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| HOME MEMBERS RV-TALK ARTICLES BUSINESS DIRECTORY WEB SITES ABOUT VENTUREOUTRV.COM | |||||||||||||
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Here are the major styles of RVs: Pop-Up:
Price range: $4,000 to $8,000 new, with used prices ranging from about $2,000 to $5,000, depending on condition and age. Advantages: Inexpensive, especially for a young family just getting into RVing. Pop-ups are also very mobile and allow a family to carry more gear. The lightweight designs often allow owners to tow them with a full-sized car or truck; a stronger tow vehicle is not required. As with any trailer, you have more freedom. You can park your rig and use your tow vehicle for a run into town for groceries. For kids, pop-up camping is great fun and an adventurous change from the housebound world. Disadvantages: As compared other RVs, you have less privacy, less room, less security and less protection from the elements. Buy if: Your budget won't allow you to get a larger RV, you have children under 12, you plan several weekend camping getaways each year and you love the idea of camping with your family. Truck Camper:
Price range: $8,000 to $22,000 new (not including pickup truck) and $1,000 to $8,000 used, depending on age, quality and wear and tear. Advantages: Full privacy and range of features that might include a kitchen and bathroom. Compared to other RVing options, still relatively inexpensive. Works well for a family, especially if the parents are willing to park the kids outside in a tent; also good for a couple or those without kids. Good for weekend fishing and hunting trips. The camper can detach from the truck, leaving the owner with a suitable vehicle for daily commutes. Disadvantages: Unless you have a crew cab, passenger space is limited. It's not necessarily safe to allow children or adults to ride in the camper itself. The interior of many campers are cramped. Truck campers may not be well suited for extended trips. Buy if: You're a weekend camper and are either single or only have one or two children under the age of 12; if you already own a pickup truck capable of hauling a camper. If the idea of a truck and camper appeals to your sense of machismo. If finances are limited. Class B:
Advantages: A fully self-contained RV, with shower (in some models), toilet, kitchen, TV, couches and beds. Easy passage from the driving compartment to the amenities in the back so a co-pilot can retrieve food and drinks while traveling. The smaller size, as compared to larger motorhomes, makes a Class B easier to park and maneuver in an urban environment. And while the gas mileage may not be great, driving a Class B to and from work on occasion is not out of the question. Class B's are also great for tailgate parties. If you have teens and are unsure if they will ever camp with you again, a Class B works fine if they come along but works even better if they stay home. Disadvantages: Compared to a motorhome, Class B's are small. For a man over six-foot, some seem really small. Few would allow any person over six feet tall to stand up inside. For the price, many great new and used larger motorhomes can be bought. In a Class B it's hard to remember sometimes that you're not just driving a van, which can be bad if you go under a low over hang and fail to calculate two or three extra feet of RV on your roof. Buy if: You can afford the extra luxury; You plan to RV often in areas where a bigger motorhome would be impractical; You don't know how often your kids will be joining you in your camping adventures; You need the size and carrying space of a van (for hauling the soccer team around, say) but still want RV appointments you won't find in a regular van or minivan. Travel Trailer:
Price Range: $6,000 to $45,000 new and a few hundred dollars to $25,000 used, depending on age, make and wear and tear. Advantages: Your home on wheels can stay in one place while you roam around in your tow vehicle. You can find a TT that suits your RVing needs. Depending on the size of the trailer, you can sleep more people and get more privacy in your own bed or in the bathroom. Depending on your tow vehicle and your tow rating, you can haul more gear -- in some models you can even haul motorbikes, watercraft and ATVs. Disadvantages: On a long trip, if you want something to drink, you're co-pilot just can't hop in the back and open the fridge -- you've gotta stop, get out of your car or truck, unlock the trailer and get your drink. Your co-pilot can't climb in the back and lay down. Your passengers can't ride in the trailer. If you've seen the movie "The Long, Long Trailer" with Lucille Ball, you know backing a trailer isn't easy and takes some practice. If you don't have the proper tow package -- a vehicle not rated to tow the weight you're hauling or improper sway control -- a trailer can be very dangerous. Buy if: You aren't planning to fulltime; You plan on taking a couple of extended RV vacations per year and when you do arrive at a vacation spot, you plan on spending a week or more there; You can't afford to tie up your transportation budget in a vehicle that isn't practical for driving to and from work every day, such as a motorhome or Class C; You want the kind of travel trailer that will allow you to haul your recreational toys in the back. Class C:
Price Range: $46,000 to $65,000 new, $5,000 to $20,000 used, depending on wear and tear, age, mileage, amenities and make. Advantages: To some, easy to drive and handle, especially on winding roads. Can be fully appointed and quite luxurious. Sleeps two to six. Co-pilot has easy access from the cockpit to the cabin. You never have to worry about leaving your home and belongings at a campground while you go to the store or sightseeing. Disadvantages: You've got to haul your home around with you wherever you go. It can be difficult to sightsee or go shopping in, especially in an urban area where parking is designed for much smaller vehicles. If you're not fulltiming, you need a separate vehicle for your daily commute. Buy if: You want a smaller motorhome for long trips or fulltiming; You plan on traveling in areas with a lot of two-lane roads and winding roads; You are serious about RVing and plan to do it often; You will often be RVing alone or with just a spouse or partner (in other words, not often with kids, grandkids or other couples). Class A:
Price Range: $50,000 to $500,000 new (some custom units sell for more than $1 million), $8,000 to $200,000 used, depending on make, size, amenities, age and wear and tear. (The high-end units costing hundreds of thousands of dollars tend to depreciate quickly and significantly, so if you can afford the price, it might be worth while to shop around for a used unit.) Advantages: Luxury. If you want a home on wheels that is plush and you can afford the price, you are likely to find a Class A that suits your lifestyle. These units can have everything from leather chairs to big color TVs with satellite hookups. Even moderately priced rigs offer more room, which in the area of the kitchen and bathroom can be a real advantage, especially for big people, more sleeping accommodations and easy access between the cockpit and the cabin. Lots of cargo space in almost all Class As, but not all can carry the payload. Be sure your unit can carry the weight a fulltimer needs. Some Class As are a good choice for a fulltimer. Disadvantages: Big, lumbering beasts that swallow gas take up space. If you don't have a motorhome parking space next to your home, you may need to rent storage space, especially if local ordinances prevent you from parking it on the street (of course, this isn't a consideration for fulltimers). If you plan to do a lot of traveling, especially for extended periods, you may need to purchase a toad -- a vehicle to tow behind your Class A so that you can park your rig at a campground and use the smaller vehicle for sightseeing. Of course, this is an additional expense. Inexperienced drives are often intimidated by the size of most Class As. Buy if: You plan to do a lot of RVing. You will either fulltime, have a large family or a lot of friends you want to bring along on your trip. You or our your spouse/partner are big and need lots of space. You want all of the amenities and luxury. You can afford the initial purchase price, plus added fuel expenses. You are confident you can handle a full-sized RV. 5th Wheel:
Price Range: $14,000 to $100,000 new, $1,000 to $45,000 used, depending on wear and tear, age, design, amenities. Advantages: Easier and safer to tow than a travel trailer. Like a travel trailer, your tow vehicle remains available to you as transportation after you park the rig. Disadvantages: You don't have the easy access to the cabin that you get with a motorhome. 5th wheels tend to be longer so you need more storage space, if you're not fulltiming. It still takes some practice to back a 5th wheel trailer into position. A good tow vehicle can cost a fair amount of money to buy and be modified. Buy if: You think a trailer is for you and you like the added towing safety of a 5th wheel over a travel trailer; You plan to fulltime and often park in a single spot for extended periods of time; You have a tow vehicle already set up to haul a 5th wheel or can afford to buy and/or modify a pickup truck capable of towing a 5th wheel; You want all of the luxury of a big Class A, but can't afford the price.
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