Which RV do I want?


Beaver97

New Member
Re: Which RV do I want?

Why are you worried about mpg & cost of fuel. I was in the UK this spring & saw the prices along with the exchange rate. What you need is a 40' DP, Get a older model that has been taken care of. Have it shipped back to the UK & drive teh UK roads!!
I just purchased a 10 year old, 41,000 mi. DP. It is as good as a new. Just got home from a summer trip of 9,000 miles. I have had 3 new RV's in the past 6 yrs. Believe you me, they were all a pain to get all the bugs worked out.
Take your time. There are lots of good rigs, also there are lots of JUNK. GOOD LUCK!!!
 

marstrings

New Member
Re: Which RV do I want?

Beaver97 - 12/4/2007 12:36 AM

Why are you worried about mpg & cost of fuel. I was in the UK this spring & saw the prices along with the exchange rate. What you need is a 40' DP, Get a older model that has been taken care of. Have it shipped back to the UK & drive teh UK roads!!
I just purchased a 10 year old, 41,000 mi. DP. It is as good as a new. Just got home from a summer trip of 9,000 miles. I have had 3 new RV's in the past 6 yrs. Believe you me, they were all a pain to get all the bugs worked out.
Take your time. There are lots of good rigs, also there are lots of JUNK. GOOD LUCK!!!

The cost of fuel is not really a worry (being a third of UK prices). On principle, I don't want to use something that has a really bad fuel usage. DP is Deisel Pusher? That's a coach fitted out as a mobile home? 40' is nearly twice as big as anything I've driven so far - and there are only two of us. But I'm seriously interested if they are known to be more reliable than Bs and Cs.

Time is not a luxury we have though. We have a maximum of one year to squeeze a load of travelling/visiting and performing into, and hope to be able to find something in around six weeks. Which is why I'm trying to get to grips with all the options now

:approve:

M.
 

hertig

Senior Member
Re: Which RV do I want?

Yes, DP is Diesel Pusher. It means the engine is in the back. There is a 'FRED' which is a Front Engine Diesel, but I don't know of any advantages to that and there seems to be some disadvantages.

When talking RVs, they are 'all' considered mobile homes, since they 'all' have the things which make a place a home. Not sure what this list is, and it may vary in places, but basically, if you have a sink, a stove and a toilet, you can probably call it home.

40' is a good length for a class A (RV built on a RV chassis). It is (particularly with slides) fairly big on the inside, and is small enough to fit 'most' commercial parks. If you will be frequenting state/federal parks, it may be a bit big for some of them. Driving it is not hard to get used to, and I suspect the difference in driving a 30' RV and a 40' RV would be negligible. As for only 2, 40' should not be too big (particularly for a year). In that space you get a couch/bed, a dinette, a kitchen, either a computer desk/chair or another couch/bed or easy chairs, a full bath and a decent bedroom. Plus fairly good storage space.

They are not intrinsically more reliable than Class B (van with RV stuff built into it) or Class C (RV built on a van chassis). It is possible that a Class B or Class C built on a primary automakers chassis might be more reliable than a class A built by some non-primary company. Of course, if reliability is your main concern, a trailer and truck might be a better choice (same things can break, but most any breakage only affects 'half' your RV).

Class A's tend to be a bit more 'usable' in layout, than the B or C, since both the latter are constrained by their van heritage. Of course, even the class A has some constraints imposed by its vehicle nature.
 

PattieAM

New Member
Re: Which RV do I want?

Just thought I'd add my 2 cents....you might consider investing in a nice tow vehicle (pickup truck - 8 cyl.) with quad cab, and then consider a Popup camper as another mentioned. I am assuming you and your partner would be spending a few days in each location, so setup/take down wouldn't be too much of an issue (the everyday setup/take down would be). I don't have prices/information on new pickup trucks, but can tell you, you can get a nice popup for about $15,000., which is what I paid for mine -new. Check out the Fleetwoodrv.com site and look at the floor plans for both the Avalon and the Niagara -- nice space, king size bunks, all the amenities (3 burner range/oven, 3-way refrigerator/freezer, furnace, AC, twin bowl sink, glide out dinette which gives floor space, and hardwalled potty/shower, microwave and outside shower). But as with any towable RV, the tow vehicle determines what you can safely tow (weight wise). Haven't a clue as to your budget/financial situation, but thought I'd pass this option along. The 07 Niagara has a greywater holding tank as well as a 9 gallon blackwater holding tank (the '06 only has the blackwater holding tank). Feel free to private message me should you want more info and I will try to help you. Best wishes on your research!!!
 

rjf7g

Senior Member
Re: Which RV do I want?

Depending upon how small you go, you could be talking"wet bath" vs "dry bath" - and, cassette system vs holding tanks...will you always be staying at campgrounds or will you need to dry camp/boondock? If you are 100% sure you will always be in a campground, there is no need for a generator. How often will you move - will your stays mostly be 1-2 nights, 2-3 nights, or what? If you're staying 2 nights, will you have to move in between? Packing your house up every couple of hours will get real old real fast. How often do you want to have to make up a bed? If you get something that just has a jacknife or sleeper sofa in it, you can pretty much leave those made up all the time (we figured out how to do it on a jacknife).

Sounds like you're planning quite the adventure. I wish you and your partner well!
 

marstrings

New Member
Re: Which RV do I want?

Thanks for all the advice folks.

We've had a hard time choosing between a 5er and a class C, but in the end, we've decided to get a class C and a couple of good pushbikes!

I've studied the RV Consumer Group ratings and decided that I'd like to get a second hand Born Free or Lazy Daze MH. Trouble is there aren't many of these guys around. Are all the owners hanging on to them or something? (I can see why!)

But for the fact that we really want something that sleeps more than two, there's one on sale in MA that would fit the bill perfectly.

Does anyone know if this is a slack time of year to buy/sell?

Martin.
 
Re: Which RV do I want?

Martin, how are you getting on with your year in the USA ? I have been looking round the forum as I am about to post almost the same questions. We are looking to buy ( next year) an A class pusher for two years traveling round the states but with a break every six months as I cannot find how to get a visa for any longer. I am now addicted to the USA Ebay site looking at RV's. How did you get on with finding insurance with a UK driving licence? I have thought about taking an American driving test but I don't think you can if you cannot produce a social security number. Did you pay sales tax in the state you bought the RV or did you register at one of the lower tax states? 8% on $1000 could pay for a lot of diesel and just in case you don't know, we are paying £5-40 a gallon ( about $10 for a USA gallon) but at 10 mpg for a 330hp pusher it is the same as running a 4X4 over here.
Thanks and enjoy your ride.
Richard.
Oxford
England ( very wet and miserable)
2 years and counting.
 

jetboat

New Member
RE: Which RV do I want?

24' or there abouts sounds big! however,been there done that. now have a 32' bumber pull,and its a little tight with 2 slides. try living in one room plus the restroom for a couple weeks,and see what happens.remember,the larger the trailer,so goes the tow truck. unless a motorhome or bus in in your future. and dont belive what the sales person says,most are worse than a used car dude! yopur asking i think the wright people.good luck.
 

Pillaz

Senior Member
RE: Which RV do I want?

In my humble opinion, What you want to buy should be based on the way you are going to use it. I know obvious, huh. You said in your first post that you will be traveling all of the time. If you decide to spend a lot of time on the road then you should go for a class A MH. They are much more comfortable to travel in. You don't have to stop to use the bathroom or eat while traveling. They typaically have bigger water and holding tanks, bigger generaltors and more amenities. You can buy a pre owned MH easily in your price range. Especaily in the northern parts of the US where they do not sell as well as in the south. Fuel is less expensive here and the roads are wider than the UK. Once you get used to driving a larger vehicle it is not that hard. Earlier posts are correct. The longer you stay in them the smalller they get. Since you will be spending a lot of time on the road and covering many miles I would recomend a DP. deisels tend to be more reliable as long as they are maintained well.
Since you will be travely through Canada as well you should look for a well insulated year round model.
Being a little handy with tools is helpful no matter what option you choose. All RV's have little busgs to be worked out and regular maintence should be done.
Here is my experience, I purchased a used 1991 34' allegro bay three years ago. I paid $8300.00 for it. It had 32,000 miles on it and every option available. I am a weekend warrior with kids. It now has over 60,000 miles on it. We have taken the family all over the north eastern part of the usa and we absolutly love it. The gas is cheep compared to the alternative.
I also tow a boat with it and it is not as hard as some people think it is. You can check out the pictures in the album section if you wish.
Go luck and have fun!
 
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