Question New class A buyer...I think ?

[BGMAC]

I’ve had several travel trailers, 5th wheels, and now a class A. Mines 2011 Hurricane V10 gas. TJ is correct. Floor Plan is important. At 65 yrs old it just me and the wife, were not full timers so diesel was not cost effective, but our gas works great. Think about how you would use it to try and figure your floor plan. Example in our case we went with more of a lounging plan so we did away with a booth and went with a nice big reclining couch with dinner trays. It works for us, but maybe no for others. Good luck and welcome.

 

[Jabber Jaw]

Hi, @Jeff&Kathy! Welcome to RV Forum. Some great, knowledgeable, & friendly folks here; & they will be glad to help you!

Our first venture into a Class "A" started with a fantastic. super maintained, 2004 Newmar Mountain Aire. A 38' gas coach with beautiful appointments, & was the just the right vehicle for us to learn about the RV World. After 7 months, we knew we wanted a new coach.

There was a lot of research about models, floor plans, gas vs. diesel, interior appointments, price, etc. Canyon Star, Ventana, Dutch Star; all fantastic coaches!
The final decision for us was to order a 2020 Newmar Canyon Star "3710" gas coach. It also is a 38' coach, and the ideal size & floor plan for us. The decision was based on usage, time on the road each year; weighed against the significant & substantial added cost of a diesel, & in my mind I couldn't justify the expense for a coach we will probably keep about 5-8 years.

Like "BGMAC", it's just the two of us, so we opted for theater seating, a fireplace (which we love), a Euro Dinette, which has proven to be a favorite spot for Marilyn, she stretches out, as if it were a "chaise"!? And a comfortable king size bed, with a bath & 1/2. Another feature we would not be without, after having it!
So, floor plans are extremely important, & get one you will be happy with, as together, you will spend significant time in it during your travels!

Most of all, enjoy the process, make the decisions that are best for you, then enjoy the wonderful "RV World", and all the great people you will meet in your travels!

Good Luck! Have Fun!

 

[FL-JOE]

Welcome Jeff & Kathy! We were never "campers" while raising our family. Once retired we decided to dive right into full timing. After several months of looking at 5th wheels and class A's and trying to narrow down a floor plan we decided on a 38' fiver. It worked really good for almost 4 years of full time traveling and didn't cost us an arm and a leg.

We bought a home in Florida but after a couple year missed the full time traveling so we sold out again. This time around the toad(s) is what made us decide on a class A instead of a fiver. We wanted something smaller than a 1-ton truck to drive around in plus I missed having my Harley.

Full time or part time, class A, class C or fiver, any RV requires a lot of maintenance and upkeep. I estimate that I spend 4 to 8 hours a week cleaning or doing general simple maintenance on mine.

We are coming up on 3 years being back on the road full time. There is nothing like it and we enjoy every day!

 

[bpaikman]

I can certainly understand about wanting something smaller than a 1 ton truck to drive around in. I remember on our very first outing in our old motorhome we met a couple who is staying in our area for three months for a job they had a fifth wheel. But they rented a small car during those three months because it was evidently cheaper than driving the big truck. (They said they get 6-7miles per gallon and we were getting 8-10 on our 36 foot motorhome!)
It might be unfortunate that our first RV was a diesel motorhome because now we can’t think of anything else we want. I’m trying to find a 35 feet-footer, but the floor plans I have seen sacrifice the wrong things to lose that 1 foot. ( potty, shower, sink in one tiny cubby, ugh) ? but giant dinette booth. ??)

 

[BGMAC]

Wow @bpaikman, when I had a 36ft 5th wheel and a Ford 350 dually 4 door I reprogrammed the computer and got 10mpg towing @65mph and 16mpg not towing.

 

[Gizmo]

I had 2017 GMC 1 ton diesel and got better mileage than my 2020 Jeep Rubicon. The Truck would get about 8 to 9 towing and 20 to 22 highway and Jeep Rubicon gets about 19 to 20 highway but whole lot more fun driving than the truck was.

 

[FL-JOE]

My mpg with my F350 was never a huge issue. I averaged around 11-12 mpg towing a 38' fiver and could easily get 16 to 18mpg sightseeing. Towing mpg was much better than what I am doing now with a DP.