So close I can feel it!!!!

[Justal]

Hi! We are just starting to look for our first RV.  Have lived in the same state my whole life and can't wait to see the rest of the world.  Trying hard to sum up the courage to go ahead and retire a few years early and Just Do it! Have worked for school system for 20+ years and that's my second career. Ready to move on!  My husband has agreed to do a year of RV travel with me! We have friends who are and they are loving life!  Trying to decide the type of RV to buy. Looked at tow behinds and 5th wheels today. Think we want to try to buy a used one. So much to learn!! Wondering if our state (Florida) is the best place to look or if there are better options....  Very happy to have found this site where there is so much input/information from those of you with experience! If anyone has good information to help with that decision, feel free to weigh in. Really excited for a New Life! 


Justal

 

[phyllisindallas]

Hi Justal, and welcome to the forums!

I'm no expert, but to make that decision you need to decide what your budget is and what your needs are.

Craigs list is a good place to start to look to give you an idea of what is out there, new and used, and their prices. rvtrader.com also is a place to look. You can find a ton of used rv's. Looks like many people buy them and don't use them much. I have seen plenty that are 15 years old or older with only 50k miles on them. I personally would not buy a new rv unless you are made of money. Like cars, they lose value as soon as you drive them of the lot.

Since you're the one who is itching to go and your husband is just willing, if it was me I would ask him what he needed, and make sure it met his needs so he is happy and doesn't want to ditch it.

 

[highdesertranger]

Welcome justal to the CRVL forums! To help you learn the ins and outs of these forums, this "Tips, Tricks and Rules" post lists some helpful information to get you started. We look forward to hearing more from you. highdesertranger

 

[travelaround]

Justal, welcome to the forum! I'm sure you have a happy traveling life ahead of you. I think, hopefully, when you walk into the right rig, you'll feel it, and know it is home.

 

[cyndi]

Just start looking at everything you think might work. The more you look, the more you learn.

Is rust from the salt air an issue in FL? What about the recent weather and flooding?

 

[RoamerRV428]

first time rv'er. take your time and don't buy too big in that smaller is so much easier to 'fit' into gas stations, places to stop and sleep or national forest campgrounds that have tighter short sites etc.

be sure your truck can easily handle what you are buying. don't ever over-tax your truck.

find a great floor plan that suits you very personal on that one for each of us rv'ers.

You can easily find a great rv to suit your needs in your local area. Just research very well on different manufacturer sites....like google, RV manufacturers and check out their products. Google local rv dealers and check out their products first hand by visiting and checking out rvs. If you love something you can check private sales to see if anything suits you from what you might have liked at the dealers OR if dealer is having blowout type sale ya might just buy new. Options are available for sure on how to find your new rv.

Your RV should match how you want to live your new life on the road. Want toys with you like kayaks, maybe a motorcycle, atv etc to haul, think a toyhauler which could suit your needs. Want a rear living suite in your rv then research those types. Want more slides or can live easily with less slides needed then buy what suits you again.

I know you can easily learn from any other rv'er on the road if you need help while out there. Everyone is super friendly and will help you at every turn and teach ya tips and tricks to make the setup easier etc. One thing we love about rv'ing is the great people out there willing to lend a hand when needed best of luck to you!

 

[WanderingRose]

RV trader is a good resource, so might check them out.

https://www.rvtrader.com/

If you don’t yet know what kind of RV you want, I would suggest getting yourself to dealerships to look at and get into as many different types as you can.

You will soon begin to know what you need to have, what features are important, etc.

Make notes, and eventually you will be able to google specific types of rigs for sale, which will help narrow your search field.

Good luck, and have fun.

 

[bullfrog]

Escapees.com is a group you should check out as they have a large and vast net work with one of their main facilites in Florida. They have Bootcamps and an Escapade that are educational events for first time RVers and geared more towards manufactured campers. Probably best to attend some of their events and possibly rent an RV before buying to see if you like camping while traveling, it isn't just a long vacation but a way of life. One of their big events is in Tucson Az this winter and of course the RTR in Quartsite Az also. I would attend both before buying as there many good people at both to help you find the answers you need to make good decisions. Good luck and go slow.

 

[Justal]

Thank you ALL!! Good advice! Will start trying to visit at least one dealership a weekend to see what is out there! To the person who suggested we rent one first, we did do that this past summer. We rented a Class C motorhome in California and drove to Crater Lake Oregon and then over to the coast (for a week). Want to do that again though I think, before we buy. Harder to rent a tow trailer though because we don't have the truck yet. Will figure it out. Thank you all for your input!

 

[mpruet]

My first RV was a 37 foot class-A diesel pusher.  My current RV is a 21 foot class-B.  Generally the smaller the better AND the simpler the better.  The more gadgets on your RV the more things there are to break. 

I downsized to the class-B because I wanted something that would be more nimble and could park pretty much wherever a normal SUV could park.  I didn't want to have to deal with a tow car because that just complicates stuff. 

When I retired my wife and I did a long term trip to Alaska in the class-A.  It was fine, but I was constantly having to deal with issues with the Class-A + tow car --- broken fuel regulator, broken starter relay, broken tow car bumper,  frozen slide moter etc.  Also the larger rig limited the places that I could camp at and roads I could travel. 

I went to Alaska again this summer in my class-B and was able to go to so many more places that I wouldn't have dared to take my class-A to.  This included places such as Tuktoyaktuk NWT, Eagle Alaska, McCarthy, etc.  I never had to worry about finding a campground because my class-B would fit pretty much anywhere.  Yes - I had some issues, but because of the more simple design of the class-B I was able to fix all of my issues at my location.  Also, it was wonderful that I could just take the RV to a Quick Lube to get an oil change.  I'd just tell them that it was a ProMaster Van instead of an RV. 

So I can't emphasize enough - look for the smallest that you can deal with, not the largest. 

OK - in looking for rigs - I'd check out www.rvtrader.com for my main research tool.

 

[mpruet]

Oh yes - I should probably mention about the "10 year rule".  If you are thinking that you are going to be spending most of your time in RV parks instead of campgrounds, you need to be aware that a lot of private rv parks will not allow rigs older than 10 years to enter their parks.  For a while this has been somewhat of a 'loosey-goosey' rule, but I suspect that the enforcement is increasing as more folks are purchasing new RVs.

 

[LivGolden]

I found this hard to believe until friends of ours who have a S&B but travel in an older model RV applied for a camphost job. Everything was set until they were asked what year and model their RV was. No go...What a disappointment to them. Sad.

 

[bonnieE350van]

some state park campgrounds are requesting that their volunteers be in a self-contained rv as well...was all set to take a volunteer position only to be told later I couldn't do it because I was staying in a tent/van setup at the time...so now I don't bother working at the campgrounds and only stay a day or two at the most...sad cause I liked being a camphost the first time I tried it...

 

[LivGolden]

You are so right. I missed an opportunity for a paid position in NC because of this. That was the day I decided to refurbish a Scamp we have, though I really enjoy tent-camping. The issue is, I was told, about safety and image... :dodgy:

 

[Almost There]

It's also about what the employer has learned in the past about tent camping and working!

I worked this summer in a tourist area that had a really bad lack of seasonal housing for summer employees so the employers were hiring anyone willing to come there and work- with no regard to what housing they had.

Of the 4 who came to live in tents, one managed to buy a total POS truck camper (didn't own a truck) to just put a roof over his head - he stayed the season. 2 others who started off in tents quit mid-season because of living in a tent - rain, cold, bugs, more rain, too hot etc. The 4th found a shared accommodation and stayed the season.

All the rest of us who had vans or RVs had no problem staying the season.

Next year the employers will be less willing to hire those who are going to have to live in tents. The chance of keeping that staff for a full season goes down dramatically if they aren't housed reasonably.

 

[LivGolden]

I can understand that. The loss of the position certainly got me in gear on the Scamp - so that was a good thing.

 

[FlowerGirl]

Welcome, Justal...
I can feel your enthusiasm right through the screen- I love it! And how fortunate you are that you husband is on board for a year.

One thing I heard from many members when I had first registered here on this site and was full of questions, was:
Come to the RTR (coming up soon!) and you will see every kind of rig imaginable. Better yet, you'll get to talk to their owners and see what they liked, don't like, would do differently, etc.
To me, that's such a huge advantage over being talked at by salesmen at RV dealerships. I like browsing without sales pressure- after all, it's likely a big-ticket purchase and one you'll be spending a lot of time in, so best to take time and enjoy that time while you're at it.

So- just wanted to throw that out there as another option for you- Some people rent a car, RV, SUV, whatever, just to attend the RTR for a few days and they all say they learned a LOT there, not to mention being able to meet up with the online folks they'd been interacting with on the Forum here. Everyone here is so helpful and super friendly....

Looking forward to meeting you someday and in the interim-- enjoy the search for your perfect set-up.