Please help us decide on our 1st Motorhome :)

[bansai]

Originally Posted by 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.

I love Colorado. After leaving Modesto (at 14) we landed in Salt Lake City for a couple years, then Atlanta, now here. It's a great state, my favorite so far. I do miss the pacific ocean.. (full disclosure)

My best friend as a child was in Manteca. Learned how to ride horses out there. Anyway, I won't derail your thread , wish you the best on your pending purchase.

[losttree]

Hey Mikey,

I just found this thread. Last week, we purchased the 2014 FS with 22434 miles that you had seen at a dealership. I live about 90 minutes from it and was able to check it out before making an offer. We traded in our 2007 Greyhawk Sport and financed the remainder through a credit union. Credit unions can be fantastic places to finance RVs.

We were hooked on the 31FS because of the bunks. Our 2007 had no slides so my son and daughter (8 and 11) had to share the overhead bunk or fold out the couch. It worked great for the past 5 years but started to feel crowded last year. The bunks give them their own space to decorate and retreat to and they love it.

5 years ago, we were where you are now. We'd decided that having a Class-C would be a great thing for our family and we were absolutely correct. We spend at least 40 nights a year in the coach and normally take a few long trips of 7 - 15 nights.

We bought our first coach from a private seller which saved us some money. It wasn't without challenges. We dealt with an undisclosed leak on the overhead and I fixed a ton of stuff over the years. Owning a class-c means you "get" to learn plumbing, 12v, tires, deal with rattly dishes and how to deal with sewer hookups that are too high. Being able to deal with problems that show up on Friday night is required to have great weekends.

My family feels like the move to the 2014 was an upgrade in every way. Owning the 2007 for 5 years has really given us a lot of appreciation for the 2014. The 31FS feels huge with the slides out and has a lot of inside and outside storage. Having hydraulic levelers and an automatic awning are wonderful. I personally would guide you to a 2014 or newer just because I feel like the JRide makes driving the Class C so much more pleasant. I was never afraid to take our 2007 anywhere but it did handle like a box truck and it was loud. The 2014 is very quiet and it honestly handles like a large SUV. I was honestly shocked by how much easier the drive was for me. That being said, you could certainly upgrade the shocks and added helper springs to an older coach and probably have the same results for way less money. I'd also advise looking for a coach with the single-piece fiberglass overhead bunk. The older models have a lot of seams for water to penetrate and you have to be diligent to keep the caulk repaired. The 2016 and newer models have a fiberglass roof as well as a fiberglass cap but they are more expensive.

We looked at several bunkhouse models. The Chateau with bunks on the driver's side looked good on paper but we didn't like the layout when the bunks were in because they weren't really accesible and you had to pass through the bathroom to get to the bedroom. The fit and finish of the others we saw was lacking. I'd be sure to test drive any model you are interested in because you will spend a lot of time behind the wheel and handling does matter.

Adam

[pconroy]

Originally Posted by losttree

Owning a class-c means you "get" to learn plumbing, 12v, tires, deal with rattly dishes and how to deal with sewer hookups that are too high. Being able to deal with problems that show up on Friday night is required to have great weekends.

Amen to that!

I woke up to a puddle outside the coach this morning. I think what helps too is an attitude knowing: stuff's gonna break.

No big whoop - just means there's a few hours lost while we hunt for the leak and then a few more while we figure out how to fix it.


I dunno - my attitude is "there's nothing (within reason) that can't be fixed."