New Forum Member, First time owning RV, need tips and advice

[KayKass]

Family of five, kids aged 1, 5 and 12. Decided on purchasing an RV to help kids cope with this Pandemic. They're currently learning remotely which is tough on my 12 year old. I am hoping having an RV will help ease the effects of isolation and not being able to hang out with her friends. We just purchased a Miramar 35.2. Class A might not be a wise choice but we are set on that for the kids. We are reconsidering though because the girls want a bunkhouse and Miramar doesn't have it. Is there a class A motorhome that you guys can recommend that has a bunkbed/bunkhouse?Also, we have no idea if Miramar is a good RV. Is there a good RV model/maker that we should consider? model/maker to avoid? I am so overwhelmed and a bit confused. RVs are selling fast which made me anxious. I usually take my time for big purchases like this. Thank you for all your help.

 

[Neal]

Welcome to RVForums @KayKass. I can't imagine how kids are handling this pandemic and not being able to be at school around their friends. RVing is a great alternative to at least distract them, maybe @MapNerd can help share his fulltiming experiences as well as others that do this with kids. I only really know Newmar and they do have bunk model coaches, @Richpatty may be able to share what he knows as he has one and anyone else. In fact I recently saw a bunk model Dutch Star I think it was posted on the Newmar owners group but I suggest taking a look at RVTrader once you learn which floor plans from Newmar are the bunk models. I could not be more pleased with my Newmar, great company and great coach and if gently used is okay you'll find amazing deals or you can order one as many of us have done as well which is also a great experience.

 

[KayKass]

Thank you! I will take a look at those two.

 

[MapNerd]

Uh...I can try.

They're currently learning remotely which is tough on my 12 year old. I am hoping having an RV will help ease the effects of isolation and not being able to hang out with her friends.

What’s your take on the hardest part for the 12 year old when it comes to remote learning? If its isolation as you allude to, I think you’ll find RVing will mitigate some of that. Based on my experience, lots of RVers with kids as ourselves tend to just relax and let the kids be kids. We’ll deal with the issues as they come. I’m not going to lock my kids in their bunks for 24 months over this - at least not yet,

We just purchased a Miramar 35.2. Class A might not be a wise choice but we are set on that for the kids. We are reconsidering though because the girls want a bunkhouse and Miramar doesn't have it.

I’m confused. Did you purchase the Miramar or not. If you did, I’d hesitate to offer anything more than a congrats as I’d not want to be the cause of doubt for you. So if you’ve made the purchase already, awesome! Where does it fall short for you and what gives you pause? I’d wager that many on this forum have encountered similar issues and come up with ingenious solutions we can share.

Is there a class A motorhome that you guys can recommend that has a bunkbed/bunkhouse?

I’m biased to Newmars so just take a look at their lineup. The bunkhouse models, all of which are great would be my principal recommendations. After Newmar, I’d look to Entegra and Tiffin in no particular order. Those companies also build great, high quality coaches.

Also, we have no idea if Miramar is a good RV. Is there a good RV model/maker that we should consider? model/maker to avoid? I am so overwhelmed and a bit confused. RVs are selling fast which made me anxious. I usually take my time for big purchases like this. Thank you for all your help.

I dont know much about Miramar so I can’t knock em but I’d steer clear of Fleetwood and Thor products. Thankfully, I personally dont have any experience with Thor or Fleetwood other than reading awful story after awful story of shoddy build quality and poor support for people who paid those companies a lot of money for not so great products. YMMV.

 

[KayKass]

Thank you for the response. We did purchased the Miramar and got buyers remorse the moment we got home. So we told the dealer we are cancelling Miramar. We really need the bunk house so my middle schooler can have her space. We are worried about her emotional and mental health. We’ve been isolating ourselves since March due to personal medical issues. With all the lock downs, safe activities are really limited. So why not get an RV right? But really we have no idea what we’re getting into but we are willing to learn. I’ve researched as much as I can.

So from same dealer, we are now down to either Aria or Reatta, both by Thor :-(. Someone said entegra is purchased by Thor. I like aria floor plan better. Someone said that with RV, you will encounter problems so I guess we will just have to bite the bullet.

 

[MapNerd]

Got it. So in that case, I personally would probably give more weight to the Reatta. In fact, the Reatta was one of our final contenders when we were considering candidates.

Entegra is owned my Thor just as Newmar is owned by Winnebago, but it wasn’t always so. There was a time when these brands were individual companies that set very different standards from each other as to how they built a coach. When they were acquired by their larger competitors (Entegra by Thor and Newmar by Winnebago) for the most part their new masters left them alone and they continue to operate independently as a business divisions on within the larger company. This is what allows Entegra to build a coach to a different standard
built under the Thor brand name. They are serving different segments of the market and thus, have different price points to meet and different levels of standard to maintain.

Entegra was and in my mind still is one of the higher quality coach builders, but you’ll see less post-purchase support from them than before.

Floorplans do matter a lot, but one thing to remember is that better initial quality tends to mean less expensive problems down the road. No matter what coach you buy however, there will be problems. It’s just part of the process no matter what coach you buy from who. So be sure to understand that getting into it. The only problem free coach is the one you don’t have.

 

[Kevin D Pem]

Both Saundra and myself were moved when we were in 8th grade. Saundra didn't take it well. I found new friends and moved on. Not all kids look at a trip in an rv as an adventure, others would look at it as a trip away from friends.

My mom would have told me I was looking for a geological cure. If you could return the RV you bought then do some sole searching. Maybe some family projects, tent adventures, who knows, but what will give your family some relief in these horrific times.

 

[Amigobaja]

As a retired 40 plus year rv dealer i definitly would look at Newmar and as long as derald bomtrager continues to run jayco that would be my other choice.

 

[BGMAC]

I think you really have to weigh and decide on what you want. There are impressive motorhomes, top notch, etc., but they do come with a top notch price and maybe desirably so. If yo are going to use it full time and on a more than regular basis, paying the price is not really an issue (to me), but if you using it only on long weekends maybe 4-6 times a year cost is a factor (at least for me).
The biggest thing is to find something the family will enjoy. I'm glad your kids spoke up and told you what they wanted. Of course everything is a compromise.
This is my first time owning a motorhome and I too was not sure if I would like it. I previously only had trailers or 5th wheels. We decided to buy a used model "2011 Thor Hurricane" that mechanically is sound. It just needed some TLC on the inside from neglect. So far it has been great for us. We have the interior the way we wanted it and it has the power we need to get where were going.
Now there is compromise. We don't get the ride that the air ride folks have like in Newmar and we get more engine noise since the engine is up front. The coach that I have is a gas engine and it has it pros and cons as well. It was another economic decision for me there too. Gas coaches are much cheaper than diesel.

Look at what you really want it for and see what comes up..

 

[Engleman]

Family of five, kids aged 1, 5 and 12. Decided on purchasing an RV to help kids cope with this Pandemic. They're currently learning remotely which is tough on my 12 year old. I am hoping having an RV will help ease the effects of isolation and not being able to hang out with her friends. We just purchased a Miramar 35.2. Class A might not be a wise choice but we are set on that for the kids. We are reconsidering though because the girls want a bunkhouse and Miramar doesn't have it. Is there a class A motorhome that you guys can recommend that has a bunkbed/bunkhouse?Also, we have no idea if Miramar is a good RV. Is there a good RV model/maker that we should consider? model/maker to avoid? I am so overwhelmed and a bit confused. RVs are selling fast which made me anxious. I usually take my time for big purchases like this. Thank you for all your help.

Would seriously consider a bath and a half. My wife and I are not full time yet but could not do without the 1/2 bath if ya know what I mean!!