RV conundrum

[Hillman]

• #1/1

We are in the planning stages of a cross country road trip this summer, camping, enjoying many of the state and national parks across the country, including places like Yosemite and Glacier, some time in Utah, a few other places. Probably about 2 solid months. Our conundrum is, for a $45k vehicle budget, do we a.) buy a 2007-2010 Class C rv, and pull one of our cars for mobility when we are there, or maybe do the same but not pull one of our cars and be stuck where the Class C can go and park, OR b.) buy a used pickup truck and travel trailer to do the trip. The 45k is only the vehicle budget, not the rest of the spending budget. Either way, the camper unit will be used quite a lot, not just for this one trip, but we are huge campers and tent camp multiple times a year so whatever we get will get used for years to come. We thought about renting one but 10k+ for renting an RV seems like a waste. At some point, the camper may end up on a piece of land as a vacation unit for us, between camping trips. Opinions on which option?

 

[bpaikman]

Interesting conundrum... I’m surprised no answers seem to have shown up?
I think.....It depends on what you enjoy and what you plan to do.
If you’re going to be traveling a lot, a vehicular type RV is more comfortable to me.
Of you’re going to be parking for long periods, it seems that towed rvs are more popular becaus ethey have more room..
If you think it will become a vacation unit, then I’d guess that it’s better to have just the towed unit sitting there.
Trucks hold value better than RVs.
Gas Rvs lose value Very quickly.
Do you love trucks? My hubby does. He currently drives (locally only) a Ford 150 that hit 202020 miles (I kid you not) last year so it’s probably close to 206,000 now.
My vehicle is a small Subaru manual SUV, extremely towable....and is our family vehicle, but we’ve decided it‘s too old and too small. When I happened to say I didn’t mind if our next family vehicle is a truck, WOW, haha, now he’s talking about them all the time and constantly pointing out various types on the road..
I prefer a motorhome for travel...I’m wondering if we should pull a trailer now with this truck.
What I plan to do is : Take what we’re interested in - make a chart to compare depreciation and cost of ownership, and then decide what we can afford.
I bet there’s some people in this forum who’ve done that.

 

[FL-JOE]

Since you are purchasing something used that is motorized then you obviously realize that there is a greater chance of mechanic failure. To me the decision would be a simple one. Buy a used PU truck and pull behind camper.

If you are in a used Class C and there is a engine or transmission issue where it has to be in the shop for several days then you are probably out of a "home". If you are towing a camper with a truck and the same thing happens to the truck then at least you will still have your camper to stay in until the repairs are made.

If I was going out west and had just 2 months total travel time I certainly would not want a class C as my only mode of transportation. Just think about the extra work involved leaving a established campsite to go out to dinner or go explore something in the evening. In a Class C you would almost have to tow another vehicle which has a lot of drawbacks. One huge drawback is that unless you plan on towing a car up on a trailer you give up your ability to back up.
I'm guessing you could find a pretty good truck for around $25,000 and I'm certain you could get a 24' or so TT at the $20,000 price point.

 

[Hillman]

Thanks for the replies. My wife and son wanted comfort while travelling, and since we are going to so many places, it made sense. We purchased a Class A, with 32k miles on it, got the previous owner to throw in all new tires and batteries, and the mechanic we were able to get to look at it saw no issues. Then we had to get a small car to tow, as my Grand Caravan is just heavy enough to make it probably unsafe to tow. I strongly pushed the truck and TT combo, but in the end, we will enjoy this too. They didn't want to sit in a truck for 8-10 hours a day, with a large dog too. And when we were shopping for Class Cs, we saw this Class A sitting there and thought, hey, let's take a look inside just for fun, and, well, that was it. I'm strongly considering building a bunk over the front seats, though. That's just dead space.

 

[bpaikman]

Thanks for the replies. My wife and son wanted comfort while travelling, and since we are going to so many places, it made sense. We purchased a Class A, with 32k miles on it, got the previous owner to throw in all new tires and batteries, and the mechanic we were able to get to look at it saw no issues. Then we had to get a small car to tow, as my Grand Caravan is just heavy enough to make it probably unsafe to tow. I strongly pushed the truck and TT combo, but in the end, we will enjoy this too. They didn't want to sit in a truck for 8-10 hours a day, with a large dog too. And when we were shopping for Class Cs, we saw this Class A sitting there and thought, hey, let's take a look inside just for fun, and, well, that was it. I'm strongly considering building a bunk over the front seats, though. That's just dead space.

Yeah, for travel, a motorized RV is way more comfy. We’ve stopped in pouring rain, made lunch, used the potty, and gone on our way without lesving the vehicle.
We had engine issues one time in 40,000 miles and didn‘t necessarily have to leave our ’house’ because they offered to let us stay overnights at the repair shop - we would be extra security for them I suppose haha, but we opted for a hotel.
When your RV stle changes, you could sell up and go to a different type RV.
Oh, about backing up. Not sure why Hillman says you give up that ability. IF you get into a situation where you need to back up, you just unhook your tow vehicle, move it, back up the Class A, hook back up. No big deal - it happened to us maybe 3 times? in 5 years - usually due to not scoping out unfamiliar areas on Google Earth.

 

[Kevin D Pem]

When I used the MH I towed with dolly. Got fair at backing about 15 feet. Many times that got me out of a pickle.
Gas stations were the biggest problem.

 

[bpaikman]

When I used the MH I towed with dolly. Got fair at backing about 15 feet. Many times that got me out of a pickle.
Gas stations were the biggest problem.

Yeah, I didn’t mention that we’d been able to back up some.

 

[Hillman]

Yeah, for travel, a motorized RV is way more comfy. We’ve stopped in pouring rain, made lunch, used the potty, and gone on our way without lesving the vehicle.
We had engine issues one time in 40,000 miles and didn‘t necessarily have to leave our ’house’ because they offered to let us stay overnights at the repair shop - we would be extra security for them I suppose haha, but we opted for a hotel.
When your RV stle changes, you could sell up and go to a different type RV.
Oh, about backing up. Not sure why Hillman says you give up that ability. IF you get into a situation where you need to back up, you just unhook your tow vehicle, move it, back up the Class A, hook back up. No big deal - it happened to us maybe 3 times? in 5 years - usually due to not scoping out unfamiliar areas on Google Earth.

I said about not backing up because I didn't know originally that you couldn't back up with a tow dolly, I was thinking it was like a trailer, but then I found out differently. Yes, I know I can unhook, I just have this image of getting stuck pulling in to a gas pump, having people behind me blocked by my poor judgement, not being able to maneuver... it happened with our travel trailer. I misjudged and ended up taking out what I thought was a concrete pillar. Thank heavens the owner of the station was cheap and it was plastic made to look like concrete. I had people honking at us, my wife and mother in law guiding me (which was part of the problem), and yeah, it was a nightmare I'd not care to repeat.

 

[Kevin D Pem]

I said about not backing up because I didn't know originally that you couldn't back up with a tow dolly, I was thinking it was like a trailer, but then I found out differently. Yes, I know I can unhook, I just have this image of getting stuck pulling in to a gas pump, having people behind me blocked by my poor judgement, not being able to maneuver... it happened with our travel trailer. I misjudged and ended up taking out what I thought was a concrete pillar. Thank heavens the owner of the station was cheap and it was plastic made to look like concrete. I had people honking at us, my wife and mother in law guiding me (which was part of the problem), and yeah, it was a nightmare I'd not care to repeat.

Simple tip. Never pull in where you can clip the pump, take both pump locations if you must turn to get in

 

[Donald Kemp]

We have had travel trailers, 5th wheels/truck, and now a motor home and pull a car. Fuel milage is about the same for all. Did find that my Dramax and 36' 5th wheel probably did the best. I really wouldn't want to pull with a gas job. If you are going to park your unit for any extended length of time I would go with truck and camper. Not quite as convenient because it requires you to pull over for bathroom breaks and such. It is not a good idea to let motorhomes sit for extended periods of time, they need to be used. A pull behind will cost you less and allow you more for a truck of good quality and probably give you less problems on the road. I had a 4 door to allow for company. We purchased an 05 Holiday Rambler from a supposed to be honest dealer. Because I am mechanical it has still cost us about $15,000 in parts to get it running right. If we had to take it for service it would have cost about$40,000+. Be careful, enjoy your trip and stay away from Camping World.

 

["EZ"]

$45,000 is not enough to buy a dependable Class A diesel pusher that you could just jump in and head out west without a care in the world so I'd go a different route.

$45,000 is not enough money to buy a late model used diesel pickup truck (have you priced them lately???!!!!) and a late model 5th wheel camper BOTH. So, you'd have to skimp on the truck or the trailer. If you skimp on the truck you may wind up on the side of the road or worse in a shop that knows you're out of town. I'd skip this route too.

For $45,000 I would get a nice used late model gas powered pickup and a bumper pull camper. Both should be fairly nice and you'll have a stress free vacation without the worries of mechanical failures if you buy good vehicles.

 

[Donald Kemp]

Yes, newer diesel truck are costly. I wouldn't buy a newer one. My son, a certified Chevy mechanic, said newer ones are not as good. So far two new ones are in for rebuilds. They are having real problems. My duramax with just under 100 thousand miles ran like new and never gave any trouble. Finding one isn't easy. And diesel motorhomes under $100,000. Could be a problem. 5th wheels in Florida, if you can go there, can be found at reasonable prices, you have to look. A friend bought a 40'er for under $25,000. Looked like new and still does after 4 years. Never had problem one with it. Lady lost her husband and had to get rid of it. Still had stickers on appliances and counters. There are deals out there you have to look.

 

["EZ"]

Yes, newer diesel truck are costly. I wouldn't buy a newer one. My son, a certified Chevy mechanic, said newer ones are not as good. So far two new ones are in for rebuilds. They are having real problems. My duramax with just under 100 thousand miles ran like new and never gave any trouble. Finding one isn't easy. And diesel motorhomes under $100,000. Could be a problem. 5th wheels in Florida, if you can go there, can be found at reasonable prices, you have to look. A friend bought a 40'er for under $25,000. Looked like new and still does after 4 years. Never had problem one with it. Lady lost her husband and had to get rid of it. Still had stickers on appliances and counters. There are deals out there you have to look.

So IF you found the needle in the hay stack and found another lady who just lost her husband and she sold you an almost new 40' 5th wheel camper for $25k then you'd have $20k left. I just sold my 8 year old gas powered Ram 1500 for $15,000 TO A DEALER. He'll probably sell it for $18-$19k. You'll probably never find a 2500 diesel that is in good shape (low miles) for $20k unless you find a SECOND needle in a hay stack. I was assuming you wanted real world advice here and not some story book fairy tale. It sounds like you didn't really want someone's advice, you just wanted someone to agree with you. My advice for $45k is still to buy you a nice gas pickup and a nice bumper pull camper and have fun. OR Up your budget. You're not allowing for any contingincies if you go the diesel route.

 

[Donald Kemp]

Bit me!

 

[Calsun]

• #1/1

We are in the planning stages of a cross country road trip this summer, camping, enjoying many of the state and national parks across the country, including places like Yosemite and Glacier, some time in Utah, a few other places. Probably about 2 solid months. Our conundrum is, for a $45k vehicle budget, do we a.) buy a 2007-2010 Class C rv, and pull one of our cars for mobility when we are there, or maybe do the same but not pull one of our cars and be stuck where the Class C can go and park, OR b.) buy a used pickup truck and travel trailer to do the trip. The 45k is only the vehicle budget, not the rest of the spending budget. Either way, the camper unit will be used quite a lot, not just for this one trip, but we are huge campers and tent camp multiple times a year so whatever we get will get used for years to come. We thought about renting one but 10k+ for renting an RV seems like a waste. At some point, the camper may end up on a piece of land as a vacation unit for us, between camping trips. Opinions on which option?

You get the most usable space and cargo capacity with a crew cab pickup or SUV pulling a travel trailer. Trailers provide larger fresh, gray, and black water capacity and easily replaced propane tanks, etc.

The pickup can be used all year long and not only when towing the trailer. The advantage of the pickup if a cap is installed over the bed, is that you can take bicycles or kayaks or a small boat or put firewood and extra fuel in the bed of the truck. Most travel trailers can be towed with a 1500 class pickup or a medium size SUV.

It depends on how you like to travel. We have encountered many couples pulling little Burro type trailers with a small SUV or station wagon and they were very happy and did not need AC or a big screen television to enjoy their time.

 

[Kevin D Pem]

• #1/1

We are in the planning stages of a cross country road trip this summer, camping, enjoying many of the state and national parks across the country, including places like Yosemite and Glacier, some time in Utah, a few other places. Probably about 2 solid months. Our conundrum is, for a $45k vehicle budget, do we a.) buy a 2007-2010 Class C rv, and pull one of our cars for mobility when we are there, or maybe do the same but not pull one of our cars and be stuck where the Class C can go and park, OR b.) buy a used pickup truck and travel trailer to do the trip. The 45k is only the vehicle budget, not the rest of the spending budget. Either way, the camper unit will be used quite a lot, not just for this one trip, but we are huge campers and tent camp multiple times a year so whatever we get will get used for years to come. We thought about renting one but 10k+ for renting an RV seems like a waste. At some point, the camper may end up on a piece of land as a vacation unit for us, between camping trips. Opinions on which option?

I am a huge fan of hitch pull trailers. I am of the mindset that less is more. I think 4 on the ground is better than 6.
Half ton trucks get better mileage numbers but have there limits. I would rather spend my discretionary income on attractions than on vanity items or fuel.

Make your pick according to your mindset, not others opinion. You know what they say about opinions. Matters little what others think about your choices only your happiness matters.

 

[RKins]

If you do your research you can find a brand new crew cab 3500 Dodge Diesel for about $40k with a small trade-in.
I agree 8-10 hours in any vehicle, including a Class A, is intolerable, especially with a large dog. They need to get out every few hours, which gives the driver a break.
I think you were right to get a Class A - a lot nicer to cruise in and people can get into the bathroom while driving, etc. Just be careful that you stay within the max weight for combined vehicles and also make sure the hitch can handle what you are trying to tow.

 

[Rbjewell]

• #1/1

We are in the planning stages of a cross country road trip this summer, camping, enjoying many of the state and national parks across the country, including places like Yosemite and Glacier, some time in Utah, a few other places. Probably about 2 solid months. Our conundrum is, for a $45k vehicle budget, do we a.) buy a 2007-2010 Class C rv, and pull one of our cars for mobility when we are there, or maybe do the same but not pull one of our cars and be stuck where the Class C can go and park, OR b.) buy a used pickup truck and travel trailer to do the trip. The 45k is only the vehicle budget, not the rest of the spending budget. Either way, the camper unit will be used quite a lot, not just for this one trip, but we are huge campers and tent camp multiple times a year so whatever we get will get used for years to come. We thought about renting one but 10k+ for renting an RV seems like a waste. At some point, the camper may end up on a piece of land as a vacation unit for us, between camping trips. Opinions on which option?

If I had to do it over again I would have bought a truck and a tow along. I have a Newmar BayStar 37' and fell in love with the luxury but have to rent a car or tow for transportation. When you buy there is an inspection group that is certified and they will tell you if it's in good shape or not. I can't remember the name of the certified inspectors or the link but someone here will I am sure. Would be the best money spent before buying your unit. Hope this helps!