Anyone for "The America The Beautiful Passes"?

[MaraZen]

Just to let all of you know I did go to the Camping World today in Spring.Texas..... You all are awesome RVers. You all hit it right on the nose. The desk lady very nice. I saw who the two guys were sitting in the area and said to myself I hope they do not help me, lol. I went to the bathroom then off I went to the back where she had told me to go for Class A. This was horrible only 3 and they looked horrible. Not even close to the ones I was looking for so I headed back to the front and the Nice lady at the front desk said so what do you think? I said is that all you have, do you have anything outside, she said let me get someone to help you, she turns around and says so and so can you help her. Please not him I thought, he can't be it. He barely makes it out of his seat and comes over huffing and puffing, I said to her are you sure he can handle being outside in this heat? She said to the guy, are you going to be able to be in the heat with her? He said a tiny bit. I looked at him and said are you sure? I can go by myself, he said, you are not going to make it in the heat in the RVs, I looked him straight in the face and said I lived in the heat, 140 degrees in Iraq for a year I think I can handle it and then some, he said what are you looking for, I told him.... He said there is nothing out there. Mind you I just drove around the parking lot where I saw several Before I came in. I said is there another RV store nearby, he said one of our stores are in Katy. I said Well that is too far for me right now, are there any other nearby from other RV stores, he said no. I left and found one online that was across the street from them????? what the.... But I was already on the way home, lol. Why would they hire someone that cannot make it out of his chair let alone go outside where a lot of the RVs are at. I felt like I was in a comedy show. No one came to me anywhere in the store when I went to the back... coming back to the front I saw 3 people walk by me didn't acknowledge me at all. Wow. Not going to sell anything that way. I called Katy store to see what's up buy I do not want to go there. I do not like there customer service except the front door lady, lol. Whew what a long drive for nothing, lol.

 

[MaraZen]

OK, I got America the Beautiful Pass, Good Sam Card, KOA membership, Pass Port America, An upside app helps to cut down on cost for fuel and food. National Park Apps, Road Trippers is one I really like, Rest Stop locations app, All Stays camp & RV app plus the All Stays C-RV Military app, The Dyrt app, Plus any other RV camping app that is free to use. One app I really like though is Road Trippers. I put in where I want to go and the info on my RV and it plans my route I can even ask for places to stay attractions to go see ect. A very good app.

I will definitely write all those down, lol. I need all the info I can get, very helpful. Thank you.

 

[MaraZen]

You made me laugh with the "OK"....and then all your tips. I can see it right now in my mind you said it in one breath. lol. thank you. I am almost tempted to get a tiny home built to suit my needs to pull along. I have done more research on those than RVs so far. I have even gone to some of the builders to see how they do it and gave them my ideas of what I want.... Pretty neat.

 

[MaraZen]

If you end up getting a diesel pusher motorhome, or even a diesel truck to tow a 5th wheel or travel trailer, look at Open Roads Open Roads for a diesel discount program where you can fill up at truck stops, not at retail gas stations where it's difficult, if not impossible, to navigate any oversized RV combination. There's no cost to sign up. I've had my card for 6 years and it's save me $1000's (cumulatively) since 2019! There's other diesel discount programs, but I like this one the best simply for ease of use.

FMCA Family Motor Coach Association | FRVA has a supplemental emergency medical/repatriation program included in the membership as well as other discounts. The semi monthly magazine (digital and paper) usually has a couple of good tech articles among other things.

KOA, for $30 annually gets you 10% off daily rates but AAA, Good Sam and FMCA will get the same 10% at many commercial RV parks. Or just identify yourself as a Vet and get the same 10% discount just for asking.

Escapees Escapees RV Club | Your Total Support Network on the Road is mostly a social club.

Any discount or membership has its pros and cons, they're all free to check out to see if any will work for your needs

Lots of good advice on what to get from all of you, so thankful

 

[MaraZen]

Mara Hint #2: Pay attention to what NWIP says..!!!! Search Camping World sales & service on the web. Bad JUJU.

HH

Sorry you guys, I did not buy from them of course because of what you said. I had to go down that way to pay on a bill so I dropped by, curious to go look at RVs....Wow bad juju is right, lol. Do I go through the builders for the RVs? or are there stores for each Make, like Thor, Winnebago, Fleetwood, Etc. I feel like I am hounding you all for info. Sorry. Whole new world for me. lol.

 

[MemoriesByTheMile]

Most RVs are not built to be lived in full time.
Read about what RVs people use that full time and how often they change them out.
We full timed for 3 years in a coach that we bought used, when it was 6 years old. It has held up pretty well.
Outside of stupid mistakes, we have had to replace one A/C and our pleather is starting to peel (it is now 11 years old).
Stupid mistakes include bending a leveling jack, repairing a little woodwork damage from a slide that was caused by our not knowing proper operation.
There is maintenance that I haven’t included such as tires, slide adjustments, caulking shower, vent tops replaced, annual cleaning of oasis, usual oil changes and lubes, etc.
We have a 2014 SuperC made by Renegade. No fancy electronic controls to fail.
Look at what brands and what specific model lines full timers use. There is a big difference in build quality between brands and even in a brand the model lines.

 

[MaraZen]

Sounds like RVers are very happy with what they bought. I have been doing a lot of note taking. Great advice from everyone. Bad experience at the Camping World yesterday. Not friendly and lazy. Seems like they do not want to sell their product. lol. Going to keep getting advice and learning as I go. Thank you everyone.

 

[Headhunter]

Sorry you guys, I did not buy from them of course because of what you said. I had to go down that way to pay on a bill so I dropped by, curious to go look at RVs....Wow bad juju is right, lol. Do I go through the builders for the RVs? or are there stores for each Make, like Thor, Winnebago, Fleetwood, Etc. I feel like I am hounding you all for info. Sorry. Whole new world for me. lol.

Start with this website, look and see what motorhomes are for sale in the classified section. Then try RVtrader.com. It is self explanatory for the search engine. There will be tons of used RV's on there, every make and model. First decide what you THINK you want in size. Second look at the floor plans, someone said about bunk beds, they only come in a larger length coaches. Then the big question, how much do you want to spend or can afford? Most of us rarely nail the perfect RV on the first try.

Rv life is a whole different ball game. Some people handle the constant fixes with aplomb, other crack under the stress. LOL being a combat vet I don't think you will crack. But you don't know, what you don.t know..??

It is not necessary but a good dealership for service is worth their weight in gold. And yes they are hard to find. And it is usually a dealership that sells your specific model coach that counts. At some point you will need some expertise to get something fixed. Remember you have a house bouncing down the road at 65 miles an hour.

Take your time and ask a lot of questions.

HH

 

[MaraZen]

Start with this website, look and see what motorhomes are for sale in the classified section. Then try RVtrader.com. It is self explanatory for the search engine. There will be tons of used RV's on there, every make and model. First decide what you THINK you want in size. Second look at the floor plans, someone said about bunk beds, they only come in a larger length coaches. Then the big question, how much do you want to spend or can afford? Most of us rarely nail the perfect RV on the first try.

Rv life is a whole different ball game. Some people handle the constant fixes with aplomb, other crack under the stress. LOL being a combat vet I don't think you will crack. But you don't know, what you don.t know..??

It is not necessary but a good dealership for service is worth their weight in gold. And yes they are hard to find. And it is usually a dealership that sells your specific model coach that counts. At some point you will need some expertise to get something fixed. Remember you have a house bouncing down the road at 65 miles an hour.

Take your time and ask a lot of questions.

HH

Thank you head hunter for the advice. I like the bunk bed idea because it would give me more room for storage for my fabric, take the mattresses out, etc. I could even sleep on the bottom and then make the regular bedroom into the sewing room and storage for sewing supplies too.

 

[Texas Clodhopper]

@MaraZen, have you checked PPL in Houston? They usually have a large inventory that you can browse alone until you find something of interest or that you have questions about.

 

[MaraZen]

@MaraZen, have you checked PPL in Houston? They usually have a large inventory that you can browse alone until you find something of interest or that you have questions about.

I will look into that, thank you.

 

[MaraZen]

I will look into that, thank you.

Just looked at the PPL Houston. Really nice looking ones.