Recreational Vehicles play a huge part in our lives, especially to us that have that adventurous spirit set to take us on a long journey without any plans. What better to help you on that long road than a great RV that will be you home on the wheels every mile you take. Imagine pulling anywhere by the road and have a grand lunch just like you would in your real house with the people you love. Imagine sitting back and watching a movie on the rest stop few miles from to San Francisco for instance.
Yes, the RVs give you freedom of travelling sightseeing and not longing for your home, bed or family. I can already picture my next trip, how about you? But to have all your needs met at a trip like that there are some things you have to know before you go and buy your first, or upgrade your old RV. Here is where you will find 5 tips that will make your choice a lot easier and better at the same time. For anything that we might miss in this list please make sure you check out campingfunzone for additional advice and suggestions.
Now let’s set off to an adventure of its own – finding a perfect RV that will suit your needs.
1. Consider the usage
This is the big question – how are you going to use your RV? If you are new to this world than you should know that you can have an RV that you will simply park on one place and leave it for your vacation, are you going to have something that will serve you for weekend trips only, are you going to fulltime in an RV or just take one big trip. These are all the questions you should ask yourself because the type of adventurer you want to be will greatly influence the type of RV you need to buy. If you will be one of those that make a trip to a certain place and spend some time parked in one spot than try and consider a more spacious and bigger RV. Don’t worry about driving it because you will only make a trip to that place and back. If you are one of the people that will use it for weekends than make sure to find something smaller that will fulfil your basic needs while being easy to drive around and manoeuvre. Also, take into consideration what vehicle you own. If you have a vehicle that can tow than look for towable RV if not then try and look for a drivable RV that will suit you.
2. Go to RV dealers or RV shows
This is one more important step that will help you see what is available on the market, at what prices and what you can expect from every one of them. Buying an RV is just like buying a car, you research, visit car saloons or car shows and check out what is in store today or what might be available soon. These RV shows are awesome in a way where you and your family can get in a sort of, test trial the one you like. You can check out all the features, living spaces and see if it would be a good fit for you. This partially real-life test and walk around gives you an idea of what to expect and hope for when buying one of these. You will be able to discuss with your family members about certain things like TV – one or more, stove, grill as well as bed types and sizes, and make decisions instantly. You will make a list of the things most essential to you and you should stick to that list while looking, because you can get overwhelmed easily, especially in this day in age with all the tech breakthroughs.
3. Rent (borrow) first, buy later
This is the most important step, especially for those of you that never done an RV trip. You know how big of a disaster would it be if you bought an RV and after just a few days or weeks decided that this is not the life, or vacation you imagined. That would be devastating for your budget. This suggestion will save you a lot of money and hassle if it turns out that you can’t be one of the RV people. If you rent you will be able to get a feel for what it is like to drive, operate, sleep and maintain one of these, for some time and most importantly without wasting a whole lot of money. You have to consider everything here because everything, no matter how similar it looks, is different than living in a standard home. You have to think about where to park to have access to electricity, water, where to dump waste that collects over time, how to dispose of it properly and a whole bunch of other small things. It is a way of life that needs you to adjust and this is why renting or borrowing from a friend is a good first step towards your new RV.
4. Online (Brand-specific) forums
This is probably what you are doing right now, and it is totally fine. There is a lot of content and a lot of neat information about specific brands of RV in these forums. On these forums, you can have a bulk of technical information but you can also get info of other owners that own a particular brand of RV you might be interested in. These forums (lately there are a whole bunch of Facebook groups too) can give you a glance at the ownership experience, particular info about issues, possible drawbacks or advice type of answers where you will get some firsthand pointers on what to look out for or what to expect after you travel some miles in it.
5. Budget
Another important thing when buying an RV is the amount of money you are willing to set aside. Here you should consider the entire amount that will include storage, upkeep, insurance, maintenance and repairs. All of these things have to be taken into consideration because all of them combined make a total price of an RV, not just its sticker price you will find on its window. When buying you should always look at the big picture and try and listed everything that your new wheeled home will bring with its purchase. This will stop you from getting overwhelmed and instantly regretting your decision. Don’t get caught in the lavishing details or the equipment because it usually means that upkeep and maintenance of those will cost a pretty penny which means that your time using your new home will reduce. Get the one that is fun to use with the least amount of cost attach to it. And one more thing, do not pass the chance to check out the used RV market because new doesn’t always have to mean everything will be without issues. To save some money, try and look for slightly used one which has been looked out for.
