length that I wanted.

According to the dealer, we need to get at least an F250 super duty  for towing. I would like to go up to a 350, but don't know if I can talk hubby into it. He doesn't want a dually.

But we are still looking around. There is supposed to be a big show in B'ham in February, so I want to go to that and look at more models and nail down what we want.

Hubby wants to go ahead and try to do this in about 2 years, even if we have to make payments on the RV, which I didn't want to do, but if we buy new we will have to do that. But the other option we were looking at was buying a mobile home with some land and that is about the same price as the RV and the truck. So now that hubby has seen a few of them he is happy and more certain we can do this.

He wants to do this now in 2 years, as I said. Our son will be 18 and he wants to go to France for a couple of months. So basically, he will work, graduate and save up his money, take his trip and while he's gone we'll probably buy the fifth wheel and move out of our rental house. So by the time he comes back to pick up his dog and cat we'll be in an RV park and ready to hit the road.

That's the plan. We'll see how it goes. We are starting a very aggressive savings plan right now. We're renting and have nothing really to sell, so we plan to save for the truck and pay cash, using part of the money from selling dh's current S-10, then we figure we'll be replacing part of the money we now spend on rent on a fifth wheel payment. But we want to have a good down payment and emergency fund as well. We'll probably eventually sell my car too, and we have another car that needs a new engine back at my parents' place in Georgia. We can maybe get a few hundred dollars out of that for the savings account.

So the only debt we'll have will be a student loan and the RV. Still not the way I wanted to go, but if we're going to do this in 2-5 years it's the only way. There's no way for us save up almost $50 K in 5 years.  (That's for the Fifth wheel, truck and an emergency fund.)

Christina in Alabama

Christina,

I don't know if it's possible, but I would highly recommend you try to make it to the RV-Dreams Rally this next April. You will learn so much about different RVs, sizes of trucks necessary, and RVing in general.

The cost of the Rally will more than likely save you much more than you would spend if you make a costly mistake selecting the wrong RV or Truck.

There's so much to learn about making the right decision in selecting a full-timing rig.

Jim

I want to go to the rally and I've told my husband about it. Our only issue right now is that he's looking for a new job, so if he gets the job we won't be able to take the week to go. If he doesn't, he can't ask for vacation time until March, but the rally has to be paid by then. So I'm waiting to see if he gets a new job by February. If not, I'll go ahead and pay for the rally and book a hotel room and he'll have to apply for vacation after the fact. If something happens and he can't come with me, I'll get my mom to come with me to help remember stuff and take notes. So right now it's just the timing. I do want him to come because he has questions that I cannot answer but I think the rally will be able to answer for him.

FYI, we have an F350 4x4 SuperDuty Diesel -- not duelly.  Just wanted you to know they are out there.

Good luck with all your plans.  I'm considering the rally in April.  Really want to go, but my darling is working a project in Arkansas.  He has limited time off, so this would not be the priority for vacation for him.  But I just might come by myself. 

One other thought, there are a few folks here who are planning to go fulltime in a couple years that have already moved into their RVs.  If you can make the space work for your son, you might consider swapping the rent payment for the rv payment sooner than later.  You can make a bigger dent in paying it off that way....

(quote)If you can make the space work for your son, you might consider swapping the rent payment for the rv payment sooner than later.  You can make a bigger dent in paying it off that way....(end quote)



We've talked about doing that as well, but we'd still have at least a year to get things organized. We have way too many pets - 2 dogs, one very old and wouldn't be able to make it up and down the steps, and seven cats. My son wants to keep his dog and one cat, but we are going to find homes for the others. We also have to pare down all our belongings and buy the truck. And while we liked the fifth wheels that had the bunk room, we don't know if we want to spend the money on those when the ones we really like has the front living room and no bunk area. So we're trying to kick around some ideas and see what we can do. Since my husband is looking for a new job it kind of keeps any concrete plans from being made. But it is still looking like maybe 2-3 years depending on when my son graduates. He's working on his GED classes now and is trying to find a job, but he hasn't had any luck. I am also kicking on a few ideas to make more money for the savings account so it can grow faster.

(quote) If you notice the figures, it is evident that diesel engines will give you a lot more capacity for towing than gasoline. In fact, I looked at the 2010 brochure for the F250 and from quick browsing, it looked like the gas engine would be a little light for the fifth wheel you mentioned. The one you mentioned shows a GVWR on the website of 12,000lbs. (end quote) I would like to go up to maybe a 350, but we may stick with an F250 Super Duty. Thanks for the brochure links. The towing guide says that a standard F250 Superduty can tow a fifth wheel up to 14,400 pounds. We will definitely use this guide when we're ready to buy our truck and make sure we get the good engine size if we go with gas or go with the diesel. We aren't going to buy new, we're going to buy used. Hopefully we will find the perfect vehicle with all the equipment needed for towing. If not, we'll have to make sure we have the fifth wheel hitch, good brakes and any other safety equipment needed.

crouton wrote:

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... And while we liked the fifth wheels that had the bunk room, we don't know if we want to spend the money on those when the ones we really like has the front living room and no bunk area. ...

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When we were looking for our current trailer one of the priorities was a seperate space for if/when the grandkids stayed with us.  We saw several models of 5th wheels with the living area seperated from the rest of the trailer with french doors.  That might be a good option -- seperate room when needed, but not when you don't.  Just a thought...

 

Did more window shopping today. We went to Montgomery, AL to visit MIL and decided to stop by a dealer there that was supposed to have the Everlight Fifth Wheel. Unfortunately it was at his other lot so I didn't get to see it. We did see a travel trailer, though. It was very nice but not really what we wanted.

Our son was with us this time and in the past he's said, "You and dad are doing this without me, so why do I need to go?" But he actually got kind of excited this time.

We saw a Rockwood travel trailer that I actually liked. It had a back bunk area with a desk and the bedroom was divided from the living space by the entertainment center and pocket doors.

Then we browsed some of the coaches, including a $310K coach with marble floors, a dishwasher and washer / dryer. Not in our price range, but very swanky.

Then we looked at Fifth Wheels. We liked the Bighorn 3610RE with the TV that goes into the fireplace, a desk area and a small bar area where I could work, the rounded island that opened with more storage, the storage under the steps and dinette table with the leaf.

I also liked the Open Range Residential. It was beautiful with the tile around the fireplace, the pot hanger, the wine racks and the larger table. It was one of my favorites.

But then we saw the Cyclone HD. We walked into this rig with the curved walls, making it feel very futuristic. We looked around the living area and bedroom and then our son climbed up to the loft and said "This is my spot!" I opened the door leading to the back and discovered it was a toy hauler! I was surprised. The garage area had another set of bunks, a half bath and another fridge and there was a table leaning against the wall that could be set up on the folding bed / benches. So our son then said that would be his apartment and he would pay rent and keep his scooter there :)

We also looked in the one class C they had and he also fell in love with the over cab bunk. This one did have a bed in the back as well so he claimed the bunk.

Glad to see he was getting more involved and now says he would be willing to travel with us after he does his trip to Europe.

We had a good time looking at the various rigs and discussing them. Right now the Bighorn or the Cyclone are the favorites, but I really like the elegance of the Open Range.

Have a good start on our savings account but right now my work seems to be drying up. I either need to get another part-time job or make my part-time at home work end up being more full time if we want to continue getting our savings up.

We also looked at a couple of park models and decided that when we're done traveling we'll buy some cheap land somewhere and stick a park model on it :)

-- Edited by crouton on Tuesday 2nd of November 2010 01:00:30 AM

Christina, My wife and I have been shopping as well trying to decide between a 5er and a DP. The DP would be used if we go that direction. We have nailed down the 5er we like, Keystone Montana 3400RL. We have a set price and should be able to go either way. New 5er towed by a 1 or 2 year old Ford F-450 diesel or a 4 -6 year old DP. Everytime we concentrate on either one we tend to lean that way. Good thing we have some time to make up our mind!

Yeah, definitely. I know that if we got something like the Bighorn we'd definitely need a bigger truck than an F350. Now I don't know if we should get the truck or the rig first. Just more questions. I still want to see an Everlight 5er and I want to see a NuWa. I liked the pictures of one I saw online. Planning to go to an RV show in Birmingham, AL in Feburary and see a lot more models there. We're also planning to do the used truck / new 5er or maybe the previous year model from a dealer so we can get the warranty.

If I were not sure on the 5er I would and get it first just in case you have a last minute change of mind. That is our plan if we decide to go the 5er route.