Advice Needed!

[Mimitibs]

My husband and I have always been attracted by the RV life but have not taken the plunge yet. We will be heading out to Tucson in May from upstate NY and will be living there for 4 months. We thought this would be an ideal time to drive out there as we have never explored the southwest. We would be taking along our cat and smallish dog and love the idea of having an RV for the trip out and for multiple road trips to explore while in Tucson. We are however completely new to this, as in never driven one before. Should we rent? Buy second hand? Buy brand new? Forget it and stay in motels? Any recommendations greatly appreciated!!

[AlexJ]

Originally Posted by Mimitibs

My husband and I have always been attracted by the RV life but have not taken the plunge yet. We will be heading out to Tucson in May from upstate NY and will be living there for 4 months. We thought this would be an ideal time to drive out there as we have never explored the southwest. We would be taking along our cat and smallish dog and love the idea of having an RV for the trip out and for multiple road trips to explore while in Tucson. We are however completely new to this, as in never driven one before. Should we rent? Buy second hand? Buy brand new? Forget it and stay in motels? Any recommendations greatly appreciated!!

Arizona in the Summer. You may have to go the hotel route just to keep from overheating.

[semdoug]

I would suggest renting one in the Tucson area for an experimental/trial road trip in the area.

[Ron J. Moore]

My recommendation also is go the hotel route because of the AZ heat. You can come home and make plans to go to a couple RV Shows.....that way you can walk thru the various Models, Manufacturer's and Sizes. Don't fall for some salesman who is going to "give you the deal of a lifetime." After you have walked thru, picked up brochures, and then start narrowing it down by Type, then research the Manufacturer's, warranties, do you want gas or diesel; and then really go in-depth on the diesel aspects, and the requirements for service other than a Dealer. My personal opinion is just that, but if and when you decide to buy....stay away from Camping World - there is plenty on line comments about them to send the Red Flag up. Come back here and ask these folks for their advice and recommendations.....they are truly talented in every aspect. Remember, the bigger you get, the harder to find "random parking." Safe travels, Ron

[bpalone]

As others have said, I would advise going a bit slow. Someone mentioned renting a RV while in the Southwest, I second that suggestion. Might even want to rent a couple different classes to get a real feel for what it is like. Not everyone will enjoy a Class B, same can be said for Class A and Class C. You have to also assess what you expect to use the RV for, mainly traveling or parking some place for a week or so and taking in the surrounding area in that time, or ?

Take your time, you don't have to make a decision today, or for that matter next week.

[Alec]

Having owned three class A's, from 34' to my current 27', and now my new 22' Paseo cjass B, I would pass on the A's as an introductory RV, and the B's are too restrictive as far as space for "stuff." So by default I (having never owned one) would vote for a C, because I assume it would handle more like a car, be easier to maneuver, and it seems they are the choice for rentals. Also, I would rent it from Albany; why miss the enjoyment of the RV on the way to AZ.
My two cents.

[Lakesidemn]

Originally Posted by Mimitibs

My husband and I have always been attracted by the RV life but have not taken the plunge yet. We will be heading out to Tucson in May from upstate NY and will be living there for 4 months. We thought this would be an ideal time to drive out there as we have never explored the southwest. We would be taking along our cat and smallish dog and love the idea of having an RV for the trip out and for multiple road trips to explore while in Tucson. We are however completely new to this, as in never driven one before. Should we rent? Buy second hand? Buy brand new? Forget it and stay in motels? Any recommendations greatly appreciated!!

We live in Minnesota, but have a vacation home in Tucson that we use, and rent out. I'm sure you know this, but summer temps are well over 100 during the day, and still quite stifling at night. As others have said here, I would not attempt to live in an RV during Tucson summers. When (not if) the air conditioning goes out, you probably need to stay in a hotel until it's repaired.

I don't know if you have looked into vacation rental homes? You will find a number of great AZ properties at very cheap prices during the summer. Most vacation homes are less than hotel rooms. Hardly anyone rents during the summer and the rates are 1/3rd of what they are in the winter. Check Evolve, VRBO, AirBnB, Trip Advisor, etc. Our home is in Oro Valley, and I would recommend staying in either north Tucson, Oro Valley, Marana, or anywhere along the Catalina Mountains. Unless your heart is set on Tucson, I would also look at Sedona or other AZ places with higher elevation.

[sally4157]

I would recommend renting one and driving the entire way with the pets. As for AZ heat, I was there with my pets in September and October (very hot time of year) and with electric hookups at RV stops, never had a heat issue. This is an excellent opportunity for you to try the lifestyle out. Also, remember that as you travel via RV, you can stop at motels periodically if feel the need. My trip covered 6,000 miles in the heat of the beautiful southwest... my pets and I were comfortable, happy, never knew what day of the week it was and we were free spirits.
As newbies, I would also recommend that you plan your trip completely. Maybe set it up so that you drive 3 hours a day and then stop at planned RV stop. This allows you to not worry about where to stay and gives you lots of time to take side trips and just relax.

[Road Hermit]

If you want to rent and drive there check out Transatlantic RV in Peekskill NY. They also have a California location and I believe you can rent here and return in CA.

[South Bird]

RVers head north to avoid Tucson and Phoenix summers. That is the benefit of the RV. Day after day of 100++ heat is no fun in an RV and as a first experience would turn me off to RVing. Take a week and fly to a City like SF. You can rent a van there and go north for a great trip and break from the heat.

[Mimitibs]

Oh, my! Thank you all so much! For some reason, I never got notified of any responses and was hunting around looking to see if my post got lost and there all your thoughtful replies were.
Our decision is to forego the RV ride down. We are too new at this, not handy, particularly, and my husband may have to telecommute on the drive down. So we are doing the motel stopping for now. But thank you all so much again!

[Alec]

Hilarious typo.

[Mimitibs]

Dreadful! Thanks so much for catching this, Alec.��

[Alec]

Best laugh I've had all year!