LizB

A Safari MH is a good value. They are well built, roomy with great amenities. Safari has always been on the top of our list as a choice for MH.

That being said, I wouldn't worry about the RV consumer group ratings. Almost anything can be used for full timing depending on what your needs are and what you are willling to put up with. There's a guy travelling the country in a Mini towing a tear drop trailer. Both the car and trailer are very small. But he is enjoying his freedom and at a very low cost.

Most BLM land has no length restriction. However, some private, federal, state and local government campgrounds do. The length restriction usually ranges from 25 feet to 35 feet that I have seen countrywide. The restriction has to do with the ability to manuever in the campground. The roads can be narrow with tight turns. We pay attention to the length restriction when we are planning where to stay. We have always been able to find a campground/RV resort with space for our 37ft 5th wheel within a reasonable distance of where we want to be.

There are a couple of ways to buy a non-local RV.
- You can hire an RV inspector (do a google search).
- If you have a friend or relative in the area pay them take a look at it and take it to a mechanic.
- Or you can use an escrow service if the buyer agrees. The escrow service will hold the money until the RV is shipped to you and you agree to buy it. If you don't want it, the RV is shipped back and the escrow service returns the money to you. You will have to pay for all of the shipping. So it would probably be cheaper for you to travel and look the RV over for yourself.

Another Option-
My next door neighbor has purchased two classic cars from out of state. Each time he has had the seller video tape nearly every inch of the car and send him the tape. He views the tape and then decides whether he wants the car. He's been happy with each purchase. For an RV you could have the buyer videotape all of the appliances, A/C, Toilet, faucets, awnings...etc. working.

RV.org only rates an RV fulltime if it is built to be in the north during winter. Most fulltimers are in snowbird rated RVs, like ours.

Liz,

Welcome to the RV Dreams forums. You have found a place with a wealth of knowledge as well as helpful and friendly folks.

Even though the one that had your interest is sold, don't give up looking.  While looking, keep reading about the various things about RV's and their systems so you know what to look for and what to avoid.

Terry

Liz - We just purchased a 40' MH earlier this year. Since we were buying used we had given ourselves 1 year to find our unit. It took us about 9 months to get just the right one for us. Don't rush, "take your time", pick your price point and be diligent.

We had set our travel area to 500 miles and found several MH's during our search. Some were sold before we could get to them and some we looked at were not as good as the pictures looked.

"Take your time" do your research and don't worry over missing one, there will always be another.