Thinking about buying a new RV. Any advice? (1 Viewer)

[egautr1]

So my wife and I have been thinking about buying a new RV. We have been thinking about it for about two years and are in a position to potentially get one sometime this summer. We have been watching YouTube and some videos are helpful. Thing is, we haven’t used one before and don’t know what we don’t know.
We intend to use it about one weekend a month ( more during football season) and probably a full week once ore twice a year.
We think we want a Forest River Vibe 28 RB or a Grand Design Transcend. We don’t have kids so we have no need for a bunk house model.
We are aware that these things break and all that goes along with that.
So, any advice?

Hey I am right there with you. I have been wanting an RV for years. We rented a travel trailer this past November and had a blast. We have two young boys and they loved it.
We want to get a bunkhouse model travel trailer and was hoping to buy maybe this upcoming fall but with the prices right now we are probably gonna have to wait. The market has gotten really hot since Covid and everyone is saying to wait a few more months till the people who recently bought one decide they don't like it anymore and want to sell. So maybe by next summer of 2022.
Although I have done some research and they said the best time to buy an RV is in the Fall or winter when most people aren't thinking about RV trips. From what I have read the spring is the worst time to buy followed by the summer. Makes sense.

To the OP, are you wanting a motorhome, travel trailer, or 5th wheel?
If getting a trailer do you already have a truck?? If so what is your tow rating?
As others have said if getting a trailer make sure your truck/car can handle it. Always leave some wiggle room. What i mean is if your truck can tow up to say 10,000 lbs get something less than that like around 8 or 7,000 lbs. You don't want to 'max out' your truck for every trip. Remember the ratings they give you is a dry weight. That doesn't include all the stuff your gonna put in it and how the weight will be distributed.
I guess I am asking for a little more specifics so we can help you out better.

 

[0rion]

Aren't most new RVs in the shop for warranty work for almost their entire first 1-2 years?

In 11 years I've replaced the board for the fridge and sail switch on the furnace. I get what you're saying as in general they're built cheaply. I haven't had that experience with my KZ though. It's been fantastic and I've towed it 17,145 miles in that time.

 

[jrdbrn]

Aren't most new RVs in the shop for warranty work for almost their entire first 1-2 years?

First travel trailer was in after our first trip for quite a few minors.

5th wheel awning fell completely off LOL. Told Dixie RV that it didn't look right when we did the walk through. This happened in my driveway prior to our first trip. My first thought was the screws were too short. Never received an answer why it happened.

 

[BigOdin504]

I have a pop up camper
Got if for free a few summers ago
Completely renovated it
We use it all the time
Just got back from fort Pickens yesterday in fact
Wife and I are teachers so we hit the road all of July
It’s really been a life changer
Air cond is a must

 

[staphory]

Hey I am right there with you. I have been wanting an RV for years. We rented a travel trailer this past November and had a blast. We have two young boys and they loved it.
We want to get a bunkhouse model travel trailer and was hoping to buy maybe this upcoming fall but with the prices right now we are probably gonna have to wait. The market has gotten really hot since Covid and everyone is saying to wait a few more months till the people who recently bought one decide they don't like it anymore and want to sell. So maybe by next summer of 2022.
Although I have done some research and they said the best time to buy an RV is in the Fall or winter when most people aren't thinking about RV trips. From what I have read the spring is the worst time to buy followed by the summer. Makes sense.

To the OP, are you wanting a motorhome, travel trailer, or 5th wheel?
If getting a trailer do you already have a truck?? If so what is your tow rating?
As others have said if getting a trailer make sure your truck/car can handle it. Always leave some wiggle room. What i mean is if your truck can tow up to say 10,000 lbs get something less than that like around 8 or 7,000 lbs. You don't want to 'max out' your truck for every trip. Remember the ratings they give you is a dry weight. That doesn't include all the stuff your gonna put in it and how the weight will be distributed.
I guess I am asking for a little more specifics so we can help you out better.

Yes, the market is hot right now. I’m in a rural area so prices aren’t crazy. We are looking at bumper pull travel trailers that weigh approximately 6500lbs(dry). My truck can pull 8700. Payload is 1660lbs and we don’t foresee having a huge amount of stuff with us for weekend trips. The tanks aren’t likely to be full as we are going down the road because we aren’t interested in boon docking right now. We have a little headroom left and if we are careful it won’t be a problem.

 

[staphory]

This is exactly what i logged in to say.. OP, if you can somehow go back to 2019 and buy an RV, then do that... Otherwise, I’d wait.

That said, all my life i have been a fan of Class C RV’s, like the one that Kenny Rogers as Brewster Baker drove in the movie that was on HBO incessantly in the early 80s, Six Pack.... but as of late, i have really gotten into Class B camper vans.. specifically, the Winnebago Travato... they are on the Ram Promaster chassis; any Dodge dealer can work on them, they can fit into a regular parking spot or driveway and they average over 20 mpg on the highway, which is EXCEPTIONAL for an RV.. i see them on RV Trader all the time, here is an example of a nice one.. they are not cheap.



.

https://www.rvtrader.com/listing/2018-Winnebago-TRAVATO-59K-5015622517

Those things bring their own problems though. If you break down, you are stranded. FCA (well, Stellantis now) has quality issues. I just don’t trust them. Same with Mercedes but with the added bonus of ridiculous repair prices.
In addition, if you pull into a campground with hookups, You have to unhook everything any time you want to go somewhere. Not a huge deal but I could see that getting old.
And we don’t want to spend that much money.

 

[Mr. Blue Sky]

Those things bring their own problems though. If you break down, you are stranded.

i am confused.. “if you break down, you are stranded” applies to any RV, whether a Class B or Class C or any of them, right ?

Also, i get having concerns with Stellantis/FCA but i think theyve come a long way quality-wise.. my Jeep has been as dependable as Fords I’ve owned (which is to say not 100% dependable) and most of the Class C’s ride on a Ford or Chevy chassis.

In addition, if you pull into a campground with hookups, You have to unhook everything any time you want to go somewhere. Not a huge deal but I could see that getting old.

Agreed.. i think it’d be nice to not have to tow a vehicle, and i have zero experience with RV parks, but i could see how connecting and disconnecting possibly several times a day might be tiresome.

 

[nolaspe]

You moving to New Mexico to set up shop and start cooking?

 

[staphory]

i am confused.. “if you break down, you are stranded” applies to any RV, whether a Class B or Class C or any of them, right ?

Here’s and example.
Let’s say you have a problem with a travel trailer, maybe an electrical problem that rendered the trailer useless. You could maybe tow it to a repair shop and have it repaired and come back later to get it. What happens if you have the same problem with your Class B? If the vehicle won’t run then you are stuck until it’s repaired or you now have to rent a car to get home until your repairs are done.
Seems to me that a trailer leaves you with options.

 

[staphory]

You moving to New Mexico to set up shop and start cooking?

I live in rural MS. Why go to NM?

 

[Mr. Blue Sky]

Here’s and example.
Let’s say you have a problem with a travel trailer, maybe an electrical problem that rendered the trailer useless. You could maybe tow it to a repair shop and have it repaired and come back later to get it. What happens if you have the same problem with your Class B? If the vehicle won’t run then you are stuck until it’s repaired or you now have to rent a car to get home until your repairs are done.
Seems to me that a trailer leaves you with options.

Oh, you’re comparing ANY drivable RV (Class A tour bus, Class B camper van, Class C like Kenny Rogers drove) to ANY RV that you tow.. Gotcha.. i thought you were saying that specific to Class Bs, if you break down then you’re stranded.

 

[zeetes]

I live in rural MS. Why go to NM?

why not? you can get something kickass like:

 

[DaveXA]

Well, I am going into it willingly and I know that they are all just different levels of junk. I figure knowing that beforehand helps. I’m pretty handy at DIY so I can repair most things.
sorry you had a bad experience.

I did own a 5th wheel and lived in it for 8 months with my wife and 2 kids at the time. It was a fun experience tbh. But...I don't think I'll ever do that again unless it's a motor home/coach or something. The 5th wheel was a bit of work, and I did have to do some maintenance while I had it, but that's not much different than home maintenance. And there are far more resources now if you're not sure how to fix or replace something that breaks.

A 5th wheel has some nice space features, but you really don't want to do that without a good reliable truck. If I can find the pics of my setup, I'll post here.

 

[Rickboy]

The advice on RENTING before buying is solid. You must absolutely do that first. Check out Outdoorsy.com for rentals in your area.

Someone else mentioned that RVs are cheaply made. Again this is spot on advice with very few exceptions. The biggest exception being Airstream. Their travel trailers last for decades with care. It’s going to cost twice as much as that Vibe you’re looking at but it’ll last you the rest of your life.

RVs, except Airstreams, depreciate quickly. Just be aware.

One more thing is to consider your tow vehicle. You need to know the GVWR, tongue weight, tow capacity, etc., etc.. Do this BEFORE you even look at travel trailers. Also, does your tow vehicle have a trailer brake controller? If you come to Colorado, you’ll need one unless you like playing with death. Also, consider the WET weight of the trailer. That’s the fully loaded weight of the trailer. Make sure your tow vehicle exceeds that weight. In many cases you’re looking at needing a HD pickup of some kind like a Ford F250 or 350.

Oh, Ford and Ram make trailer steering systems that make backing a trailer into a small area an easy process. The Ford system takes a bit of effort to setup but works great. I haven’t seen the Ram system in person but the demo videos make it look even better than Fords.

 

[guidomerkinsrules]

I did own a 5th wheel and lived in it for 8 months with my wife and 2 kids at the time. It was a fun experience tbh. But...I don't think I'll ever do that again unless it's a motor home/coach or something. The 5th wheel was a bit of work, and I did have to do some maintenance while I had it, but that's not much different than home maintenance. And there are far more resources now if you're not sure how to fix or replace something that breaks.

A 5th wheel has some nice space features, but you really don't want to do that without a good reliable truck. If I can find the pics of my setup, I'll post here.

You don’t have to confirm or deny, but I want to believe you were an itinerant preacher when y’all were in the 5th wheel