RV or Travel Trailer????

[sdchickie]

Not sure if this is where I should post this but here it goes...
We are looking to buy our frist RV and I wanted some feedback from my dis friends about what kind to get. We found a really nice 26ft. Coachman Leprechaun but it's a 1991. The other option is a travel trailer. We want to be able to tow the jet skis down to the lake and sleep in the camper part, so my husband wants the Coachman. I think it would be better to get a tow behind travel trailer so we can unhitch and drive a regular car when we go camping, but then we would need to bring a second car to the lake to tow the jet skis and tow the camper. For those of you that have a RV is it a pain to unhook and drive the camper when ever you need something that isn't in walking distance? Is it possible to launch jet skis at a boat ramp with a RV? Any other differences that would make one better than the other??? Thanks for all your help, hope to be a FW junkie soon!

 

[JCJRSmith]

Get a toy hauler - best of both worlds.

See some examples here: http://www.jayco.com/php/products/toy.haulers/toy.haulers.php

 

[sdchickie]

That's really cool! But I don't think I could put my jet skis in there.

 

[PrincessNana]

That's really cool! But I don't think I could put my jet skis in there.

Can you triple tow in your state? If so, then you could tow the jet skis behind the travel trailer. Another idea is to put a second hitch on the front bumper of the Leprechaun and it would be easier to launch the jet skis. Just some ideas.

 

[becky1960]

Older Motorhomes can become Cash cows, remember 1991 is 20 years..We have a 1992 5th wheel and its seems something different breaks all the time..

 

[FloridaTeacher]

We started with a 5th wheel. It was a great intro. into camping. We upgraded to a motorhome. We LOVE it!!!

 

[CCIntrigue]

A travel trailer is an RV. Not sure what you're asking.

 

[rapriebe]

A travel trailer is an RV. Not sure what you're asking.

Yep, you are right, an RV is a travel trailer.



HOWEVER, if you read her post she was asking opinions on whether to get a travel trailer or a Class C. Alot of people refer to a motorhome as an RV.

 

[sdchickie]

Yes, I was talking about a class C, I just didn't know how to classify it so I just put the model that I was looking at. I'm worried about the age of it too, I keep thinking "would I buy a 20 year old car?" probably not. I'd rather go with the travel trailer, but my hubby wants the class C so he can tailgate with it and tow the jet skis. Is it safe to let the kids ride in the back without seatbelts while we are driving? That doesn't seem safe to me but my hubby says it is allowed for limos and RV's

 

[rapriebe]

Sorry, back to your question. We used to have a Class C and we would pull a boat with it. It was fairly easy to launch the boat and then go setup at our campsite. However, we made sure that we had everything we needed before we got to the campground because we weren't going to unhook and drive the RV into town.

Totally agree with Becky1960 about buying an older rig. We purchased an older Class C once and it was definitely a money pit. After leaving us stranded on I95 due to a busted timing belt, we sold it quickly. Too much to worry about everytime we went out.

If you normally camp pretty close to home, I would go with the travel trailer and just drive two vehicles. If you camp far away from your house, I'd go with a Class C no older than 10 years old.

 

[sdchickie]

Sorry, back to your question. We used to have a Class C and we would pull a boat with it. It was fairly easy to launch the boat and then go setup at our campsite. However, we made sure that we had everything we needed before we got to the campground because we weren't going to unhook and drive the RV into town.

Totally agree with Becky1960 about buying an older rig. We purchased an older Class C once and it was definitely a money pit. After leaving us stranded on I95 due to a busted timing belt, we sold it quickly. Too much to worry about everytime we went out.

If you normally camp pretty close to home, I would go with the travel trailer and just drive two vehicles. If you camp far away from your house, I'd go with a Class C no older than 10 years old.

Thanks, I think I've decided to wait till we find a newer Class C. You're right that 20 years is too old.

 

[Duane]

Terri,

Even though we are set with our "camping equipment", one of the things that I enjoy is looking at RV's. Whether it be at an RV show, on the web, or stopping by dealerships to look. That being said, two of my favorite places to regularly visit, are two companies that specialize in bank repos. Take a look at the links below. King RV, located in VA, has a lot of Class C rigs available... Who knows, maybe you can find something newer that will meet your needs...

King RV

Cranky Ape

 

[sdchickie]

Thanks for the info, King RV is only an hour south of me.

 

[DougY]

Our first RV was a 5th Wheel, and we never looked back. Still have the same RV, are Annual Passholders and travel to the campgrounds frequently.

 

[Bell30012]

Think about it from this angle... When you are driving down the road in a motor home and you want a cup of coffee someone can go brew one for you. Or cook you lunch, whatever. The kids can take a nap in a bed, watch television or play video games.

Now in a travel trailer...

 

[TheRustyScupper]

Older Motorhomes can become Cash cows, remember 1991 is 20 years . . .

1) Yep.
2) You could have stumbled onto a great deal.
3) More often, you are buying a money pit.
. . . tires often dry rot
. . . axles and wheel hubss can have hidden issues
. . . engines may need major reconditioning/rebuiling
. . . steel frame/structure could begin to rust
. . . aluminum sides can have problems
4) If you settle for the unit, get a MAJOR inspection first.
5) Have an RV mechanic go over every inch.
6) Best $200-$500 you will spend.

NOTE: I used to design and build special vehicles and one would
be surprised what can go wrong and the expense.

 

[Lyndria]

Terri,

Even though we are set with our "camping equipment", one of the things that I enjoy is looking at RV's. Whether it be at an RV show, on the web, or stopping by dealerships to look. That being said, two of my favorite places to regularly visit, are two companies that specialize in bank repos. Take a look at the links below. King RV, located in VA, has a lot of Class C rigs available... Who knows, maybe you can find something newer that will meet your needs...

King RV

Cranky Ape

Thanks! I have now bookmarked those sites!

 

[manning]

Take a look at this site

http://www.rv.net/forums/

 

[4mickey2]

we used to have jet skis and we bought a truck camper so we could tow them behind. loved the truck camper but, got more critters and needed more floor space. a tt wouldn't be bad but, i don't think i would ever want to tow jet skis behind a tt. i have seen double tows many times--just not for us.

i would also go for a newer c. we bought ours used--but, only a year old. someone else took that initial hit for us.

 

[bxtx]

It also depends on how much money you want to spend... class Cs will on the whole be much more expensive than a Travel Trailer - both purchase price and maintenance. You have another engine to service and be taxed on too.

We do not have jet skis - toy haulers are the best and I have seen them come out of toy haulers, as well as motorbikes etc too. The 'travel' space converts into sleeping areas for extra space inside.

We started with a new travel trailer bought new for $16k, sold 5 years later for $6k. Only reason to change was that we have 2 more kids by then and wanted more space! We upgraded to a 35' brand new TT for $25k and LOVE it! Next one will hopefully be a smaller one once my boys stop traveling with us We tow with our Expedition EL which is my normal every day 'soccer mom' car - it can access normal parking lots and every day life once you are at your destination. It has the built in DVD player and my kids travel the 1000 miles to Disney very easily and safely. Love having my regular vehicle!

Seat belt laws vary by state and you can find the information here http://www.nhtsa.gov/staticfiles/nti/pdf/811458.pdf but basically State laws usually require that drivers and passengers wear seat belts when operating or riding in a private passenger motor vehicle - so technically your passenger shouldn't be getting up for that coffee anyway

We stop, stretch our legs and take a mental break from driving on long distances.

That all said, if we started doing huge cross country tours for long periods of time, I can see the convenience of a motorhome.

Go to a RV show and see everything they have to offer