Helpful Tips to Consider When Buying a Motorhome
Many people rush into buying a motorhome, but this is not a good idea. For one thing, a motorhome is a major investment, second only to college tuition and housing. As you think about buying an RV, you should do a little homework because of the cost involved.
Educating yourself about all the basics involved in owning and operating a motorhome is highly recommended, especially when it comes to making the decision on the class of motorhome that’s right for you.
Before going any farther, let’s look at the first question you must answer: “Will I enjoy RV’ing enough to justify the cost of investing in a motorhome?” You need to discover the answer before putting any money down on an RV.
How can you find out how well a motorhome will match up to your wants? Our best advice for you in this regard is to rent a motorhome and take it with you on vacation! You will certainly know whether or not you want to own a motorhome by the time you get back home. Even a short trip lasting only 4 to 7 days can help you and your spouse, if you have one, to decide whether or not you can handle the steering, parking, and operating demands of a motorhome. Some people may decide RV’ing is not as fun as it appeared at first, while others will love it.
You can find motorhomes in three different classes: A, B, and C. If you choose a Class A, you will discover that it can be constructed in different ways. You may find one built on the chassis of a commercial bus, a commercial truck, or even a chassis made just for motorhomes. A Class A motorhome will give you the most space of all, with a length between 20 and 45 feet.
Prices on Class A’s start at around $50,000 and then the sky can be the limit. Some customized motorhomes have sold for $1,000,000 or higher. That’s a bit beyond most people’s budgets, but at least you know how expensive they can be.
You will find that most Class B motorhomes are built on a van chassis and have a roof that has been raised. Many have been turned from vans into motorhomes. Many people would think of them as a spruced up version of the van. If your roof is high enough, you might even be able to stand up inside the vehicle!
You should plan on a Class B if your trips include only one other person and are usually only about a week long or less. You can buy a Class B for a starting price of 30,000, but expect a lot of variance as far as pricing goes.
Finally, you have the Class C motorhome. Class C’s are normally constructed on a truck chassis and have a cab section attached to them. Most of the time, the cab section is van based, but they can also be truck based as well.
The one characteristic that stands out about this class of RV is that they usually are constructed with a cab-over style in which one of the sleeping areas is placed. These motorhomes are oftentimes referred to as mini-motorhomes.
So that should give you a pretty good idea of the different types of motorhomes that are on the market. Good luck, and happy shopping.
