If you have an unlimited budget for your RV purchase, this post is not for you. This post is for "average Joe" people who want to make the most educated and financially sound decisions when buying their first RV. The following 10 tips are things that we have learned after buying our RVs and years of road-tripping.
*If you'd like to print out a condensed version of this tips list to take with you while you go RV shopping, click here!
Consider a split bath (see pic above). With the shower on one side of the hall, and the toilet and sink on the other, the door can open up to shut off the entire space into one large bathroom. It’s the most efficient way to get a large bath without compromising and losing space elsewhere.
Don’t buy a larger RV than you need. Don’t buy an RV to accommodate friends or extended family who will travel with you only on a few occasions. Find an RV that will accommodate the people traveling with you most often. Consider the combined length of your RV and tow vehicle - will they fit in National and State Park campground sites which usually have a 30-35’ length limit? Do you plan to visit cities or other busy tourist areas where parking will be scarce and tight?
Don’t let large or multiple “slides” influence you. Yes, larger, multiple slides really open up the space and maximize square footage while you are parked, but slides are notorious for mechanical malfunctions. Buy an RV with the smallest and minimum number of slides that make the RV functional for your needs. If you’re a road-tripper who frequently travels from place to place instead of camping in one place for weeks at a time, you’ll be running your slides in and out day after day. Running the slides in an out frequently only contributes to increased wear and tear. However if you are searching for an RV to full-time in where you will be parked for months at a time, you can put more stock in slides to give you more interior real estate. Just remember that the added real estate comes with added maintenance and mechanical headaches.
Yes, automatic/electric awnings are worth it! This is the one feature we wouldn’t live without now. It’s just so darn easy to put the awning out or in. We actually have had LESS mechanical issues with our automatic awning than we did with the manual one. We’ve known several people with manual awnings who’ve had trouble with them. One person we know would even tighten his manual awning every time he stopped at a store because he once had someone loosen his awning while he was in a store shopping. When he left the store and started driving down the road, the awning blew right off his RV – doing a lot of damage in the process.
Think about maintenance. Fiberglass roofs and front caps not only prevent leaks, but they also decrease the maintenance needed on the RV. No more black streaks! Similarly, gel coats and full-body paint might be worth it if ease of exterior maintenance is important to you. We can certainly tell a huge difference between the exterior maintenance and appearance of our old RV (plain white exterior with rubber roof) vs our new RV (fiberglass roof and full body paint).
Reconsider carpet. Carpet is a nightmare in general, but especially in an RV. Camping is dirty and maintenance of carpet is difficult at best. Vinyl, wood, laminate, linoleum, or even tile will be easier to maintain in the long term.
Don’t count the dinette into your sleeping equation. Unless you are a grandparent traveling with young children only occasionally, the dinette shouldn’t be counted toward the “real” sleeping space count. It’s too small for adults, and if you travel with kids all the time, the dinette becomes your indoor hub – often used as a landing spot for toys, games, small electronics, cards, brochures, papers, etc. Clearing it off every night to turn it into a bed will get old. Most people we’ve talked to don’t clear it off every night – even for dinner since most people eat outside.
Reconsider the curbside slide. This is one of our biggest pet peeves. A curbside slide gives you the perfect obstacle to run into whenever you are out under your awning trying to enjoy the outside living space. And the larger the slide, the more space under the awning that becomes unusable. We just scratch our head and ask, “why?”
Frameless windows are worth it. See number 4 above regarding maintenance. Frameless windows not only give a clean look, but they eliminate the need for the exterior rubber window trim that fades, discolors, cracks, and causes black streaks. These features may be worth some additional cost up front.
Remember that there is no “Perfect” RV. There will be things you love about your RV and things that you hate. It’s very unlikely that you will keep your first RV forever. Use your first RV to learn what works for you and what doesn’t, and when you move on to another one, you’ll know exactly what to look for in your next home on wheels.
The Nutter's Forest River Solera 24R with power awning, fiberglass roof/cap, and frameless windows.
Bonus Info: There's also some great info on buying RVs over at the Wynn's site. In their "Best Small RVs" article, scroll down to the "VIP Things to Keep In Mind" to learn more about taxes, loans, and pricing. You should also check out their article, "Shady Truth About Buying and RV."
