Young Newbie

[CalD]

Hello,

My name is Caleb and I'm 18 years old. I'm 100% new to the whole "living in an RV" thing and I have no clue where to start. After I graduate high school in June I plan on buying my first Class C RV so I can start my life out on the road. The problem is, I don't know what to look for and which Class C RVs are considered good. I currently live in Pennsylvania but once I get an RV I will hopefully travel down to Florida. So if anyone has some tips or tricks for buying a first RV let me know!

Thanks a whole lot and have a great day!

 

[ArtW]

Can't help with rv knowledge, but welcome

 

[rvwandering]

Welcome to the CRVL forums Caleb! If you can supply some more information you'll get better answers. How big is your RV budget? Will you be staying in campgrounds or boondocking? Will you be traveling or staying in one spot? When you find a RV that you're considering buying post photos and links on the forum so we can give advice. One of the most important things to check for is signs of water intrusion which can turn any RV into a soggy mess not worth fixing. Good luck with your search!

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

 

[rvpopeye]

Welcome aboard CalD !
Tell us more , like your budget , want's and need's.
For now just look for leaks , while we give you some leads.

 

[CalD]

I am hoping to not spend more than $30,000 on a used Class C RV. Boondocking seems quite interesting but I think it would be best to stay at campgrounds first so I can get the feel of living in an RV. I will live in my home state, PA, during the spring/summer and go down to FL RV camgrounds during the fall/winter. 
Thanks for your response!

 

[CalD]

Welcome aboard CalD !
Tell us more , like your budget , want's and need's.
For now just look for leaks , while we give you some leads.

I'm planning on buying a used Class C for less than $30,000. I will keep an eye out for signs of leaks.
But I'm going down to Florida during the fall/winter first before fully moving down there. I'm concerned mostly about campgrounds. Which ones are good and in-expensive? I'm also concerned about gas prices. Is diesel better than gasoline with price and mileage?
Thanks!

 

[eDJ_]

Welcome to the CRVL Forums    

Are with your heart just set on buying a Class C ?   You have time to lurk here and learn about all the possibilities with lighter less expensive vehicles that might serve your needs even better than a Class C. 

My Grandmother used to watch a TV Show called Chips about a couple of motorcycle Cops.  One of them had a Class A that he parked in a trailer park to live in it.  He towed a car behind it when he traveled but when in camp he used it for his work car.   She thought I ought to consider that way of life to go out after graduation and find a good job somewhere and get started in life. 

I guess you could do that with a Class C also.  Then if you found better jobs,  you could quickly move to where that job is and set up and live there quickly.   Taking your home and all of it's belongings with you.

But look around at some of the other ideas here. 

You could always find more experienced RV people to help you learn about RV's.  The leading States that produce them are Indiana, and California.   In some parts of the Country the landscape is full of used ones.
(often a husband dies suddenly of a heart attack and the wife doesn't feel so capable of driving it....or one spouse becomes ill and they can't use it much any more)    Florida gets a lot of rain,  and an RV with a leaking roof would be miserable.  So if you don't know much about RV's yet....you better have some really experienced help with you before buying one.

 

[CalD]

Thanks for your input! A while ago I was actually looking at Class Bs but they seem way too small and Class As would be too big for me since it's just me. I also wouldn't feel comfortable driving something that big. But yeah, Florida does get a lot of rain so that's something I got to keep in mind.

 

[cyndi]

Look at everything in your price range to start. Then narrow it down from there.

There's plenty of websites with how-to advice for used RV shopping

Here's one that I like:
http://www.motorhome.com/rv-how-to/lifestyle-buying-used/

When you find one you're serious about post it here and we'll be happy to pick it apart for you

 

[RVtrek]

You should really go out and try test driving some of the different rigs.  No matter what, they're all going to feel "too big" if you're accustomed to driving a sedan or anything smaller than a truck.

At the same token, no matter what you get, you'll get used to driving it after a couple weeks.

I think it's most important to list out the things that are important to you.  That includes not only physical things in the RV (solar panels, a nice shower, etc.), but also lifestyle choices (boondocking, camping, full hook-ups, etc.) as well as hobbies and interests (nature photography, nude beaches, skateboarding, basket weaving, whatever).

I went with a truck and trailer combo because it fit my needs and my desires the best.  I can disconnect the trailer and go check out any suburban or urban area with ease.  I can also replace either the truck or trailer as needed.

Lots of people here like vans, and I can see the appeal there.  They are large enough to hold everything you really need, and very easily maneuverable and inexpensive to maintain.

I see you've got a $30k budget and you're just graduation high school.  Congratulations on having a ton of spare cash handy, but I would be careful.  If you've got some sort of trust fund and that money will keep flowing, then all the more power to you.  If it was a one-time deal though, I would highly advise spending less than half of that on your rig and keeping the rest around for travel/adventure money and a nice sized emergency fund account.

 

[eDJ_]

CalD,  building on what RVtrek is saying...the last page of my Van conversion site below describes a Trailer I'm considering building.   My Van would have the bed and kitchen.  The Trailer would have the other items to support the Van when on the road.

Like RVtrek is showing in his post,  you could leave the Trailer behind and use the vehicle to go exploring.

RVtrek may want to explore the outdoors in his Pickup,  I may want to visit Cities with things of interest there.

You could have a Topper on a Pickup and have provisions for sleeping in it if you were away from your trailer for a day or so.  Or if you were with a job and working you could use the vehicle to go to work each day and have the Trailer to return to as your home.

 

[JesseTrue]

Did you forget the link to your van conversion site below?

Sent from my XT1635-01 using Tapatalk

 

[eDJ_]

Oh,    :blush:   It's the top link in my signature line.  That was the "below" that I was talking about.

 

[Every Road Leads Home]

Welcome aboard CalD. I think you have an excellent idea to start this lifestyle right off the bat. Class C seems like an excellent choice.

Some great advice so far. I'd also recommend you rent a Class C for a few days to make sure it does fits your vision. Many people go through a few different RV types before they finally find the one that best suits them. So although renting one can be a bit expensive, it could save you tens of thousands of dollars in the long run.

Also check out some books on Amazon, quite a few good books written on the subject of buying your first RV and what to look for when buying used.

Absorb as much info as you can, while you wait to finish High School. Watch videos, read articles, get some RV'ing magazines, and even just looking at lots of used ones for sale online will help you to start getting familiar with them.