THSCC Forums

my wife and I are toying with the idea of purchasing an RV for family vacations and stuff.

anyone here with RV words of wisdom?

use
- weekend trips to the mountains and beach mostly
- maybe a trip out west for a week or so once a year
- two adults and two kids and maybe more if possible
- no "5th" wheelers as i don't have a tow vehicle

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05 MCS

Chris,

Rebecca and I have been doing the same thing lately. Basically what I have found is this...

1. Determine the use of the RV. Family vacations, weekend trips to the mountains, tow the car to races, etc.

2. Decide if you want a diesel (we do and unfortunately they are limited right now and also rather expensive.)

3. (Probably the most important) decide what class you want. We are passively looking at a class C which is your smaller RVs. The one that we really like right now is the Winnebago View 23. Big enough for a family of 4 for a week and a diesel that is strong enough to tow a car on a trailer so we could use it for races. Kind of like a Barnes Motel Lite.

EDIT - just reread your post and you already determined all this. I would suggest a C Class. I'll get the RV forums sites when I get home. They are saved there.

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Todd Breakey
STS 42 - 1992 Sunburst Miata
Dammit!
"You souldn't play leap frog with a porcupine. You might get hurt." - Eliza

Best place to start is your budget outside of what you've already listed. Are you willing to buy used? Do you plan to use it as a tow vehicle for a race car? If so, what kind of towing will you do? Open deck, enclosed, etc.

Also know that no matter if it is new or used, be prepared to tinker. Motorhomes are large collections of small appliances and other kinds of systems that all sort of work together in some way. Often times buying used from someone who appears to be a very handy tinkerer will net you a vehicle that's *better* than new because the new bugs have been worked out. Yeah, I said "new bugs." All motorhomes have or will have them very quickly out of the gate. They don't test that stuff when they build them past "does it turn on?", "good, shut it down and ship it." Sometimes I wonder if they test *that* much.

No matter what you decide, I'd personally only consider motorhomes with a diesel engine and a diesel generator and a common fuel tank (most have the generator fuel pickup a little above the bottom of the tank so your generator can't completely drain you of fuel). Even if you aren't towing, if you want to take long trips and such you will appreciate the diesel quickly. Resale is also way better. A diesel generator isn't that much more than a gas one, so why you'd want to have to fill up at two different pumps is beyond me (but plenty of motorhomes are setup this way!). Onan quiet diesel generators are very good.

From here, answer the above questions and feel free to ask more and I can give you more guidance, I think.


--Donnie

i don't know that we would do any towing, but you never know. i have no problem buying used...in fact, that's probably all I'd by.

good suggestions on the diesel...i'll make that a requirement.

budget...dunno...we are still just thinking about this. i'd rather go look at what is out there and then see if we can afford it.

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05 MCS

If you get the generator don't forget the awning!

Have you done any RVing? I know you can rent them, might be good to do that as a trial.

Scott

One problem with the View and other small class c's or even b's with the Mercedes Diesel engine is the genset is PROPANE (last I checked). This obviously makes the logistics of having fuel for the genset more complicated.

Update: Checked the View specs - genset specs are confusing at best so checking would be a really good idea:

"Generator 3,200-watt Cummins Onan® Quiet Diesel™ (NA gas & LP generators), Generator 3,600-watt Cummins Onan MicroQuiet™, LP (requires diesel engine), Generator 4,000-watt Cummins Onan MicroQuiet, gas (requires gas engine)"

Dick (keeper of a high mileage 1988 gas engine small class b)

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Dick Rasmussen

FS 50 2018 Mustang GT

this is a definite in my opinion..i'm sure our next trip to the beach will be in an RV just to see how we like it.

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05 MCS

Well, I'm a Ford guy when it comes to trucks, so if you want a Class C and are thinking Ford I'd suggest researching via Ford truck forums on the engine. I think the consensus is a low mileage 7.3L Powerstroke is the best bang for your buck as well as most reliable of the recent stuff. You'd be surprised how easy it is to find low mileage RVs, so don't be shy about trusting someone who has a 7 year old unit with 18k miles on it. Yes, that happens a LOT. There are a TON of older folks that buy RVs and join RV clubs and use them a lot but never leave their home state. My grandparents are that way...if you can find a person like my grandfather to buy from you couldn't go wrong. He puts no miles on his stuff, only buys quality used stuff, and knows how to fix things *right*. Find *that* guy and you're golden.

If you want bigger than that then you can't go wrong with Mercedes diesel power in something. Do lots of research on the RV forums about chassis and manufacturers, though. There are a lot of variables in how they can be made. Manufacturers design a particular chassis for certain conditions, but then these guys will stretch them several feet and still try to claim the same tow ratings and such. Fortunately there's lots of good info to be found on the Internet like that. Remember that just because Ford makes a 20' chassis doesn't mean that Winnebago or whoever bought a 20' chassis to use as the base for the 20' model. It could be a stretched 14' chassis, which may not be nearly as good for what you might want.

Renting is a great idea to see if you really like the concept, but be warned...everyone I've ever known that considered renting an RV found the cost to be annoyingly (and in most cases prohibitively) expensive. Just be prepared for some sticker shock...it may still be quite worth it.

I've owned a 24' tag camper, two toters, and now a Prevost coach. I also have a single car enclosed trailer minimally upfit for camping in. While I haven't been doing the RV thing that *long*, I have done a LOT of it and have probably had everything go wrong you can have. *knock* *knock* *knock* I still really like them, though.


--Donnie