RamblinFam
RVF Regular
- Joined
- Jan 15, 2021
- Messages
- 7
Hi there,
It's long been a vision for me to own an RV and set off with my family on adventures near and far and we're now ready to pull the trigger and jump into the lifestyle. I've rented both class As and class Cs before and considered every possibility for what would work for us as a family to own. We have landed on a Class A as it feels like it will best accommodate our needs as a family.
I've taken my best guess at the cost of ownership and have come up with a budget for how much I'm prepared to spend and how much to set aside for improvements and ongoing maintainance. My intent is to own the coach for 5 years, enjoy it while the kids are young enough and small enough and then sell it.
I'm planning to buy used with a budget of up to $50k. I've worked on cars before and am pretty handy, but I don't want a project. Here are two possible options I'm looking at, followed by some questions. I've love to hear people's experiences.
Option 1 - 2010 Holiday Rambler Arista 34SBD
Option 2 - 2005 Fleetwood Bounder 34F
I'd love to hear people's experiences with the following:
1) Can anyone share their purchasing a 10-15 year old coach that they used regularly? How did it work out?
2) Any thoughts on the two coaches I posted above? For the Rambler, I like the bunks for kids (separate sleeping areas for everyone), but the Bounder has a nicer cockpit, the captains chair in the living room, slide out storage bins, bigger fridge, heated tanks, (and it costs less but is older). If the Bounder, can dinette and sofa sleeping work for 3 weeks on the road for kids 7-11? The bunks might extend the usefulness of the coach as the kids grow older.
3) Any other makes / models I should look at?
4) How do you evaluate these coaches to make a purchase decision? Especially ones that are 1,000 miles away? Do you have a mechanic look at them, what's a process that works for you and how much should I budget for sales process?
Thanks for giving it a read and I look forward to getting to know you.
It's long been a vision for me to own an RV and set off with my family on adventures near and far and we're now ready to pull the trigger and jump into the lifestyle. I've rented both class As and class Cs before and considered every possibility for what would work for us as a family to own. We have landed on a Class A as it feels like it will best accommodate our needs as a family.
I've taken my best guess at the cost of ownership and have come up with a budget for how much I'm prepared to spend and how much to set aside for improvements and ongoing maintainance. My intent is to own the coach for 5 years, enjoy it while the kids are young enough and small enough and then sell it.
I'm planning to buy used with a budget of up to $50k. I've worked on cars before and am pretty handy, but I don't want a project. Here are two possible options I'm looking at, followed by some questions. I've love to hear people's experiences.
Option 1 - 2010 Holiday Rambler Arista 34SBD
Option 2 - 2005 Fleetwood Bounder 34F
I'd love to hear people's experiences with the following:
1) Can anyone share their purchasing a 10-15 year old coach that they used regularly? How did it work out?
2) Any thoughts on the two coaches I posted above? For the Rambler, I like the bunks for kids (separate sleeping areas for everyone), but the Bounder has a nicer cockpit, the captains chair in the living room, slide out storage bins, bigger fridge, heated tanks, (and it costs less but is older). If the Bounder, can dinette and sofa sleeping work for 3 weeks on the road for kids 7-11? The bunks might extend the usefulness of the coach as the kids grow older.
3) Any other makes / models I should look at?
4) How do you evaluate these coaches to make a purchase decision? Especially ones that are 1,000 miles away? Do you have a mechanic look at them, what's a process that works for you and how much should I budget for sales process?
Thanks for giving it a read and I look forward to getting to know you.