My glorious wife has decided that our pickup/travel trailer setup can no longer accommodate 2 adults, 2 teens, and 4 dogs (one a pony-sized mastiff). So we now need an RV (a motorized one). I'm all for impulsive spending, but the long term effects of screwing this up are much more profound than chancing an Ebay estate pipe purchase.
We have a budget of x. X is right around $20k. I figure we can spend x-$2000 because we need to pay taxes/licence and put a tow thingie on her car.
My question(s) are:
Are there any brands to avoid or chase? I know that bayliner boats in the 80s were cheap and were cheaply made. Are there RV brands like that?
How many miles is a gas motor good for? A diesel?
We seem to be in the 1999-2004 range for RVs: what does routine maintenance run on ones of that vintage?
There are a couple diesel pushers out there in our range but are even older (1991-ish): are they viable?
Thoughts on slide-outs? I've heard bad things.
What costs occur that don't with regular vehicles?
Are there things I need to be looking for when I am examining an RV that a first time RV guy wouldn't know?
What questions haven't I asked?
We have a budget of x. X is right around $20k. I figure we can spend x-$2000 because we need to pay taxes/licence and put a tow thingie on her car.
My question(s) are:
Are there any brands to avoid or chase? I know that bayliner boats in the 80s were cheap and were cheaply made. Are there RV brands like that?
How many miles is a gas motor good for? A diesel?
We seem to be in the 1999-2004 range for RVs: what does routine maintenance run on ones of that vintage?
There are a couple diesel pushers out there in our range but are even older (1991-ish): are they viable?
Thoughts on slide-outs? I've heard bad things.
What costs occur that don't with regular vehicles?
Are there things I need to be looking for when I am examining an RV that a first time RV guy wouldn't know?
What questions haven't I asked?