No I don't think we would buy ours again.  My dh was the one who really wanted it because it had a "den" with a sliding door for privacy.  We have only had about 5 occasions that any one would need privacy.  Not enough counter space in kitchen & yes I new that before we bought it, but remember dh wanted it so I gave in.  This was the first new rv we have ever bought & we would not do that again either.  We are having a few health issues now & we are thinking about a motorhome.  Several other reasons, but too lengthy to write about. 

Yes we would buy ours again.  It fits us and it fits the life we're now enjoying.

That said would that change in 7 years?  Maybe because the magic 8 ball says "Future is unclear"

Mallo

We love our Mobile Suites 38RLSB3. Layout works great for us. We enjoy having the ability to close off the living room from the kitchen, especially when guests stay or my dh wants to watch TV while I'm working. We are part timers for now, but our goal is to be fulltiming in this rig in the next few years. We spent 2 years researching floorplans before we bought and after spending much time in them at shows and dealers, this one just felt 'right' to both of us.

We were also iffy on the fireplace, but wouldn't be without one now. Would have skipped the cooktop/oven and just went with the cooktop with storage space beneath. We've never used the oven except for storage. We heavily use the micro/convection oven for all our baking/roasting/cooking. I do really miss having a dishwasher though!

Yes. We have been very happy with it for almost six years.

Yes we would buy the same one again.Reason being the floor plan was exactly what we both wanted and it fit our budget.The only thing we would add is the convection oven(that may happen anyway) and big foot levelers.There is no perfect rig unless you have unlimited funds.There are always trade offs but we are happy with our Cedar Creek.

this is a very interesting topic since we too will be full timing within a year... and we have never once owned an RV... but I am a research junkie and just love topics like this... what have I learned so far? it appears you can be very happy in what ever rig you buy... it just has to "fit" you..,

Yes we would buy the Mobile Suites again, this being our 2nd Mobile Suites. The only change we would make would be to remove the window behind the TV the TV is always up except for travel. Reason for the only change is because we had our 2010 Customized by Drv when we ordered it and it has all the bells and whistles. Such as the roof mounted HD Dish, hydraulic Jacks with the level up system etc. Drv will do just about any thing you want as for as customizing. Very well made but very heavy. GBY....

Sherri and I would not traid our RV in on anything else now. We love our Carriage and if we ever buy another one it will be a Carriage.

igotjam,how about letting everyone know what you have so they can use the information when deciding.

We would buy the Dynasty we just sold again, in a heartbeat, we had a true love affair with that motorhome; sadly, we would NOT buy the new Allegro Bus again.

Yes, we would buy our motorhome again and again and again. Newmar makes a quality coach! We have the HD satellite and a new flat screen HDTV upgrade in the living area. Mike's happy! Most everything else is standard. Seriously, its a great coach.

We have also owned two Endeavors and they are also great coaches. We loved the Roadmaster chassis but our Spartan chassis is awesome also. We didn't buy another Endeavor only because we weren't sure at that time what was going to happen to the company.

Do your homework....there are tons of great rigs out there and good deals to be had.

Although this was our true maiden voyage in our Montana 5er and we have not started full-timing yet, we both fell completely in love with it this weekend.  The rear galley is great and we like the fact that the two living area slides open it up nicely.  We have the feeling of spaciousness yet coziness.  We had snow last night and we were cozy and snug in our new home.

We've looked at oodles of 5ers of different brands since purchasing ours and yes, we would get it again.

If it were in our budget, I would get a dually truck and satellite TV; however, the rig tows solidly and we do not miss television.

Good luck in finding the rig that has the "it" factor for you!

Cheers!

When we started fulltiming we had a 02 fifth wheel and we should have kept that one instead of buying a new one. We fulltimed for 3 years and purchased the new one after the first year. Now that we bought a home we no longer need such a rig and will loose maybe $30,000 when we sell it. When you buy a new one be prepared to loose at least $10,000 a year. Most people will eventually stop fulltiming at some point in their life. Notice I said most people, not all people.
To answer the question, no I would not buy it again, not that we don't love the RV, it's just who wants to loose that kind of money.
Bob

I think we would buy ours again.  It is a good compromise between space (30 ft so we can fit into many state park sites) as well as storage.  We actually have more storage in the kitchen than we do in the condo we are currently renting.  Although I do wish there was more counter space (had to put a cutting board over the sink to extend counter space). 

I think if we were to extend our trip much longer than the 15-months that we full timed then I would probably want more space.

We bought ours 4 years ago, and in a flash I would buy it again. We have a GMC 3500 dually 4x4 and I strap on a 37 ft Carriage Carri Lite 5th wheel, triple slide.... that's the dog I'm walking.

A little over a year ago I bought a 34' 5th wheel and I have regretted it very soon after I began fulltiming. I am a female, traveling alone, and I just hate having to do every single bit of hitching/unhitching, outside jobs and inside jobs, maintenance (which I don't know much about to begin with). It would probably be fine for a couple, but I would never advise a lone female to get a 5th wheel. There may be some out there who have absolutely no problems with it, but I would be much happier in a small Class C, a large B+, or a truck camper. Keep in mind that one person can exist with less space because there isn't anyone to have to share it with. I think what kept me from even considering Class C's was the fact that I didn't want to have to tow a car.

I wanted to downsize when I sold my house and was constantly told to buy the biggest unit I could afford as I would need the space when fulltiming. That isn't necessarily true for everyone, and I should have listened to my gut feelings and gone smaller. Now, in these economic times, I could maybe find a good deal on what I should have bought in the first place, but I would lose a lot on what I have now.

My advice is for potential single travelers, especially women, and that is: don't necessarily go by the advice you get from most folks if your situation is much different than theirs. Think long and hard about what you want and are physically capable of handling and emotionally capable of dealing with. You may end up with a big 5th wheel or Class A motorhome and be completely happy with it.

After all those words, my answer to the original question is "NO", I would not buy the same RV again.

Yes, we are very happy with our Escalade and would buy it again.  We have made additions, including Big Foot levelers, MOR-ryde Independent Suspension, HD Satellite and 2kW inverter to name the big ones. Now, with the modifications and 96” width of our unit (we prefer 96” over 102”) we don’t know how to replace it.  That is, we couldn’t find another one “just like this one.”  I guess that’s a good thing and expresses the fact that many times it is almost impossible to get “the perfect rig.”  But you can make it “yours” if get the right floor plan and type: 5^th wheel, Class-A, etc.  That’s some of the fun for many people. Making it "your home" or "second home."

I think what you find here is the great divergence of rigs that are loved (for the most part) by their owners.  It sure follows the axiom “do what works for you.”  If it doesn’t work for you, hopefully you can get rid of it and get what does.

Safe travels

Bill

We are not fulltimers yet, but will be next summer. We have owned a motorhome (Holiday Rambler-Admiral’32 with two slides), which we lived in for 3 months while the sticks & bricks was completely remodeled. We liked having the backup camera, leveling system at the touch of a button and not having to leave the vehicle when needed to visit the restroom. We don’t miss disconnecting the toad to backup, cramped living space,   limited Interior storage or the narrow layout of the furniture. We don’t plan on purchasing another motorhome.

 

We would however purchase our fifth wheel (Holiday Rambler-Alumascape ’33 with three slides) again. We love having all the furniture placement options, large windows, double closets, kitchen with plenty of storage, built-in desk, large bathroom, lots of storage inside and out and being able to back it up when needed.

 

Remember, It is a matter of preference.  It's what makes you comfortable. When looking at RV’s take your time and imagine yourself living in each room. Sit on the furniture, stand at the sink & stove, look in the storage areas, stand in the shower and lay on the bed.  At each place forget about all the bells and whistles and imagine yourself using each area and find the RV that suits you best. We looked at lot of RV’s before we found the one we wanted and we love it.

Happytrails wrote:

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We have also owned two Endeavors and they are also great coaches. We loved the Roadmaster chassis but our Spartan chassis is awesome also. We didn't buy another Endeavor only because we weren't sure at that time what was going to happen to the company.

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I was very glad to see this post since I just bought an 01 Endevour.

I'll let Fred answer for his self but we are in our 5th month now and have not needed the generator once.Would rather have the room it takes up.A lot depends on the type of camping you do.We tend to stay at full hookup parks.That being said we have plans on staying at 2 state parks in the next 3 weeks and both have water and electric.

To generator or not to generator, ah, the age old question.  Well, as always, it depends.

We have a factory 5,500 watt Onan generator – LP Gas in our 5’er.  “We” wouldn’t be without it.  Some think otherwise so here’s our take.  Remember, even with generator prep (i.e. the unit is electrically prepared to accept a generator with an auto power change over switch,) it is still a bit of an issue to put one in later.

We use it a lot.  Not a lot of time – but a lot of “times.”  Come lunch, or a late breakfast, we stop, fire up the genny and run the microwave and many times the air conditioning to cool the rig down.  It can get hot in a hurry and fans don’t cut it in higher humidity IMO.  An absolute necessity, no, but a lot of the stuff we RVers do isn’t a “necessity,” it’s just nice.

We have been where it is so hot and humid that when only 30 amps was available I had to fire it up to run both the AC units when DW was cooking.  Yea, I know, many don’t go there where it is hot.  But you will sometime, if you travel, and you will be glad you have that generator if only for an hour.  (It was 95 in Indiana this past spring when were there traveling to Michigan.)

We’ve been where there was “bad” power and the generator was very helpful in making us comfortable when others were blowing breakers and scratching their heads.  We had this in Alaska a few weeks back and I was able to help a full-timer out who had a 120 volt only freezer that was nearing 33 degrees.  Just dropped him an extension cord and saved a lot of food not to mention we were comfortable in the extremes of temperature that happen up there.

If you have a 5er I strongly suggest an LP generator. Reasons: Just 1 kind of fuel in the 5’er (LP); and with an LP fueled generator you won’t ever have to worry about stale fuel in the generator going bad and messing up the fuel system as you would have with gas.  (The guy with the gas generator who pulled it out in Alaska could get it going - stale fuel in the genny.)

This is all personal preference.  I wouldn’t be without one.  Others say they never use them.  I think it depends on whether you travel or sit most of the time.  We travel, so we “need” a generator.

Specific to topic: we would purchase our Escalade again and add the MOR-ryde IS and the “Big Foot” levers.  No regrets – still love the rig after 4 years and 38,000 logged miles in it.

Our 2 cents

Safe travels

Bill

We love our coach...but...I don't know if we would buy a new Monaco product. It's a different company now.

Yes, we would buy our rig again. We love our new 2010 HitchHiker Champagne Edition 38 LKTG. We love the Big Foot leveling system. This our third HitchHiker. We have had it a little over a month and love the way it pulls with the triple axle and it stops better than our previous tandem axle 35 1'2 footer. The extra axle with its brakes helps. The workmanship is top notch. We are looking at getting a truck with larger GVWR even though it pulls better than our last unit and we are getting as good or better fuel mileage.