New in CA, looking for advice before buying

[hbcupake]

Hi! I am interested in buying a Class A for me and my kids. I have no idea where to start or what questions I should even be asking. From what I've read I'd like to get a diesel pusher, looking for bunk beds and sleeping for at least 6 since I'll be taking another mom and her kids with us most trips.

Think of me as your sister, what would you recommend?

Thank you all in advance, so glad that I found this forum before I went to a dealership.

[bikendan]

Hi and welcome to FRF, from a former California resident.
I can definitely tell you that West Coast prices are generally much higher than anywhere else in the country. This often goes for used prices also.
We tried getting California dealers to match Midwest prices plus whatever their shipping charges were. We found that they all not only wanted a large sales profit, but they wanted a profit on the shipping costs.
They know that most people don't have the time or desire to buy in the Midwest. The 3 dealers we worked with, dared us to drive to Chicago, if we wanted that price. They refused to negotiate at all, on the price, which was 35% higher.
So we accepted the dare and drove to Chicago and back with the trailer.
If I was ever interested in a Motorhome(which I never would be), it would be so much easier to buy from a reputable Midwest dealer and fly there and drive it back.

[GoneSouth10]

Originally Posted by hbcupake

Think of me as your sister, what would you recommend?

I'D RECOMMEND YOU PAY ME BACK THAT MONEY I LENT YOU BEFORE BUYING A MOTORHOME!!!!!

Seriously, welcome to the FRF - you've started out at the right place to answer almost any question you could think of - the problem is figuring out what questions to ask. Before going too much further, have a pretty in depth discussion with the other Mom (and your kids) about your goals. Are you already campers looking to upgrade the experience? Nature lovers looking to kick back in the wilderness/boonies? Off grid boondocking or resort "glamping" (or anything in between)? Looking to travel across the country (as far as possible) to see attractions and sights? Use the coach as a mobile "beach house" every weekend along PCH?
A lot of those questions will factor into what makes sense for you. Personally, my wife and I agonized over the decision to go the Class A "glamping" route versus a tricked out 4X4 Sportmobile that could put us waaaaaaay out in the boonies. off grid and alone! Finally, with two dogs, we decided the Class A route was best for us (I love my dogs, but not "up close and personal" 24/7!)
That said, I'm still trying to scratch my "boondocking itch", but it's a lot harder to find with a Class A (even a 35 footer).
I'm also from OC (down in SJC) and have a Class A, so if you have any specific questions regarding the local aspect of buying, ownership or use, please feel free to PM me.
Good luck and

[ehlerts01]

We were in the same boat about a year ago. We thought that we wanted a mid-size Class C RV but after visiting two RV dealers in the Fresno area, changed our mind to a Class A. Then came the question of what size we wanted. I wanted a 33' and the DW wanted a 30' unit. We had settled on the FR3 model line as we felt the floorplans felt comfortable to us.

How did we finalize the size..?? We rented, through RVShare.com, a 30' Georgetown Class A and spent six days / five nights in it on a trip. DW changed her mind to a 33' FR3 and I agreed on her reasons why.

If you have the time to decide, I would highly recommend finding a model and floorplan you think will work for you and your family and then try renting something similar and trying it out for a week or so. I don't think you can go wrong, and depending on the rig you rent, you will see how they wear. In my case, I ended up fixing about four items on the rented rig to make life easier on us for our trip.

Keep asking questions on this forum and check out other posts. I'm on here all of the time now.

[hbcupake]

I am going to own it and take different moms with us on different trips. We are definitely glampers. We did Yosemite this winter and I wished we had our own RV (our hotel wasn't exactly an upgrade from an RV).

We would love to go up and down PCH on the weekends and up to El Cap for a week or so. We'd take it to see as many national parks as we can. Summer is coming and doing school from home made me realize we might just want to take a year off of regular school and do some traveling.

That being said, is it hard to find space for a class A? Would we have to plan months in advance for most places, or just places where camping is harder to get for anyone(Yosemite etc).

I am in Huntington Beach, I will definitely reach out to anyone in So Cal who can help me out, I promise to pay off any loans before I buy sometime

[nayther]

Originally Posted by hbcupake

I am going to own it and take different moms with us on different trips. We are definitely glampers. We did Yosemite this winter and I wished we had our own RV (our hotel wasn't exactly an upgrade from an RV).

We would love to go up and down PCH on the weekends and up to El Cap for a week or so. We'd take it to see as many national parks as we can. Summer is coming and doing school from home made me realize we might just want to take a year off of regular school and do some traveling.

That being said, is it hard to find space for a class A? Would we have to plan months in advance for most places, or just places where camping is harder to get for anyone(Yosemite etc). and have you considered where you're going to store it? RV storage in OC is not cheap. Will HB let you bring the RV to your house for a day to load? Some cities won't let you, others for 24 hours with a permit.


I am in Huntington Beach, I will definitely reach out to anyone in So Cal who can help me out, I promise to pay off any loans before I buy sometime

If your totally virgin to RV'g renting is a very good idea. Sounds like you're heading to a driveable as opposed to towable. Will you be towing a car (Toad they call them). A diesel pusher is the top of the line, you may want to start more reasonable with a gas MH, and a used one at that; depreciation is awful on RV's.