Aloha...Hawaiian needs RV guidance.

[tedkolb]

Living in Hawaii is truly a blessing but my family and I have a severe case of "Island Fever" and the only remedy for us is a heapin' spoonful of RV'ing on the "mainland" for 6 weeks this summer. After looking into renting an RV for such a long period of time it appears that we would be better off purchasing an 10 year old "C" class for around $20,000 or $25,000 and turn it over to a consignment lot at the end of our journey. I have spent some time on eBay Motors but I'm not convinced this is my best "deal" so to speak. Here are my questions...

Where would you look for a good deal on a Class C motorhome?

Where would you go to finance it? (we don't have RV's in Hawaii so our local bank said "signature loan")

Which brands/models are good middle-of-the-road RV's (quality build without needless luxury)? Which to avoid?

Which road side breakdown service is best? Accident Insurance?


What pitfalls are we not considering in our overly excited haze?


What secrets to traveling in an RV with two teenagers can you share with us? (other than don't do it)

and finally....

Which attractions/destinations/parks/towns/highways/rivers/mountains/cities in this big beautiful country would you most recommend we visit?

Mahalo Nui Loa in advance for your thoughtful suggestions and guidance.

 

[akjimny]

Re: Aloha...Hawaiian needs RV guidance.

Hi Ted and welcome to the RVUSA Forum. I'll give it a shot at answering your questions and the others on the forum will chip in with their advice too.

1. A 10 year old used Class C is going to be a crap shoot. You may get a good one; maybe not. All depends on the previous owner(s) and how well they did all the routine maintenance. If you buy used you need to have it inspected by a reputable mechanic before laying out your money.

2. If you buy used from a dealer he should be able to arrange financing. If you buy from a private owner, your home town bank should be able to finance it as a used vehicle loan, I would think.

3. From my experience, stay away from Forest River products. Others may disagree and will have their own opinions.

4. Good Sam Club has good breakdown insurance. I added my RV to my regular GEICO car policy and got a multi-car discount.

5. What other pitfalls might beset you? Who knows? Other folks may have more info for you that I can't think of at the moment.

6. Duct tape and nylon zip ties work well for traveling with teenagers. Also consider a TV/DVD player, game console unit and plenty of games. But I still prefer duct tape.

7. Where to go / what to see depends entirely on your interests. If you are starting out on the West coast, you could spend a month just exploring the stuff in Califunny; that and driving the coast road up to Washington. The farthest West I go in my travels is Montana, so some of the folks from over there will have to tell you more.

Again, welcome to the forum and post back to let us know how it goes. :laugh: :laugh: