New to list and some questions...

[janwatts]

Hi All,
I am completely new to the world of RV-ing (is this a verb?). My partner and I are considering buying a Class B in the early spring of next year (2013) and so I have a few preliminary questions for those of you who might have answers:
1) We are looking at Roadtrek or Pleasure Way - are there any other "brands" we should consider as well as these?
2) I picked up a comment regarding Roadtrek as a company, not being particularly good when it comes to responding to warranty issues? What are the opinions out there regarding Roadtrek as a company (or any others come to that...)?
3) Winterising. I live in New England in Massachusetts and wonder about storage for a new-ish Class B RV during the winter months? Your comments on the necessity of this would be most appreciated.
Other than that, I have appreciated the ongoing conversations on this forum and hope to keep learning as I read along.
Kind Regards,
Jan

[Sandersmr]

Welcome to the boards! I don't have a Class B so I can't answer your specific questions, but there are several ladies on here that do. Hopefully, they will have some good insight.

And sorry - since I live in TX, I don't particularly worry about winterizing. I use my TT year round, more so in the winter!!! The other ladies can help you with that as well.

[Dawn309]

Hi Jan and welcome. I can't help you with Class B's or storage, but there are a lot of ladies here who can.

Look forward to meeting you on the road somewhere.

[Bethers]

Welcome Jan. Don't think I've ever heard any negatives about RT. And service for any of them us about as good as the service place. From your question I gather you're thinking of buying new? I know one lady on her bought her Rt new. Hopefully she'll come in. several have bought used.

Winterizing is about the same no matter what kind of rig. Not difficult.

Glad to have you with us.

[avalen]

just wanted to say welcome
I don't winterize either really, a little of the pink stuff in my peetraps is all I really did for Arizona. Its probably evaporated by now.
We have a few ladies with roadtreks, I'm sure they will chime in when they get a chance, but from what I've observed, they are
quite popular as the market is not flooded with used ones.
Feel free to post your questions, if we don't have the answer, we'll certainly have an opinion.

[retiredhappy]

I've only heard good things about RT's. I just bought mine used sight unseen from www.vantasticvans.com. in Albuquerque, New Mexico. I was totally satisfied with dealing with them. When I decided to purchase they did a complete walk-around on the phone with me describing EVERY little nick and scrape, inside and out. I paid to have it delivered to me in Texas and you can refuse delivery at that time if all is not well. I was so pleased with the condition of mine. Everything was exactly as described and it was squeaky clean inside and out. Wilson was a pleasure to deal with and explained everything completely to me. Last time I looked they had quite a few 2011's so you wouldn't get hit with the huge depreciation on new models.

Welcome to the forum. You'll find there are a lot of us who have RT's.

[BirdbyBird]

Welcome to the forum. I can't answer the Class B answers but winterizing is not difficult but is necessary in the northern climates. With the class B's it is all about the differences in the floor plans and the length. There are differences that can mean a lot depending upon what you are hunting for. Some have real bathrooms and other just have small pull out areas. Given the small size, being able to get inside the different floor plans and "feel" the difference would be important.

[mtngal]

Welcome to the forum! Good choice re: Roadtrek! (Love mine). Another source for used is Roadtrek International. These are private sellers though. If you go new route, consider distance of drive to dealer for follow up. Tina is right on; check out lots of models; even if you think it's not the one; that way you will know the perfect rig when you find her!

[Travelinana]

Welcome! I have owned a Pleasureway and loved it but wanted just a tad bigger so in 06 I bought a Chinook 24'...Mine is for sale but it is now 10 years old and don't think you would want one this old. However, I would recommend at least looking at one. They were considered one of the highest quality RV's made. Chinook only made small MHs. They haven't been made since 06 but I haven't found that to be a problem at all. There are some 06's that are like new with very low mileage and the price would no doubt be much better than a new RT. Check out http://www.ebay.com or http://www.rvtrader.com

[janwatts]

Hi All,
Firstly, many thanks to all of you for such a warm welcome to the forum. You can't beat immediate kindness as a response.
I appreciate the varied comments about Class B motor-homes and will be sure to do further research around makes, models, floorplans etc. Currently, the thinking is to buy a 2010-2012 used RV.
As I do live in the north-east, perhaps I could refine my question regarding the winter months and owning an RV. Would any of you go to the expense of storing a new-ish RV, or do you think that emptying fluids, using winterizing chemicals (another area of research!) and any other usual/precautionary measures would be sufficient. I am working abroad for the months of August and September, but could conceivably buy something in the Fall if storage wasn't a necessity.
Many thanks for any further opinions and thanks again for welcoming me to the list.
Jan

[cpatinjones]

Hello and welcome!

[AlmostThere]

Hi All,
Firstly, many thanks to all of you for such a warm welcome to the forum. You can't beat immediate kindness as a response.
I appreciate the varied comments about Class B motor-homes and will be sure to do further research around makes, models, floorplans etc. Currently, the thinking is to buy a 2010-2012 used RV.
As I do live in the north-east, perhaps I could refine my question regarding the winter months and owning an RV. Would any of you go to the expense of storing a new-ish RV, or do you think that emptying fluids, using winterizing chemicals (another area of research!) and any other usual/precautionary measures would be sufficient. I am working abroad for the months of August and September, but could conceivably buy something in the Fall if storage wasn't a necessity.
Many thanks for any further opinions and thanks again for welcoming me to the list.
Jan

We owned 5th wheels in Alaska and what we did was to do the winterizing as to draining the water lines, emptying all tanks that hold water and removed all batteries. Then we covered with a huge tarp and everything always turned out ok except for a bit of wear where the tarp rubbed againsed the corners of the RV.

[WickedLady]

Are you asking if you can keep the RV at home over winter? Yes, you can by winterizing it properly. Drain the tanks and then put some of the pink RV antifreeze in the black tank to keep the seal in good condition and a bit in the toilet for the same reason. Be sure to drain the water lines; there are two low-point drain tubes under my tt that needs to be opened to be sure to get out all the water. Put about a cup of the RV antifreeze down the sinks and shower/tub drains so there is some in the gooseneck. I remove my battery, put it in the shed hooked up to a maintenance charger and that keeps it in excellent condition.

Oh, and don't forget to drain the water heater!

Hope this helps.

[Getupngo]

I don't have much to add, except to say welcome. As you can see, there are many women here with experience of all kinds -- RVing and not!

Join in the fun! I was a brand new RV'er when I first found this forum and I still am touched by how much support there is as we move through our various phases of life. I'm just about ready to put my home on the market in about a week and head out in my motor home. The ladies have been unwavering cheerleaders.

So, again, welcome!

;~) j

[janwatts]

Good Morning,
It's going to be another warm day here in the north-east, although we did have some thunderstorms and lots of rain yesterday afternoon/evening which cleared out some of the humidity.
Again, many thanks to those of you who added further comments. I feel quite confident now that we could keep the-rv-that-we-don't-have-yet in our driveway after following the procedures you have outlined. Yesterday morning we drove to an RV dealership in Rhode Island and saw a Pleasure Way Basis (even with our capacity to adapt, this is too small) and the Pleasure Way Lexor (which we liked). Both 2012. An Excel had just been sold and so we couldn't go inside, but we weren't sure about the width as we would be looking to use the van as a second car. All this being said, ideally we would be looking at a private sale ruling in 2009 models of Roadtrek or Pleasure Way. Of course, price becomes the paramount issue, particularly when you add on a 6+% sales tax on the purchase price. Still, our current thoughts have been on fuel efficiency and diesel engines over larger V-8 type engines. It appears, though that the models with diesel turbo technology also happen to be the more expensive models within at least Pleasure Way and Roadtrek? I'd appreciate any comments any of you might have in terms of makes and models where fuel efficiency is optimal.
A cup of coffee awaits.
Wishing all of you safe travels, or enjoyment of wherever you and your RV happen to be at this time.
Jan