Please help us decide on our 1st Motorhome :)

[MikeysNewRide]

Jamie,

If you don't mind me asking what they gave you for it? That will help me know if I'm getting a good deal

[jschulz1720]

MiketsNewRide, I am pretty close to everyone at this dealership and have made a promise to them not to disclose any of the pricing/deals I receive. If you talk to Brian and he gives you a price, I can let you know if it's fare.

[MikeysNewRide]

Ok I have a question for you all...Since I've started this thread and read all the GREAT and WISE bits of info, I continue to wonder exactly what everyone seems to deem as a GOOD or GREAT deal?

I've seen some mention to go older, save money and then if it's not for us, I won't be out a bunch of money. I'm looking at it at a slightly different view....my view is to buy what I can "reasonably" afford that has the comforts or "must haves" that I believe will make our first experience much much more enjoyable, especially if we plan to came in the wilderness and not always at RV parks. Must haves are: Tankless water heater (to help heat shower water quickly to minimize waste if off grid), 4000kw generator, Auto Leveling Jacks (I've hear some say yes some say no but in reality I want to be comfortable and not stress about driving onto blocks or taking the time to do so).

So on that note I really don't want to spend over $57k + taxes/DMV fees I'll have to pay.
What can I expect to get for that now or even later in the fall or winter? What year and mileage combo is acceptable? Is a 2014 with 25,000 miles bad/fair/good/great? Or is a 2013 with 8,000 miles for let's say $2k or 3k the better deal?

Also can someone confirm here: Does the Redhawk have a TPO roof and the Greyhawk has Fiberglass or do they both have Fiberglass roofs? I can't find this info anywhere!
And what year did Jayco come out with J-Ride Plus on their Greyhawks?

Thank you all again....so much info just trying to sort it all out to make a good decision going forward

[Jopopsy]

Jayco class C's went to fiberglass roofs in 2016.

You will waste WAY more water w/ a tankless system then you will a normal hot water heater. The tankless is really meant for full hookups - read up on all the 'Girard Tankless is a piece of junk' threads on this forum for background. Personally I have no problem w/ the Girard, but I camp w/ full hookups.

[Lolead]

I would be VERY cautious when dealing with any seller that is selling well below market value because they are "moving out of the country". Although this may be ligitimate, this is a vbery common scam in the motorcycle/collector car market. I would pay NO money upfront and if the title is held by a 3rd party I would be hesitant unless the buyer and seller could meet at that institution in person to complete the transaction. Perhaps overly cautious but being the victum of an attempted scam on a collector car many years ago, I don't believe you can be too cautious. Good luck.

[Rustysocket]

do not get tankless water heater. consider yourself warned....

Sent from my SM-G930T using Tapatalk

[MikeysNewRide]

Don't most Greyhawks 2013-and up come with the tankless water heater already?

Also when did J-Ride start on the Greyhawk and when did the J-Ride Plus come along?

Thanks!

[drk98]

The Redhawk's do not have the fiberglass roofs. I wouldn't let the roof material keep you away from a good deal on a Redhawk that was the floorplan you wanted. Fiberglass and TPO have pros and cons just like anything else.

Jayco has finally ditched the tankless WH's for 2018 after having so many issues with them.

I'm not entirely sure when they added the j-ride. It's a start for improving the handling but it still needs help in my opinion but that's a whole different discussion.

[Jopopsy]

I stand corrected on the Redhawk roof. I thought they moved over w/ the Greyhawks.

[pconroy]

Originally Posted by Rustysocket

do not get tankless water heater. consider yourself warned....

Oh goodness - it's not like they explode.

[jvteach77]

Originally Posted by MikeysNewRide

Don't most Greyhawks 2013-and up come with the tankless water heater already?

Also when did J-Ride start on the Greyhawk and when did the J-Ride Plus come along?

Thanks!

The Greyhawks should have the tankless water heater. I've found the tankless not to be as bad as some people think it is, but the key to the tankless water heaters is the water pressure doing into the heater. If I have 35-40psi of pressure the heater cycles on and off and that means the water goes from hot to cold over and over. That does not make for a comfortable experience. I've also discovered that the on-board pump produces the right pressure for the tank, so it works well when drawing water from the coach tank. As for campgrounds, I was using one of the pressure regulators that they sell in the rv section at walmart and found that it was reducing the water pressure too much. I bought a better (read more expensive) regulator from Amazon that I can adjust and has a dial to show me what pressure is coming into the coach. I turned it up to about 45-46psi and the heater works wonderfully.

Also, when using tankless we turn the hot on wide open and get the water flowing hot, then add cold as needed.

[Karl06greyhawk]

Hi I Currently own a 06 greyhawk change the Oil myself because it's cheaper I bought it used from my uncle 3 years ago best money I ever spent just outfitted a 2013 Honda CR-V to pull behind I don't even realize I'm pulling something the v-10 has plenty of power I travel with my mom and dad two kids and a wife you know how wemon can bring a lot of stuff with them when traveling so the c class is good for now but will upgrade for more storage room and more sleeping capacity in 4 yrs or so anyway so keep that in mind with having 3 girls plus a wife I'm sure you will need plenty of storage any more questions just reply back im so blessed being that I get to travel at a young age Gods been good

[lonepalm]

Originally Posted by pconroy

Oh goodness - it's not like they explode.

We're very satisfied with our tankless water heater. Sure there's a learning curve but as long as you've got good pressure it works just fine.

[Baldfacemt]

We were a lot like you! What really helped decide on the "brand"was going to an Rv show where the Minnie Winnie's,Jaycos,Thors Forest River rigs are all In the same place. It gave us the chance to get in them, open the cabinets and compare quality, stability, fit and finish all in the same day. After getting on the roofs,checking out the storage compartments sized and quality of the interior what sold us onJayco was how stable it felt even when 8 or 10 people were inside. we got seasick in Some of the others, Many dealers did Not have jacks and boy what a difference.

We could also check our whole wall slides vs 1,2 or more slides and how it impacted the interior space..it was there we decided on our Jayco 29 MV. Even if your buying used the show gives you a chance to compare them. I found going around before the show it was easy to forget what features I felt were most desirable or functional as each had its pluses and minuses. So if your taking your time a larger show will help you figure out your must haves ...

We went with the Ford too as our local Ford dealer told us he would to the chassis and engine service. Good luck, the shopping is fun!

Gayle

[t18skyguy]

Maybe somebody already answered, but yes you do have to pay sales tax in California. I think it's somewhere between 7-10%. I recently purchased a 2017 31FS, but I made the deal over the phone with the seller and had to travel to get it but it was worth it. The bunks are great. Not just for sleeping, but for throwing your bags and stuff up there for storage. The trade off is you give up counterspace with the design, but that was never a big deal to us. As others have said be real careful with a too good to be true deal, and don't give any money up front or wire money. There are plenty of RV scams out there. I spent 3 months waiting for the right rig and the right price, and if your patient it will pay off. I settled on Jayco because the build quality, price, J- ride, and it had all the goodies. In my own opinion, the only comparable rig in quality would be the Winnabago, and I looked at everything in this price category. Twenty years of payments is a very long time, and if you don't buy it right, you'll be upside down with it so make sure your going to love it. You say the financing company is not calling you back? Do you have a decent down payment at least? I had to drive mine 2000 miles home, and it rides beautifully, at least for now. I don't know how handy you are with a wrench, but it really helps if you are. I really don't know how people do it if they have to pay everyone for everything. To calculate your payments, Dinkytown.net is the best for online calculators for about everything. What I really wanted was a fifth wheel, but my wife's back is so bad she has to get up and walk around. I was stunned that I'm getting 10 mpg with it. Didn't think it was possible, but maybe the 5 speed transmission helps. Plus I only do 58 mph on cruise control. Regarding the GVWR, with me in it, full water and fuel I weighed it at 13,500 pounds. The limit is 14,500. However, I do have the second air conditioner. The rig is heavy with it's twin slides and second air conditioner. If your set on a rig of this length, absolutely get twin air conditioners. Don't believe salesmen when they say one will do. There are a number of people on this forum who unload a rig because they thought one would be OK. One thing to know about the twin air is they are rated at 1100 watts each, so if you are running the genny with the air, you still have enough juice for the microwave. I'm still learning the rig, there is a lot to learn, and I'm experienced. Your going to feel a little overwhelmed at first. My last comment I think is the most important. If you can get covered storage for it I think it's well worth it. After that huge investment, protect it well. Good luck and welcome to our world.

[HudsonBlough]

I just joined this forum today, lol! I've enjoyed reading this post as I've been looking at purchasing a Jayco Greyhawk Class C recently.

I've invested in the dealer version of the NADA RV appraisal guide (over 15 years now) to help me and my friends make wise purchasing decisions when buying RV's. I've personally made 10K twice now after purchasing and only keeping 12-14 months used class A diesel pushers. Of course the value of any RV will drop every year you own it and so my purchasing model only works if you buy it for the right price and don't hang on to it too long. I like to purchase class A diesels around 10K under wholesale to feel good and I would suggest that if you buy a "gasser" (class A gas or class C gas) for 5K under wholesale, you are doing good. If I get too picky about the floor plan or color scheme, this purchasing model probably won't work (so you can't allow your wife to get too involved! lol). Sometimes it takes up to 6 months of searching to find a great deal like this but the pay off is good in the end and I love the "chase!" If on the other hand, you're planning on keeping the RV a long time, I would try to get the floor plan and RV that I really want and I'd be willing to pay closer to wholesale/trade in value, knowing full well that if I keep it longer than 1-2 years, I'll never get my money back out of it. Just my 2 cents after owning both class C's and class A's for 25+ years.

The current version (May-Aug 2017) lists the 2014 Greyhawk M-31 FS values in the following way: Suggested List as $99,235 (this is the new cost), Used Wholesale/ Trade-In value is $49,850 and the Used Retail is $69,850. These prices do not have any options in them (only figured with the standard features) and so if there are options with the coach, the price would go up slightly. There is a section in the guide where you can add in any optional features to change the values.

Hope this helps. Let me know if you want any other values.

Hudson from SC

[HudsonBlough]

Here is a 2013 Greyhawk 31 FS priced around NADA wholesale.

https://www.rvtrader.com/listing/201...31FS-120109387

They are using the Jan-April NADA value and they have mistakenly added in the options that are standard options which means the value they are trying to say it is, is wrong. The Jayco Greyhawks already have as standard options mosy if not all the options that they added. Only options above standard options are valid to add to the value. Nonetheless, this seems to be a good deal if it is legit.

Current NADA list this unit as $45,900 wholesale/trade in value and $64,250 as used retail (not counting options not included in the standard options).

[pconroy]

Originally Posted by HudsonBlough

Used Wholesale/ Trade-In value is $49,850 and the Used Retail is $69,850.

Thanks Hudson.

This is the data that's hard to swallow. You look on Craigslist and see "something similar to what you're trying to sell" selling for $69K then you go to the dealer to trade yours in and he offers you $49K.

You can't help but get mad at the dealer.

Our guy at Camping World was very up-front and shot straight with us on our trade in. He told us we'd get much more from a private sale, so that's what we did.


A $20K difference sure makes a hit to the wallet!

[bansai]

Hey Mike, nothing to add to this thread on my end, just noticed you're from Modesto. I was born and raised there

Good luck with all your decisions. You came to the right place.

[MikeysNewRide]

Hey Bonsai,

That's awesome! I'm actually in Manteca, but put the closest big city so people to say "where?" lol.

How do you like living out in Denver? Did a road trip 2 years ago with the family and stopped there for a couple days and like it.