Thought about buying a small motor home, but the market is crazy; Just bought one!!

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flyingaway
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Re: Thought about buying a small motor home, but the market is crazy

Post by flyingaway »

willthrill81 wrote: Fri Feb 05, 2021 2:39 pm
flyingaway wrote: Fri Feb 05, 2021 2:10 pm
willthrill81 wrote: Thu Feb 04, 2021 4:41 pm After I got so much excellent feedback in this thread, I thought that I should update it.

The short update is that we just bought a 2015 Winnebago Trend 23B. A stock picture of it is below.

Image

We have been watching the B, B+, and C markets pretty closely ever since I started this thread last year. The market for class Cs (i.e., with a sleeping bed over the driver's cab) has not been nearly as tight as that of Bs and B+s, but my DW really didn't want one, and I didn't particularly want one either. We wanted whatever we bought to serve as a second vehicle, and we wanted to park it at our home in our driveway. Only B and B+ motor homes are kosher with our HOA. Class B motorhomes are very expensive relative to all other choices in terms of their size, due to the difficulty manufacturers have in working within close and cramped OEM van spaces. Also, we couldn't find a class B that would seat and sleep three of us and also had a dry bathroom (i.e., the toilet is not in shower unit) in our price range.

We found a couple of class B models that we really liked, but we thankfully realized before buying anything that our daughter would need to sit facing forward in the RV, and most of those that seat more than two have the third (or fourth) passenger sitting sideways. But our daughter easily gets motion sickness, so we quickly ruled out any models where she wouldn't be facing forward.

The models we quickly fell in love with were the Winnebago Trends, both the 23B and 23L units, and the identical Itasca models, which appear to have been made from 2014-2018. Both of these feature dry baths, can seat a four people facing forward (plus two others facing sideways), can sleep at least four people, and have dry baths. This would be perfect for taking a friend or two of our daughter's with us on small camping trips but is still small enough that we could use it comfortably as a second vehicle when needed. The trouble we quickly ran into is that these units are very popular right now, and as soon as we would contact anyone who listed one online, they said that it was already sold. Dealers frequently report selling the units in under an hour from the time they are placed on their lot. We finally found one unit that appeared to be in great shape and which was available, but we thankfully realized that it was priced too high, even given market conditions.

We were close to giving up for a while when we found a unit on the other side of the country at a dealership that was over $10k less than the unit we passed on. It's currently being inspected for any problems, but it only has 20k miles on it and was immaculately maintained with detailed service records. We should be able to fly over to drive it back to our home in a few weeks. It also comes with a 90 day bumper-to-bumper warranty, starting from when we pick it up, from a nationwide RV insurance company. We know full well that we will encounter issues of various kinds along the way, but we're going to set aside funds for repairs, and I'm pretty handy and capable of doing quite a bit myself.

Needless to say, we're thrilled about this and are looking forward to hopefully many years of family vacations. First up on the list is a month long trip to Colorado, including all four of its national parks. :D
I am glad that you found the RV that you like. But you forgot to mention the price of this one.
$51,900.
Good for you. If I see this RV at some campsite, I will be knocking on the door and we can have a beer together and laugh about OMY and the 4% rule.
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Re: Thought about buying a small motor home, but the market is crazy

Post by willthrill81 »

flyingaway wrote: Fri Feb 05, 2021 3:38 pm
willthrill81 wrote: Fri Feb 05, 2021 2:39 pm
flyingaway wrote: Fri Feb 05, 2021 2:10 pm
willthrill81 wrote: Thu Feb 04, 2021 4:41 pm After I got so much excellent feedback in this thread, I thought that I should update it.

The short update is that we just bought a 2015 Winnebago Trend 23B. A stock picture of it is below.

Image

We have been watching the B, B+, and C markets pretty closely ever since I started this thread last year. The market for class Cs (i.e., with a sleeping bed over the driver's cab) has not been nearly as tight as that of Bs and B+s, but my DW really didn't want one, and I didn't particularly want one either. We wanted whatever we bought to serve as a second vehicle, and we wanted to park it at our home in our driveway. Only B and B+ motor homes are kosher with our HOA. Class B motorhomes are very expensive relative to all other choices in terms of their size, due to the difficulty manufacturers have in working within close and cramped OEM van spaces. Also, we couldn't find a class B that would seat and sleep three of us and also had a dry bathroom (i.e., the toilet is not in shower unit) in our price range.

We found a couple of class B models that we really liked, but we thankfully realized before buying anything that our daughter would need to sit facing forward in the RV, and most of those that seat more than two have the third (or fourth) passenger sitting sideways. But our daughter easily gets motion sickness, so we quickly ruled out any models where she wouldn't be facing forward.

The models we quickly fell in love with were the Winnebago Trends, both the 23B and 23L units, and the identical Itasca models, which appear to have been made from 2014-2018. Both of these feature dry baths, can seat a four people facing forward (plus two others facing sideways), can sleep at least four people, and have dry baths. This would be perfect for taking a friend or two of our daughter's with us on small camping trips but is still small enough that we could use it comfortably as a second vehicle when needed. The trouble we quickly ran into is that these units are very popular right now, and as soon as we would contact anyone who listed one online, they said that it was already sold. Dealers frequently report selling the units in under an hour from the time they are placed on their lot. We finally found one unit that appeared to be in great shape and which was available, but we thankfully realized that it was priced too high, even given market conditions.

We were close to giving up for a while when we found a unit on the other side of the country at a dealership that was over $10k less than the unit we passed on. It's currently being inspected for any problems, but it only has 20k miles on it and was immaculately maintained with detailed service records. We should be able to fly over to drive it back to our home in a few weeks. It also comes with a 90 day bumper-to-bumper warranty, starting from when we pick it up, from a nationwide RV insurance company. We know full well that we will encounter issues of various kinds along the way, but we're going to set aside funds for repairs, and I'm pretty handy and capable of doing quite a bit myself.

Needless to say, we're thrilled about this and are looking forward to hopefully many years of family vacations. First up on the list is a month long trip to Colorado, including all four of its national parks. :D
I am glad that you found the RV that you like. But you forgot to mention the price of this one.
$51,900.
Good for you. If I see this RV at some campsite, I will be knocking on the door and we can have a beer together and laugh about OMY and the 4% rule.
I look forward to it! :sharebeer
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Re: Thought about buying a small motor home, but the market is crazy

Post by ResearchMed »

willthrill81 wrote: Thu Feb 04, 2021 4:41 pm After I got so much excellent feedback in this thread, I thought that I should update it.

The short update is that we just bought a 2015 Winnebago Trend 23B. A stock picture of it is below.

Image

<snip>

Needless to say, we're thrilled about this and are looking forward to hopefully many years of family vacations. First up on the list is a month long trip to Colorado, including all four of its national parks. :D
This looks wonderful. The floor plans look really nice.

Hope you have lots of wonderful trips and many special memories.

RM
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Re: Thought about buying a small motor home, but the market is crazy

Post by willthrill81 »

ResearchMed wrote: Fri Feb 05, 2021 4:26 pm
willthrill81 wrote: Thu Feb 04, 2021 4:41 pm After I got so much excellent feedback in this thread, I thought that I should update it.

The short update is that we just bought a 2015 Winnebago Trend 23B. A stock picture of it is below.

Image

<snip>

Needless to say, we're thrilled about this and are looking forward to hopefully many years of family vacations. First up on the list is a month long trip to Colorado, including all four of its national parks. :D
This looks wonderful. The floor plans look really nice.

Hope you have lots of wonderful trips and many special memories.

RM
Thanks! We're thrilled and hope to spend 6-8 weeks in it this year alone.
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Re: Thought about buying a small motor home, but the market is crazy

Post by ThankYouJack »

willthrill81 wrote: Fri Feb 05, 2021 4:50 pm Thanks! We're thrilled and hope to spend 6-8 weeks in it this year alone.
Looks nice! Congrats!

I may have missed it upthread but did you mention what you anticipate for expenses and cost per night assuming about 50 nights a year in it?

Cheers to many adventures to come!! :sharebeer
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Re: Thought about buying a small motor home, but the market is crazy; Just bought one!!

Post by JayDee37 »

Oh, that looks amazing! I'm so jealous. My fiance and I hope to be able to purchase something similar during our retirement (in 20 years or so). He has an old pop-up trailer that we've been using for camping trips, but with 5 teen-aged kids between us (and a large dog) it's beginning to feel pretty cramped when we're all inside; plus the extra work of setting up and breaking down a pop-up feels less invigorating the older we get.

Congrats on the fun purchase!
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Re: Thought about buying a small motor home, but the market is crazy; Just bought one!!

Post by abuss368 »

I watched an episode of The Profit where a company that manufactured these motor homes was showcased. Amazing industry with a huge following.

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Re: Thought about buying a small motor home, but the market is crazy

Post by willthrill81 »

ThankYouJack wrote: Fri Feb 05, 2021 5:09 pm
willthrill81 wrote: Fri Feb 05, 2021 4:50 pm Thanks! We're thrilled and hope to spend 6-8 weeks in it this year alone.
Looks nice! Congrats!

I may have missed it upthread but did you mention what you anticipate for expenses and cost per night assuming about 50 nights a year in it?

Cheers to many adventures to come!! :sharebeer
Thanks!

Aside from the cost of the motor home itself, the biggest expenses are maintenance, insurance, campsites, and fuel. We're anticipating about $2,000/year in maintenance (on average; we'll probably spend $500 some years and $5,000 in others), and the insurance premiums will be about $1,000/year. We'll keep the motor home on our property, so we avoid storage costs (and it's more convenient). So we believe that the mostly fixed expenses will be about $3k/year.

Daily (i.e., variable) expenses can vary tremendously. We do plan on spending at least a third of our nights boondocking (i.e., no hookups). When we stay at campgrounds, we'll probably spend about half our nights in state and national park campgrounds (average of maybe $30/night) and the other half in commercial campgrounds (average of maybe $60/night, but varies wildly from place to place). So campsites will probably average about $30/night.

Fuel costs can also vary substantially, not the least of which is due to fuel costs. Our motor home is reported to get around 15 mpg, so at $3/gallon, that would work out to $.20/mile. Our planned trip to Colorado this year will probably cost us around $1,000 in fuel. Trips closer to home would probably cost more like $200 in fuel.

Assuming two regional trips in addition to a big trip, 50 nights in a year would cost us roughly $6,000, which would be $120/night.

Also, we'll be saving significantly on food costs vs. other modes of travel because we'll largely be eating food we prepare ourselves, so the cost of food will be similar to what we would spend at home.
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Re: Thought about buying a small motor home, but the market is crazy; Just bought one!!

Post by willthrill81 »

JayDee37 wrote: Fri Feb 05, 2021 5:09 pm Oh, that looks amazing! I'm so jealous. My fiance and I hope to be able to purchase something similar during our retirement (in 20 years or so). He has an old pop-up trailer that we've been using for camping trips, but with 5 teen-aged kids between us (and a large dog) it's beginning to feel pretty cramped when we're all inside; plus the extra work of setting up and breaking down a pop-up feels less invigorating the older we get.

Congrats on the fun purchase!
Thanks!

Wow, I'm sure that seven people and a big dog in a pop-up is very cramped indeed!
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Re: Thought about buying a small motor home, but the market is crazy

Post by Wanderingwheelz »

willthrill81 wrote: Thu Feb 04, 2021 4:41 pm After I got so much excellent feedback in this thread, I thought that I should update it.

The short update is that we just bought a 2015 Winnebago Trend 23B. A stock picture of it is below.

Image

We have been watching the B, B+, and C markets pretty closely ever since I started this thread last year. The market for class Cs (i.e., with a sleeping bed over the driver's cab) has not been nearly as tight as that of Bs and B+s, but my DW really didn't want one, and I didn't particularly want one either. We wanted whatever we bought to serve as a second vehicle, and we wanted to park it at our home in our driveway. Only B and B+ motor homes are kosher with our HOA. Class B motorhomes are very expensive relative to all other choices in terms of their size, due to the difficulty manufacturers have in working within close and cramped OEM van spaces. Also, we couldn't find a class B that would seat and sleep three of us and also had a dry bathroom (i.e., the toilet is not in shower unit) in our price range.

We found a couple of class B models that we really liked, but we thankfully realized before buying anything that our daughter would need to sit facing forward in the RV, and most of those that seat more than two have the third (or fourth) passenger sitting sideways. But our daughter easily gets motion sickness, so we quickly ruled out any models where she wouldn't be facing forward.

The models we quickly fell in love with were the Winnebago Trends, both the 23B and 23L units, and the identical Itasca models, which appear to have been made from 2014-2018. Both of these feature dry baths, can seat a four people facing forward (plus two others facing sideways), can sleep at least four people, and have dry baths. This would be perfect for taking a friend or two of our daughter's with us on small camping trips but is still small enough that we could use it comfortably as a second vehicle when needed. The trouble we quickly ran into is that these units are very popular right now, and as soon as we would contact anyone who listed one online, they said that it was already sold. Dealers frequently report selling the units in under an hour from the time they are placed on their lot. We finally found one unit that appeared to be in great shape and which was available, but we thankfully realized that it was priced too high, even given market conditions.

We were close to giving up for a while when we found a unit on the other side of the country at a dealership that was over $10k less than the unit we passed on. It's currently being inspected for any problems, but it only has 20k miles on it and was immaculately maintained with detailed service records. We should be able to fly over to drive it back to our home in a few weeks. It also comes with a 90 day bumper-to-bumper warranty, starting from when we pick it up, from a nationwide RV insurance company. We know full well that we will encounter issues of various kinds along the way, but we're going to set aside funds for repairs, and I'm pretty handy and capable of doing quite a bit myself.

Needless to say, we're thrilled about this and are looking forward to hopefully many years of family vacations. First up on the list is a month long trip to Colorado, including all four of its national parks. :D
We took a look at a used one before we decided on a new 2019 Winnebago Travato. Did you drive one?
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Re: Thought about buying a small motor home, but the market is crazy

Post by geerhardusvos »

willthrill81 wrote: Thu Feb 04, 2021 4:41 pm After I got so much excellent feedback in this thread, I thought that I should update it.

The short update is that we just bought a 2015 Winnebago Trend 23B. A stock picture of it is below.

Image

We have been watching the B, B+, and C markets pretty closely ever since I started this thread last year. The market for class Cs (i.e., with a sleeping bed over the driver's cab) has not been nearly as tight as that of Bs and B+s, but my DW really didn't want one, and I didn't particularly want one either. We wanted whatever we bought to serve as a second vehicle, and we wanted to park it at our home in our driveway. Only B and B+ motor homes are kosher with our HOA. Class B motorhomes are very expensive relative to all other choices in terms of their size, due to the difficulty manufacturers have in working within close and cramped OEM van spaces. Also, we couldn't find a class B that would seat and sleep three of us and also had a dry bathroom (i.e., the toilet is not in shower unit) in our price range.

We found a couple of class B models that we really liked, but we thankfully realized before buying anything that our daughter would need to sit facing forward in the RV, and most of those that seat more than two have the third (or fourth) passenger sitting sideways. But our daughter easily gets motion sickness, so we quickly ruled out any models where she wouldn't be facing forward.

The models we quickly fell in love with were the Winnebago Trends, both the 23B and 23L units, and the identical Itasca models, which appear to have been made from 2014-2018. Both of these feature dry baths, can seat a four people facing forward (plus two others facing sideways), can sleep at least four people, and have dry baths. This would be perfect for taking a friend or two of our daughter's with us on small camping trips but is still small enough that we could use it comfortably as a second vehicle when needed. The trouble we quickly ran into is that these units are very popular right now, and as soon as we would contact anyone who listed one online, they said that it was already sold. Dealers frequently report selling the units in under an hour from the time they are placed on their lot. We finally found one unit that appeared to be in great shape and which was available, but we thankfully realized that it was priced too high, even given market conditions.

We were close to giving up for a while when we found a unit on the other side of the country at a dealership that was over $10k less than the unit we passed on. It's currently being inspected for any problems, but it only has 20k miles on it and was immaculately maintained with detailed service records. We should be able to fly over to drive it back to our home in a few weeks. It also comes with a 90 day bumper-to-bumper warranty, starting from when we pick it up, from a nationwide RV insurance company. We know full well that we will encounter issues of various kinds along the way, but we're going to set aside funds for repairs, and I'm pretty handy and capable of doing quite a bit myself.

Needless to say, we're thrilled about this and are looking forward to hopefully many years of family vacations. First up on the list is a month long trip to Colorado, including all four of its national parks. :D
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Re: Thought about buying a small motor home, but the market is crazy

Post by willthrill81 »

Wanderingwheelz wrote: Fri Feb 05, 2021 8:57 pm
willthrill81 wrote: Thu Feb 04, 2021 4:41 pm After I got so much excellent feedback in this thread, I thought that I should update it.

The short update is that we just bought a 2015 Winnebago Trend 23B. A stock picture of it is below.

Image

We have been watching the B, B+, and C markets pretty closely ever since I started this thread last year. The market for class Cs (i.e., with a sleeping bed over the driver's cab) has not been nearly as tight as that of Bs and B+s, but my DW really didn't want one, and I didn't particularly want one either. We wanted whatever we bought to serve as a second vehicle, and we wanted to park it at our home in our driveway. Only B and B+ motor homes are kosher with our HOA. Class B motorhomes are very expensive relative to all other choices in terms of their size, due to the difficulty manufacturers have in working within close and cramped OEM van spaces. Also, we couldn't find a class B that would seat and sleep three of us and also had a dry bathroom (i.e., the toilet is not in shower unit) in our price range.

We found a couple of class B models that we really liked, but we thankfully realized before buying anything that our daughter would need to sit facing forward in the RV, and most of those that seat more than two have the third (or fourth) passenger sitting sideways. But our daughter easily gets motion sickness, so we quickly ruled out any models where she wouldn't be facing forward.

The models we quickly fell in love with were the Winnebago Trends, both the 23B and 23L units, and the identical Itasca models, which appear to have been made from 2014-2018. Both of these feature dry baths, can seat a four people facing forward (plus two others facing sideways), can sleep at least four people, and have dry baths. This would be perfect for taking a friend or two of our daughter's with us on small camping trips but is still small enough that we could use it comfortably as a second vehicle when needed. The trouble we quickly ran into is that these units are very popular right now, and as soon as we would contact anyone who listed one online, they said that it was already sold. Dealers frequently report selling the units in under an hour from the time they are placed on their lot. We finally found one unit that appeared to be in great shape and which was available, but we thankfully realized that it was priced too high, even given market conditions.

We were close to giving up for a while when we found a unit on the other side of the country at a dealership that was over $10k less than the unit we passed on. It's currently being inspected for any problems, but it only has 20k miles on it and was immaculately maintained with detailed service records. We should be able to fly over to drive it back to our home in a few weeks. It also comes with a 90 day bumper-to-bumper warranty, starting from when we pick it up, from a nationwide RV insurance company. We know full well that we will encounter issues of various kinds along the way, but we're going to set aside funds for repairs, and I'm pretty handy and capable of doing quite a bit myself.

Needless to say, we're thrilled about this and are looking forward to hopefully many years of family vacations. First up on the list is a month long trip to Colorado, including all four of its national parks. :D
We took a look at a used one before we decided on a new 2019 Winnebago Travato. Did you drive one?
Not this specific model, but everyone I've heard who has say that they drive beautifully. We thought hard about flying out to do a test drive before buying it, but it was going to cost us quite a bit, and the flight schedule would have been very annoying. We decided to take a small leap of faith, something that's very uncharacteristic of us when it comes to such matters. We got such a good deal on it that if we just don't like it, we can turn around and sell it where we live and easily recoup 100% of our investment, including the sales tax on it.
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Re: Thought about buying a small motor home, but the market is crazy

Post by ThankYouJack »

willthrill81 wrote: Fri Feb 05, 2021 6:40 pm
ThankYouJack wrote: Fri Feb 05, 2021 5:09 pm
willthrill81 wrote: Fri Feb 05, 2021 4:50 pm Thanks! We're thrilled and hope to spend 6-8 weeks in it this year alone.
Looks nice! Congrats!

I may have missed it upthread but did you mention what you anticipate for expenses and cost per night assuming about 50 nights a year in it?

Cheers to many adventures to come!! :sharebeer
Thanks!

Aside from the cost of the motor home itself, the biggest expenses are maintenance, insurance, campsites, and fuel. We're anticipating about $2,000/year in maintenance (on average; we'll probably spend $500 some years and $5,000 in others), and the insurance premiums will be about $1,000/year. We'll keep the motor home on our property, so we avoid storage costs (and it's more convenient). So we believe that the mostly fixed expenses will be about $3k/year.

Daily (i.e., variable) expenses can vary tremendously. We do plan on spending at least a third of our nights boondocking (i.e., no hookups). When we stay at campgrounds, we'll probably spend about half our nights in state and national park campgrounds (average of maybe $30/night) and the other half in commercial campgrounds (average of maybe $60/night, but varies wildly from place to place). So campsites will probably average about $30/night.

Fuel costs can also vary substantially, not the least of which is due to fuel costs. Our motor home is reported to get around 15 mpg, so at $3/gallon, that would work out to $.20/mile. Our planned trip to Colorado this year will probably cost us around $1,000 in fuel. Trips closer to home would probably cost more like $200 in fuel.

Assuming two regional trips in addition to a big trip, 50 nights in a year would cost us roughly $6,000, which would be $120/night.

Also, we'll be saving significantly on food costs vs. other modes of travel because we'll largely be eating food we prepare ourselves, so the cost of food will be similar to what we would spend at home.
Not bad at all, especially considering all of the adventures and memories that will be made
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Re: Thought about buying a small motor home, but the market is crazy; Just bought one!!

Post by abuss368 »

I saw one of these in the Walmart parking lot tonight!

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Re: Thought about buying a small motor home, but the market is crazy; Just bought one!!

Post by willthrill81 »

abuss368 wrote: Fri Feb 05, 2021 9:35 pm I saw one of these in the Walmart parking lot tonight!

Tony
You'll probably see them everywhere now! :D
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Re: Thought about buying a small motor home, but the market is crazy; Just bought one!!

Post by abuss368 »

I like the vehicles but think of how cold it could be!

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Re: Thought about buying a small motor home, but the market is crazy

Post by Wanderingwheelz »

willthrill81 wrote: Fri Feb 05, 2021 9:14 pm
Wanderingwheelz wrote: Fri Feb 05, 2021 8:57 pm
willthrill81 wrote: Thu Feb 04, 2021 4:41 pm After I got so much excellent feedback in this thread, I thought that I should update it.

The short update is that we just bought a 2015 Winnebago Trend 23B. A stock picture of it is below.

Image

We have been watching the B, B+, and C markets pretty closely ever since I started this thread last year. The market for class Cs (i.e., with a sleeping bed over the driver's cab) has not been nearly as tight as that of Bs and B+s, but my DW really didn't want one, and I didn't particularly want one either. We wanted whatever we bought to serve as a second vehicle, and we wanted to park it at our home in our driveway. Only B and B+ motor homes are kosher with our HOA. Class B motorhomes are very expensive relative to all other choices in terms of their size, due to the difficulty manufacturers have in working within close and cramped OEM van spaces. Also, we couldn't find a class B that would seat and sleep three of us and also had a dry bathroom (i.e., the toilet is not in shower unit) in our price range.

We found a couple of class B models that we really liked, but we thankfully realized before buying anything that our daughter would need to sit facing forward in the RV, and most of those that seat more than two have the third (or fourth) passenger sitting sideways. But our daughter easily gets motion sickness, so we quickly ruled out any models where she wouldn't be facing forward.

The models we quickly fell in love with were the Winnebago Trends, both the 23B and 23L units, and the identical Itasca models, which appear to have been made from 2014-2018. Both of these feature dry baths, can seat a four people facing forward (plus two others facing sideways), can sleep at least four people, and have dry baths. This would be perfect for taking a friend or two of our daughter's with us on small camping trips but is still small enough that we could use it comfortably as a second vehicle when needed. The trouble we quickly ran into is that these units are very popular right now, and as soon as we would contact anyone who listed one online, they said that it was already sold. Dealers frequently report selling the units in under an hour from the time they are placed on their lot. We finally found one unit that appeared to be in great shape and which was available, but we thankfully realized that it was priced too high, even given market conditions.

We were close to giving up for a while when we found a unit on the other side of the country at a dealership that was over $10k less than the unit we passed on. It's currently being inspected for any problems, but it only has 20k miles on it and was immaculately maintained with detailed service records. We should be able to fly over to drive it back to our home in a few weeks. It also comes with a 90 day bumper-to-bumper warranty, starting from when we pick it up, from a nationwide RV insurance company. We know full well that we will encounter issues of various kinds along the way, but we're going to set aside funds for repairs, and I'm pretty handy and capable of doing quite a bit myself.

Needless to say, we're thrilled about this and are looking forward to hopefully many years of family vacations. First up on the list is a month long trip to Colorado, including all four of its national parks. :D
We took a look at a used one before we decided on a new 2019 Winnebago Travato. Did you drive one?
Not this specific model, but everyone I've heard who has say that they drive beautifully. We thought hard about flying out to do a test drive before buying it, but it was going to cost us quite a bit, and the flight schedule would have been very annoying. We decided to take a small leap of faith, something that's very uncharacteristic of us when it comes to such matters. We got such a good deal on it that if we just don't like it, we can turn around and sell it where we live and easily recoup 100% of our investment, including the sales tax on it.
The only reason I mention it is two reasons:

I have a RAM ProMaster Winnebago Travato and the Pentastar V6 is a great engine for my 2 door Jeep Wrangler but is woefully underpowered in an RV that is hauling a LOT of weight- especially loaded with a few people, a bunch of water, a months worth of camping gear climbing up a mountain in Colorado. It can redline.

Also, you mentioned an HOA and a Class B like the one I own is a different animal than a Class B+/C you have a deposit on. Graphics are HOA kryptonite. I met with my HOA before making the purchase and presented them with images of the exact van we bought to be 100% sure we were good to go since storage options where we live are scarce, and pricey. I’d suggest getting approval in writing before making the purchase because I’ve seen several sad stories on my Facebook owners group about HOAs knocking RVs out of neighborhoods after purchases have been made. And that’s a pretty regular looking ProMaster.

That’s why I suggest you consider really put it through a good workout, hopefully loaded up in a real-world use case since it sounds like you really wish to get to the steep stuff.
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Re: Thought about buying a small motor home, but the market is crazy

Post by willthrill81 »

Wanderingwheelz wrote: Fri Feb 05, 2021 9:52 pm The only reason I mention it is two reasons:

I have a RAM ProMaster Winnebago Travato and the Pentastar V6 is a great engine for my 2 door Jeep Wrangler but is woefully underpowered in an RV that is hauling a LOT of weight- especially loaded with a few people, a bunch of water, a months worth of camping gear climbing up a mountain in Colorado. It can redline.

Also, you mentioned an HOA and a Class B like the one I own is a different animal than a Class B+/C you have a deposit on. Graphics are HOA kryptonite. I met with my HOA before making the purchase and presented them with images of the exact van we bought to be 100% sure we were good to go since storage options where we live are scarce, and pricey. I’d suggest getting approval in writing before making the purchase because I’ve seen several sad stories on my Facebook owners group about HOAs knocking RVs out of neighborhoods after purchases have been made. And that’s a pretty regular looking ProMaster.

That’s why I suggest you consider really put it through a good workout, hopefully loaded up in a real-world use case since it sounds like you really wish to get to the steep stuff.
There's no way that we can load it up and drive it through steep terrain before purchasing it. But I'll definitely watch out for the steep drives. In general, I don't like driving around with much water in any of the tanks; the added weight brings down fuel efficiency and makes the engine work harder. Nearly all of the people I've talked to and read about haven't had any issues with the engine being inadequate though; it's 280 HP.

Regarding the HOA, we've already gotten written approval from them. We just have to add a small straight shot fence between us and a neighbor, and it shouldn't cost much more than about $1k, well worth it to be able to store it at our home.

Thanks for the tips!
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Re: Thought about buying a small motor home, but the market is crazy; Just bought one!!

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My truck has more features than this!

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Re: Thought about buying a small motor home, but the market is crazy

Post by Wanderingwheelz »

:|
willthrill81 wrote: Fri Feb 05, 2021 10:04 pm
Wanderingwheelz wrote: Fri Feb 05, 2021 9:52 pm The only reason I mention it is two reasons:

I have a RAM ProMaster Winnebago Travato and the Pentastar V6 is a great engine for my 2 door Jeep Wrangler but is woefully underpowered in an RV that is hauling a LOT of weight- especially loaded with a few people, a bunch of water, a months worth of camping gear climbing up a mountain in Colorado. It can redline.

Also, you mentioned an HOA and a Class B like the one I own is a different animal than a Class B+/C you have a deposit on. Graphics are HOA kryptonite. I met with my HOA before making the purchase and presented them with images of the exact van we bought to be 100% sure we were good to go since storage options where we live are scarce, and pricey. I’d suggest getting approval in writing before making the purchase because I’ve seen several sad stories on my Facebook owners group about HOAs knocking RVs out of neighborhoods after purchases have been made. And that’s a pretty regular looking ProMaster.

That’s why I suggest you consider really put it through a good workout, hopefully loaded up in a real-world use case since it sounds like you really wish to get to the steep stuff.
There's no way that we can load it up and drive it through steep terrain before purchasing it. But I'll definitely watch out for the steep drives. In general, I don't like driving around with much water in any of the tanks; the added weight brings down fuel efficiency and makes the engine work harder. Nearly all of the people I've talked to and read about haven't had any issues with the engine being inadequate though; it's 280 HP.

Regarding the HOA, we've already gotten written approval from them. We just have to add a small straight shot fence between us and a neighbor, and it shouldn't cost much more than about $1k, well worth it to be able to store it at our home.

Thanks for the tips!
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Re: Thought about buying a small motor home, but the market is crazy

Post by Wanderingwheelz »

willthrill81 wrote: Fri Feb 05, 2021 10:04 pm
Wanderingwheelz wrote: Fri Feb 05, 2021 9:52 pm The only reason I mention it is two reasons:

I have a RAM ProMaster Winnebago Travato and the Pentastar V6 is a great engine for my 2 door Jeep Wrangler but is woefully underpowered in an RV that is hauling a LOT of weight- especially loaded with a few people, a bunch of water, a months worth of camping gear climbing up a mountain in Colorado. It can redline.

Also, you mentioned an HOA and a Class B like the one I own is a different animal than a Class B+/C you have a deposit on. Graphics are HOA kryptonite. I met with my HOA before making the purchase and presented them with images of the exact van we bought to be 100% sure we were good to go since storage options where we live are scarce, and pricey. I’d suggest getting approval in writing before making the purchase because I’ve seen several sad stories on my Facebook owners group about HOAs knocking RVs out of neighborhoods after purchases have been made. And that’s a pretty regular looking ProMaster.

That’s why I suggest you consider really put it through a good workout, hopefully loaded up in a real-world use case since it sounds like you really wish to get to the steep stuff.
There's no way that we can load it up and drive it through steep terrain before purchasing it. But I'll definitely watch out for the steep drives. In general, I don't like driving around with much water in any of the tanks; the added weight brings down fuel efficiency and makes the engine work harder. Nearly all of the people I've talked to and read about haven't had any issues with the engine being inadequate though; it's 280 HP.

Regarding the HOA, we've already gotten written approval from them. We just have to add a small straight shot fence between us and a neighbor, and it shouldn't cost much more than about $1k, well worth it to be able to store it at our home.

Thanks for the tips!
You’re welcome!

Report back after your first ascent to Eisenhower Tunnel. I’m curious how your wife holds up. Lol
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Re: Thought about buying a small motor home, but the market is crazy

Post by toomanysidehustles »

Report back after your first ascent to Eisenhower Tunnel. I’m curious how your wife holds up. Lol
You really want a diesel engine RV if your goal is to get through the mountains fast.

I have a 2020 Promaster cargo van (work van) and it struggles going I-70 west uphill with 15 BIKES (450 pounds) in it. Constant upshift/downshift and it's normal to go over 6,000 rpm's. It literally sounds like it is going to blow up. If one wanted to hit cruise control at 70 and maintain speed in the mountains, you want a diesel van with more torque.

We have a 36' Keystone Outback 324CG (close to 10,000 pounds loaded) and a Ram 2500 diesel tow vehicle which does't flinch or even downshift at 70mph from Idaho Springs to the Eisenhower tunnel. But it gets 10mpg doing that.

Regarding RV market madness...what is crazy...we bought our Outback brand new in December 2016 for $32,000 (paid invoice, dealer wanted it off their lot going into 2017) and looks like USED ones are now selling for $38K! Holy crap!!! No kidding on premium prices for RV's and trailers. https://www.rvtrader.com/listing/2017-K ... 5014842333
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Re: Thought about buying a small motor home, but the market is crazy

Post by csm »

Wanderingwheelz wrote: Fri Feb 05, 2021 9:52 pm
We took a look at a used one before we decided on a new 2019 Winnebago Travato. Did you drive one?

The only reason I mention it is two reasons:

I have a RAM ProMaster Winnebago Travato and the Pentastar V6 is a great engine for my 2 door Jeep Wrangler but is woefully underpowered in an RV that is hauling a LOT of weight- especially loaded with a few people, a bunch of water, a months worth of camping gear climbing up a mountain in Colorado. It can redline.

Also, you mentioned an HOA and a Class B like the one I own is a different animal than a Class B+/C you have a deposit on. Graphics are HOA kryptonite. I met with my HOA before making the purchase and presented them with images of the exact van we bought to be 100% sure we were good to go since storage options where we live are scarce, and pricey. I’d suggest getting approval in writing before making the purchase because I’ve seen several sad stories on my Facebook owners group about HOAs knocking RVs out of neighborhoods after purchases have been made. And that’s a pretty regular looking ProMaster.

That’s why I suggest you consider really put it through a good workout, hopefully loaded up in a real-world use case since it sounds like you really wish to get to the steep stuff.
We also have a 2019 Winnebago Travato (59K) and know what you mean about being underpowered in the mountains. We got it in summer of 2018 and took two long trips in 2018 and 2019 (we live in Florida) out west through Colorado, Million Dollar Hwy, Badlands & Black Hills, Yellowstone, Grand Tetons, Glacier Nat'l, Arches, Pacific Coast Hwy, Grand Canyon, etc. I still remember the drive into Yellowstone through the mountains when the brake light kept coming on and the engine was really struggling. And yes, we've done the Ike Gauntlet! It was great to have for Glacier at 20'11" long because there is a 21' limit to drive the Going-to-the-Sun road which is beautiful.

We love the rig and use it as our daily driver since we have no other car; it averages about 20 mpg for us. On those big trips (pre-COVID) we would stop at least once a week at a hotel (Hampton Inn, Staybridge Suites type of place) to get a longer shower, do laundry, stretch out. It was a nice mix between 'camping' and a hotel road trip.

Early last year we bought our 27' CoachHouse Class B+ on the Ford E450 and while the gas mileage is about half of the Travato (ca. 10-12 mpg), it has the required engine power to handle all those same mountain routes without any struggle whatsoever. My husband loves having this rig for the mountains compared to the Travato. With the extra elbow-room and fully enclosed shower (rather than wet bath), it is comfortable enough that we do not miss our occasional hotel stops (which we didn't want to do during the past year anyway). The rig is also beefy enough to accommodate a bike rack with two heavy e-bikes and is still fairly easy to park compared to a bigger rig or trailer pull.

Of course, we needed a storage place for it whereas the Travato is our daily driver and parked at our condo. Luckily, our storage place is five minutes away and we frequently pick it up to go someplace locally where we can go biking, or will take it for the day to the coast for a lunch and beach day, to be sure to keep it exercised.

We've thought of selling the Travato (and could probably sell it today for about what we paid), but we'd need to get a car to replace it, and don't really feel like going through the ordeal of a car purchase. Plus, we enjoy what it offers even for local use - cold drinks at all times, a toilet to avoid using a public toilet, a fridge to hold the groceries if it's a warm day and we're not headed straight home, and a place for one of us to hang out while waiting for the other, for example, at a dentist appointment.
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Re: Thought about buying a small motor home, but the market is crazy; Just bought one!!

Post by flyingaway »

OP. Do you plan to drive it to South America?
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Re: Thought about buying a small motor home, but the market is crazy

Post by csm »

toomanysidehustles wrote: Sat Feb 06, 2021 8:17 am
You really want a diesel engine RV if your goal is to get through the mountains fast.

I have a 2020 Promaster cargo van (work van) and it struggles going I-70 west uphill with 15 BIKES (450 pounds) in it. Constant upshift/downshift and it's normal to go over 6,000 rpm's. It literally sounds like it is going to blow up. If one wanted to hit cruise control at 70 and maintain speed in the mountains, you want a diesel van with more torque.

We have a 36' Keystone Outback 324CG (close to 10,000 pounds loaded) and a Ram 2500 diesel tow vehicle which does't flinch or even downshift at 70mph from Idaho Springs to the Eisenhower tunnel. But it gets 10mpg doing that.

Regarding RV market madness...what is crazy...we bought our Outback brand new in December 2016 for $32,000 (paid invoice, dealer wanted it off their lot going into 2017) and looks like USED ones are now selling for $38K! Holy crap!!! No kidding on premium prices for RV's and trailers. https://www.rvtrader.com/listing/2017-K ... 5014842333
We were posting at the same time - see my post just above. Our 27' B+ on a Ford E450 gas engine also does exceptionally well in the mountains. However, I'm not sure one should go much larger on that engine. A lot of the Class A gas motorhomes are on the same chassis (32 - 38 feet) and I can imagine that is pushing it.

Agree on the crazy prices. We bought our 2019 Travato new in 2018 and have seen similar units selling used today for what we paid. We bought our 2019 CoachHouse used for 40% less than the new selling price, and could easily get our money back today, including the upgrades we put into it (lithium battery set up, upgraded TV and SONOS soundbar and subwoofer, upgraded inverter, among a host of other small improvements).
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Re: Thought about buying a small motor home, but the market is crazy; Just bought one!!

Post by WhyNotUs »

While I bought a diesel Mercedes because I live in the mtns, there are plenty of ProMaster or other gas RVs around. Stay in the right lane and put on flashers in the steep sections. There are Uhauls, semis, and other RVs doing the same thing. If you are on a long trip, no need to race and create stress. It is vacation!
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Re: Thought about buying a small motor home, but the market is crazy; Just bought one!!

Post by KneeReplacementTutor »

Willthrill81.

We have friends who converted an old school bus into a poor man's rv. For three years now they've taken their two young kids on month-long summer expeditions to somewhat remote destinations. The've had some real unique experiences in that thing. Some of which I hope you get to experience and others I do not. Either way, you are in for some "adventures". Congratulations and happy camping! :happy
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Re: Thought about buying a small motor home, but the market is crazy

Post by willthrill81 »

Wanderingwheelz wrote: Sat Feb 06, 2021 5:22 am
willthrill81 wrote: Fri Feb 05, 2021 10:04 pm
Wanderingwheelz wrote: Fri Feb 05, 2021 9:52 pm The only reason I mention it is two reasons:

I have a RAM ProMaster Winnebago Travato and the Pentastar V6 is a great engine for my 2 door Jeep Wrangler but is woefully underpowered in an RV that is hauling a LOT of weight- especially loaded with a few people, a bunch of water, a months worth of camping gear climbing up a mountain in Colorado. It can redline.

Also, you mentioned an HOA and a Class B like the one I own is a different animal than a Class B+/C you have a deposit on. Graphics are HOA kryptonite. I met with my HOA before making the purchase and presented them with images of the exact van we bought to be 100% sure we were good to go since storage options where we live are scarce, and pricey. I’d suggest getting approval in writing before making the purchase because I’ve seen several sad stories on my Facebook owners group about HOAs knocking RVs out of neighborhoods after purchases have been made. And that’s a pretty regular looking ProMaster.

That’s why I suggest you consider really put it through a good workout, hopefully loaded up in a real-world use case since it sounds like you really wish to get to the steep stuff.
There's no way that we can load it up and drive it through steep terrain before purchasing it. But I'll definitely watch out for the steep drives. In general, I don't like driving around with much water in any of the tanks; the added weight brings down fuel efficiency and makes the engine work harder. Nearly all of the people I've talked to and read about haven't had any issues with the engine being inadequate though; it's 280 HP.

Regarding the HOA, we've already gotten written approval from them. We just have to add a small straight shot fence between us and a neighbor, and it shouldn't cost much more than about $1k, well worth it to be able to store it at our home.

Thanks for the tips!
You’re welcome!

Report back after your first ascent to Eisenhower Tunnel. I’m curious how your wife holds up. Lol
When we had an RPOD travel trailer and a GMC Envoy XL with the L6 engine, we had to go up the steep mountain passes quite slowly. Driving through Lookout pass at the Idaho/Montana state line on I90, we were only doing about 20 mph and the engine was doing at least 4,000 RPM. When traveling up a very steep hill in Oregon in the summer, the engine overheated, and we had to stop for about 20 minutes to let it cool. So trust me, I get it. I would have preferred a diesel engine, but we just couldn't find a model on a diesel chassis that fit all of our must-have needs. If we have to creep up the big mountains, so be it.
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Re: Thought about buying a small motor home, but the market is crazy; Just bought one!!

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flyingaway wrote: Sat Feb 06, 2021 8:40 am OP. Do you plan to drive it to South America?
Uh....no.
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Re: Thought about buying a small motor home, but the market is crazy; Just bought one!!

Post by willthrill81 »

WhyNotUs wrote: Sat Feb 06, 2021 8:45 am While I bought a diesel Mercedes because I live in the mtns, there are plenty of ProMaster or other gas RVs around. Stay in the right lane and put on flashers in the steep sections. There are Uhauls, semis, and other RVs doing the same thing. If you are on a long trip, no need to race and create stress. It is vacation!
Thanks! That is precisely our plan and what we had to do when we were towing a 3,500 lb. RPOD with our GMC Envoy and its L6 engine. Plus, we only got about 9-10 mpg. It's widely reported that the Trend averages 15 mpg, which is a big improvement over that.
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Re: Thought about buying a small motor home, but the market is crazy; Just bought one!!

Post by willthrill81 »

KneePartsPro wrote: Sat Feb 06, 2021 9:56 am Willthrill81.

We have friends who converted an old school bus into a poor man's rv. For three years now they've taken their two young kids on month-long summer expeditions to somewhat remote destinations. The've had some real unique experiences in that thing. Some of which I hope you get to experience and others I do not. Either way, you are in for some "adventures". Congratulations and happy camping! :happy
I jokingly tried to talk my wife into us getting a 'schoolie', but that flew like a boulder. There's no way she would ever drive anything that long, even a short one, and it definitely wouldn't be kosher with our HOA. But I've seen videos of families with 3-4 kids who live full-time in a schoolie fixed up very nicely. It seems that the biggest issue with them is keeping the engine operating properly.

Thanks!
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Re: Thought about buying a small motor home, but the market is crazy; Just bought one!!

Post by ResearchMed »

willthrill81 wrote: Sat Feb 06, 2021 10:05 am
WhyNotUs wrote: Sat Feb 06, 2021 8:45 am While I bought a diesel Mercedes because I live in the mtns, there are plenty of ProMaster or other gas RVs around. Stay in the right lane and put on flashers in the steep sections. There are Uhauls, semis, and other RVs doing the same thing. If you are on a long trip, no need to race and create stress. It is vacation!
Thanks! That is precisely our plan and what we had to do when we were towing a 3,500 lb. RPOD with our GMC Envoy and its L6 engine. Plus, we only got about 9-10 mpg. It's widely reported that the Trend averages 15 mpg, which is a big improvement over that.
We've driven that route through that tunnel, with the looong up and down no matter which way one goes, but we were in a regular car, so no problem.

We saw many slower vehicles, especially those 18-wheelers/etc., and a few huge contruction flat beds loaded with "who knows what [big] things". Those latter were sometimes going *painfully* slow. We felt sorry for them, as it must take them forever...
It was sobering to see so many runaway truck ramps, and occasionally they appeared to have been recently used...

But as long as there are passing lanes, it wasn't a problem.
(But I would NOT want to be driving there in bad weather or low visibility, in general, but especially because of those slow vehicles.)

Beautiful scenery, that approach to Glenwood Springs on I-70, especially from the east. We were stunned the first time, the greenery and the red rock/cliffs. Quite amazing, and even more so for an Interstate.

Ages ago, I had a VW bus, truly underpowered.
It felt like driving a billboard in cross winds.
But I only drove it once through the mountains, and once in LA, traded it for a Volvo :happy
Much safer, to put it mildly.

It would have been great to have a nice camper like yours, willthrill81!

RM
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Re: Thought about buying a small motor home, but the market is crazy; Just bought one!!

Post by stoptothink »

ResearchMed wrote: Sat Feb 06, 2021 11:05 am
Ages ago, I had a VW bus, truly underpowered.
It felt like driving a billboard in cross winds.
But I only drove it once through the mountains, and once in LA, traded it for a Volvo :happy
Much safer, to put it mildly.

It would have been great to have a nice camper like yours, willthrill81!

RM
Growing up (in the mid-late 80's) my mom drove a VW bus as it was the only thing she could afford that could comfortably seat 5 kids. My grandfather lived at the top of a short (maybe 1/4 mile up), but fairly steep hill; whenever we visited we did not even attempt to park at his home. Parked at the bottom of the hill and walked up.
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Re: Thought about buying a small motor home, but the market is crazy; Just bought one!!

Post by willthrill81 »

ResearchMed wrote: Sat Feb 06, 2021 11:05 am
willthrill81 wrote: Sat Feb 06, 2021 10:05 am
WhyNotUs wrote: Sat Feb 06, 2021 8:45 am While I bought a diesel Mercedes because I live in the mtns, there are plenty of ProMaster or other gas RVs around. Stay in the right lane and put on flashers in the steep sections. There are Uhauls, semis, and other RVs doing the same thing. If you are on a long trip, no need to race and create stress. It is vacation!
Thanks! That is precisely our plan and what we had to do when we were towing a 3,500 lb. RPOD with our GMC Envoy and its L6 engine. Plus, we only got about 9-10 mpg. It's widely reported that the Trend averages 15 mpg, which is a big improvement over that.
We've driven that route through that tunnel, with the looong up and down no matter which way one goes, but we were in a regular car, so no problem.

We saw many slower vehicles, especially those 18-wheelers/etc., and a few huge contruction flat beds loaded with "who knows what [big] things". Those latter were sometimes going *painfully* slow. We felt sorry for them, as it must take them forever...
It was sobering to see so many runaway truck ramps, and occasionally they appeared to have been recently used...

But as long as there are passing lanes, it wasn't a problem.
(But I would NOT want to be driving there in bad weather or low visibility, in general, but especially because of those slow vehicles.)

Beautiful scenery, that approach to Glenwood Springs on I-70, especially from the east. We were stunned the first time, the greenery and the red rock/cliffs. Quite amazing, and even more so for an Interstate.

Ages ago, I had a VW bus, truly underpowered.
It felt like driving a billboard in cross winds.
But I only drove it once through the mountains, and once in LA, traded it for a Volvo :happy
Much safer, to put it mildly.

It would have been great to have a nice camper like yours, willthrill81!

RM
Well, at least we know that we won't be the only people creeping up such steep grades! :wink:

And yes, we've already seen some videos of people driving on the Million Dollar highway during inclement weather and absolutely will not drive it or any other even potentially treacherous roads if the weather isn't good.
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Re: Thought about buying a small motor home, but the market is crazy

Post by Wanderingwheelz »

csm wrote: Sat Feb 06, 2021 8:41 am
toomanysidehustles wrote: Sat Feb 06, 2021 8:17 am
You really want a diesel engine RV if your goal is to get through the mountains fast.

I have a 2020 Promaster cargo van (work van) and it struggles going I-70 west uphill with 15 BIKES (450 pounds) in it. Constant upshift/downshift and it's normal to go over 6,000 rpm's. It literally sounds like it is going to blow up. If one wanted to hit cruise control at 70 and maintain speed in the mountains, you want a diesel van with more torque.

We have a 36' Keystone Outback 324CG (close to 10,000 pounds loaded) and a Ram 2500 diesel tow vehicle which does't flinch or even downshift at 70mph from Idaho Springs to the Eisenhower tunnel. But it gets 10mpg doing that.

Regarding RV market madness...what is crazy...we bought our Outback brand new in December 2016 for $32,000 (paid invoice, dealer wanted it off their lot going into 2017) and looks like USED ones are now selling for $38K! Holy crap!!! No kidding on premium prices for RV's and trailers. https://www.rvtrader.com/listing/2017-K ... 5014842333
We were posting at the same time - see my post just above. Our 27' B+ on a Ford E450 gas engine also does exceptionally well in the mountains. However, I'm not sure one should go much larger on that engine. A lot of the Class A gas motorhomes are on the same chassis (32 - 38 feet) and I can imagine that is pushing it.

Agree on the crazy prices. We bought our 2019 Travato new in 2018 and have seen similar units selling used today for what we paid. We bought our 2019 CoachHouse used for 40% less than the new selling price, and could easily get our money back today, including the upgrades we put into it (lithium battery set up, upgraded TV and SONOS soundbar and subwoofer, upgraded inverter, among a host of other small improvements).
It’s absolutely insane to think we bought our barely used, and I mean BARELY, 2019 Travato for $67,000 cash in May of 2019. The owner had it for only 10 weeks and put 350 miles on it.

The B van market has changed a lot since then.
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Re: Thought about buying a small motor home, but the market is crazy

Post by willthrill81 »

Wanderingwheelz wrote: Sat Feb 06, 2021 11:29 am
csm wrote: Sat Feb 06, 2021 8:41 am
toomanysidehustles wrote: Sat Feb 06, 2021 8:17 am
You really want a diesel engine RV if your goal is to get through the mountains fast.

I have a 2020 Promaster cargo van (work van) and it struggles going I-70 west uphill with 15 BIKES (450 pounds) in it. Constant upshift/downshift and it's normal to go over 6,000 rpm's. It literally sounds like it is going to blow up. If one wanted to hit cruise control at 70 and maintain speed in the mountains, you want a diesel van with more torque.

We have a 36' Keystone Outback 324CG (close to 10,000 pounds loaded) and a Ram 2500 diesel tow vehicle which does't flinch or even downshift at 70mph from Idaho Springs to the Eisenhower tunnel. But it gets 10mpg doing that.

Regarding RV market madness...what is crazy...we bought our Outback brand new in December 2016 for $32,000 (paid invoice, dealer wanted it off their lot going into 2017) and looks like USED ones are now selling for $38K! Holy crap!!! No kidding on premium prices for RV's and trailers. https://www.rvtrader.com/listing/2017-K ... 5014842333
We were posting at the same time - see my post just above. Our 27' B+ on a Ford E450 gas engine also does exceptionally well in the mountains. However, I'm not sure one should go much larger on that engine. A lot of the Class A gas motorhomes are on the same chassis (32 - 38 feet) and I can imagine that is pushing it.

Agree on the crazy prices. We bought our 2019 Travato new in 2018 and have seen similar units selling used today for what we paid. We bought our 2019 CoachHouse used for 40% less than the new selling price, and could easily get our money back today, including the upgrades we put into it (lithium battery set up, upgraded TV and SONOS soundbar and subwoofer, upgraded inverter, among a host of other small improvements).
It’s absolutely insane to think we bought our barely used, and I mean BARELY, 2019 Travato for $67,000 cash in May of 2019. The owner had it for only 10 weeks and put 350 miles on it.

The B van market has changed a lot since then.
All of the information I'm seeing, both locally and nationally, is that consumers are strongly preferring smaller RVs now. If you want a class A or a fifth wheel right now, you can take your pick from any of the local dealers. Even class Cs are still easily obtained, and new TT units are starting to become available, though this is not the time of year when most people are buying RVs. But the B and B+ units are just nowhere to be found, even on the national sites like RV Trader and RVT. And this isn't just fallout from COVID either; this appears to have been a growing trend for almost two years now.
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Re: Thought about buying a small motor home, but the market is crazy

Post by Wanderingwheelz »

willthrill81 wrote: Sat Feb 06, 2021 11:43 am
Wanderingwheelz wrote: Sat Feb 06, 2021 11:29 am
csm wrote: Sat Feb 06, 2021 8:41 am
toomanysidehustles wrote: Sat Feb 06, 2021 8:17 am
You really want a diesel engine RV if your goal is to get through the mountains fast.

I have a 2020 Promaster cargo van (work van) and it struggles going I-70 west uphill with 15 BIKES (450 pounds) in it. Constant upshift/downshift and it's normal to go over 6,000 rpm's. It literally sounds like it is going to blow up. If one wanted to hit cruise control at 70 and maintain speed in the mountains, you want a diesel van with more torque.

We have a 36' Keystone Outback 324CG (close to 10,000 pounds loaded) and a Ram 2500 diesel tow vehicle which does't flinch or even downshift at 70mph from Idaho Springs to the Eisenhower tunnel. But it gets 10mpg doing that.

Regarding RV market madness...what is crazy...we bought our Outback brand new in December 2016 for $32,000 (paid invoice, dealer wanted it off their lot going into 2017) and looks like USED ones are now selling for $38K! Holy crap!!! No kidding on premium prices for RV's and trailers. https://www.rvtrader.com/listing/2017-K ... 5014842333
We were posting at the same time - see my post just above. Our 27' B+ on a Ford E450 gas engine also does exceptionally well in the mountains. However, I'm not sure one should go much larger on that engine. A lot of the Class A gas motorhomes are on the same chassis (32 - 38 feet) and I can imagine that is pushing it.

Agree on the crazy prices. We bought our 2019 Travato new in 2018 and have seen similar units selling used today for what we paid. We bought our 2019 CoachHouse used for 40% less than the new selling price, and could easily get our money back today, including the upgrades we put into it (lithium battery set up, upgraded TV and SONOS soundbar and subwoofer, upgraded inverter, among a host of other small improvements).
It’s absolutely insane to think we bought our barely used, and I mean BARELY, 2019 Travato for $67,000 cash in May of 2019. The owner had it for only 10 weeks and put 350 miles on it.

The B van market has changed a lot since then.
All of the information I'm seeing, both locally and nationally, is that consumers are strongly preferring smaller RVs now. If you want a class A or a fifth wheel right now, you can take your pick from any of the local dealers. Even class Cs are still easily obtained, and new TT units are starting to become available, though this is not the time of year when most people are buying RVs. But the B and B+ units are just nowhere to be found, even on the national sites like RV Trader and RVT. And this isn't just fallout from COVID either; this appears to have been a growing trend for almost two years now.
We’ve been in Florida bouncing around for 10 days or so and I bet we’ve seen at least 30 Travatos here and there and in between.

I’d you’re looking for just pure value, as well as ease of ownership, that’s hands-down the one to buy. The Travato Owners and Wannabees Facebook group can have literally any question you can possibly come up with answered in less than 3 minutes at any hour of the day (and probably night). I think there’s over 10,000 members now. That’s worth it’s weight in gold when you’re miles from home and something has gone wrong- and things WILL go wrong. I just had trouble getting the flame at the burners making pancakes. I was stumped for a minute.

I didn’t go to TOAW though, since I figured the guy who filled my propane yesterday turned off the switch at the outside, which literally nobody has ever done before when filling the propane tank, or if they did they turned it back on after they were finished. This is how van life goes. Constant trouble shooting! Last night it was resetting the GFCI on the inverter because power to the TV wouldn’t come on- Shark Tank is the only show I care to watch. These are the long list of things you learn as you go. The Travato is so nice because you literally never need to plug in or use the generator unless you want to use the microwave. We don’t camp in the dead of summer so the AC is of no value to us.
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Re: Thought about buying a small motor home, but the market is crazy; Just bought one!!

Post by ResearchMed »

stoptothink wrote: Sat Feb 06, 2021 11:13 am Growing up (in the mid-late 80's) my mom drove a VW bus as it was the only thing she could afford that could comfortably seat 5 kids. My grandfather lived at the top of a short (maybe 1/4 mile up), but fairly steep hill; whenever we visited we did not even attempt to park at his home. Parked at the bottom of the hill and walked up.
My VW bus was mid-1960's, a true hippie-van. So I'm guessing there was less power (less everything? :happy ).
I also took the southern route to LA, so not so many serious mountains on that trip. (Previous trips included Loveland Pass, etc., long before the major Interstates everywhere...)

But it wasn't so much the uphills; it was those crosswinds! :shock: )
And especially unexpected gusts. Yikes.
Once there was a wee one, it was time for that Volvo!

willthrill81 wrote: Sat Feb 06, 2021 11:13 am Well, at least we know that we won't be the only people creeping up such steep grades!

And yes, we've already seen some videos of people driving on the Million Dollar highway during inclement weather and absolutely will not drive it or any other even potentially treacherous roads if the weather isn't good.
OMG! :shock:
That highway. GASP.
I couldn't even watch the video.

When we drive to Aspen (conference each summer most years), we do NOT take Independence Pass.
I developed a serious fear of heights that has gotten worse (who knew that would happen!?) as I got "old".
I would not take Loveland Pass these days, alas. Otherwise, we'd have taken a much more scenic route to Aspen, not just Independence Pass.

Would you take that camper on something like that with NO guardrails/shoulder, and cliffs?

RM
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Re: Thought about buying a small motor home, but the market is crazy

Post by willthrill81 »

Wanderingwheelz wrote: Sat Feb 06, 2021 12:08 pm
willthrill81 wrote: Sat Feb 06, 2021 11:43 am
Wanderingwheelz wrote: Sat Feb 06, 2021 11:29 am
csm wrote: Sat Feb 06, 2021 8:41 am
toomanysidehustles wrote: Sat Feb 06, 2021 8:17 am
You really want a diesel engine RV if your goal is to get through the mountains fast.

I have a 2020 Promaster cargo van (work van) and it struggles going I-70 west uphill with 15 BIKES (450 pounds) in it. Constant upshift/downshift and it's normal to go over 6,000 rpm's. It literally sounds like it is going to blow up. If one wanted to hit cruise control at 70 and maintain speed in the mountains, you want a diesel van with more torque.

We have a 36' Keystone Outback 324CG (close to 10,000 pounds loaded) and a Ram 2500 diesel tow vehicle which does't flinch or even downshift at 70mph from Idaho Springs to the Eisenhower tunnel. But it gets 10mpg doing that.

Regarding RV market madness...what is crazy...we bought our Outback brand new in December 2016 for $32,000 (paid invoice, dealer wanted it off their lot going into 2017) and looks like USED ones are now selling for $38K! Holy crap!!! No kidding on premium prices for RV's and trailers. https://www.rvtrader.com/listing/2017-K ... 5014842333
We were posting at the same time - see my post just above. Our 27' B+ on a Ford E450 gas engine also does exceptionally well in the mountains. However, I'm not sure one should go much larger on that engine. A lot of the Class A gas motorhomes are on the same chassis (32 - 38 feet) and I can imagine that is pushing it.

Agree on the crazy prices. We bought our 2019 Travato new in 2018 and have seen similar units selling used today for what we paid. We bought our 2019 CoachHouse used for 40% less than the new selling price, and could easily get our money back today, including the upgrades we put into it (lithium battery set up, upgraded TV and SONOS soundbar and subwoofer, upgraded inverter, among a host of other small improvements).
It’s absolutely insane to think we bought our barely used, and I mean BARELY, 2019 Travato for $67,000 cash in May of 2019. The owner had it for only 10 weeks and put 350 miles on it.

The B van market has changed a lot since then.
All of the information I'm seeing, both locally and nationally, is that consumers are strongly preferring smaller RVs now. If you want a class A or a fifth wheel right now, you can take your pick from any of the local dealers. Even class Cs are still easily obtained, and new TT units are starting to become available, though this is not the time of year when most people are buying RVs. But the B and B+ units are just nowhere to be found, even on the national sites like RV Trader and RVT. And this isn't just fallout from COVID either; this appears to have been a growing trend for almost two years now.
We’ve been in Florida bouncing around for 10 days or so and I bet we’ve seen at least 30 Travatos here and there and in between.

I’d you’re looking for just pure value, as well as ease of ownership, that’s hands-down the one to buy. The Travato Owners and Wannabees Facebook group can have literally any question you can possibly come up with answered in less than 3 minutes at any hour of the day (and probably night). I think there’s over 10,000 members now. That’s worth it’s weight in gold when you’re miles from home and something has gone wrong- and things WILL go wrong. I just had trouble getting the flame at the burners making pancakes. I was stumped for a minute.

I didn’t go to TOAW though, since I figured the guy who filled my propane yesterday turned off the switch at the outside, which literally nobody has ever done before when filling the propane tank, or if they did they turned it back on after they were finished. This is how van life goes. Constant trouble shooting! Last night it was resetting the GFCI on the inverter because power to the TV wouldn’t come on- Shark Tank is the only show I care to watch. These are the long list of things you learn as you go. The Travato is so nice because you literally never need to plug in or use the generator unless you want to use the microwave. We don’t camp in the dead of summer so the AC is of no value to us.
Yes, things can and certainly will go wrong (no matter what mode of travel you use, in our experience; we had some really rough encounters in hotels, including very pricey ones, in our trip to the Southwest last year). When we got to Gardiner, MT, in our rented motor home last year, we had very little hot water for showers. We called the owners up, and they couldn't figure out why, so they said to take it to an RV repair shop and that they would cover the bill. It took a tech about 5 minutes to see that the bypass valve for the water heater had been jostled partly closed and just needed to be turned back. The cost was $300! It's thing like that which I want to know inside and out (literally) about our Trend so I can take care of it as it comes up. I'll bring a tool set with me as well, which also came in very handy on that same RV trip last year.

We really liked the Travatos, but they just didn't work for what we needed and wanted to spend. If we still want a motor home by the time I retire, I really think that we'll bite the bullet and get something like a Leisure Travel Van Unity MB, which they are now putting on the Ford diesel chassis.
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Re: Thought about buying a small motor home, but the market is crazy; Just bought one!!

Post by Lalamimi »

Congrats! We have friends who upgraded last year or so ago at an RV show in another state, to a Class C. We bought a 25' Travel Trailer last June, loving it. Look into the Good Sam Extended Warranty. Not too expensive, and we got insurance with National General (RV insurance). Have fun!
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Re: Thought about buying a small motor home, but the market is crazy

Post by Wanderingwheelz »

willthrill81 wrote: Sat Feb 06, 2021 12:31 pm
Wanderingwheelz wrote: Sat Feb 06, 2021 12:08 pm
willthrill81 wrote: Sat Feb 06, 2021 11:43 am
Wanderingwheelz wrote: Sat Feb 06, 2021 11:29 am
csm wrote: Sat Feb 06, 2021 8:41 am

We were posting at the same time - see my post just above. Our 27' B+ on a Ford E450 gas engine also does exceptionally well in the mountains. However, I'm not sure one should go much larger on that engine. A lot of the Class A gas motorhomes are on the same chassis (32 - 38 feet) and I can imagine that is pushing it.

Agree on the crazy prices. We bought our 2019 Travato new in 2018 and have seen similar units selling used today for what we paid. We bought our 2019 CoachHouse used for 40% less than the new selling price, and could easily get our money back today, including the upgrades we put into it (lithium battery set up, upgraded TV and SONOS soundbar and subwoofer, upgraded inverter, among a host of other small improvements).
It’s absolutely insane to think we bought our barely used, and I mean BARELY, 2019 Travato for $67,000 cash in May of 2019. The owner had it for only 10 weeks and put 350 miles on it.

The B van market has changed a lot since then.
All of the information I'm seeing, both locally and nationally, is that consumers are strongly preferring smaller RVs now. If you want a class A or a fifth wheel right now, you can take your pick from any of the local dealers. Even class Cs are still easily obtained, and new TT units are starting to become available, though this is not the time of year when most people are buying RVs. But the B and B+ units are just nowhere to be found, even on the national sites like RV Trader and RVT. And this isn't just fallout from COVID either; this appears to have been a growing trend for almost two years now.
We’ve been in Florida bouncing around for 10 days or so and I bet we’ve seen at least 30 Travatos here and there and in between.

I’d you’re looking for just pure value, as well as ease of ownership, that’s hands-down the one to buy. The Travato Owners and Wannabees Facebook group can have literally any question you can possibly come up with answered in less than 3 minutes at any hour of the day (and probably night). I think there’s over 10,000 members now. That’s worth it’s weight in gold when you’re miles from home and something has gone wrong- and things WILL go wrong. I just had trouble getting the flame at the burners making pancakes. I was stumped for a minute.

I didn’t go to TOAW though, since I figured the guy who filled my propane yesterday turned off the switch at the outside, which literally nobody has ever done before when filling the propane tank, or if they did they turned it back on after they were finished. This is how van life goes. Constant trouble shooting! Last night it was resetting the GFCI on the inverter because power to the TV wouldn’t come on- Shark Tank is the only show I care to watch. These are the long list of things you learn as you go. The Travato is so nice because you literally never need to plug in or use the generator unless you want to use the microwave. We don’t camp in the dead of summer so the AC is of no value to us.
Yes, things can and certainly will go wrong (no matter what mode of travel you use, in our experience; we had some really rough encounters in hotels, including very pricey ones, in our trip to the Southwest last year). When we got to Gardiner, MT, in our rented motor home last year, we had very little hot water for showers. We called the owners up, and they couldn't figure out why, so they said to take it to an RV repair shop and that they would cover the bill. It took a tech about 5 minutes to see that the bypass valve for the water heater had been jostled partly closed and just needed to be turned back. The cost was $300! It's thing like that which I want to know inside and out (literally) about our Trend so I can take care of it as it comes up. I'll bring a tool set with me as well, which also came in very handy on that same RV trip last year.

We really liked the Travatos, but they just didn't work for what we needed and wanted to spend. If we still want a motor home by the time I retire, I really think that we'll bite the bullet and get something like a Leisure Travel Van Unity MB, which they are now putting on the Ford diesel chassis.
Maybe things have changed, but when I was shopping LTV were not boondocking vans. No battery power and weak solar. I could see why a less active retiree who wanted to hang out at KOAs would think they were cool, though.
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Re: Thought about buying a small motor home, but the market is crazy; Just bought one!!

Post by willthrill81 »

Lalamimi wrote: Sat Feb 06, 2021 12:36 pm Congrats! We have friends who upgraded last year or so ago at an RV show in another state, to a Class C. We bought a 25' Travel Trailer last June, loving it. Look into the Good Sam Extended Warranty. Not too expensive, and we got insurance with National General (RV insurance). Have fun!
Thanks, and congrats on your TT!

We already have our home and auto policies with Farmers, and they gave us a very competitive quote on insuring the Trend. We prefer to self-insure mechanical issues, but I understand why many don't for something as pricey as a motor home can be.
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Re: Thought about buying a small motor home, but the market is crazy

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Wanderingwheelz wrote: Sat Feb 06, 2021 12:42 pm Maybe things have changed, but when I was shopping LTV were not boondocking vans. No battery power and weak solar. I could see why a less active retiree who wanted to hang out at KOAs would think they were cool, though.
The latest LTV Unity comes standard with dual AGM batteries but has the option for lithium-ion batteries, but they are really overpriced, and many say that it's much cheaper to swap them out yourself. They also have a 400 watt solar option for $3k, which is also very overpriced but definitely harder, maybe impossible, to DIY and keep the warranty intact.

However, things will likely change a lot between now and when I plan to retire in ~12 years. Right now at least, we don't like to just park in one space for days at a time, and running the chassis engine is more than adequate to charge the coach batteries. Still, one of the first projects for our Trend will be an attempt to replace the single FLA battery with two GC2 batteries; I'm just not sure if they'll fit.
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Re: Thought about buying a small motor home, but the market is crazy

Post by mkc »

willthrill81 wrote: Sat Feb 06, 2021 12:31 pm
We really liked the Travatos, but they just didn't work for what we needed and wanted to spend. If we still want a motor home by the time I retire, I really think that we'll bite the bullet and get something like a Leisure Travel Van Unity MB, which they are now putting on the Ford diesel chassis.
Technically, that's the Wonder on the Ford Transit chassis. The Unity is still on the MB Sprinter one. (We have an LTV Unity CB)
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Re: Thought about buying a small motor home, but the market is crazy

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mkc wrote: Sat Feb 06, 2021 1:10 pm
willthrill81 wrote: Sat Feb 06, 2021 12:31 pm
We really liked the Travatos, but they just didn't work for what we needed and wanted to spend. If we still want a motor home by the time I retire, I really think that we'll bite the bullet and get something like a Leisure Travel Van Unity MB, which they are now putting on the Ford diesel chassis.
Technically, that's the Wonder on the Ford Transit chassis. The Unity is still on the MB Sprinter one. (We have an LTV Unity CB)
Good catch.
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Re: Thought about buying a small motor home, but the market is crazy

Post by Wanderingwheelz »

willthrill81 wrote: Sat Feb 06, 2021 12:52 pm
Wanderingwheelz wrote: Sat Feb 06, 2021 12:42 pm Maybe things have changed, but when I was shopping LTV were not boondocking vans. No battery power and weak solar. I could see why a less active retiree who wanted to hang out at KOAs would think they were cool, though.
The latest LTV Unity comes standard with dual AGM batteries but has the option for lithium-ion batteries, but they are really overpriced, and many say that it's much cheaper to swap them out yourself. They also have a 400 watt solar option for $3k, which is also very overpriced but definitely harder, maybe impossible, to DIY and keep the warranty intact.

However, things will likely change a lot between now and when I plan to retire in ~12 years. Right now at least, we don't like to just park in one space for days at a time, and running the chassis engine is more than adequate to charge the coach batteries. Still, one of the first projects for our Trend will be an attempt to replace the single FLA battery with two GC2 batteries; I'm just not sure if they'll fit.
I was wondering what you planned to do about the power system on the Trend since it didn’t sound sound like you were planning on hopping from 30 amp pole to 30 amp pole.

Probably the #1 mistake I see new RV owners make is with the power system. Not just under powering either. Just as often it’s over powering. Probably 4 out of 5 Travato lithium buyers would be far better off keeping the money in their pocket and going with the standard model. Maybe even 9 out of 10. We’ve been gone 10 days and haven’t plugged in once, nor have we run the generator a single time. People can sure find great ways to waste $25 large.
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Re: Thought about buying a small motor home, but the market is crazy

Post by willthrill81 »

Wanderingwheelz wrote: Sat Feb 06, 2021 1:22 pm
willthrill81 wrote: Sat Feb 06, 2021 12:52 pm
Wanderingwheelz wrote: Sat Feb 06, 2021 12:42 pm Maybe things have changed, but when I was shopping LTV were not boondocking vans. No battery power and weak solar. I could see why a less active retiree who wanted to hang out at KOAs would think they were cool, though.
The latest LTV Unity comes standard with dual AGM batteries but has the option for lithium-ion batteries, but they are really overpriced, and many say that it's much cheaper to swap them out yourself. They also have a 400 watt solar option for $3k, which is also very overpriced but definitely harder, maybe impossible, to DIY and keep the warranty intact.

However, things will likely change a lot between now and when I plan to retire in ~12 years. Right now at least, we don't like to just park in one space for days at a time, and running the chassis engine is more than adequate to charge the coach batteries. Still, one of the first projects for our Trend will be an attempt to replace the single FLA battery with two GC2 batteries; I'm just not sure if they'll fit.
I was wondering what you planned to do about the power system on the Trend since it didn’t sound sound like you were planning on hopping from 30 amp pole to 30 amp pole.

Probably the #1 mistake I see new RV owners make is with the power system. Not just under powering either. Just as often it’s over powering. Probably 4 out of 5 Travato lithium buyers would be far better off keeping the money in their pocket and going with the standard model. Maybe even 9 out of 10. We’ve been gone 10 days and haven’t plugged in once, nor have we run the generator a single time. People can sure find great ways to waste $25 large.
Well not to toot my own horn, but I know my way around batteries. I created this thread to help people understand how to create home battery backup systems, for instance.

In many of the places we'll be staying (e.g., high elevation), we'll need to run the furnace, and in addition to using a lot of propane, 12 volt furnaces can also use a lot of power, easily 6-8 amps while running. We know from experience that that can largely drain a single battery in just one cold night. Also, using more than 50% of a lead acid battery's capacity can result in premature failure of the battery, something we wish to avoid. And golf cart batteries are more durable than most other batteries since they are designed to be operated in golf carts bouncing over rough terrain with sudden starts and stops and driven by half-drunks. And the cost of two GC2 batteries is only about $150. In no way would I use lithium batteries at current prices unless we were full-timing. I'm not interested in solar panels either for the same reason.

When we rented our motor home last year, we ran the generator many evenings for an hour or so to cool down the unit via the AC and then shut it off during quiet hours. We did the same at several times when we stopped for lunch during the day as well. And one night in a Cracker Barrel parking lot, we ran the generator all night long in order to run the AC since it was quite warm. Yes, we're spoiled to cool temps, especially at night, but as they say, 'happy wife, happy life'! :D
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Re: Thought about buying a small motor home, but the market is crazy

Post by Wanderingwheelz »

willthrill81 wrote: Sat Feb 06, 2021 1:33 pm
Wanderingwheelz wrote: Sat Feb 06, 2021 1:22 pm
willthrill81 wrote: Sat Feb 06, 2021 12:52 pm
Wanderingwheelz wrote: Sat Feb 06, 2021 12:42 pm Maybe things have changed, but when I was shopping LTV were not boondocking vans. No battery power and weak solar. I could see why a less active retiree who wanted to hang out at KOAs would think they were cool, though.
The latest LTV Unity comes standard with dual AGM batteries but has the option for lithium-ion batteries, but they are really overpriced, and many say that it's much cheaper to swap them out yourself. They also have a 400 watt solar option for $3k, which is also very overpriced but definitely harder, maybe impossible, to DIY and keep the warranty intact.

However, things will likely change a lot between now and when I plan to retire in ~12 years. Right now at least, we don't like to just park in one space for days at a time, and running the chassis engine is more than adequate to charge the coach batteries. Still, one of the first projects for our Trend will be an attempt to replace the single FLA battery with two GC2 batteries; I'm just not sure if they'll fit.
I was wondering what you planned to do about the power system on the Trend since it didn’t sound sound like you were planning on hopping from 30 amp pole to 30 amp pole.

Probably the #1 mistake I see new RV owners make is with the power system. Not just under powering either. Just as often it’s over powering. Probably 4 out of 5 Travato lithium buyers would be far better off keeping the money in their pocket and going with the standard model. Maybe even 9 out of 10. We’ve been gone 10 days and haven’t plugged in once, nor have we run the generator a single time. People can sure find great ways to waste $25 large.
Well not to toot my own horn, but I know my way around batteries. I created this thread to help people understand how to create home battery backup systems, for instance.

In many of the places we'll be staying (e.g., high elevation), we'll need to run the furnace, and in addition to using a lot of propane, 12 volt furnaces can also use a lot of power, easily 6-8 amps while running. We know from experience that that can largely drain a single battery in just one cold night. Also, using more than 50% of a lead acid battery's capacity can result in premature failure of the battery, something we wish to avoid. And golf cart batteries are more durable than most other batteries since they are designed to be operated in golf carts bouncing over rough terrain with sudden starts and stops and driven by half-drunks. And the cost of two GC2 batteries is only about $150. In no way would I use lithium batteries at current prices unless we were full-timing. I'm not interested in solar panels either for the same reason.

When we rented our motor home last year, we ran the generator many evenings for an hour or so to cool down the unit via the AC and then shut it off during quiet hours. We did the same at several times when we stopped for lunch during the day as well. And one night in a Cracker Barrel parking lot, we ran the generator all night long in order to run the AC since it was quite warm. Yes, we're spoiled to cool temps, especially at night, but as they say, 'happy wife, happy life'! :D
I’ve never owned an RV with a furnace since our Travato is our first one. The Truma sips propane at such a remarkably low level it’s scary, and with the generous insulation that the 2019 and more recent years come with standard, it’s doesn’t run very hard, and doesn’t runs at all u less it’s in the low 50s. RVs have come a long way, as long as you don’t buy an entry level one, I guess.

We spent the night last night at Cracker Barrel. :)
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willthrill81
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Re: Thought about buying a small motor home, but the market is crazy

Post by willthrill81 »

Wanderingwheelz wrote: Sat Feb 06, 2021 2:19 pm
willthrill81 wrote: Sat Feb 06, 2021 1:33 pm
Wanderingwheelz wrote: Sat Feb 06, 2021 1:22 pm
willthrill81 wrote: Sat Feb 06, 2021 12:52 pm
Wanderingwheelz wrote: Sat Feb 06, 2021 12:42 pm Maybe things have changed, but when I was shopping LTV were not boondocking vans. No battery power and weak solar. I could see why a less active retiree who wanted to hang out at KOAs would think they were cool, though.
The latest LTV Unity comes standard with dual AGM batteries but has the option for lithium-ion batteries, but they are really overpriced, and many say that it's much cheaper to swap them out yourself. They also have a 400 watt solar option for $3k, which is also very overpriced but definitely harder, maybe impossible, to DIY and keep the warranty intact.

However, things will likely change a lot between now and when I plan to retire in ~12 years. Right now at least, we don't like to just park in one space for days at a time, and running the chassis engine is more than adequate to charge the coach batteries. Still, one of the first projects for our Trend will be an attempt to replace the single FLA battery with two GC2 batteries; I'm just not sure if they'll fit.
I was wondering what you planned to do about the power system on the Trend since it didn’t sound sound like you were planning on hopping from 30 amp pole to 30 amp pole.

Probably the #1 mistake I see new RV owners make is with the power system. Not just under powering either. Just as often it’s over powering. Probably 4 out of 5 Travato lithium buyers would be far better off keeping the money in their pocket and going with the standard model. Maybe even 9 out of 10. We’ve been gone 10 days and haven’t plugged in once, nor have we run the generator a single time. People can sure find great ways to waste $25 large.
Well not to toot my own horn, but I know my way around batteries. I created this thread to help people understand how to create home battery backup systems, for instance.

In many of the places we'll be staying (e.g., high elevation), we'll need to run the furnace, and in addition to using a lot of propane, 12 volt furnaces can also use a lot of power, easily 6-8 amps while running. We know from experience that that can largely drain a single battery in just one cold night. Also, using more than 50% of a lead acid battery's capacity can result in premature failure of the battery, something we wish to avoid. And golf cart batteries are more durable than most other batteries since they are designed to be operated in golf carts bouncing over rough terrain with sudden starts and stops and driven by half-drunks. And the cost of two GC2 batteries is only about $150. In no way would I use lithium batteries at current prices unless we were full-timing. I'm not interested in solar panels either for the same reason.

When we rented our motor home last year, we ran the generator many evenings for an hour or so to cool down the unit via the AC and then shut it off during quiet hours. We did the same at several times when we stopped for lunch during the day as well. And one night in a Cracker Barrel parking lot, we ran the generator all night long in order to run the AC since it was quite warm. Yes, we're spoiled to cool temps, especially at night, but as they say, 'happy wife, happy life'! :D
I’ve never owned an RV with a furnace since our Travato is our first one. The Truma sips propane at such a remarkably low level it’s scary, and with the generous insulation that the 2019 and more recent years come with standard, it’s doesn’t run very hard, and doesn’t runs at all u less it’s in the low 50s. RVs have come a long way, as long as you don’t buy an entry level one, I guess.

We spent the night last night at Cracker Barrel. :)
I've heard only rave reviews about the Truma furnace. It does seem to be significantly more efficient than standard RV furnaces, both in propane and electrical consumption.

Just so you know, the lingo among RVers is 'Crack-docking'! :P
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Re: Thought about buying a small motor home, but the market is crazy; Just bought one!!

Post by WhyNotUs »

I am looking at Renogy solar suitcase for my boondocking this year to charge my golf cart batteries. I do not like running the gennie and tend to be in one place for 2-3 days.
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