Hi all!I have been on here reading everyone’s great advice and info.
We are looking to get our first motorhome and I wanted to see if anyone had any advice they would be willing to share.Please don’t be shy about your thoughts…I am the kind of person who would rather have all the information (good and bad) before making a big decision.
Here’s the twist for us – we have never walked through this RV.It is in AR and we are in MD.I have had 2 people from the dealer walk thru it and go over everything with me as they walked through.Both have said it is in excellent condition.For the price range we were looking in ($50K out the door) we were expected a worn look.That being said, if we get there and things are not what they were said to be we are quite ok with walking away and taking it as a “road trip vaca”.
We are looking at this unit (I hope it’s ok to post the exact unit we are looking at):http://www.campingworld.com/rvsales/detail.cfm?v=173960
2001 Fleetwood Expedition
50K + miles
Direct TV Satellite Dish (we will want to add internet rather quickly too)
Auto Leveling Jacks (added 2 years ago)
W/D hookup (we will be adding a new w/d right away)
It is said to be in excellent condition
175 hours on the Generator
2 front and 2 back wheel new
New batteries being installed before delivery
1 owner – purchased new and had all their service done w/ Camping World – intended to keep it and fell in love with a new rig when they came in for the tires to be replaced.
We are very concerned on weights.Because of our price range and needs we have a select few that work for us.We will be full time and our SUV weighs 4950.We wanted to be sure the weights worked out for us.My husband and I have both looked at the numbers and we believe they work.The dealer said they would but honestly, I don’t believe what they say (no disrespect but we have had several dealers tell us “not to worry” it would be fine and then it turns out we have 800 pounds after the car is added…that’s isn’t enough for us).
Does this look like a fair price?
Do the weights work for us?We figured we could tow our car and still have at least 2500 pounds for cargo weight
Towing – we can tow 2 up or 4 down.We are leaning towards 2 up because of price and not wearing down all 4 tires as much.Waiting for price in 4 down…any thoughts on this?
Warranty – I know this is a hard topic but if you were buying one this old would you purchase a warranty – Good Sam’s is 4 years, 48K miles for $6K.We are good with just sticking $ aside each month for such a thing but wondered if for this old of a unit it would be wise to get a warranty.
Internet – does it need a 2nd dish for internet or just wiring to use the same dish?
We are rather handy and fix 99% of things on our sticks and bricks home but neither of us has had much experience in fixing engines (aside from normal things, brakes, oil, etc).Things inside the rig we would probably be able to take care of.
My husband had spinal surgery in Nov and still is not able to do all he used to (and we are both in our 30’s).That being said I would be doing most of the physical lifting with this kind of living.I know there are several ladies on here who full time by themselves so I feel confident I can do this.He can help with some things but is limited especially when it comes to heavy things.
Any thoughts, concerns, advice would be GREATLY appreciated!
53 Merc said
10:58 AM Sep 2, 2011
I will let motorhomers answer most of your query, but with your limitations, I would be very wary of having a tow dolly for your SUV. If possible, you really want to tow 4 down. Finding a place to park the dolly is sometimes problematic, and having to man-handle (lady-handle?) the dolly would be a chore. Sounds like the generator has only been used infrequently. When they fell in love with the new rig, did they replace the tires on the one you are looking at? Be very careful on the satellite dish for internet. I understand it is somewhat pricey. And, no, the directv dish will not work for internet also. Most of us use an aircard from our selected provider. As far as an extended warranty, is CW giving you a one year warranty? (BTW, there is a long discussion on this forum about just that) If you can get a 1 year from CW, I would probably pass on the extended one, notice I said I would pass. What you decide is your choice. If you put 6,000 in savings set-aside now, you would probably be well served. I also wonder about your concern about weights. A lot of people do not consider the toad as part of the capacity of the unit. However, the paperwork indicates the hitch is 5K. That might give you an issue. Also, I did not see the engine specs. If it is underpowered, especially with a toad, you might have to stay to the right and do the best you can. I bet it is a good choice and you will be happy with it.
Blythe N Chuck said
11:22 AM Sep 2, 2011
Thanks! I did see and read the warranty thread. I just wasn't sure with a motorhome if it was more widely purchased. We were leaning towards not getting it and just putting as much aside each month as we could (we are savers at heart) but being this is our first rig we wanted to get others opinions.
We actually use a wireless card for internet now. Our problem is because my business is online we go through our 2.5 GB in 1-2 weeks. We went with Virgin Mobile because they don't have a contract. It's $50 for unlimited but it slows greatly after 2.5 GB. We might look at Verizon and lock in to a contract one with them instead. I was just wondering if it was less expensive for the sat internet with a Direct TV dish (wishful thinking ;)
That is an excellent question about them giving a 1 year war....I will see if I can work that in :) Do some dealers include that or do they usually sell them?
The tires...the previous owners brought it in to replace the front 2 tires, while there they wandered around and fell in love with a new rig. They ended up purchasing it and trading this rig in (they said they had intended on keeping this one but had to upgrade when the fell in love with the new one). CW then changed out the back 2 tires because they were worn down.
bjoyce said
11:51 AM Sep 2, 2011
On internet, try the Advanced plan from Millenicom, 20GB on Verizon per month for $59.99 tax included. Right now we are in a Verizon extended network area and getting 1X (0.09 down, up 0.08 and ping of 978), just like a Verizon customer. The campsite we were in before this had strong 3G and were getting down 2.07 down, 0.44 up and a ping of 120. (Tests via Speedtest.net). If you need more than 1X all the time, get a Datastorm internet satellite dish which Bill Adams can help you with.
There are two weight limits on motorhomes, the GVWR is how much the motorhome can carry including itself, passengers, fluids and cargo, and the GCWR, which is higher and includes the vehicle being towed. You can't exceed either one. Full-timers typically carry somewhere between 2,000 and 3,000 lbs of cargo. Get the motorhome weighed with you inside.
-- Edited by bjoyce on Friday 2nd of September 2011 11:53:07 AM
janni said
12:40 PM Sep 2, 2011
X2 on the Millenicom plan. Had ours since January...from AZ-TX-LA-AR and all the way north to ND and now MT good coverage. Now on that coach......you got the girl half of this duo and I think it sounds fair....that is if everything is as they say. I have to agree on the towing four down as I have done a lot of research and it is preferred by a lot of rvers. NOT everyone I am sure but most. As for the warranty........I can only offer what my life lessons have taught me and I would pass. Once again, not everyone would but I have bought some of those warranties in the years and never was satified with how it worked out. We have the DirecTV sat dish on top of coach and don't think we will ever use it. The one they gave us when we subscribed has the hd channels and dh really likes them. I am not a big tv fan but I know him! I cannot say enough about a good generator. We use ours and stop anywhere we want for the night when traveling to destination. Coffee is put on, internet up, even a movie on tv couple times......oh, and a little heat when necessary too. Very important to this girl! LOVE my stacking W/D but it has limited my social network. Great people met at many a laundromat but would not trade it now. Leveling jacks and tires are both important. We have auto levelers and dont know anything else. The tires I asked about when buying, and the owner of the rv dealership said that we wouldn't wear them out............whatever that means? We are handy and have done a couple updates on ours with more to come. These are my opinions and not necessarily the gospel! Do you research and ask here and anyone else you know. Look it over and then go with what you decide...........there will always be things that can happen. They probably won't tell you but even the owners of new have stuff that just happens......that is life.
NorCal Dan said
03:05 PM Sep 2, 2011
I would read the fine print on what is and is not covered by the warranty. You can expect stuff to break on a 10+ year old rig. One thing I can say for sure about MH's, if you need to have something fixed it can get expensive quickly. There are some very expensive items on these coaches. I bought the extended warranty on our coach and have saved much more than it cost and was glad to have it. Right now our rig is in the shop to repair the Norcold reefer, and if the cooling unit is bad as we suspect, the cost will be close to $2k. They quoted me $3.2K for a new reefer unit, ouch! As you can see, expensive stuff. It's a gamble, you could spend the $6K and nothing breaks. But it could just as easily go the other way and save you thousands. I assume the cost is high due to the age of the coach. On our new rig the ext. warranty was $3.4K for 7 years of coverage. I was able to use the Monaco warranty for the 1st year, then purchased the ext. warranty for 8 years of coverage. My recommendation would be to purchase the ext. warranty if it covers all the major items in the rig, both chassis and house. But be careful, they normally exclude anything caused by a non-covered part.
We prefer to tow 4 down, but I have used a dolly. Dolly should be the cheaper way to go as no modification are needed to the toad. Usually the dolly can be unhooked and slid under the rear of the coach when not being used. Be sure your vehicle can be towed in whatever configuration you decide.
Internet - some parks have usable WiFi. We carry an air card to make sure we have internet no matter what...you can't depend on park WiFi.
I have no opinion on CW. Never dealt with them or had service performed by them. As for selling price I would use the NADA used coach calculator to see if the price is fair.
Hi all! I have been on here reading everyone’s great advice and info.
We are looking to get our first motorhome and I wanted to see if anyone had any advice they would be willing to share. Please don’t be shy about your thoughts…I am the kind of person who would rather have all the information (good and bad) before making a big decision.
Here’s the twist for us – we have never walked through this RV. It is in AR and we are in MD. I have had 2 people from the dealer walk thru it and go over everything with me as they walked through. Both have said it is in excellent condition. For the price range we were looking in ($50K out the door) we were expected a worn look. That being said, if we get there and things are not what they were said to be we are quite ok with walking away and taking it as a “road trip vaca”.
We are looking at this unit (I hope it’s ok to post the exact unit we are looking at): http://www.campingworld.com/rvsales/detail.cfm?v=173960
2001 Fleetwood Expedition
50K + miles
Direct TV Satellite Dish (we will want to add internet rather quickly too)
Auto Leveling Jacks (added 2 years ago)
W/D hookup (we will be adding a new w/d right away)
It is said to be in excellent condition
175 hours on the Generator
2 front and 2 back wheel new
New batteries being installed before delivery
1 owner – purchased new and had all their service done w/ Camping World – intended to keep it and fell in love with a new rig when they came in for the tires to be replaced.
We are very concerned on weights. Because of our price range and needs we have a select few that work for us. We will be full time and our SUV weighs 4950. We wanted to be sure the weights worked out for us. My husband and I have both looked at the numbers and we believe they work. The dealer said they would but honestly, I don’t believe what they say (no disrespect but we have had several dealers tell us “not to worry” it would be fine and then it turns out we have 800 pounds after the car is added…that’s isn’t enough for us).
Does this look like a fair price?
Do the weights work for us? We figured we could tow our car and still have at least 2500 pounds for cargo weight
Towing – we can tow 2 up or 4 down. We are leaning towards 2 up because of price and not wearing down all 4 tires as much. Waiting for price in 4 down…any thoughts on this?
Warranty – I know this is a hard topic but if you were buying one this old would you purchase a warranty – Good Sam’s is 4 years, 48K miles for $6K. We are good with just sticking $ aside each month for such a thing but wondered if for this old of a unit it would be wise to get a warranty.
Internet – does it need a 2nd dish for internet or just wiring to use the same dish?
We are rather handy and fix 99% of things on our sticks and bricks home but neither of us has had much experience in fixing engines (aside from normal things, brakes, oil, etc). Things inside the rig we would probably be able to take care of.
My husband had spinal surgery in Nov and still is not able to do all he used to (and we are both in our 30’s). That being said I would be doing most of the physical lifting with this kind of living. I know there are several ladies on here who full time by themselves so I feel confident I can do this. He can help with some things but is limited especially when it comes to heavy things.
Any thoughts, concerns, advice would be GREATLY appreciated!
Sounds like the generator has only been used infrequently.
When they fell in love with the new rig, did they replace the tires on the one you are looking at?
Be very careful on the satellite dish for internet. I understand it is somewhat pricey. And, no, the directv dish will not work for internet also. Most of us use an aircard from our selected provider.
As far as an extended warranty, is CW giving you a one year warranty? (BTW, there is a long discussion on this forum about just that) If you can get a 1 year from CW, I would probably pass on the extended one, notice I said I would pass. What you decide is your choice. If you put 6,000 in savings set-aside now, you would probably be well served.
I also wonder about your concern about weights. A lot of people do not consider the toad as part of the capacity of the unit. However, the paperwork indicates the hitch is 5K. That might give you an issue.
Also, I did not see the engine specs. If it is underpowered, especially with a toad, you might have to stay to the right and do the best you can. I bet it is a good choice and you will be happy with it.
We actually use a wireless card for internet now. Our problem is because my business is online we go through our 2.5 GB in 1-2 weeks. We went with Virgin Mobile because they don't have a contract. It's $50 for unlimited but it slows greatly after 2.5 GB. We might look at Verizon and lock in to a contract one with them instead. I was just wondering if it was less expensive for the sat internet with a Direct TV dish (wishful thinking ;)
That is an excellent question about them giving a 1 year war....I will see if I can work that in :) Do some dealers include that or do they usually sell them?
The tires...the previous owners brought it in to replace the front 2 tires, while there they wandered around and fell in love with a new rig. They ended up purchasing it and trading this rig in (they said they had intended on keeping this one but had to upgrade when the fell in love with the new one). CW then changed out the back 2 tires because they were worn down.
On internet, try the Advanced plan from Millenicom, 20GB on Verizon per month for $59.99 tax included. Right now we are in a Verizon extended network area and getting 1X (0.09 down, up 0.08 and ping of 978), just like a Verizon customer. The campsite we were in before this had strong 3G and were getting down 2.07 down, 0.44 up and a ping of 120. (Tests via Speedtest.net). If you need more than 1X all the time, get a Datastorm internet satellite dish which Bill Adams can help you with.
There are two weight limits on motorhomes, the GVWR is how much the motorhome can carry including itself, passengers, fluids and cargo, and the GCWR, which is higher and includes the vehicle being towed. You can't exceed either one. Full-timers typically carry somewhere between 2,000 and 3,000 lbs of cargo. Get the motorhome weighed with you inside.
-- Edited by bjoyce on Friday 2nd of September 2011 11:53:07 AM
We are handy and have done a couple updates on ours with more to come.
These are my opinions and not necessarily the gospel! Do you research and ask here and anyone else you know. Look it over and then go with what you decide...........there will always be things that can happen. They probably won't tell you but even the owners of new have stuff that just happens......that is life.
We prefer to tow 4 down, but I have used a dolly. Dolly should be the cheaper way to go as no modification are needed to the toad. Usually the dolly can be unhooked and slid under the rear of the coach when not being used. Be sure your vehicle can be towed in whatever configuration you decide.
Internet - some parks have usable WiFi. We carry an air card to make sure we have internet no matter what...you can't depend on park WiFi.
I have no opinion on CW. Never dealt with them or had service performed by them. As for selling price I would use the NADA used coach calculator to see if the price is fair.