I have just started following these forums recently, and have found some great information out there. I retired three years ago, and my wife and I just decided to become part-time RVers. We are in the middle of our first extended road trip (40 days), and are having a great time. But, we are in a 26 foot TT which is starting to show its age, so we want to upgrade to something larger and newer in a fifth wheel.
Our plan is to do 2-3 road trips of about 5 weeks each per year for the next few years, before deciding if we ever want to become full-timers. The majority of our time will be spent in campgrounds with full hookups, but we may also do some 3-5 day trips where we will boondock.
I am looking for the best advice on a 5th wheel under $50k. Obviously construction quality is important, as well as floor plan. We are planning to attend a couple of RV shows in early 2015 and visit some RV dealers in the meantime, but I am looking for opinions on solid 5th wheels that won't break the bank.
Please share your best advice and experiences.
Glenn West said
07:01 AM Sep 7, 2014
Actually for the seldom use you are referring to most popular brands will do well. If you decide to go full time that is another story. Heartland Bighorns are good for vacation use. Some even full time in them. I don't recommend them for this though.
SharonWegner said
09:13 AM Sep 7, 2014
Glen, can you elaborate on why you don't recommend a BigHorn for full time use, and what DO you recommend? Thanks
Glenn West said
11:10 AM Sep 7, 2014
Heartland units, though I do personally believe it is one of the better mass produced units made today, don't hold up well in this environment. The "engineered wood" used in cabinetry cannot be refinished. There is a lot of thin cheap molding used, cheap faucets, general use of standard cheap rv stuff. Now people use them full time. They look very worn in a few years. This is acceptable to some but not us. We choose our signature. Now finding a used unit this old not neglected is a challenge. It uses real oak wood thru out it. No cheap trim. No 14 gauge wiring, Delta faucets, residential Amana residential fridge, blue dow foam insulation, very strong infrastructure, etc. I believe you get the picture. Now we intend to keep this for many years and it should look good in 10 years or more. Even then it can be refinished due to it being real oak wood. Down side units such as this are heavy. You will need a large truck or at least a new "super truck". Now I assume one could buy on of the better mass produced units and trade it just before it gets worn looking. I don't believe this is good though. Some do.
MarkS said
02:00 PM Sep 7, 2014
Sharon, a good resource for seing what the market has is RVT.COM. You can use the advanced search and set different parameters and see what is available nationwide. Don't limit yourself to the local area.
The Junkman said
06:02 PM Sep 7, 2014
Check out crankyape.com .. sometimes you can steal a deal there.. I have on some hotrods..
Yosemiteman said
03:12 PM Sep 8, 2014
Does anyone have a recommendation for a good 5er under $50k?
kb0zke said
04:09 PM Sep 8, 2014
A used Mobile Suites, but be sure to save enough money to buy a substantial truck.
Glenn West said
04:20 PM Sep 8, 2014
There is no 5ther for full time that I would recommended under $50,000 new. In the used market, Hickhitcher, DRV, Carriage, New Horizons, Excel, Teton (2005 or earlier). Be aware though, when buying used, have to really check it out. Any unit not properly cared for will be ruined in a few years. PPL Motorhomes in Houston, they have a website, has largest inventory of used units in USA.
jayc said
06:53 AM Sep 11, 2014
We began our full time adventure in a Heartland Bighorn 3055. I found that I didn't like the split bath so we traded it in for another Bighorn with the side-aisle bath and kept it for a couple of years. There was little wear and the trailer looked new.
kb0zke said
06:10 PM Sep 11, 2014
A used Bighorn was what gave us the idea that we really could full-time in an RV. No, it wasn't ours, but we liked what we saw.
SnowGypsy said
07:34 AM Sep 12, 2014
There are a lot of good deals out there with used right now and if you use an experienced RV tech to do an inspection, you can get lucky and save a bundle. The lesser quality units will work for full-timing but wear out more quickly. We used an entry level Forest River product for 4 years, 3 adults and a large dog and we are not "gentle" movers about and had a lot of stuff packed in it and it did fine, probably would have last a couple more years of hard use or 4 or 5 more if just for camping/vacation use. To me, it just depends on how long you will plan to full-time. It can also be useful to start out with something low end and/or used to see if the lifestyle is for you because the depreciation combined with having to unload it in a market flooded with used units can be an issue. I don't want to purchase something that I decide I don't want and then have to take a real hit selling it or if worse yet, not being able to sell it and continuing to pay insurance and personal property tax on something parked. People full-time in every type of RV and in every price range. I have seen people full-timing in pop-up campers and Prevosts and all were equally enjoying their choice.
I have just started following these forums recently, and have found some great information out there. I retired three years ago, and my wife and I just decided to become part-time RVers. We are in the middle of our first extended road trip (40 days), and are having a great time. But, we are in a 26 foot TT which is starting to show its age, so we want to upgrade to something larger and newer in a fifth wheel.
Our plan is to do 2-3 road trips of about 5 weeks each per year for the next few years, before deciding if we ever want to become full-timers. The majority of our time will be spent in campgrounds with full hookups, but we may also do some 3-5 day trips where we will boondock.
I am looking for the best advice on a 5th wheel under $50k. Obviously construction quality is important, as well as floor plan. We are planning to attend a couple of RV shows in early 2015 and visit some RV dealers in the meantime, but I am looking for opinions on solid 5th wheels that won't break the bank.
Please share your best advice and experiences.
We began our full time adventure in a Heartland Bighorn 3055. I found that I didn't like the split bath so we traded it in for another Bighorn with the side-aisle bath and kept it for a couple of years. There was little wear and the trailer looked new.