what's the best rv to begin with?

[evelynH]

What a wonderful forum this is. You are all so helpful. I feel I have friends out there already, and I haven't even started. I think I may go with the camper van as I'm not used to big transportation. I'll let you know how I get on in my search. By the way when and where do you have gtgs?

[Rufflesgurl]

Evelyn - welcome to the forum from the central coast of CA and have fun finding your special RV.

Linda

[BarbaraRose]

You can check the GTG thread to see when and where the get togethers are located and when. Depending on where you live, there is one in January in Florida and one in the works for California. They pop up all over from time to time.

Good luck with your search!

[judi]

Hi Evelyn,

What an exciting time for you! I don't full time but I plan on taking a year-long trip at some point. I have a small class B - the smallest Roadtrek on the Sprinter chassis. It's perfect for what I need right now, but too small for an extended trip. But I think the larger Roadtrek eTrek with an armoire in the place of the seat behind the driver would be fine for me. The only thing missing in my little SS Agile is adequate storage for long trips. I traded in a 2006 Roadtrek to get my new one, and because it was a diesel the trade-in value was very high. My new RT, also diesel, gets 24 miles/gal. I love that! Being able to navigate narrow places and parking in regular parking spaces is important to me. A previously owned Roadtreks, or another Class B is a good way to get introduced to RVing. If I were to full time in the future I think I would want a small Class A that feels more like a small home. I wish you lots of good wishes for your RV search!

By the way, where are you located?

Judi

[Cudedog]

What a wonderful forum this is. You are all so helpful. I feel I have friends out there already, and I haven't even started. I think I may go with the camper van as I'm not used to big transportation. I'll let you know how I get on in my search. By the way when and where do you have gtgs?

Hello Evelyn.

Sounds like I am in the same "budget category" as you, so I thought I would jump in on this thread.

Others here have correctly pointed out that what you ultimately choose depends on your budget, what you like, how it will be used, and where you want to travel.

What I write below is what I decided would work for me, understanding that what I wanted and needed might be unworkable for someone else.

Catherine hit all of the points affecting my decision to go with a (cargo) van. Good job, Catherine!

I pondered on this myself for nearly six months before making any decision, and then another year to do the conversion. I am not particularly skilled with tools (was a lot better by the time I was finished!) and it was a fun project.

Also, I know precisely what is inside the walls and ceiling because I put it there.

The reason it took so long to do the conversion is because I am still working at a full-time job, so I was a weekend warrior (the conversion probably could all be done in a couple of months had I not been working - but I admit there were times when the whole thing became a bit overwhelming and I wished I could just pack it in).

Check out my van conversion blog:

http://heartdogs.net/wordpress/?page_id=124

There is a drop-down menu under "The Van" link, with parts I - IV.

Here is the "evolution" of my thinking:

1. Tear-drop trailer, pulled by my Aveo. Perfect! Er. . . no. When I finally saw one it gave me claustrophobia just looking at it. Plus I found out that my Aveo is basically made of plastic - it has no frame to attach any kind of pull hitch to.

2. Cab-over camper. YES!! Er. . . no. Somewhat top-heavy, needs a lot of fiddling, would have to buy a truck AND a cab-over, tie-downs, special mirrors, levelers, etc.

3. Travel trailer. That's the ticket!! Er. . . no. The thought of hitching/unhitching (wherever I went!), backing up, having to leave it behind at a campground as I went sight-seeing, trailer hitch, tow bars, load levelers, electric brakes, special mirrors - plus the thought that if there ever was a problem in the middle of the night (of either the four-legged or two-legged variety) I would need to make the "ten yard dash" from sleeping quarters to drivers seat before I could peal out of there. . . mmmm.

4. Motor home! WooHoo! Perfect!! Well. . . not so much. I spent about two months looking at these, the only ones that I could find in my price range were. . . um, "well used" (many smelled of cigarettes. . . and other things. . .), and not one of them had less than 75,000 miles on it - most more like 100,000. With no warranty of any kind, I had real concerns about being out on the road 100 miles from nowhere and having the thing crap out on me. Some of those I looked at, the owner bragged that they got a whopping 8 (eight) miles per gallon: budget buster for me.

5. New cargo van to camper van. Well. . . maybe. . .

Does it need load levelers, tow bars, special mirrors? Nope.

Trailer hitch? Nope.

Hitch/unhitch? Nope.

Enough room? Mostly, with planning

Full timing? Possible, with planning. Probably just for one, and dogs. I don't plan to full time, at least not at this point.

Extended trips? Absolutely.

Part timing? A breeze

Easily boon-dockable? Even of the Walmart and urban varieties? Absolutely - it is plain, looks like a delivery van. If you learn to look for them, the model of my van is on the street everywhere.

Gas mileage? 18 - 20 mpg.

Ten yard dash at night? Nope. Get out of bed, get behind the wheel, and drive.

Easy to back up? A cinch. It's a van!

Needs to be stored somewhere when not in use? In my driveway in my residential neighborhood. It's a van!

Will it easily navigate the Forest Service back roads (dirt) that I know that I will be traveling, at least part of the time? Of course. It's a van!

Easy and comfortable to drive? It is easy to drive, and more comfortable - with two captains chairs - than my Aveo. It's a van!

Expensive, extensive maintenance? Not so much, maintenance is similar to a passenger car. It's a van!

Expensive replacement tires? It runs on truck tires. Four of them. It's a van!

What if I decide to go with a travel trailer later on? Put on a hitch. It's rated at 9,000 pounds tow capacity. It's a van!

Warranty? Yes. 3 years/100,000 miles bumper-to-bumper. If I break down - anywhere - they come and get me.

So. . . what did I finally decide on? You guessed it: it's a van!

I found a new 2011 cargo van just at the time the new 2013 models were coming onto the lot. The price was discounted by about 1/3 because of this. These can also be found used, but the used-car market is strange just now; my new vehicle only cost a few thousand more than several used vans I found that were five or ten years old!

Good luck in your search! Take your time! I know that you will find the perfect travel home for You.

Northern California Anne

[mitch5252]

..
I tow a little bitty travel trailer...the perfect size for me and my Little Beast. If I need to go out or go sightseeing, she stays back in the trailer with the A/C on, nice and safe and snug. When my husband was alive, he mostly stayed back at the trailer while I was out and about doing things. If I had anything but a travel trailer, he would have looked awfully silly sitting in a campsite with nothing around him but his chair!!

It's a dream to tow - I even towed it with a Toyota mini-van for most of its life. I now have a Nissan Frontier pick-up truck. Can't wait to try pulling it with that. No special mirrors needed, as it's only 7' wide. Hooking up isn't much of a problem. Don't have to unhook every night, either. It is a PITA in a cold rain, though.

I think I would feel claustrophobic in a conversion van (on rainy days and at night).

There are several threads here on the Forum where quite a few ladies gave the reasons why they chose what they chose. I'll try and find them, but Vickie's better at that...(hint. hint)

Like many have said, it's an entirely personal choice based on YOUR wants and needs.

..

[BirdbyBird]

As mentioned...our budgets and our personal wants and needs drive our choices. I will add though that you might not need to cross off a vehicle just because you have no experience driving something that size. There is a lot to say for comfort zones but even more to say for our ability to learn new skills. There are none of these different rigs, models, sizes and lengths that folks haven't learned how to drive and drive safely.....:=) There are driving schools to help in some cases and in others it is just plucky determination to make it work. Don't limit your choices from the safety of what you have known in the past. Our past experiences can be just the jumping off place for all the dreams and adventures of the rest of our lives....

[judi]

Well said, Birdbybird.

[Readytogo]

Welcome Evelyn and Happy 70! Another lady in our group bought herself an RV for her 70th birthday present to herself! The decison on what tyoe of rv to buy as many have said is very personal. We always get asked this by new people and there is no answer! Nor is there one to the question of whether you get lonely traveling alone. I, for one, do. Its true there are no friendlier people than campers, but still when i would go alone it would seem everyone was with friends or familes. And there are many (most) in the group that love setting our alone and that is their favorite part of it. But after a day or so of dof walking and reading that was enough for me. But still of course, our meetups are the best and if you can meet any of the ladies or even go for a day before you get your rig even, do so! Wendy