this or that


bagabones73

New Member
not sure if this is the correct place for thisquestion but since i am prepairing to buy my first rv.......................


about us

late 30s me and my wife no kids - wife is severly ill with neurological disease - we dont know how long she has!
currently in a wheel chair - she has been stuck in bed and stranded alone while i work 10 to 12 hour days 6 days a week for to long - time to fullfil one of her dreams b4 its to late - we want to go full time


we have been shopping for a while but timing hasnt been there

trying to choose between :

class A
american coach tradition 2002 40'

cost 130k

obviously has evrything we want but - conserned with 40' coach being to large to go everywhere we want to go
with my wifes condition we will want to get as close to the scenery and widerness as we can

class a
tiffin allegro bay 2008 35'

cost 139k

has w/d and all we want - but even though its a diesel im concerned with the engine in front and long term ware- i also hate to buy new cuz of depreciation - i know the tradtion is much better but we want to have acess to state parks and wilderness and would like to be able to drive roads like the blue ridge parkway

class C diesel
Senaca 2006 35' with custom added w/d in closet area

cost 100k
more familiar to drive- cost less so gives us more money to travel - easy to get on curvy roads - realy is perfect for us but im severly concerned with the lack of storage in comparison to a class A - and also worried about water compacity with w/d and only a 65 gallon fresh water tank - since it takes 20 gallons to do a load of wash

we do want to dry camp alot - for this reason we have gone away from the 40" coach even though it really is the most for the money


any advise????????????????
 

LEN

Senior Member
Re: this or that

What ever you get I would advise a towed car, van, truck, so you can get close for the wife to see. A motor home is not going to get you close to much except the drive on the main roads. Perhaps a 5ver or a TT would work so you have a smaller rig to get to the views from the camp area's. In the price range you are talking there are a lot of choices out there. Might even find a used with a wheelchair setup. A good sized DP with an open floor plan might be the best and with a toad there are alway parks near enough to allow the large rig and the toad for the sight seeing. Had a close friend a few years ago that did a Avion trailer and Suburban, worked well for them and 20 years later there are a multitude of more options.

LEN
 

bagabones73

New Member
Re: this or that

LEN - 1/27/2008 7:05 PM

What ever you get I would advise a towed car, van, truck, so you can get close for the wife to see. A motor home is not going to get you close to much except the drive on the main roads. Perhaps a 5ver or a TT would work so you have a smaller rig to get to the views from the camp area's. In the price range you are talking there are a lot of choices out there. Might even find a used with a wheelchair setup. A good sized DP with an open floor plan might be the best and with a toad there are alway parks near enough to allow the large rig and the toad for the sight seeing. Had a close friend a few years ago that did a Avion trailer and Suburban, worked well for them and 20 years later there are a multitude of more options.

LEN

what is a toad, TT, DP

i plan to carry my 4runner w/ me -
when i say close to nature i mean - privacy in the woods - not can i site see from my car
my thought was that a 35 ft would be more likely to find privaye camp settings - but to be truthfull i have 0 experience and dont know if my thought holds water

since i have never stayed at an RV camp facility i am not sure what is out there (affordable) but we dont want to feel like we are parking our RV in a parking lot which in my observation seems to be commomn with coaches 40'

i was told by my sales guy that a 35' coach would give me more freedom to set up in state parks for the nature setting ILO a parking lot

i would like to have privacy - woods between rv sites, camp fires

can the 35' coach be driven on a raod like the blue ridge parkway without scaring the #$%^ out of ya ?
 

LEN

Senior Member
Re: this or that

TT is a towed trailer and a DP is a Diesel pusher. A 35-36 is a good size for state parks and I see you have the 4-runner, that is a good choice as thats what I have. I the 35-36 as you are talking a 300-330HP DP would be my choice and go for the floor plan that is good for your purpose. At the 36 you find the room for the WD and lots of storage space and their are a number of coach's for sale within your price range and with the options you require. do a lot of reading and a lot of searching online to find just what you want. visit as many RV sales lots as you can to get a feel for the floor plan that fits and then got to looking and within your search we here can tell if there are problems within a particular coach as someone here has or does own almost everyone out there.

LEN
 

LEN

Senior Member
Re: this or that

If were me and limited to only the choices you listed I would go with the Senaca 2006 or one like it, I don't think you will be giving up too much storage againist a A of the same 35'. Remember 20% under asking price is a good place to start the buy, you can always go up and not leave $$$ on the table. And the Senaca's I just looked at on the net appear to have most of what a person would want. For dry camping I would also look for one that has solar panels and maybe add two more coach batteries if it does not come with four. Plus it will being under warranty and with a bit of frugal living the $40,000 less should make two years living costs.

LEN
 

bagabones73

New Member
Re: this or that

LEN - 1/28/2008 11:06 AM

If were me and limited to only the choices you listed I would go with the Senaca 2006 or one like it, I don't think you will be giving up too much storage againist a A of the same 35'. Remember 20% under asking price is a good place to start the buy, you can always go up and not leave $$$ on the table. And the Senaca's I just looked at on the net appear to have most of what a person would want. For dry camping I would also look for one that has solar panels and maybe add two more coach batteries if it does not come with four. Plus it will being under warranty and with a bit of frugal living the $40,000 less should make two years living costs.

LEN

this is all true - thanks

but what about the 40' coach? never being on the road in a coach im not sure how to decide - im not sure of the actual difference in traveling with a 35fter VS a 40 fter and how much the extra length will limit me on where i can actually drive the coach and where i can stay when im parked -

the 40' coach has 3 times the storage of the seneca - and it will not depreciate as fast :eek: getting burned out with worrying about making wrong decision LOL

isnt the american tradtion in another hole league of comfort?
 

Buckeye Chuck

New Member
Re: this or that

It might be a good idea to rent an RV for a trip or two. You will be able to see for yourself how you can handle it and it the size fits your wants and needs.

-BC-
 

DL Rupper

Senior Member
Re: this or that

If my memory serves me right, I believe the Seneca has higher road clearance. This might come in handy for getting up close. Which one is the most assessable for your wife (ease of entry)? that could be the driver.
 

hertig

Senior Member
Re: this or that

I would say there will be not much difference between driving a 35' or a 40'. As far as 'fitting', the 35' will get into places the 40' will not, but I don't think that is a major factor in commercial RV parks, although it does seem to be the case in some national parks. I'm comfortable in my 40', but then I haven't been to any national parks. Also, I 'go around the block' when visiting my dad, rather than try to turn from a busy 2 lane road to a 1 lane road between the corn fields.
 

PattieAM

New Member
Re: this or that

As already mentioned, the rental of an RV before you purchase would be an excellent investment. You need to be sure your wife can be accommodated comfortably with limited stress on both of you. Mobility within will be important, and access to the facilities.

If you can find the time, you and your wife should spend a few days touring the various RV's, sitting on the potty's, faking a shower, preparing a meal, laying on the beds. You would need to be sure your wife would be comfortable and able to enjoy this endeavor.

You might consider the purchase of a comfortable tow vehicle (crew cab truck) and towable travel trailer (and they do have handicapped models). This would allow you to park the unit at a campground, and tour up close and personal the various sites you want to see. And, you won't have to take the entire camping unit to the grocery store, etc. You can see many floor plans online at the various manufacturer's web-sites.

Best wishes in pursuing your dreams!
 
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