Super Newbie

[Lisa0]

Hi all! I've been reading through many posts since I found this forum. I don't yet have a class B or any RV for that matter. For quite a while I have been thinking about touring around the country leisurely in a small RV but lately I have started looking into it more as I get closer to my 60's (in a couple years).

I really haven't figured out what I really want in a class B RV but I really am intrigued by the new solar options and Li-on batteries and what is possible with them. Though I also like the looks of a later model Xplorer and the tech of some newer high tech models. I would be traveling mostly by myself, perhaps sometime with another person and my small dog.

I'm not very mechanically inclined other than building some bicycles when I was younger. What scares me is worrying about tanks, dumps and LP. I'm also not that small a person and the bathroom area on some small RVs just don't seem like a great fit. Another thing is where to store it when not in use as we have a small suburban driveway so I would need to keep it elsewhere.

Any advice for newbies would be appreciated, thank you.

[Bruceper]

Dealers usually have storage space that you can rent. You would park it there and go pick it up when you need it.

As for tanks, dumps and LP I would suggest searching Youtube and watching a bunch of videos. Most systems are the same so you do not need a video on a specific unit, so watch a few different ones and you'll get the idea.

And the benefit of being somewhere in your RV is that another RV owner will typically give you a hand and show you how to do stuff.

[g1g]

Once you watch the youtube videos you can rent one even if it is just for a few days and during this time you can try everything out. Of course you can just go in and actually check out the bathroom to see how much room you have prior to renting. Different models are different. There is also the option to use the facilities at stores, restaurants and campgrounds.

[Rok]

Hi Lisa,

A few things that you should know going into this.

First, everyone seems to inflate their price, so you have to do some dickering when buying--new or used. (This is my opinion from what little experience I've had.) You will be dealing with the cream of the crop of slimy salesmen. The ticket price is bigger so there are more commissions to be made, so you get really experienced people to sell to you.

Second, almost all manufacturers cheep out on production of their product. You would think that if you are buying something for $100K+ that quality control issues would be dealt with, but you should check out each rig thoroughly before buying.

That being said, the two class B's that I've found with generous sized bathrooms are the Great West Legends (both the SE model and the EX model), and the Pleasure Way Anniversary Edition. GW is now out of biz, so you would probably have to buy used. (We went shopping this week, and were surprised that even LTV's (Leisure Travel Van's) B+'s weren't as generous for shoulder space.)

Both Advanced RV and Outside Van can make custom rigs (and both are also distinct in that they don't do the cheep out thing), but if you go custom, you will be into the big bucks.

After out outing this week, we're wondering if it may well be worth it to get something of quality...if we can afford it.

Class B'ing is a lot of fun, and I recommend it, but we've been wondering that with the resurgence in popularity of RVing if thing aren't going to be a little crowded this summer.

Good luck finding a great rig!

............Rocky

[Lisa0]

Thanks for the tips! Is this an appropriate place to ask more questions or should I do that in the general forum?

[Rok]

That is probably an either/or, but you might get more responses in the general forum.

.......Rocky

[SiennaGuy]

Originally Posted by Rok

...That being said, the two class B's that I've found with generous sized bathrooms are the Great West Legends (both the SE model and the EX model), and the Pleasure Way Anniversary Edition. GW is now out of biz, so you would probably have to buy used. (We went shopping this week, and were surprised that even LTV's (Leisure Travel Van's) B+'s weren't as generous for shoulder space.)

You mentioned the "Pleasure Way Anniversary Edition" and I'm not sure which model you're referring to (Ascent, Plateau, Lexor, Promaster, etc.). Also, which LTV models did you look at? Their Serenity, Libero, Unity or Wonder? Like newspapers say at the supermarket checkstands, "Enquiring minds want to know."

[Rok]

SiennaGuy:

The Pleasure Way Anniversary Edition was a Plateau IIRC. The LTV's were all versions of the Unity, again, IIRC.

..........Rocky

[Lisa0]

As long as this thread is getting some traction I'll post more about what I have been looking into.

Winnebago Travato-I like the tech, solar, ladder, bike rack and price of the but not the bed options and lack of seating. Prefer G due to extra seating area.
Winnebago Era 70A I like the under bed storage not the price it is also long bed setup plus front bench that turns to a bed.
Pleasure-Way Ascent Like the design
RoadTrek Agile SS
RoadTrek E-Trek great tech, good design, no propane, expensive
RoadTrek CS Adventurous expensive (probably too much vehicle) like features and design

I know I have a price span of mid 70's to 150k I'm still early on in my quest, hence super newbie. Thanks again!

[avanti]

Originally Posted by Rok

the two class B's that I've found with generous sized bathrooms are the Great West Legends (both the SE model and the EX model), and the Pleasure Way Anniversary Edition. GW is now out of biz, so you would probably have to buy used.

The GWV bathroom is great by B-van standards, especially the late-model ones with the doors that open up across the van to form a huge space. Last I checked, there were still a few unsold new units around, and plenty of used. Worth considering.

[Rok]

I just want to second what Avanti wrote below. I could have written the exact words he wrote myself.

The one thing that should be mentioned is that both the Pleasure Way and Roadtrek units seem to be made with higher quality, less offgassing, materials. When we were looking at new units we could actually SMELL the difference. The worst were the Winnebagos, particularly the ERAs. Unfortunately the only Great West we could look at was a used one a semi-local RVer owned and the smell had dissipated. When we got our new Great West Legend SE (2013) we found that it smelled just as bad as the Winnies smelled. The good news is that the offgassing goes away fairly quickly.

Unfortunately the Roadtreks, and to a lesser extent the Pleasureways offer less features at a higher price, or at least they did when we were looking three years ago.

Also REMEMBER that you never want to pay full asking price for your initial purchase in this industry. Everything I read says that the asking or list price is usually a full 20% to 30% higher than what they will take. The actual percentages that you should expect to the discount from asking/MSRP differs from whatever source you read, but I've never seen any source suggesting that you should pay full MSRP (or asking for used units). Personally, I hope that some others chime in with how they handle the initial negotiations because I'm really not that good at it.

........Rocky

Originally Posted by avanti

The GWV bathroom is great by B-van standards, especially the late-model ones with the doors that open up across the van to form a huge space. Last I checked, there were still a few unsold new units around, and plenty of used. Worth considering.