MH recomendation wanted


squidwife

New Member
My husband and I are thinking about becoming full-timers in a year or so. We're looking for a MH but not exactly sure what brands/styles are good. We thought about going for a 5th wheel and Heartland looked good but we're thinking maybe the MH will be a better way to go for us. Can anyone give us an idea of what brands we should be concentrating on? Pesonal opion and experience counts a lot!:) Thank You.
 
G

Guest

Guest
RE: MH recomendation wanted

well first of all welcome to the forum ,, and second ,, what type of Mh are u thinking about ,, a diesel pusher ,, a front end diesel or a gas model ,, and also how much do u plan to pay for a really good MH for full timing ,, in MO,, i would do some researching into it ,, because a MH is a big investment that looses money fast ,, so on that remark ,, u need to way the pros and cons ,, where are we gonna travel ,, and how long are we staying ,, and also figure in fuel and food and maint cost ,, but don't get me wrong ,, i own a MH myself ,, but i do my own repairs and such ,, so all i have to figure in is fuel ,,, but a MH is a big lossing investment ,, atleast right now ,, but do as above ,,shop around ,, there are hundreds of used MH's on the market right now ,, and with low mlies ,, due to the fuel skyrocketing ,, but make a chioce for u'r self ,, and then let us know back ,, and we won't be mean to u for it ,, but we can offer some advice before u take the plunge ,,, ;) :approve: :approve: :approve: :)
 

squidwife

New Member
Re: MH recomendation wanted

Hi, thanks for advice. I guess we're looking to spend no more than $125k. Atleast that's what I think we should spend. We have to sell our house first so we don't have two huge loans. My husband travels with his job so I don't see us staying in a park for long, that's for sure. I'm also hoping for a gas rather than diesel because of the cost of fuel. I've read some of these threads and it seems like everybody's MH has fallen apart or had problems. Is that typical? I guess that's the advice I'm looking for. If there are any models that hold up longer.:)
 
G

Guest

Guest
Re: MH recomendation wanted

well i can say this ,, i work on these things for a living ,, and yes ALL rv's ,, MH's ,, TT and such have problems ,, some are big and some little,,, if u'r gonna invest that kinda $$$ into a MH then i would be looking into the higher end type ,, but be sure u ck out the warranties on them ,, i myself have a 97 Alegro Bus ,, DP ,, Made by Tiffin ,, bought new ,, and i must say they are great on their customer satisfaction ,, even when it's out of warranty ,, if u'r gonna use the MH ,, as u said to travel ,, then IMO i think the 125 k would be ok ,, it's the ones that buy those priced units and use them maybe on weekends and one big trip a yr. that losses money ,, but agian ,, look and shop around ,, when u find the rv that fit's u u'll know it ,,, also as i stated in the last post ,, don't feel at all shy about asking ???? about a model u'r looking at ,, cause we have a broad range of owners ,,, dealers and such ,, and most will go outta there way to let u in on the poop about a certain model ,,, but please don't get offended ,, when some one post a very negative on the model u may be in love with ,, yes some on here are just trying to start something ,, but the most will give u an honest oppinion ,, as will I ,, since i see what really happens to these things
Bty ,, look into some low milage used units ,, that way u don't lose money on the depreication ,, and u can get some very good used units ,, and at very good prices ,,, go on here ,, and ck out some of the rigs up for sale on here ,,, ;) :) :) :)
 

Kirk

Senior Member
Re: MH recomendation wanted

A few things to keep in mind are that while the diesels burn more expensive fuel, they also get better mileage. I suspect that fuel cost per mile is pretty near the same for both in todays markets. But the diesels do cost about $30K more for the same quality of RV.

In gas chassis there are two, Ford and Workhorse. The Ford has the harsher ride and better handling. Ford probably has a little better mechanical reliability, but they are both good in that area. Workhorse does cost more. Fuel consumption is pretty similar but either one is very much effected by the speed that it is driven.

Some top brands are Winnebago/Itasca, Newmar, and Allegro. All of those have excellent reputations. You might be wise to consider joining the RV Consumer Group as they will supply you ratings of the different RVs and also a lot of educational materials to learn how to evaluate them. www.rv.org

As to falling apart, if you get a quality RV to start with and then properly maintain it, there is no reason to expect it to fall apart any more than a house would. It is true that quality control in the RV industry is not great, even with the manufacturers listed. But those companies do stand behind what they build.
 

DL Rupper

Senior Member
Re: MH recomendation wanted

Hey squidwife, welcome to the forum. Personally I think 5th wheel RV's are the way to go full-timing. The top of the line 5th wheels don't seem to have as many problems as the MH's do. At least when I read the forums, RV magazines etc. I don't come across near as many problems with 5'ers. Maybe it's because there aren't as many things to go wrong. No motor or drive train and complicated chassis.

For $125 K you can go top line with a 5th wheel:

Check out:

Carriage
Hitchhiker
Excel
Gulfstream
Sunnybrook
Alpenlite
Montana

They all seem to be pretty good. Of course check out a Dodge Diesel to tow it with. I get 11.5 miles/gal towing and 23 miles/gal empty. To be honest the GM Diesel is pretty good also. If you can get a new one. The union that makes GM axle's are on strike. :(
 

hertig

Senior Member
Re: MH recomendation wanted

The motorhome often is better when travelling and is usually easier to set up; once you are set up, the 5th wheel tends to be better to stay in. So, decide how you are going to use the unit.

The big advantage of diesel is the torque. Makes it much easier to get big motorhomes or trailers up hills. But they don't store as well as gas units do, and they do tend to cost more up front and in maintenance.
 

squidwife

New Member
Re: MH recomendation wanted

Thanks everybody for your feedback. I appreciate all your advice as my knowledge is pretty limited right now. Maybe it's a good thing that we're not buying right now - gives us (me!) time to do some more research and find something that will really fit our lifestyle. I look forward to chatting with you guys some more.:):):)
 

elkhartjim

Senior Member
Re: MH recomendation wanted



DL writes........

"To be honest the GM Diesel is pretty good also."



Is hell getting chilly?????????
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onthecoach

Senior Member
Re: MH recomendation wanted

Hi Squidwife! Welcome to the forum!! I agree with most everything that was stated here. I would caution you to stay away from Fleetwood MH's. I'm on my 2nd Fleetwood and it's 'ok'...but that's all it is. We've have several probs with water heater, electric system, very difficult to heat in the winter, and some minor stuff. Regrettably, ours is NOT a 4-season coach....didn't know we would need one when we bought it. Bought it new in 2005...now 3 years old. I am RELIGIOUS about maintenance and up keep....this is a MUST!!!

When we buy another coach...we will: 1. look at previously owned (not such a depreciation hit), and 2. look at other manufacturers: Tiffin, Allegro, Gulstream, Monaco; 3. DEFINITELY GET A 4-SEASON COACH!!

Hope this helps!!
 

DL Rupper

Senior Member
Re: MH recomendation wanted

Hey Jim. I plug GM diesels so as Kenneth at GTS doesn't get all riled up. Actually I would consider a GM if Dodge was having a problem. FORD diesels are out for now. I'm not convinced they (Ford) are ready for prime time with their diesel engine yet. :eek:
 

H2H1

Senior Member
Re: MH recomendation wanted

Well Jim I have a 03 Fleet Wood Southwind and not had a problem yet that I counldn't take care of. I just put 4k miles on it and had no problems, but like you I keep it well maintained, ie changed the oil on a regular bases 3-4k mile. As I stated before just put 4k on it and will change the oil this coming week and do a good look at everything before next month trip to Destin Fla. JMHO .... If I had it do over again I would buy a upper scale model than what I have now just because I could,but when I
 

tinkerer

New Member
RE: MH recomendation wanted

I think it depends who you talk to. I am on my second Fleetwood Discovery an as far as the motor home itself they have been quite decent. The new on I have now warranty has not been a problem with the minor issues I have had. The worst problem I had with the old one was the Cummins 5.9 cracked the block and had to be replaced with my money. Be careful of the 5.9 Cummins made between 1998 and 2002, some of these have defective blocks. I know some that have Monoco's and have a lot of problems with them but that might be just luck of the draw. If you look at the components like the refrigerators, stoves, and etc it seems they are made by the same manufacters. Just remember you are buying a complex machine and with my experience when ever you have a machine it can give trouble. Case and point Toyotas' are supposed to last forever and never give problems, well my 95 4 runner transmission failed at 115k which is never supposed to happen. :cool:
 

Kirk

Senior Member
Re: MH recomendation wanted

squidwife

Just wondering if the name you use indicates you are married to a fellow boat sailor?
 

Darwin

New Member
RE: MH recomendation wanted

My husband and I are thinking about becoming full-timers in a year or so. We're looking for a MH but not exactly sure what brands/styles are good. We thought about going for a 5th wheel and Heartland looked good but we're thinking maybe the MH will be a better way to go for us. Can anyone give us an idea of what brands we should be concentrating on? Pesonal opion and experience counts a lot!:) Thank You.
 

utmtman

Senior Member
Re: MH recomendation wanted

As a motor homer I prefer them to trailers by a long shot. Having had a tent traier and a travel trailer, never went to a 5th wheel but I looked them over pretty good before going to the one we got. Figure with the motor home we have a house on wheels and we can tow any car or truck we want to tow and in some cases its nice to get 30 miles to the gallon site seeing than from 5 to 15 with anything else. Which is usually what you get with a truck that is towing. OK guys with them trucks gettting 30mpg sock it to me.
 

H2H1

Senior Member
Re: MH recomendation wanted

Lee we will aways take a hit on gpm,OOP mpg that the case of owning a MH. I like you enjoy our and it is a home away from home
 

C Nash

Senior Member
Re: MH recomendation wanted

We have owned both and like the MH for our type of traveling. Milage works out about the same as when we towed a 5th wheel with a chev dually. The dually got 10 mpg towing and 15 when sight seeing. The MH 32 ft with 2 slides v10 Ford gets 8 mpg and the toad a chev tracker gets 27 mpg. We park the MH and do a lot of sight seeing. Just returned from 5000 miles on the MH and another 2000 on the tracker. Actuall got 13 mpg on the MH once but had a Texas 40mph wind pushing me. :)
 

DL Rupper

Senior Member
Re: MH recomendation wanted

As a owner of a 5th wheel I prefer them. From my observations the motorhome seems to have many more mechanical problems than the 5th wheel. I like the movable La-Z-Boys in the 5th wheel instead of couches that face each other and don't face the TV. Little things like that make the 5th wheel more homey. Then there's the 2 engines, 2 drive trains, 2 transmissions, 2 differentials, 2 oil/filter changes, 2 air filter changes, well you get the idea. Did I mention the BIG front windows that always seem to be having problems or all the BIG expensive tires that need to be replaced. Almost forgot the levelers that seem to come down while you are driving down the road. I guess I've been reading too many Action Lines in the RV magazines. :laugh: ;) Just my opinion. 24 miles/gal sight seeing and 12 miles/gal towing rounded up. :laugh: :laugh: :laugh: Goodness my Dodge is the big difference. :eek:
 
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