RV info?

[BillP]

Hi All,

My wife and I recently visited my 87 year old father. The upshot was that he'd like to go to Maine for some fresh lobster (he lives in upstate NY). So we were talking on the way home about a trip there and are thinking a small RV would be ideal. He's semi-mobile and the chance to lay down, take a nap, eat a sandwich, or just ride along looking out the window, would we think be quite a nice thing.

I Know nothing about RVs except that they are a sort of moving chicane when I'm trying to get somewhere, especially on a twisty 2 lane road in my MG.

I'd consider renting one but am concerned about getting a piece of hard-used, smelly junk that would tend to break-down. I'm sort of thinking about buying an older one that has no rust and easy miles on it and re-furbishing it into something good and reliable. New ones are too expensive for the amount of use we contemplate. After Maine, I'm sure we'd use it for other trips.

I think something like an E250 cab/chassis with a RV unit installed on the back. Any thoughts?

[MCHinson]

I have owned two Motorhomes in my life. I had one a while ago and found out that a nice older one could be a real pain to keep on the road. Upon my retirement a year ago, I bought another one. My wife's health got worse and we ended up not using it as much as planned, so I sold it.

If you have never had one, I would suggest you really should rent one first. There are lots of RV Rental companies that rent good late model Motorhomes. If you enjoy renting one, you will then have a better idea about what you should consider buying. Buying one without ever spending a night in one could be an expensive mistake. They are not for everybody.

[Paul Dobbin]

Matt Hinson's advice is spot on. RENT FIRST.
Additionally, remember that RV trips are as expensive as any other. There are advantages like your own bed, ability to move around a little, home cooking.
Used motorhomes are harder to sell than unfinished restorations, so if you rent first you have a better chance of knowing what you want when and if you buy.
We've been doing it for over 20 years and spening 80-100 nights a year in it.
When we got the first one we said 20+ nights a year or sell it. That was fine while working, but you need 50+ in retirement.
Good Luck.

[AlK]

Renting one is a good way to go, but the last time I looked into that you had to rent from Friday to Friday so you lost one day of a weekend. When my wife and I decided to get a motor home we went inexpensive and older. We got a 79 dodge chassis 440 20 ft. mini-winnie. We used that for 1 1/2 years and decided we had to go bigger. We now have a 29 ft class C 460 Ford. We also are trying our best to find a class-a diesel pusher. There are many out there for sale and the thought was that we could find a good deal what with gas prices and the economy and all, but most every one has "lost dutchman gold mine' prices on them, so we will keep looking. For the time being we will stick with what we have. Going the inexpensive older rig is also a good idea, you just have to look a lot harder to find one in good shape. For what you want out of it a Class C or Class A is the best way to go, not a pick up camper.