Which Class A to buy for full time use

[NJ0F]

If your Ram can be towed, it shouldn't be racking up odometer miles but you will rack up wear and tear miles on the tires, suspension, etc.

I will confirm with the dealer again. I guess I should have probably done my homework before buying this truck.

 

[Headhunter]

You can't go with the prices fo

Thanks for the info. From what I have seen so far, buying a 2019 with less than 25K miles saves us $100K+ from a 2022 looking at RV Trader. Plus like you mentioned the bugs were hopefully sorted out. We hope.

You can't go with the prices for a new unit on RVtrader. You have to fill out a build sheet from a reputable dealer. Then get a price from them and proceed to negotiate a BETTER price. It will definitely be cheaper.

For instance, Ingram, Davis, and Sherman used to be the BIG 3 Tiffin dealers BEFORE they were bought out. I got quotes from all three on my build out Tiffin 2021 coach. Then I went to my local dealer and he matched their lowest price. That price was at least $20K CHEAPER than any used Tiffin up to three years on RV Trader. This is my third DP. Savy new DP purchasers know this system. But again, you will have to get the bugs out.

HH

 

[NJ0F]

You can't go with the prices fo

You can't go with the prices for a new unit on RVtrader. You have to fill out a build sheet from a reputable dealer. Then get a price from them and proceed to negotiate a BETTER price. It will definitely be cheaper.

For instance, Ingram, Davis, and Sherman used to be the BIG 3 Tiffin dealers BEFORE they were bought out. I got quotes from all three on my build out Tiffin 2021 coach. Then I went to my local dealer and he matched their lowest price. That price was at least $20K CHEAPER than any used Tiffin up to three years on RV Trader. This is my third DP. Savy new DP purchasers know this system. But again, you will have to get the bugs out.

HH

Thanks for the info. What is the average delivery wait after ordering a new Class A ?

 

[ehochuli85]

My wife and I (and our two french poodles) are in the process of scaling down and going full time RV'ing in the next 12 months. Since we do not want to enter into a loan, we will be purchasing cash so decided on trying to find our dream RV from private buyers. We recently purchased a new truck cash from a dealership only to learn that we were penalized as cash buyers due to incentives paid to dealerships if they get buyers to finance.
Long story short, here are a few questions we have: (For starters LOL)
1). We are looking at a 2017-2019 40 plus feet Class A diesel with less than 25K miles. We will be towing a RAM 1500 truck. Single or double rear axles? Any pointers what to look for?
2). Is there a way to tow a car hauler instead of towing the truck and have it accumulate miles while in tow?
3). Will the trailer be a problem at camp sites?
4). What happens to the refrigerator while driving the RV? Is is still running and keeping stuff cold and frozen?
5). I work part time remotely in the engineering field so will need to find some space for a desk and PC. How hard is it to for example remove a couch and replace it with a desk.
Any information or advice would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks
Andre

Welcome to the forum and the new lifestyle, Andre. You guys are gonna love it. When I retired we sold the house, bought a coach, and went full-time. Without a doubt it has been the best thing we've ever done in our lives, (other than the kids!)

I don't have much for you on your questions, but I do want to reiterate what Neal said about floor plan being the most important thing. I was also given that advice before we bought our first coach, and boy did it pay off. We, too, are full-timers, and if you're going to live in the coach, this is most important for you. When you're looking - before you buy - actually spend the DAY in the coach. Watch a little TV, (is the angle good to where you're sitting). Work in the kitchen, like you're preparing meals. Consider where you're going to put the coffee maker, the plates, the pans, the potato chips, etc. Get in the shower, close the door, and actually mime taking a shower, but I recommend keeping your clothes on. Lay in the bed for awhile. Where are the dogs going to ride and sleep. Truly experience the coach before you decide it's the right one.

Best of luck, and happy trails!!

Ed

 

[J&JD]

I think you can widen your mileage parameters a bit. For instance our 2017 Dutch Star 4018 has 55k on it and probably runs better now than when it was new. I would have no problem purchasing a coach with 50k+ miles as long as the owner had good service records.

 

[NJ0F]

Welcome to the forum and the new lifestyle, Andre. You guys are gonna love it. When I retired we sold the house, bought a coach, and went full-time. Without a doubt it has been the best thing we've ever done in our lives, (other than the kids!)

I don't have much for you on your questions, but I do want to reiterate what Neal said about floor plan being the most important thing. I was also given that advice before we bought our first coach, and boy did it pay off. We, too, are full-timers, and if you're going to live in the coach, this is most important for you. When you're looking - before you buy - actually spend the DAY in the coach. Watch a little TV, (is the angle good to where you're sitting). Work in the kitchen, like you're preparing meals. Consider where you're going to put the coffee maker, the plates, the pans, the potato chips, etc. Get in the shower, close the door, and actually mime taking a shower, but I recommend keeping your clothes on. Lay in the bed for awhile. Where are the dogs going to ride and sleep. Truly experience the coach before you decide it's the right one.

Best of luck, and happy trails!!

Ed

Thanks for your response Ed. We are very excited for this chapter in our lives and we hope to start smelling the flowers again! I like your advice in spending time in one. There is not really a local dealer with a large inventory of Class A’s close to us but perhaps we should find a large dealer somewhere and go spend a couple of days there. We have no problem flying in somewhere. Any ideas on a dealer with large inventory in the Midwest or East Coast?
The dogs will probably ride upfront. They will probably sleep on a couch as they do here at home! Thanks again for your response!

 

[MemoriesByTheMile]

If you are looking at 40’+ most likely you will end up with two rear axles, especially if you want to have a higher tow rating for a car hauling trailer.

Floor plan is key - walk it, sit in it. Take your time and think about different activities. We work full time remotely and we were able to figure out a working arrangement. One person sits at the dinette with 2 large monitors. The monitors can easily be folded face to face and pushed to the side. The other person had a chair in the bedroom utilizing a small TV tray as the keyboard stand and the monitor was sitting on a shelf in front of the bedroom tv.

Ideal? No, but it works for us because we stay in one place for a couple months at a time, avoiding weekly tear down and storing.

We use a car hauling trailer, it is a hybrid with open deck for the car and closed area at the front, which we use as “garage storage”. Works great for us since our car is not flat towable. It is more work and it requires more planning for nightly stays when traveling, maneuvering fuel fill ups and of course finding campsites where we can store the trailer. (And of course extra security items for the trailer to avoid it driving off.)
If our car was flat towable - I don’t believe we would have the trailer.

Car hauling trailer adds length and complexity, but gives more flexibility in vehicle choice and storage.

 

[NJ0F]

If you are looking at 40’+ most likely you will end up with two rear axles, especially if you want to have a higher tow rating for a car hauling trailer.

Floor plan is key - walk it, sit in it. Take your time and think about different activities. We work full time remotely and we were able to figure out a working arrangement. One person sits at the dinette with 2 large monitors. The monitors can easily be folded face to face and pushed to the side. The other person had a chair in the bedroom utilizing a small TV tray as the keyboard stand and the monitor was sitting on a shelf in front of the bedroom tv.

Ideal? No, but it works for us because we stay in one place for a couple months at a time, avoiding weekly tear down and storing.

We use a car hauling trailer, it is a hybrid with open deck for the car and closed area at the front, which we use as “garage storage”. Works great for us since our car is not flat towable. It is more work and it requires more planning for nightly stays when traveling, maneuvering fuel fill ups and of course finding campsites where we can store the trailer. (And of course extra security items for the trailer to avoid it driving off.)
If our car was flat towable - I don’t believe we would have the trailer.

Car hauling trailer adds length and complexity, but gives more flexibility in vehicle choice and storage.

This sounds very close to what we are thinking. Do you mind sharing a little more info on your trailer? I really like the idea of a Hybrid trailer with extra storage. I have been towing long trailers all my life so getting in an out of gas stations is not a problem. I was however wondering about storing the trailer at sites. We plan to stay in one place for several weeks to months depending on how we feel. I recently moved from three monitors to a large curved monitor and I was really hoping to create a space where we can leave the "office" without taking away dinette space. Having said this, we know there are sacrifices to be made so if that is what it takes, that is what it takes. Regards

 

[MemoriesByTheMile]

When we bought our rig, the trailer came with it. The prior owner had the trailer made by ATC.
From end to end the trailer is 29’ long and has a GVWR of 13,300. Trailer weighs in at just over 3k giving us 10k in cargo capacity. Ramps slide in the rear of the trailer behind two small locking compartments under the deck.
Solar panel on top to help keep the battery charged on the trailer (lights inside the trailer and outlets with small inverter). Tried to setup my office area in there, but without an A/C it was just too blasted hot.

Trailer length of almost 30’ coupled with a rig of 45’ puts us at a total length of… right at 65’ so we don’t violate any length laws.

Knowing a couple areas of the country are more stringent on the length, we will always avoid DC and avoid the coast in CA.

 

[NJ0F]

When we bought our rig, the trailer came with it. The prior owner had the trailer made by ATC.
From end to end the trailer is 29’ long and has a GVWR of 13,300. Trailer weighs in at just over 3k giving us 10k in cargo capacity. Ramps slide in the rear of the trailer behind two small locking compartments under the deck.
Solar panel on top to help keep the battery charged on the trailer (lights inside the trailer and outlets with small inverter). Tried to setup my office area in there, but without an A/C it was just too blasted hot.

Trailer length of almost 30’ coupled with a rig of 45’ puts us at a total length of… right at 65’ so we don’t violate any length laws.

Knowing a couple areas of the country are more stringent on the length, we will always avoid DC and avoid the coast in CA.

Thanks for this info amd photo. That is an awesome trailer. The enclosed area in the front would be great for us. I will get with ATC and see if they can come up with something for our application. We typically avoid city traffic but of course its not always possible. Did you find enough RV sites that would allow room for the trailer? I assume this is aluminum?
This is a huge step for us but we are excited.
Andre