Class A advice?

[Loose Cannon]

I'm an over-the-road trucker, plan to retire in three years, RV full-time. I have a Dodge Dakota and am buying a Harley soon. I'm single (for now!), and intend to circle the country once a year, avoiding snow!
I'm looking at self-contained 37' Class A motorhomes, with Fleetwood models (Discovery 37U, Bounder 38L), and Winnebago (36C and 36GD), of particular interest. Budget is $40-50K, so I'm looking at 15-20 year old RVs. Any advice for me?

 

[Scooterfan]

Be patient...three years is a perfect time frame to complete your wishes. Look at as many as you can can, continue your research, follow this site (great info here!) and wait for a good economic downturn to make your move. It's my opinion this will happen within your time frame...just be ready IF it does. The age of the units you're considering is important. Most lenders will only lend on unit 10 years or newer. That may not be an issue for you. Good luck and have fun ? Just take your time...

 

[Loose Cannon]

Be patient...three years is a perfect time frame to complete your wishes. Look at as many as you can can, continue your research, follow this site (great info here!) and wait for a good economic downturn to make your move. It's my opinion this will happen within your time frame...just be ready IF it does. The age of the units you're considering is important. Most lenders will only lend on unit 10 years or newer. That may not be an issue for you. Good luck and have fun ? Just take your time...

Thanks for the advice! I've been wondering if age and length would hamper my goals. May be able to pay cash for my price range, just concerned about length and age restrictions in RV parks.

 

[Orrin]

Keep your rig looking good and you won't have a problem 95% of the time. Besides the places that really enforce that are very expensive.

 

[KR1973]

Keep your rig looking good and you won't have a problem 95% of the time. Besides the places that really enforce that are very expensive.

I've been camping for 14 years and I've never been asked the year of my rv. I might not have ever been to a nice enough place!! The KOA is about as exclusive as I frequent.

 

[Loose Cannon]

Keep your rig looking good and you won't have a problem 95% of the time. Besides the places that really enforce that are very expensive.

Thanks for the input! I'm 100% Blue Collar, so pretty sure I won't be visiting the more exclusive spots!?

 

[Loose Cannon]

I've been camping for 14 years and I've never been asked the year of my rv. I might not have ever been to a nice enough place!! The KOA is about as exclusive as I frequent.

Sounds like just my speed!?

 

[KR1973]

Sounds like just my speed!?

Welcome to the club!!!

 

[Rblappan]

I have a 2003 Tiffin phaeton, a 40 foot pusher. It’s pre-omission so I dodge all those annoying things that you must know well as a truck driver from the emission systems, however make sure you are ready with a pile of money to spend to work the bugs out of a unit that old. I ended up spending half as much as I spent on the unit getting it things fixed on it, she’s a good old girl now but it took a lot.

There are a ton of Youtubers out there that you should watch while you’re in a dock waiting for a load and unload or in your free time. Some of the must haves for RVing such as tools and trinkets, and also just overall things to consider when buying one.

 

[Loose Cannon]

Good points! YouTube is a great idea!

 

[bpaikman]

Our first motorhome was a 2006 Winnebago 36G - we sold it when it was 12 years old. We never had issues with major things, EXCEPT the air filter system for the engine, got clogged due to a flaw in Winnebago design at thatt time, as best I understand. Expensive fix. Difficult to reach - required a diesel mechanic.
Another thing I recall is that Winnebago is restrictive about who can work on them, or get parts - I don't recall exactly - it wasn't a problem to us at the time.
We spent $ on repairs - over 3 years, we replaced all 4 jacks, plus the engine air intake clog), and other small issues that cost us $ because we were both working at the time and weren't into DIY. I think maybe $20-25K in repairs. yup. Probably could save at least half if DIY.
I still think Winnebago and Tiffin have more liveable designs than Fleetwood, Newmar, or others. But I don't trust Tiffin because of the peeling issues they had with 'ultraleather, an expensive and unnecessary problem.
I too researched for 3-1/2 years before we settled on the one we have, which didn't check all the boxes on my list, but checked some pretty big ones.
Keep researching - my ideas and wants changed a lot during my research, and when we were ready to buy, even in this crazy covid economy, we still managed to find what we wanted at a fair price. (btw, we ended up buying a used dp from a dealer, snd are really glad we did - they fixed all the small problems (Fast! lol because we wouldn't pay until they did). There WILL be small (or large) problems - good to get them addressed before buying - saves lots of $$ and time - I doubt a private seller would do it. Unless you happened to find one in perfect shape (doubtful).
One more point. We did a "fly and buy'. I found a coach 2000+ miles from where we live, but it was what we wanted. After MUCH correspondence, we flew there to buy it we (had our toad shipped surprisingly competitive market for that - I'm STILL Getting shipping offers 3 months later ). We were lucky - it all worked out well.

 

[Loose Cannon]

Good to know some of the quirks with the Winnebago, as that is one of the makes I'm looking at. I'm also reading about independent RV inspectors (for those long-distance purchases), as well as supplemental insurance for 'stuff that breaks' (Good Sam offers this), and wonder if it's worth it. Glad to hear yours worked out well!

 

[bpaikman]

I don't think supplemental insurance is worth it... I have always said take all the money that you would pay out to any supplemental insurance, put it in a special bank account, and draw from that bank account to make repairs/replacements and you'll come out ahead. on 99% of items. Not ipads though. I'm hard on those, and have had 2 replacements I always get insurance for my iPad I used to get it for my phone also, but not worth it anymore with a good protective case.

 

[bpaikman]

don't write off the Winnebago but to pay special attention to the air and take system. I recall the mechanic said something about the way Winnebago designed it, some tube was blowing on something, causing it to clog sooner... and he moved it a bit. I'm sorry I can't be more specific, but my husband does remember exactly... is not awake yet..
Oh yeah... hundred percent recommend an independent inspector from NRVIA. Our guy paid for himself, Pointed out things we were able to get fixed before purchase, and saved us a heap of $ and trouble. We did purchase through a dealership and they worked quickly (Possibly because we had flown from across the country, willing to walk away from the deal, because we were visiting family in the area). They fixed the issues within two days, even calling in a specialist.

 

[Loose Cannon]

I don't think supplemental insurance is worth it... I have always said take all the money that you would pay out to any supplemental insurance, put it in a special bank account, and draw from that bank account to make repairs/replacements and you'll come out ahead. on 99% of items. Not ipads though. I'm hard on those, and have had 2 replacements I always get insurance for my iPad I used to get it for my phone also, but not worth it anymore with a good protective case.

Thank you for confirming what I suspected about supplemental insurance; I'm reading "If your budget is $50k (mine is), buy for $40-45k and spend the rest on repairs and upgrades".
And I agree with you on the insurance for electronics! I always get the extended warranty on my GPS, as I'm hard on those!

 

[Loose Cannon]

don't write off the Winnebago but to pay special attention to the air and take system. I recall the mechanic said something about the way Winnebago designed it, some tube was blowing on something, causing it to clog sooner... and he moved it a bit. I'm sorry I can't be more specific, but my husband does remember exactly... is not awake yet..
Oh yeah... hundred percent recommend an independent inspector from NRVIA. Our guy paid for himself, Pointed out things we were able to get fixed before purchase, and saved us a heap of $ and trouble. We did purchase through a dealership and they worked quickly (Possibly because we had flown from across the country, willing to walk away from the deal, because we were visiting family in the area). They fixed the issues within two days, even calling in a specialist.

Winnebago and Fleetwood are the two I'm looking at the most, both for construction and layout. And since I'm looking nationwide, no doubt an NRVIA inspector is well worth it, as well as buying from a dealer. I really want everything to be 'road-ready' from the beginning!

 

[hiwaymyway]

I'm an over-the-road trucker, plan to retire in three years, RV full-time. I have a Dodge Dakota and am buying a Harley soon. I'm single (for now!), and intend to circle the country once a year, avoiding snow!
I'm looking at self-contained 37' Class A motorhomes, with Fleetwood models (Discovery 37U, Bounder 38L), and Winnebago (36C and 36GD), of particular interest. Budget is $40-50K, so I'm looking at 15-20 year old RVs. Any advice for me?

I am by no way an expert but, I have been looking for a class A for 4 years now and if you take the time to look you can buy excellent motorhomes for $20000 to $30000.

 

[Loose Cannon]

Thanks for the encouragement!

 

[Loose Cannon]

Still doing my research, thinking I'd like to have a washer/dryer, ice maker and oven in a 37-40' Class A (I like the layout of Fleetwoods). I realize I'd be sacrificing some storage space, but it's just me. I'm wondering about reliability and usefulness. I like to cook and expect to be boondocking more often than not, so want to be as self-contained as possible. Are these items worth it?

 

[AbdRahim]

I originally did not want the washer and dryer, but the price was right, and now I would definitely prefer it. Very convenient.