Newcomer Questions

[runnerful]

--- In WanderlodgeForum@yahoogroups.com, "skip_slade" <skip@...>
wrote:
>
> Hello to All,
>
> My wife and I are now in our early sixties and are seriously
> contemplating full-timing for a few years.

[deletia]

Hi Allan and Co,

I am a BB wannabee but only after more than a year of research. (I
have been accused of over-analysing things a tad.) I will be
purchasing one as soon as I have a better grasp on when I will be
retiring: this year or next.

I will try to share some thoughts with you that I have been through
and which have been shared with me by generous seasoned veterans.

1. First of all, no one here or anywhere else can tell you what is
the "best" choice for fulltiming. There are folks fulltiming in
just about every shape and flavour or rig you can imagine. So, you
just have to put your head down and start researching and testing.

2. If you haven't done any RVing, do some with rental equipment
before you invest $$$$ in something you and your wife don't like.

3. What style of RV do you want?
Motorhome - class A diesel pusher
- class A diesel forward control
- class A gas forward control
- class C
- class C +
- class B
Trailer - pull behind
- fifth wheel

Generally speaking, motorhomes are better for folks who are on the
move a lot (which, from your message doesn't sound like you) and
trailers are better for folks who go somewhere and stay put for
extended periods. But this is a generalisation and not a RULE.

Bear in mind that choosing a motorhome will not necessarily
eliminate the need to tow something since you will possibly want
something other than a 15 - 20 ton bus to go out to pick up a quart
of milk. So, you may need to tow a "dingy" (what the cognocenti
refer to as a "towed").

For this reason, some folks choose a smallish class C, say under 28
feet and no towed. This too has its problems since you must unhook
everything to go shopping or sightseeing.

With a trailer, once you unhook, you have your drive-around
vehicle. Now, if you have a trailer of any significant size, it's
probably at least a 3/4 ton or bigger truck. Some fifth wheels in
the 30'plus size require nothing smaller than a one ton. The 40
footers need medium duty trucks like the Freightligner Fl60 or
Sportchassis. These are seriously big vehicles, costing serious
$$$$.

4. If you've been through all this and KNOW that you want a
motorhome and that it should be a BB (congratulations on your good
taste), the next decision you need to make is how much you should
invest in your first "bird".

5. Once that is set out deduct about $10,000 from that. The
remainder is what you have to check out, collect, licence and pay
for your vehicle. The $10K is for the first two years' expenses to
fix, replace and/or upgrade the vehicle to suit _your_ needs.

6. Next, do you want a forward control (engine in front) or a
pusher (engine in the back)? There are pros and cons to each. Do
some research - there will be a test. ;-) Hint: read everything at
http://www.vintagebirds.com. Read at least a years' worth of messages
here. Preferably, scan everything.

7. Do you want to have access to state/provincial parks? If so,
you probably want something in the 35/36' size as a maximum.

8. As for size with respect to manouverability, once you get up to
35 feet, incremental length isn't such a big deal, IMHO. I've
driven vehicles up to 45 feet profesionally and to be honest, 45
feet just doesn't feel that much bigger than 35 feet. Access to
parks etc is a much bigger issue.

If you're driving a 40-45 foot rig, you're probably looking for
large commercial "destination" type parks and those generally have
pull-through sites.

One thing to remember when you're driving something BIG is never to
go down a road unless you KNOW that you can exit (either by going
around a block, making a U-turn (make sure you know how big your
vehicle's turning circle is), or turning around in a large open
area). The last thing you want to do is to have to back up 5 miles
along a rutted, dirt road to get back to civilisation.

You cannot back up with your towed attached. It must be
disconnected.

9. For full-timers, size is of some important since this is your
home 24/7 but, keep in mind that where ever you are, you have the
whole outdoors to "live". The weather will always be temperate so
you aren't locked indoors. Many folks set up very comfortable
outdoor "rooms" under their large awning. If you feel the need to
sulk or to get away by yourself, it's not difficult.

You also now have the time to bicycle or hike. Visit with the
neighbours. Take crafting/dancing/RV repair classes... well you get
the idea. Drive around to see the sights.

Storage is better in the pushers than in the forward controls.
Mainly in the basement bins.

10. Operating costs, well.... there probably is a correlation
between age of vehicle and costs. But, I suspect that your
diligence regarding PM is a bigger factor in the long run.

Blue Birds are complicated beasts. There are lots of things that
can break. Most vehicles that I've looked into have many things
that do not work and haven't for a long time with the owner having
no intention of fixing them. If you are the kind of person where
everything must be perfect, you will have higher costs than a more
fault tolerant person. A good example is the dash air. Many coaches
have been used for years with no dash air, cooling instead with the
forward A/C unit running off the genny.

But there are other things that cannot be ignored. For example, if
you purchase an older rig it will probably have the Caterpiller 3208
engine. You must attend to valve adjustments on this engine.
Leaving this job too long will begin with increasingly degraded
engine performance right up until a valve snaps off and falls onto a
piston. Unless you have a close relative who is a diesel mechanic,
say hello to a major engine overhaul and bye bye to a lot of money.

For myself, I'm budgeting about $1,500 annual PM costs. (After the
initial $10K)

Anyway, I've certainly wasted way too much bandwidth. If you find
it interesting, I've considered fivers, class C's and finally
decided on a BB, specifically a forward control, 35 feet in length
from the years 85 - 89. I want a side bath and a full-size side
bed. I would prefer 87 - 89 but money will probably dictate an 85
or 86.

Fine print. This barely skims the surface and is entirely my
opinion. Make sure you get lots of opinions, do tons of research
and form your own opinion. Then... have fun.

Cheers,
Ginger
BB wannabee 85FC35