Lots of Questions - RV-Dreams Community Forum

Freesai · RV-Dreams Community Member

Lots of Questions

Tim & Robyn · RV-Dreams Family Member

Freesai wrote:
Hello everybody and Happy Easter Weekend! I am Freesai and after lurking around your forum for a few days and seeing it was a nice helpful place I decided to join. I am in Georgia and I am considering buying a used RV and making a radical change in lifestyle.

First of all, from a fellow Georgian, welcome aboard... I'm sure you'll get good, and better, advice than I can offer from the experienced RVers on this forum.
I am looking for information/advice/education about certain questions that I have about RVs as I know next to nothing about them.
Do your homework, and lots of it. It will probably take months to go through everytihng on this forum and in Howard and Linnda's journal. Read it all and don't be in a hurry. There are lots of things to consider.
I will be looking for something that will be 10K or less as that is what I can best manage right now.
10K scares me... You're looking for a home, and you can't even buy a new car anymore for 10K or less it seems. If the value of a used RV has depreciated to that point, there's a reason. Having said that, there are some good buys to be had - they're just hard to find.
I am leaning towards a Class C Motorhome although I have noticed that there are some Class A Motorhomes also within my price range. I have two friends that have a pretty extensive knowledge of mechanics and are both very handy. So they can make sure that when I start looking at used Motorhomes they can help advise me as to what is good and what to steer clear of.
You can rent class C's and maybe even some Class A's. I would recommend doing that the next time you are on vacation to see if you can actually live in them. Go to RV shows and spend time sitting in RVs and pretending to do the things you need to do to live... cooking, bathing etc. to see if it suits you. Don't be in a hurry. Also, there's much more to it than just the engine and drive train. Don't forget about all the RV systems... electrical, water, holding tanks, propane etc.
So here are my first questions and I’m sure they won’t be my last.
Is my wish to purchase a Motorhome for 10K or less realistic and do able? I have seen several, although not lots of them, for sale mainly Class C but a few Class A’s as well.

As I said above, a 10K limit scares me. You're looking for a home after all, not a maintenance nightmare.
While I’m not looking to do lots of traveling with my Motorhome there may be times that I would want to tow my CRV. Would a Class C have enough power to tow a CRV (these are SUVs built on a Car frame and not a truck frame so they are smaller SUVs)?
If a Class C suits your needs, why would you want to have another vehicle (two insurances, two maintenance budgets, etc.)? Most Class C's are small enough to be your everyday vehicle. With gas prices approaching (and in some cases exceeding) $5/gallon, who needs that?
How much would it cost to get the hitch/towing apparatus set up for the Motorhome and CRV?
My opinion only, but if towing four wheels down is the only way to go... no need to mess around with a towing dolly etc.
Given the price range that I am looking at for a Motorhome I am doubting that I will be getting anything any newer than from the 90s. I have heard that there are many RV Parks that only want RVs that are five years old at most. I would be interested in knowing if this could cause problems for me.
Other than room and size differences what are the advantages and disadvantages in comparison regarding Class A to Class C Motorhomes?
Any thoughts or suggestions as to the best way/place to look for used Motorhomes for purchasing?
Any thoughts or tips on purchasing used Motorhomes?
Any other ideas or thoughts that you wish to share with me given my situation that I have shared with you?
Thank you folks for taking the time to read this and any information or ideas that you post here is much appreciated!
I'm not sure any of the above will be helpful to you, and it's all just opinion anyway, and you know that's not worth much. But there are a couple things I'm pretty sure of: Don't be in a hurry; do your homework (and a lot of it); and spend some time reading all the journal entries and forum entries on this website. I'm sure you'll get a lot of input from the experienced folks on this forum.
Happy Easter, Tim

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azrving · RV-Dreams Family Member

Hello everybody and Happy Easter Weekend! I am Freesai and after lurking around your forum for a few days and seeing it was a nice helpful place I decided to join. I am in Georgia and I am considering buying a used RV and making a radical change in lifestyle. Welcome to RV Dreams! One of the best sites on the web to learn about the full-time lifestyle:)

I am looking for information/advice/education about certain questions that I have about RVs as I know next to nothing about them. My situation is that I am a 48 year old male, single and intending to stay that way. I wish for my life to be as simple as possible and the more I think about it the more living in an RV 24/7 seems to make sense to me. What I wish to do is to buy an RV to park and live in. My thought is to get a Motorhome as I doubt my CRV could handle towing a trailer. I’m still making payments on my SUV so I want to buy an older used Motorhome that I could just purchase outright. I will be looking for something that will be 10K or less as that is what I can best manage right now. Your CRV will not be able to tow any RV that would be suitable for full-time. For 10K you are going to be looking at an older class C MH but I will list a couple of links to sites that may help you find your best deal. I will also provide a couple of links "getting to know the rv" so you will have a better understanding of the inner workings of an RV.

I am leaning towards a Class C Motorhome although I have noticed that there are some Class A Motorhomes also within my price range. I have two friends that have a pretty extensive knowledge of mechanics and are both very handy. So they can make sure that when I start looking at used Motorhomes they can help advise me as to what is good and what to steer clear of. Class C will be a little more versatile than the A. You can get into more tight spots, the maintenance is less since most are built on Chevy or Ford truck chassis, tires/engine maintenance will be less, less space to heat and cool, etc.

So here are my first questions and I’m sure they won’t be my last.

Is my wish to purchase a Motorhome for 10K or less realistic and do able? I have seen several, although not lots of them, for sale mainly Class C but a few Class A’s as well. See links!

While I’m not looking to do lots of traveling with my Motorhome there may be times that I would want to tow my CRV. Would a Class C have enough power to tow a CRV (these are SUVs built on a Car frame and not a truck frame so they are smaller SUVs)? Yes, a class C will pull your CRV with no problem. Just check with Honda and make sure there are no issues with pulling the CRV 4 down or on a tow dolly.

How much would it cost to get the hitch/towing apparatus set up for the Motorhome and CRV? This greatly depends on how you plan to tow the CRV (and if it's already approved for towing, no need to modify the CRV) 4 down will require modifications to the front of the CRV (base plate, hooks, wiring for lights, etc.) Tow dolly will just require your class C or A to have a receiver and draw bar rated to handle the load. Some states do require the tow dolly to have some type of braking system too. I prefer the TD myself:)

Given the price range that I am looking at for a Motorhome I am doubting that I will be getting anything any newer than from the 90s. I have heard that there are many RV Parks that only want RVs that are five years old at most. I would be interested in knowing if this could cause problems for me. I don't think that would be an issue. My TT is 10 years old and I have never been turned away from any park but I have heard that some of the "Resort" type parks have restrictions (I wouldn't stay at one of those anyway). Keep your RV properly maintained, clean exterior, no oil leaks, expired tags, etc and you should be fine.

Other than room and size differences what are the advantages and disadvantages in comparison regarding Class A to Class C Motorhomes? I owned a class A and personally never care to own another one JMO. The cost to operate the A was more than I was willing to spend. The C or B will have pretty much the same equipment but less living area and much cheaper to maintain. My class A was only 36 feet long and had 2 slides but we still were unable to fit into some rv spots and the fuel mileage was terrible. 5-6 MPG:(

Any thoughts or suggestions as to the best way/place to look for used Motorhomes for purchasing? See Below

Any thoughts or tips on purchasing used Motorhomes? If you are not a mechanic, have one check it out before you commit to purchase or make the deal contingent on a clean bill of health. Keep in mind, doing an RV inspection means making sure the tires are still round( if it's been sitting for awhile they may have flat spots), check the fridge on all 3 settings (12 volt, propane, 115-120 volt) if it has them, roof condition is very important, A/C, water heater, plumbing, etc.

Any other ideas or thoughts that you wish to share with me given my situation that I have shared with you? Sounds like a great plan but you may want to rent an rv for a week or two before you buy the rv and find out that it's not for you.

Thank you folks for taking the time to read this and any information or ideas that you post here is much appreciated!

http://www.squidoo.com/campers-and-rvs

http://rveducation101.com/

http://www.roadtripamerica.com/rv/Check-Out-Your-Rental-RV.htm

http://ezinearticles.com/?Buying-a-New-RV---10-Critical-Steps&id=4440204

http://blog.rv.net/tag/rv-operating-costs/

http://www.rvsales.com/

http://www.campingworld.com/rvsales/

http://www.rvtraderonline.com/

http://crankyape.com/

You can find a great deal on Cranky Ape but be very carefull, most of the MH, TT, and 5th wheels are repo, police impound units, damaged (insurance co. wrote them off), etc. But many of the units are in great shape and sell for much less than you would pay at the dealer or private party sale.

-- Edited by azrving on Saturday 23rd of April 2011 10:53:01 AM

Freesai · RV-Dreams Community Member

Tim,

Thank you for the warm greeting. I’m hoping that you are enjoying a Happy Easter. I thank you for your advice as well. I know that 10K range may not be optimum but with have two highly mechanically inclined friends who both have a lot of knowledge about engines and HVAC and electrical backgrounds I’m fairly confident that I will be able to avoid a maintenance nightmare although I may have to spend quite some time shopping once I feel ready to begin my search.

I agree with you about the one vehicle being easier. However the buyout on the loan on my CRV would wipe out my funds for buying the Motorhome. I’m going to do my serious best to try and NEVER to take out a loan again. So we will see how it goes.

Again thanks for your advice it is much appreciated and I will be listening to you and all the rest with RV experience quite carefully.

Azrving,

Wow! That is a ton of useful information many thanks to you for your help. The information regarding Class C vs Class A that you have given me is very helpful in my making a decision regarding this. I was leaning towards the Class C already and what you said makes a lot of sense.

The information you have given me is extremely helpful and I have bookmarked the websites that you have posted links to. I’ve got a lot of research and reading to do!

Thank you again for your help it is much appreciated!

Freesai · RV-Dreams Community Member

A question for those of you who are full timers who have had to put your RV in the shop for more than a day or two. I was just curious as to how much of your personal stuff you removed from your RV and how much did you leave in it?

Bill Adams · RV-Dreams Family Member

We take our computers and that's about it. We don't have cash sitting around anywhere but I know some RVers like to keep a small reserve. If so, I would take this as well. When the vehicle is actually being worked on I am usually there (nearby) as I don't trust anyone to do the work without understanding specifically what is needed/requested. The information passed from the service writer to the tech is often incorrect or misinterpreted. When the vehicle is not being worked on we ensure that it is locked or ensure that the service center will ensure it is locked and we verify this is we cannot spend the night in the vehicle. In all cases, if we can spend the night in the vehicle we do so. We recently had to spend 2 nights in a hotel. We left our cats in the coach and we would stay until 7pm or so, lock it up and then return in the morning.

LeslieW · RV-Dreams Family Member

Bill,

This is slightly off topic from the original poster, but I had never thought of asking if the cats could stay in the RV overnight when we cannot. Finding a hotel that will accept the cats is always a problem. We hate staying in hotels and we hate forcing the cats to stay in a boarding facility. Most often in that circumstance we stay all in a yucky motel. All four of us are miserable. At least if the cats could stay in the RV, two out of four of us wouldn't be miserable. Thanks for a great idea!

One of the great things about Mor/Ryde is that they permit both humans and pets to stay in the RV overnight inside their factory. It is much appreciated!

-- Edited by LeslieW on Wednesday 27th of April 2011 10:12:29 PM

-- Edited by LeslieW on Wednesday 27th of April 2011 10:14:09 PM

Bill Adams · RV-Dreams Family Member

If we are away from the coach (day or night) while in the service facility we just lock the cats in the bedroom with a note on the door "Pets Inside, Do Not Open Door". If service is required in that area then we have to move them to the portable pet carrier and keep them outside for awhile.
They just spent 4 days in the Detroit Diesel parking lot which just looked like another campground to them!

godslittlefilly · RV-Dreams Community Member

Hi all, I am researching selling my home and buying a 33' Keystone Montana TT with polar pack. I don't want to do dual hauling or I would do 5th wheel. My purpose 2 fold, be debt free in 5 years and be able to move quickly because of computer jobs are scarce and short term. I am concerned about several things. I have 2 full grown collies and I was wonder if the heat and a/c was pretty consistant like a home while plugged into a water/sewer/electric site. I would be working during the day and I am by myself so no one there to check them. I am checking into a iphone monitoring system to tell me if the temp inside goes bad due to power outage. Also, in the winter it stays around 30's in KY so with a Montana anyone have an estimate how the Propane would cost during those months. I could park the thing, winterize it and do apt. for 3 months if necessary. I don't have relatives close so no option there. Also, are these things reasonable quiet, with consideration of who is parked next door. My dogs are older 8 and 5 and pet therapy dogs so they are reasonable quiet. One more question, since I am by myself are these things somewhat safe, furnace, locks on doors. I do have a personal carry permit for a gun and have one.

thanks

Terry and Jo · RV-Dreams Family Member

Julie,

First of all, welcome to the forums. There are a lot of helpful people here.

This is not meant as criticism, but you might post this as a brand new thread. Some folks ignore a thread that they've read before. Try using a thread title that would seem to stand out from the others so that readers recognize it as a new thread.

There are a number of Montana owners here on the forums, most of them very willing to help you with any questions. A properly equipped RV should meet up with your needs, and one option would be to have your roof fans be Fantastic Fans. Those are designed to operate should the interior of the RV reach a set temperature.

Take your time in reading and asking questions. Getting in a hurry could mean you miss an important comment on a topic that interests you. Also, check to see if you can find a Montana user's forum where more owners may be talking about issues with theirs. Also, keep in mind that forums do tend to draw some people who are primarily looking for a solution to a problem. If one isn't careful, one could mistakenly believe that the Montanas have lots of problems. Remember, a lot of owners who are happy with their RV's don't always comment on forums at all.

Terry

phyllen · RV-Dreams Family Member

godslittlefilly - check out www.montanaowners.com They are great there to answers questions. We spent this past winter in AZ and NM so propane cost would not be same as in KY.