New Sunseeker 3010 Owner and Member!

RVFamily5 · 11-28-2012, 07:32 PM

Hey, just moved up from a Rialta to the Sunseeker 3010. We have started to use it and are looking forward to many more trips. Looking forward to learning from the other Sunseeker owners on how to operate everything. We are still new to RV'ing, so may need some help. Thanks in advance for everyone's help!

stonekeepers · 11-29-2012, 04:49 PM

Nice to meet someone else who moved up. So far, the 3010 is a great floor plan. We took it on a several hundred mile trip for Thanksgiving and are starting to get used to the size. Now...the next step...to "toad" or not to "toad"?

I am thinking that we will need a car in our travels. We will not be full-timers, but want to take trips that may happen over several months. With the Sprinter, it was easy to park anywhere and we could pretend to be a car in most situations where motorhomes were not allowed. The Sunseeker is a wee bit different and I don't think the disguise will work quite as well.

None of our other vehicles would make suitable toads. The only one that might work is a 2012 Mini Cooper Countryman. We can't tow it four down because it's automatic and 4wd. Not too keen about putting it on a trailer. Other vehicle is 2005 GMC Yukon. It gets lousy gas mileage and is much heavier and also 4wd/automatic. I don't really want to buy another car, but...might be the only good option.

RVFamily5 · 11-29-2012, 05:01 PM

Some campgrounds will have vehicles you can rent from them on an as needed basis. We saw this when we were at the KOA at Mt Rushmore. An idea I heard that I thought was good was to rent through Enterprise. They will bring the rental vehicle right to the campground. Just some thoughts as I read you email. Yes, the 21' camper was nice for parking spaces and going through drive throughs, but the added space for walking around and sleeping is great.

stonekeepers · 11-29-2012, 05:24 PM

That's neat. Our Sprinter broke down just outside of Rushmore and we had to be towed to Rapid City. I kept thinking about how lucky we were that it didn't happen on that little winding road with no shoulders. :-)

We have stayed at lots of KOA's and other campgrounds and I guess I never looked to see about car rentals since we didn't have that issue at the time. We really like state and national parks. I was looking at going to the Smokies for a few days since it's about a half day's drive from here and trying to find out the best way to rent a car. Looks like it would have to be Knoxville or Gatlinburg. I don't like driving through Gatlinburg in the MINI, so I can't imagine doing it in a big car. Knoxville would not be terrible, but it's quite a bit out of the way. I don't think the GSMNP rents cars. Maybe the Cherokee KOA has rentals. It's a very nice park. :-)

RVFamily5 · 11-29-2012, 06:04 PM

Pigeon Forge has a couple of nice RV parks. I believe there isan Enterprise in Seveirville. There is one RV Park just to the North of the Smoky Mountains entrance. If you go over the mountain into Cherokee and don't want to go into Gatlinburg, take the Gatlinburg Bypass. This will bypass you from going through Gatlinburg if you don't want to drive the roads. It is a small sign, but if you know to look for the bypass sign you will see it. Sounds like fun!

stonekeepers · 11-29-2012, 06:11 PM

We have never stayed in Pigeon Forge or Seveirville...don't like all the tourist and congestion. :-)

Our favorite place is probably Cades Cove. The Cherokee KOA is where we stay if we feel we need hookups or if we can't get into the Cove. We have lived in Tennessee for over thirty years and usually make several trips to the GSMNP every year. Just haven't done it in a large class c without a car. Changes perspective a bit. Sort of got us thinking that we may need to be looking for a toad for future travels.

Our plan is to go to Alaska maybe next summer.

Witch Doctor · 11-29-2012, 07:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by stonekeepers

We have never stayed in Pigeon Forge or Seveirville...don't like all the tourist and congestion. :-)

Our favorite place is probably Cades Cove. The Cherokee KOA is where we stay if we feel we need hookups or if we can't get into the Cove. We have lived in Tennessee for over thirty years and usually make several trips to the GSMNP every year. Just haven't done it in a large class c without a car. Changes perspective a bit. Sort of got us thinking that we may need to be looking for a toad for future travels.

Our plan is to go to Alaska maybe next summer.

We were camping in Myrtle Beach State Park. The guy next to us had a smart car as a toad. What was great he had it repainted to match his class A exactly. I just stood their and stared. It was the best thing I have ever seen. I wish I had a picture of it....

stonekeepers · 11-29-2012, 07:47 PM

The Smart cars are really cute. I love our MINI Cooper Countryman S ALL4, but if we wanted to tow that, we have to have a trailer. That's kind of intimidating. Thinking maybe an old Honda might be a better choice. If I had known we would be trading campers I would not have bought the Cooper earlier this year. I want something to tow four down that's an automatic.

Dovetail · 11-29-2012, 07:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RVFamily5

Some campgrounds will have vehicles you can rent from them on an as needed basis. We saw this when we were at the KOA at Mt Rushmore. An idea I heard that I thought was good was to rent through Enterprise. They will bring the rental vehicle right to the campground. Just some thoughts as I read you email. Yes, the 21' camper was nice for parking spaces and going through drive throughs, but the added space for walking around and sleeping is great.

I used to drive for Hertz and they would pick up customers or drop them off.
Not advertised like Enterprise, but they would do it. Possible some of the others would also. Worth a call.

ATVer · 11-29-2012, 09:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by stonekeepers

The Smart cars are really cute. I love our MINI Cooper Countryman S ALL4, but if we wanted to tow that, we have to have a trailer. That's kind of intimidating. Thinking maybe an old Honda might be a better choice. If I had known we would be trading campers I would not have bought the Cooper earlier this year. I want something to tow four down that's an automatic.

I don't think there are a lot of options to tow 4 down with an automatic. Jeeps and vehicles with manually shiftable transfer cases can. Saturns used to be but I heard the factory rescinded that option. I'm sure there must be some others though.
I have all manual cars but still prefer to tow on a dolly. Less wear and tear on the cars' drive train, steering, brakes, suspension etc. The dolly surge brakes get the wear not the car. Also you will need some sort of toad auto brake system which can run down the toad battery unless you power it from the RV. Backing up is nearly impossible depending upon how much front caster the car has. A dolly is not easy either but good for short distances. You do have to find a place to store the dolly at the campsite though. I know I'm in the minority since many people seem to feel 4 down is best.

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