OT: Buying an RV need some advice please.

I got a new job which will allow me to commute except for one week per month. On that week I have to be available 24/7. The best motel room rates are going to be about $400/week. Over a few years time that would be pretty significant. I am planning on buying an RV and parking it at my brothers place. The type I am looking at are called class C I believe. They are on the one ton type chassis. Any advice about models good or bad and in general just what to look for as I have never owned one of these things before. I am looking at something from around 1990 to 2000 year model depending on price. Any advice is greatly appreciated. I guess I"ll only get to farm on the weekend now!

Motorhomes these days are a buyers market and are cheap. do your homework, there are lots of bargians to be had.

If it were me, I would buy a trailer, not a motor coach. Having it sit for long periods of time just isn't a good use of a motor coach.

Now, if you are driving it back and forth from your house to your brothers, than that is a different set of conditions.

Pick up a '73-'78 GMC class A, really nice and not all that much coin up front.

If you have a pick up to pull with i would go with a 5 th wheel trailer. We have had both class C and trailer and i liked the 5th wheel better

Trailer rather than self propelled. Less headaches and more flexibility. Lower investment too.

I've had a travel trailer for almost 3 decades. They too are getting cheap, far less maintanence than the class C and usually more room inside, much lower insurance and license fees. When looking at 10 year or older RVs look carefully at the roof. Many have been built with rubber roofs, and they have a limited life. The ultra violet exposure takes a toll on the rubber. I don't know what the replacement cost is, but it isn't cheap. Take a careful deep smell test of the coach area. If it has a moldy smell, or some cover-up smell, pass it up. Some of these coaches have taken swimming lessons and have mold in the walls.

If you are going to live in it for a week at a time, figure out some way that you can connect up the sewer hose to a sanitary sewer system. Otherwise you have to monitor your water use and take care of some dumping duties. Even though they all come with water pumps, getting hooked up to a pressure water hose really makes life more convenient. Every coach has a water heater, most are 6 gallon capacity, so be gentle on the shower water usage. If you can find one with a 120 volt refrig (common) and a 120 V water heater (not so common) then your LP gas will last a long time, as used by the kitchen stove/oven. RV stuff is made to be light weight and relatively small, so it does not have the life and reliability of the similar stuff in your house (plumbing, appliances, lighting, screen door, etc). Keeping a fresh roll of duct tape is a necessity, as well as a multimeter and a roll of electrical tape to help chase down and control the electric gremlins.

You will want a good bed, and a comfortable chair, and maybe A/C depending on the climate you are in.

Good luck in finding what you like.

Paul in MN

as a rv owner i will also advise you to buy a trailer not a self powered unit, now when looking at these it is very important to make sure the trailer is built with a steel structure in the coach body, some older bumper pull units as well as motorhomes have wooden structures, and these are to be avoided completly, [ a very expensive lesson for me],besides the overall condition of the unit,when looking at used units ask about the fridge, a/c unit furnace and water heater, if replaced, when it was done and by whom, these are expensive units and the more of these that have been replaced / upgraded the better for you, as long as it wasnt done by owner , unless you can tell he really knows what he's doing these things are not wired like a house and ive had one trailer almost burn due to a homeowner installed new furnace, [he got some wires wrong] a fifth wheel unit is usually nicer, has a bigger bedroom , better built and tows tons better than a bumper pull unit, slide out sections are a life saver if your not good in tight spaces

The first thing o a motorhome to go is those 10 year old tires, then the brakes, then the automatic transmission, belts, hoses. look a round and you can buy a nice trailer for 4000.00 and any size you can pull with what you already have. I saw a 20ft for 1500.00 and it was a 94 model.

I have had the C and A motor homes and even a 5th wheel. Now the 5th wheel handles better going down the road and around curves are when hit by a lot of wind. Found the fith wheel better then a motor home. However not much cheaper to drive when it came to fuel.
As for the class C. Junk in my books. No resale value much to it either. Problem is on motor home. If your truck brakes down. You and your place to sleep goes to the garage. So you end up at hotel any way. Good luck with your buy!

a trailer with slideouts is good for vacations. Get the kind where you can get to the bed and sleep without having the slideout moved out. That way, you can still take a nap if you are forced to park in cramped parking space.

I agree. Stay away from the extra engine/tranny deal.Unless your using it alot. We had a older one and it was a pain after sitting 6 mos. Had to do a complete PMCS every time. Old gas in the tank ect. YUC.
You should be able to find a nice 99 5th wheel in the $4000 range. Lots around right now.

Class C equals no or very poor bed, Father in law had one that we used and the bed over the drivers seat he used but deither me or the wife could get in, that just left the seats that folded down to make a bed the size of a twin that we both had to sleep in, very uncomfortable. First trailer we owned had new interior put in and as we were looking at it smelled a amonia oder but never thought anything of it as he was using a jug of washing amonia at the time, refreigerator was bad and as soon as the first rain came the interior was flodded, inproperly put an air conditioner on the roof and I ended up replacing the rafters in the roof as well as the ceiling pannels, and it only had the beds that you had to pull out and fold down every night. it is a 20' unit. Second is a 24' with twin beds in a bedroom and nice for traviling but would not be good to live in for a week as no place to set and stretch out your legs except on a bed. You need to find at least a 28' to be able to have a chair in it. Never had a fifth wheel and would not even consider one as I always have a top on the bed to keep stuf in that I can not keep in trailer. Then depending on where your brothers place is you may not by law be allowed to sleep in it, it is that way in all towns around me. You would need to find a camp ground to park it in. And if your brother is in town he would have no way for you to hook up the drains.

I to would say a travel trailer,just for the reason of cost and maintance. I WOULD STRONGLY ADVISE A HENSLEY ARROW HITCH!!!!!! They are very expencive but WELL WORTH THE MONEY!!! I have a 39 ft trailer weight is about 14000 pounds and pull it with a ford dually.On the way home from louisiana my wife was driving on the NACHEZ TRACE TRAIL[BEAUTIFUL STRETCH OF ROAD].We were following a car at 50 mph when they stopped dead in road[NO BRAKE LIGHTS]told the wife haed for ditch and at 50 we went thru the ditch and back on the road just like we changed lanes on the highway. My mom and 2yr old in back seat never woke up. I was skeptical at first but I'll never b!@#$ again about the price,becuase of that hitch me and my familiy are alive today.Sorry for the lenght of responce but worth telling.

Thanks for all of the replies. I am now considering a trailer instead of a class C. I have a 3/4 Chevy with a 6.5 turbo diesel. I think you guys are right. I appreciate it and I'll let you know about the out come. Thanks.
Fud.

While you are looking at trailers don't discount getting a toyhauler. They are generally built a little heavier and the good ones convert the toy room into a bedroom. With that bedroom you could have the bed of your choice with plenty of room to operate

Hi Fud,

The best bang for the buck for full time living in a RV is a 32ft 5th wheel with the bedroom, bath, livingroom and rear kitchen as this yields the most livable room space.

A super slide out in the livingroom and kitchen is a added benefit that's worth the extra cost or the time finding one. IMO, the other slide outs are a waste of money.

Anything less than 32ft is going to be very cramped for full time living for two people.

T_Bone

So you want a 5er. I recemmend a "Montana model 2955" I own one and the quality is so much better than other brands that I have owned. The floor plans never change from year to year. Model numbers sometime change. A 2955 is about 33 feet long. I have a 2002 model.
5th wheel Floor Plans