Do I or don't I buy???

jk_and_dog · 10-19-2006, 07:36 AM

I've been looking, shopping, droolling, praying, wishing, loosing sleep, dreaming, researching, talking, riding by, seeing, and when driving down the HW looking at every RV on the road...if you can name it I've done it .... with the exception of ORDERING the unit I'm in love with 07 36G Journey, 350/6 speed with a lot of bells and whistles.

What was the push factor that got you over your fears of buying that first major RV? Do I need to see a shrink to get over jumping with both feet off the cliff or does any one have a better solution. Desprate to buy....fearful of .......?

jk_and_dog · 10-19-2006, 07:36 AM

I've been looking, shopping, droolling, praying, wishing, loosing sleep, dreaming, researching, talking, riding by, seeing, and when driving down the HW looking at every RV on the road...if you can name it I've done it .... with the exception of ORDERING the unit I'm in love with 07 36G Journey, 350/6 speed with a lot of bells and whistles.

What was the push factor that got you over your fears of buying that first major RV? Do I need to see a shrink to get over jumping with both feet off the cliff or does any one have a better solution. Desprate to buy....fearful of .......?

skigramp · 10-19-2006, 07:49 AM

JK .... (and Dog if Dog can read)

If this is your first RV ... perhaps you should rent one for a week (or long weekend) to see if RVing really fits your lifestyle ... after you have decided that this fits your lifestyle then it is time to start making decisions ....

New or Used,
Diesel or Gas ... puller or pusher
Tow a car or not?

....

Length / Floor Plan

smlranger · 10-19-2006, 07:58 AM

JK. It is a big step and a lot of money to spend for sure. Unless you just have to have new, suggest you consider a 2 - 3 yr. old carefully maintained used rig. There are a bunch out there and you will save on depreciation and someone else will have worked out the new coach 'bugs' that everyone seems to get. Educate yourself about diesel vs. gas...diesels are nice and have advantages but are more expensive to maintain than gas rigs...generally.

Also, to complicate your shopping, Workhorse has introduced a new motorhome chassis that will be rear engine, offering either a gas or diesel engine.

All that said, we started with a gas coach, I got 'diesel fever' and we ended up with the used rig in my signature. No regrets at this point. The Journey/Meridian does offer a lot for the money.

Good luck with your search and decision and come back and tell us what you got.

ISLAPP · 10-19-2006, 09:52 AM

Well, if want our "opinions", and that is what it is, opinions, help us out alittle bit. Like has been asked, is this your first RV? How will you be using it? Just weekends and vacations? How many people using it? Where will you be traveling?

Now, if what you are really asking is our opinion on the Journey, then I think you will be happy with it. It has a good chassis, engine and tranny. The quality of the interior is good. You get more goodies when you go to the Tour or the Vectra, but you pay for them.
Mike

depchief · 10-19-2006, 10:19 AM

JK My wife and I were just like you, we looked and looked, knew all models etc. We were looking for a few years and finally decided on the unit we found in Florida. Renting units over the years gave us an insight into what we thought we wanted. Length, engine etc. Slides made us realize we did not need length for how we planned to use the coach. Diesel was a major concern and first option but finally went gas for cost of operation, and repairs I could do. Drove out of the dealer and the gas prices went sky high. We are extremely happy with the coach.

The major fear is saying yes to the order, this is a major investment and I will admit right up to signing the first paper I was questioning the decision.

If you are sure, go for it and do not look back.

Hopefully you have had the RV experience, if you have not, please rent a unit and go for a trip to make sure that you will like it and maybe an option you thought you needed will not be worth it and something you thought you did not need will be moved to the want list.

Good Luck, keep us informed on your decision and hopefully we will see you back here with pictures.

ichn2go · 10-19-2006, 11:46 AM

JK there is not a lot to add. Please, do as Smlranger said and look at some 2/3 year old rigs that have been debugged.

For whatever reason most new coaches have bugs, which ain't so bad ,, but dealing with the problem and getting them fixed is whats hard..Most take at least a year to get all the wrinkles out..Good Luck

SargeW · 10-19-2006, 12:47 PM

JK,

A opposing opinion here. It sounds like you have done an extensive amount of research and looked at a bunch of rigs. RV shows are great for that. And if you are sure that you want to get into RVing in a big way, then I say go for it. I have had 3 RV's, all new. A 26' TT, a 31' 5ver, and now the MH. All were brand new, and two were made to order.

There is definitely the possibility of bugs or fixes with a new RV. However, if it's yours, YOU know about all the little fixes, and hopefully you plan on keeping it for several years. If you buy a good product, there will be a good warranty, and those issues are taken care of. If you have the money and really want that new rig, GO FOR IT!! I love being the first (and only one) to sleep in the bed, play with the goodies, and break it in the way that I want to.

I decided a long time ago that I plan on spending the kids inheratence, so buy it, enjoy it, and "have as much fun"............ well, you know.

bellsharbor · 10-19-2006, 02:01 PM

No Guts, No Glory! I say go for it! Have fun and enjoy!

FrontRangeRVer · 10-19-2006, 03:31 PM

Do it...and have buyers remorse later....its the American way!!

Gary the Wombat · 10-19-2006, 03:58 PM

I agree with the last 2 posts--just do it! Go with your gut feeling--you won't regret it.

Hitchhiker · 10-19-2006, 04:05 PM

Taking into consideration the lack of quality control in some of these new rigs that results in more time spent on addressing issues rather than enjoying the rig, it might be better to just hang on to your money and let it draw interest.

Our co-owner is an example of the rig issues with high end rigs these days. Two rigs since the first of the year and he still hasn't been on one trip without an issue to address, many of them totally disabling the rig.

FrontRangeRVer · 10-19-2006, 04:14 PM

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Hitchhiker:
Taking into consideration the lack of quality control in some of these new rigs that results in more time spent on addressing issues rather than enjoying the rig, it might be better to just hang on to your money and let it draw interest.

Our co-owner is an example of the rig issues with high end rigs these days. Two rigs since the first of the year and he still hasn't been on one trip without an issue to address, many of them totally disabling the rig. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

Is this a Spartan Chassis issue or Newmar issue??

Hitchhiker · 10-19-2006, 04:31 PM

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Is this a Spartan Chassis issue or Newmar issue?? </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

Lack of QC is an industry wide issue, I don't think any one particular brand is any better or worse than the others, they all seem to have issues.

rebelsbeach · 10-19-2006, 05:05 PM

Stepping in here,not wanting to hijack this thread, but ALL of my coach issues both Winnebago AND Newmar have been vendor or chassis issues and NOT Winnebago or Newmar issues.

If you want to buy a new coach as WE did, go out and buy it and know you're going to have growing pains with getting mostly small bugs out...

If you're ok with a preowned model with some miles (and usually NO warranty), you'll usually be blessed with a bug free coach as the person that bought it new will have taken care of the bugs.

SargeW · 10-19-2006, 05:51 PM

Come on Hitchiker, I had WAY more problems with my 5ver and New truck than I have had with my MH. And after 3 years, the 5ver was shaking apart.

A MH from a reputable builder is WAY more reliable than about any other type of RV.

teekay · 10-19-2006, 06:00 PM

We "upgraded" to an 06 Merdian 36G, after owning a trailer for 1 year. Love the 36G, we use it for weekend and 1-2 week trips since wife and I still work and haven't hit 50 yet. Our suburban use to tow the trailer, now the Meridian tows the suburan..hmmm. Layout works well for the two of us and the yellow lab dog, and sometime visits from our college age daughters.

We've had a few minor problems with the MH but I've corrected most of them myself. Among the things to be aware of are; it's big and won't fit at all campsites, mileage is 7-8 MPG when we tow the suburban, driving it in a North Dakota cross wind is exciting. We have managed to hit two deer and one turkey, this thing is magnet for critters.

Mine has few options, we got the standard bed then added two layers of visco foam ...works well for us. The radio stinks and that is well covered in other posts.

I'd look for a unit without the ULSD requirement. I predict fuel will be hard to find in the begining and I don't want to be test case for new fuel.

Hitchhiker · 10-20-2006, 01:36 AM

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by SargeW:
Come on HitchHiker, .......... </div></BLOCKQUOTE>Maybe I was over the edge with my comment, sorry if I was too intense. I'm sure there are rigs with no problems, we just don't hear about those.

Izzyblueye · 10-20-2006, 03:28 AM

IMHO try the rental approach if this is your first RV. You will find out quickly if your in love with the idea or reality. I think you will proabably POP for the coach, but an investment of this magnitude can't be a crap shoot unless you have money to burn. Depreciation on these babies is humongous. You owe it to your money.

John_Canfield · 10-20-2006, 03:52 AM

As you have figured out, many of us have made the decision to buy

!

This is our very first RV of any kind and we settled on our particular manufacturer/model after lots of research and lots of looking. It IS a big step and it IS a lot of money. We have not regretted our decision to either fulltime or the ownership of our Horizon for one second.