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Car Forum / Driving, Maintenance, Tuning / RVs / July 2005Some general questions
All, First post here, be gentle. We have been a camping kind a family for many years. All my boys off in college, have their own lives etc.... We've used pop-ups over the years, and really enjoyed them. My honey and I are thinking of a motor home. We've settled on a class C, in the 25' range. I guess that laziness is driving the decision. I envision coming home on a Friday, jumping into an RV, so that we could spend a weekend at the lake, with little time needing to prepare. We enjoy long weekend trips to different places, so I would see us using an RV for that as well. I did not know so many manufactures existed nor did I know the used market offering so many choices. My questions as a newbie, if I had about $40K to spend, and needed a rig that was able to tow (4000 lbs boat), where would I start? Most of our trips are to area lakes, where we fish from our boat, so we're not looking for a palace, just a comfortable place to relax after a day on the lake, or hang out when weather is not cooperating. What brand names should I stay away from? Because used seems to offer a better value, what should I be concerned with? Anyone know of resources to help me make a good choice? Thanks for listening, I'm sure these types of questions get asked many times. I'm not in a rush, just want to make an informed purchase. -nick > All, > [quoted text clipped - 35 lines] > > -nick Google up rv.org, and look at their package that is about $100. It is a wealth of information, even for the used purchaser. They will have lots and lots of rigs that are way over your category, but you will see a pattern in the manufacturers as to good/bad rated. Their other info will help you know what to watch out for, financing, and other considerations that you won't know about until you are ready to jump off that cliff, or just have. Spending $100 and taking your time now will come back to you in spades later in many ways. HTH Steve > All, > [quoted text clipped - 30 lines] > > -nick There is a post on TT ... tips which has a good link. Here is the whole post by Charles Kerekes "Dave, A little late responding to your question, but I would NOT buy at an RV show due to the high pressure sales tactics. Someone else suggested buying used, which is always good to consider because RV prices depreciate so rapidly. I have some resources on my web site here, including how to determine fair market value: http://changingears.com/rv-checklist-getting-started.shtml Hope this helps. Charlie" >My honey and I are thinking of a motor home. We've settled on a class C, in >the 25' range. I guess that laziness is driving the decision. I envision >coming home on a Friday, jumping into an RV, so that we could spend a >weekend at the lake, with little time needing to prepare. We enjoy long >weekend trips to different places, so I would see us using an RV for that as >well. Hi Nicky, Good choice.... getting an RV to weekend in. My advice to you is to start by buying a used rig. gently used, but let the first owner take the big depreciation hit. If you don't like it you won't get hurt too badly when you sell. If you do like it you can move up. I bought my trailer when it was two years old.... and I'm happy. If I were you I would look for Lazy Daze or Born Free. I believe they both have good reps. You'll have to check their tow rating to see about towing 4,000# Good luck, Hunter Life's journey is not to arrive at the grave safely in a well-preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways, totally worn out, shouting "...holy sh.t...what a ride!" > All, > [quoted text clipped - 5 lines] > > My honey and I are thinking of a motor home. We've settled on a class C, >snip> > -nick For a short Class C, I'd be looking at an Itasca with the Ford V-10. Try looking at www.rvtrader.com for units in your price range. Good Luck. BD >All, > [quoted text clipped - 30 lines] > >-nick Rent. Then Rent again till you find one that suits you, then buy used from the Rental Agency.  SignatureFrank Tabor > >All, > > [quoted text clipped - 35 lines] > -- > Frank Tabor Following that advice any experiences with Cruise America? Lou >> >All, >> > [quoted text clipped - 39 lines] > >Lou Not personally, but you hear stories all the time. Bear in mind that here in these news groups you won't hear of the thousands and thousands that have good experiences, but you will hear from the few that have had bad experiences. SignatureFrank Tabor Had a great experience with El Monte RV. Rented a Class C, that led us to buying a Class A. (not going into a long story) lol SignatureBill & Debbie 99 Fleetwood 34D Flair > >> >All, > >> > [quoted text clipped - 44 lines] > thousands that have good experiences, but you will hear from the few > that have had bad experiences. > All, > [quoted text clipped - 8 lines] > > -nick Oh, boy. Here we go again. MoM >Oh, boy. Here we go again. ???? You object to people coming to an RV discussion group and asking questions about RVs. Curious. Hunter Life's journey is not to arrive at the grave safely in a well-preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways, totally worn out, shouting "...holy sh.t...what a ride!" >>Oh, boy. Here we go again. > > ???? You object to people coming to an RV discussion group and asking > questions about RVs. > > Curious. Of course not. I just expected the poor guy to get the usual attacks that I've seen. snipped > Thanks for listening, I'm sure these types of questions get asked many > times. I'm not in a rush, just want to make an informed purchase. > > -nick As Hunter has suggested, look at Lazy Daze and Born Free class C rigs. I'm not sure about LZ's but the Born Free come with the bigger gas engines. I'm impressed with the Born Free units body integrity. We had a chance to take a demo ride in an IIRC '89 rig. The unit had the Ford 460 and would tow a 4,000 lb boat fairly well. If you chose a Born Free or Lazy Daze, you could pick a nice unit and spend aboutyour target price. Check out www.rvtraderonline.com for a good selection of both. The advantage to both makes is they hold their value very well. For some examples see; <http://adcache.rvtraderonline.com/3/9/9/79768999.htm> <http://adcache.rvtraderonline.com/3/7/3/79605273.htm> <http://adcache.rvtraderonline.com/3/8/7/79331587.htm> For a diesel version see; <http://adcache.rvtraderonline.com/3/5/4/78702854.htm> Hope this helps HD in NY I thank you all who responded, good advise. As I'm not in a rush, just starting to get a feel for this, I look forward to the education, hell, that's half the fun! Thanks again. -nick > snipped > > Thanks for listening, I'm sure these types of questions get asked many [quoted text clipped - 23 lines] > Hope this helps > HD in NY >All, > [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] >college, have their own lives etc.... We've used pop-ups over the years, and >really enjoyed them. So many choices...but, one thing to closely watch is the weight issue. So many rigs are built so close to their gross vehicle weight rating that they leave little room for carrying capacity. This really becomes a significant issue if you intend to tow something. The best built "coach" is worthless if the chassis that carries it is run overweight... seen this many, many times. As for powerplants, I strongly suggest the Ford V10. My experiance has been very favorable with this engine over the years, both in fleet rental operations and private coaches. Good luck in your search. Bill, RVIA Certified Technician I think buying used is a good strategy. Not only has the initial depreciation passed but equally important many problems have been worked out or at least identified. I've an old Born Free and can attest to the quality of the body construction but the weight of the fiberglass shell might cut into the towing capacity; it is important for you to do the numbers regarding towing capacity of the particular vehicle before you buy. I'd also be sure the rear overhang isn't too much or you may have handling problems especially while towing. Dave I'm starting to narrow my search, but don't understand the sellers for the two units I want to look at. These are both 1995 (Lazy Daze) units, one with 56000 miles, seller asking for $26k, retail from NADA says $17K, the other is 18,000miles, seller asking $27.5, NADA $18K (These are the average retail prices.) I don't know who the recognized authorities are for retail pricing. Because of the large gaps, don't know if it's worth the time to make offers, or what a reasonalble offer looks like. Any suggestions? thanks, -nick > I think buying used is a good strategy. Not only has the initial > depreciation passed but equally important many problems have been [quoted text clipped - 9 lines] > > Dave > I'm starting to narrow my search, but don't understand the sellers Perhaps you should post a query to news:alt.psychology :) > These are both 1995 (Lazy Daze) units, one with 56000 miles That is not excessive mileage for a 10-year-old Class C motorhome. It MAY be "average". You can probably bet that the rig is well used. > NADA says $17K, the other is 18,000miles, seller > asking $27.5, NADA $18K (These are the average retail prices.) That is certainly LOW mileage and probably worth the $1k difference, if not more. > I don't know who the recognized authorities are for retail pricing. Me. On usenet I am an expert in all things. <big grin> (Translation: IS there a "recognized" authority for such things?) > Because of the large gaps What large gaps? One rig has over three TIMES the mileage of the other. Their asking prices are $1.5k different while NADA is $1k. If you're really serious about buying, and these particular rigs MAY be what you're looking for, they are BOTH worth looking at. Lazy Daze has a good reputation. Good luck! :) JR |
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