How we started :
Unit 1
We started this journey in the cheapest, oldest yet still functioning 5th wheel camper we could find at the time. We still have to pay campground rental fees. If we stay for the month, it is cheaper than week to week. Usually, that will run about $300 per month and sometimes electric is included and sometimes we have to pay for our own usage. Our first camper was so small, the both of us could not stand to walk through at the same time, but we somehow managed for 6 months. After 6 months of living like that, we had saved enough money to buy another one. We opted to pay cash so we bought an Avion by Fleetwood, 36' with a super slide. My husband had to gut the entire inside, but the cabinetry was good. We sold the old camper for half of what we paid for it and still feel we got our money's worth. Really, it was only worth $1500-2000, but at our time of purchase, we really needed something that would work for us because we also have two large dogs who would be travelling with us. It is hard to find a hotel that is willing to allow a 75 lb AND 95 lb dog together in the same room. ha
She's a real beauty!
Unit 2:
Once we moved into the Avion, our second unit, life was so much better! After our little sardine can cramper, it feels like we are living the big life again! I would say to anyone finding themselves in my shoes (and I know you are out there), there is nothing wrong with starting in a cramper you know is going to be too small for you. First of all for monetary reasons (they are cheaper) and secondly, because you will learn how to camp. I mean, if you do something wrong, you don't want to do it in a camper you are going to be in for a long time. Don't fret over the small stuff. It doesn't have washer/dryer hookups. Chances are, you'll opt to go to the laundry mat anyhow. The RV washer/dryers are not always efficient as water pressure is such an issue at some campgrounds. It is going to depend on where you are camping. How good is their water, electric hookups? Okay, back to my story....
Basically, we bought the Avion did a ton of work on it and sold it for exactly the same amount we paid for it. Not really a bad deal considering we did live in it, it was an older unit to begin with and we could have got more money out of it, but there was a fellow camper who had a need and quite frankly so did we! We needed to sell the Avion because we had already purchased our next unit! Out with one and onto the next!
Wow! A super slide! Say whaaaaat?
Unit 3:
Our current unit, we bought from Camping World for a song and a dance. It is a 36.5' Regal Prowler with four popouts. The amount of thousands we paid for it can be counted on one hand! Yeah, I know, it's called legally stealing! :) We have been in this unit for a couple years now. We replaced the roof and installed a new awning. Ugh! I don't ever want to do that again! The roof was easy compared to the awning but maybe it's just me. Don't be afraid to try it if you have a need. There are videos instructing how to measure and install. I have found that I do not need nearly as many "things" in life as I once thought I did. We are maintaining our debt free status.
Wow! One popout was great, but four? Am I dreaming? Nope, this is real!
This unit has the living room upstairs which we love! We have a fireplace in the living area which I also love! Beautiful cabinetry, lots and lots of under belly storage and it's just a super nice unit. We both love it and have loved it, but we will be upgrading in another year or so. Not more popouts, of course, just a newer unit that we pay cash for when opportunity presents itself again.
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My advice to first time buyers is this -- and they are all important:
1) Get the most number of popouts you can afford. Maybe you ca't get any and that's okay because you can upgrade later!
2) Walk around your bed and imagine yourself changing the sheets! This is huge! Also, imagine yourself crawling in that same bed to sleep every night. Is it against a wall? Can you walk around the bed? Hmmm...yes, these are definitely big considerations.
3) Look for weak spots in your floor under the windows or where there is something in the ceiling. If that camper has ever had a leak it came from a hole either one in the ceiling or on the sidewalls where your windows are located. Check and negotiate your price. I wouldn't be afraid to buy a unit that needs a little work unless it means removing cabinets and such. They are pretty impossible to take out. Seriously! Don't just take my word for it though. Research the internet and look and see how they are manufactured. You will see. It is assembly line fashion and some things are sandwiched between layers of the construction. That's the part that makes it pretty close to impossible to remove and replace.
4) If your unit is going to need a roof, I suggest looking at Gaco. This product may change your entire lookout on purchasing a unit needing a roof. It could literally save you thousands!
5) Check your appliances and all mechanical things on your unit.
6) This is ultra extremely important! IF YOU ARE GOING TO LIVE IN YOUR RV FULL TIME YOU ABSOLUTELY MUST HAVE A POLAR PACK! Don't take anyone's word for it. If you have a polar pack it will have some sort of emblem, sticker or something on the outside of your unit telling you that this unit has a polar pack. Yes, it is worth more money with the polar pack. Pay the difference or you will be soooooooo sorry! No, you cannot keep the cold out and the warm in without it! It will be much like living in a pimped out tent in the winter without it. Your propane bills will kill your budget! You might be okay with that, except for one thing you are going to pay all that money and still be cold!
7) Be very very cautious about running off and leaving animals in an older unit in the summer time. They are defenseless and cannot get out. You've heard how dangerous it is to leave your pets in a parked car? Well, this is much the same thing! If your air conditioner fails your dogs could die in the heart of summer and left in an enclosed RV with no air conditioning. I mention this because it happened to us except I was home with my dogs. Even at that, they looked like they were going to die by the time my husband got home (about 30 minutes) and I had already moved them outside so they could get some air.
8) Take what you need and purge often.
9) I don't know of an easy way to repair delamination, So if your unit has delamination, plan on living with it unless you know something I do not. And if you do know an easy fix for this, please share! If you don't know what delamination is, it is where there has been some water that has been trapped between the exterior layer of your unit and the wall and caused the exterior to pull away and cause a bubble like effect. In other words it has a wave like appearance to it.
10) Remember, if you buy a new unit and pay around $80,000.00 it is only going to worth about half that in 5 years. So, if you are making payments, keep that in mind while you are ripping of those checks each month to make that payment. :D
:-)
Dolly Anne Marie Pierce (my old lady, my love) -- RIP baby girl, November 2012
Madeline Pierce (she is our 95 lb. baby)
Boots Pierce -- rip buddy! May 6, 1999-July 2009
