Which RV for Me?
As soon as we rolled into Clermont we noticed our breeze had gone away and it was pretty darn hot. My goal was not to be here this time of year. But it took a while to get the RV that we knew would fit not only with our budget but also with the layout that would suit us best. I was anxious to get our trip moving forward but I was definitely much more interested in finding the ‘right’ RV.
If an RV lifestyle is not in your future, this post may bore you. Unless you’re the curious type like me. Which is how I landed here in the first place. I saw a blog about a family traveling in a converted school bus. It spoke to me and I couldn’t let the idea go away. Wow, how amazing would it be to take the kids around and show them all the fabulous places there are to see. With our homeschool lifestyle, it would be very easy to accomplish.
So I held onto this dream and when the timing was right, acted upon it. But many of you may wonder how I decided on what RV was the right fit? It really is an individual preference. There are several different types of RV’s. The one I have, a Class A, is the most self-contained and can be fairly expensive depending on the features you choose. The driver and passenger seats turn around to join the living space, so you have two built in living room chairs.
chairs in a class A
I chose a Class A for the ease of set-up. I could pull into a campsite, let the jacks down, put out the slides and hook-up. I thought it was going to be just me and the kids so I didn’t have time for a lot of fuss. But eventually my brother joined us. So why not a Class C? A Class C has a bunk over the cab and either it’s a bed for the kids or storage and an entertainment center (t.v. etc). I always knew it was either going to be a Class A or Class C. My final decision came when I went to my local RV dealer and toured both of them. It didn’t take me long to realize that the Class A was the best choice for me.
Class C
They felt much more spacious, the seats turned toward the living area. In the Class C, they don’t. I wanted a bunkhouse model so the kids could each have their own space. And the view out the window was amazing. The Class C felt crammed and congested and I wanted at least a 35 footer. That’s hard to find in a Class C. And if you find it, the price tag isn’t too far from an older or lower end Class A.
bunks in a Class A
To learn more about Class B’s, Fifth Wheelers and Travel Trailers, this is a good link http://gorving.com/compare-rvs. There is also information on toy haulers, pop-ups and more. So once I had narrowed down the type of RV I wanted, I waited 8 long months for the house to sell. Then we moved into our downsized home and I began to scour the ads. I searched mainly on rvtrader.com and rvt.com. One in the same I believe but they have different RV’s on each site. I also went to several local RV shows. But I wasn’t looking for a new RV but rather one someone else had broken in for me. I also wanted someone else to pay for all the depreciation that new RV’s are notorious for. So, the RV shows were mainly a teaser for me!
An RV with bad delimitation
I landed an RV in Texas and was over the moon. It was a 2008 with good mileage and very affordable. But after I got it inspected, I realized it had a major issue. There was some delamination on the exterior walls that wasn’t visible via the pictures I’d seen. If you click on the link, you’ll see it’s a pretty serious issue. When you’re making a big purchase like an RV, I highly recommend you get it inspected. My inspection saved me thousands of dollars and told me when I should walk away. I used RV Inspection Connection for both of my inspections and was extremely impressed with their service. They were very professional.
It took me a long time to find an RV that was within reason and wouldn’t cost me my life savings. I found one that was in budget and looked pretty sound. I was ready to put a deposit down and get it inspected when I saw THE ONE. It had just been listed and it was more than I could of hoped for. A bunkhouse with two bathrooms, a residential fridge, outside tv, etc. Bonuses that weren’t on my ‘must have’ list. And it was much newer, a 2013 with only 8K miles. But it was a little higher than I wanted to pay. So, we negotiated back and forth and I managed to get it into my price range. And two weeks later, Perl became ours.
Our Perl
So in wrapping up, I guess the answer is. The right RV for you is one that fits your budget, family size and desires. If you already have a truck that will pull a travel trailer or fifth wheeler, then perhaps that’s more budget friendly for you. If you can afford a motorhome, one that you can drive up into a campsite and set-up in minutes, then narrow it down to a Class A, B or C. You can find some budget-friendly models in these categories. And when you find ‘THE ONE’, make sure you get it inspected by professionals that can help you make the final decision.
After all, this is what it’s all about and this is my view from where I’m blogging tonight. I am a very lucky gal :-).
{HUGS} from the crew!
