Anyone know anything about Class A RV's

[markovwgti 0]

Me and my gf are looking into buying one so we can live in it for the next 2-3 years, looking at a 2006 Coachmen Aurora for 60k

Anyone have any opinions on this thing or think its not a good deal?

Planning on going to texas for 2-3 years so i can work at a dz there and she can go to RN School there, I think its a better idea then spending over 30k in rent and leaving with nothing

[JSBIRD 1]

You obviously haven't done much research yet.

Paying $60k for a used RV is insane.

You can buy a converted bus for 20% of that figure and sell it for damn near what you paid for it...providing diesel fuel isn't $5 per gallon in 2012.

I bought a 40 foot diesel pusher bus in 2002 for $7500, took two years to convert it into a luxury coach, and now have lived in it full time since 2005.

Look around the converted bus forums...

http://www.busconversions.com/bbs/index.php?board=1.0

or

[urlhttp://www.busnut.com/bbs/messages/11/11.html?1238947606[/url]

...and you'll likely find your new home, and save a boatload of your hard earned cash in the process.

HTH

BASE359

"Now I've settled down,
in a quiet little town,
and forgot about everything"

[karlm 0]

Search Craigslist there are alot of RV's up for grabs many from older folks who cannot make use of them and need to get rid of assets.

A Class A is the way to go, I got a 32 Foot Gas RV for 45K, do some shopping and haggling, you'll find the one you will be happy with.

Oh, and get a maintenance plan, these things are expensive to service and repair.

Avoid slideouts as they leak

Better never to have met you in my dream than to wake and reach for hands that are not there.

[CSpenceFLY 1]

You could buy alot of diesel pusher for 60k. Go to RV.net and get on the forums and read. Someone mentioned craigs list, also a good source to see what is out there and asking prices. There is an auction site,crankyape.com I think. Lots of cheap stuff.

[virgin-burner 1]

i only know about Class A - err - nevermind..

“Some may never live, but the crazy never die.”
-Hunter S. Thompson
"No. Try not. Do... or do not. There is no try."
-Yoda

[keithbar 1]

Avoid slideouts as they leak

that's what i hear quite a few people. a buddy just bought a 34 ft. motorhome with no slideouts. for like $10,5000. now the drivers power seat and window didn't work. the power jacks and slide out step didn't work and the generator wasn't running. but he's only had it a couple of weekes and he has fixed everything put the power window. he's a lot handyer than i am

i have on occasion been accused of pulling low . My response. Naw I wasn't low I'm just such a big guy I look closer than I really am .

[shropshire 0]

Quote

i only know about Class A - err - nevermind..

(.)Y(.)
Chivalry is not dead; it only sleeps for want of work to do. - Jerome K Jerome

[DJL 232]

My advice is that if you're a first-timer then find something through a dealership with a REPUTABLE repair office. You will also likely find a great deal on a good used RV. Buy one with a good name, not entirely because of quality but the good names have good user forums. For example, if you buy Airstream then you'll be able to get info on a forum from some very intelligent retirees who have nothing better to do but tinker with their RV.

That's where my advice ends. I wasn't able to buy one because my current girlfriend destroyed my plans of moving to the southwest with an RV full of beer and skydiving gear.

"I encourage all awesome dangerous behavior." - Jeffro Fincher

[TrophyHusband 0]

the people on rv.net are very helpful. i disagree with the slide-out opinion though. i have a lot of family members with slide-outs and i have a slide-out on mine and i haven't heard of any of them leaking. of course leaks do happen, but so do lots of other little things. if you're going to be living in it, the extra square footage will be well worth the risk of leaking.

as far as shopping for on, i often thought florida would be a good place to shop. i would think that with all those old people with rv's, there would be some good deals when an old man kicks the bucket. it's just a hypothesis, i haven't actually looked into it. for $60k you can get into a really nice rv.

"Your scrotum is quite nice" - Skymama
www.kjandmegan.com

[riddler 0]

Price is going to be high for a model that's 1-4 years old, it gets more reasonable for something 5+ years older, and when you get to 10+ years, it gets pretty decent, but expect to do more work on it. With a 3-year old model, you're not going to have too many mechanical problems, which is good for a first RV. Factor in the cost of insurance in your pricing. Also, the loans for RVs are not very good, so plan to pay it off in a few years.

I have a slideout and it's never leaked, even when it rains on the open slideout. I disagree with going to a dealer - you can get a much better price with a private party sale, and the dealer will still do work on the RV, since they want the repair money, but I prefer independent mechanics. Also, if you are planning on traveling, having a dealer doesn't make any sense, since you probably won't be in the same state, anyway.

Get a membership with Camping World.

Trapped on the surface of a sphere. XKCD

[hcsvader 1]

What kind of things should one be looking for when buying an older RV. Im also looking for an RV but my budget limits me to buying something that is going to be old.

Have you seen my pants?
it"s a rough life, Livin' the dream
>:)

[CSpenceFLY 1]

I could write a book trying to answer your question. The best thing you could do is get on RV.net and learn as much as you can about RVs and their systems. Narrow down what you might be looking for and then ask questions. I would be happy to answer any questions you have.

Alittle depends on what you're looking for. RV or travel trailer? How will you use it? Park it somewhere and leave it or drive or tow it around?

One thing you will need to learn is that most of the systems still require 12volts to operate even when you are plugged in. This come from a battery and a converter(glorified battery charger) if plugged in. If the converter stops working and the battery goes dead most of the RV will be dead, no AC,no fridge,no furnace.

[markovwgti 0]

Well first sorry for not posting

I registered to Rv.net with 3 usernames, for some reason they will not send me a activation code and when i try to log on it just says wrong password..I have been trying to get on there for 3 weeks now..no freakin luck!

Im not doing any sort of converting, we want something nice and luxurious to live in. Were buying a nice 06 or 07 Class A and going on the road, no time or patience to start remodeling things on some old one no matter what it costs! Were hooking it up at Spaceland Texas, i will be working at the Dz and she will be working at a hospital as a Nurse! Why pay rent for 3 years when we can pay one of these off!!!

Im stuck right now between a 07 Gulf-stream Independence with 3k miles and a 06 Coachmen Aurora with 15k miles

Both are $62,500, im going down to NC to check them out in about a week or 2!

The first link is the Gulf-stream and the Second is the Aurora!
http://www.e-commercesolutions.net/members/wheels/2007independence.html

http://www.e-commercesolutions.net/members/wheels/2006aurora.html

I cant even get this thing to make a damn link! Sorry!!

What do you guys think...which is better made or can you point out any big differences mechanical wise...right now i am leaning towards the 07 Gulfstream!!


And BTW the rv's are coming with a 4 year warranty!!!

[markovwgti 0]

Still no luck with rv.net....its really pissing me off!!

[mouth 0]

I really like my Coachman 5th wheel with slide. It is a 95 model but was WELL taken care of and sheltered rather than sitting in the weather. The slide doesn't leak and everything still works like new. I think you need to check both out and examine the wear and tear both inside and out. You can find RVs that are 5 years old or so that have only been used 5-10 times so they are in great shape. LOOK AROUND!!

That said it is for sale because my hubby and I couldn't figure out how to put the canoe on the truck and pull the 5th wheel so we converted out 4 horse trailer to a 3 horse with rear tack and added living quarters. Now we can camp, ride horses, canoe, take the golf cart, skydive, SCUBA, etc all with one vehicle.

--
Hot Mama
At least you know where you stand even if it is in a pile of shit.

[davelepka 4]

I don't know anything about RVs, but you seem to be in a big hurry to drop 60k to live in a metal box on a DZ.

Like others have mentioned, there are many other options for less money, in fact I'm sure you find a very nice RV for half of what you're looking at.

Keep in mind that you'r going to park the thing, so the running gear is not as much of a concern. If you wanted to tour the country for months on end, then that's important, but all you need to something to get you to Texas. In all reality, you could just buy something in Texas.

I'd bet you could get a nice travel trailer for 1/4 of the price in TX and pay the dealer to tow it to the DZ.

All you need is something with good electrical and plumbing systems, and lets face it, if you could save $30k or $45k, you'll have a few bucks for an eventual repair.

You said your girl will be in shcool, and you'll be working at the DZ. Niether one of these things screams out '$60k RV' to me. It just seems like a big commitment to make when you could do just as well for far less.

Just remember, you sprain your ankle, it's $1000 at the hospital and no work for a few weeks. Snap a femur, it's tens of thousands in medical bills, and no work for months.

[wmw999 2,120]

Anyway, a $60K RV will make many of the other RVs there look old and tattered, so everyone will hate you . Best to fit in with the neighborhood

Wendy W.

There is nothing more dangerous than breaking a basic safety rule and getting away with it. It removes fear of the consequences and builds false confidence. (tbrown)

[markovwgti 0]

Well after were done in texas we will be traveling for about 6 months around the USA, so thats why we really want to get a class A

And i will not be jumping at Spaceland i will be packing...i already thought about getting hurt...if i pack for a while i wont have to worry about that, payments are only 450 a month, i am putting down 20k in the beginning, so if i get hurt my gf will pay the 450 for a while till i heal up!!

[BIGUN 1,051]

Quote

Avoid slideouts as they leak

I've had a double slide-out for 9 years and never had a leak. Those who complain about leaks aren't getting on top of their rigs and doing bi/annual pre-op maintenance. Ya gots to keep it clean and lubricated and while you're up there need to change out the vents annually and put on new vent covers, check the caulk around the vents, check the caulk on the seams, replace the light covers, etc.

Nobody has time to listen; because they're desperately chasing the need of being heard.

[livendive 8]

Here's another vote for rv.net, in fact I need to go there now to do homework on a plumbing problem my travel trailer developed this weekend.

I'm also gonna suggest, like everyone else, that $60k is excessive for the use you're proposing. I bought a 2008 Prowler (28') last year for $21k and that felt like splurging. If you've got $60k to throw at DZ digs, hey, it's you're money...but you can definitely get a lot more for a lot less.

Blues,
Dave

"I AM A PROFESSIONAL EXTREME ATHLETE!"
(drink Mountain Dew)

[riddler 0]

Quote

What kind of things should one be looking for when buying an older RV. Im also looking for an RV but my budget limits me to buying something that is going to be old.

My honest opinion? If you are limited by a budget, get a good, used minivan. You can fold down the backseat and sleep. You can use public toilets. It will get better gas mileage, and have a better resale value. They are also easier to park, and you can still camp at the KOA.

If you have two or more people, plenty of extra cash for routine fixes and maintenance, no real job ('cause they take up a lot of time), and don't mind driving slowly everywhere, then by all means, get an RV

Trapped on the surface of a sphere. XKCD

[TrophyHusband 0]

this is the second spring in a row that i've had a plumbing problem in my trailer. same problem both times, but different location. the 90 degree fitting from my water supply to faucet cracked over the winter. last year it was the cold water to the shower. an access panel made it easy to find the problem, but lack of room made it a royal bitch to fix it. this year it was the same type of fitting but on the hot water to my kitchen sink. much easier to get to, fixed in five minutes once i got the part, but i was stupid and didn't turn the water pump on until i set up camp. fortunately it was just an overnighter sturgeon fishing so we didn't need hot water.

our next rv could be this one if we can talk them into eliminating a couple of unnecessary doors

http://www.kz-rv.com/durango/D355BH.html

"Your scrotum is quite nice" - Skymama
www.kjandmegan.com

[livendive 8]

A 35' with FIVE slides?

I'm not positive I've got my problem figured out. I broke a faucet procrastinating winterization on my old TT once, but that was an easy fix. This one did get pretty cold this winter when it ran out of propane, and the outside shower faucet broke...I had the RV dealer replace that while winterizing and they said everything else checked out fine. I took it up to the DZ last weekend, summerized and stayed in it for two nights without issue, and left the furnace on all week to prevent any problems. This past weekend, I noticed water running out from under the sink and eventually tracked the leak down to where the filter plugs into the pump. I considered it odd that the fresh water tank was full when I expected it to be mostly empty (IIRC), and when I valved out the tank, it continued to drip for over an hour (too long to just be the contents of the hose). So logically, I think I have to assume the city water hookup exerts back pressure that's making it through the pump, filling my tank in reverse, and then leaking on the upstream side of the pump once that's done. Presumably back pressure through the pump isn't "normal"...I wish now that I'd left the valve open and checked the vent at the fresh water tank fill point for water coming out. In any case, I yanked the pump and brought it home to have the dealership check out for proper operation. Given that freezing seems unlikely, I wish it had happened two weeks ago while the warranty was still in effect.

And yes, lack of space is an issue, and the kicker plate under the cabinet door digs into my ribs like crazy while working on it.

Blues,
Dave

"I AM A PROFESSIONAL EXTREME ATHLETE!"
(drink Mountain Dew)

[virgin-burner 1]

that one looks pretty nice!!!

“Some may never live, but the crazy never die.”
-Hunter S. Thompson
"No. Try not. Do... or do not. There is no try."
-Yoda

[TrophyHusband 0]

i've got three boys, 1, 3, and 5 and the wife wants to be able to camp yeras round. we need the square footage, although there's a keystone challenger with 4 slides and 3 bedrooms that has larger holding tanks, which is nice too, especially a large gray water tank.

your problem sounds like it sucks. i think i would much rather deal with electrical problems than plumbing problems. the only thing i won't mess with is the lp system. if there's anything wrong there i'll pay someone else to fix it.

"Your scrotum is quite nice" - Skymama
www.kjandmegan.com