RE: Pricing a private RV
You want to find out what coaches SOLD for, not asking prices. Check the SOLD section on Ebay, not the asking prices. Also check PPL motorhomes for sold prices. Use these as yur guide. Again, as others have said, compare used against new, lowball the new ones on dealers lot. Many private owners have an inflated value of what their coaches are worth, and may never sell. You can educate them by showing them sold prices, or just look elsewhere. When you look at PPLs sold prices, watch when they were sold. A price of a coach sold one year ago is too high for one selling now.
RE: What do you use for your front patio surface?
I use an 8 X 20 wovwn patio mat. I put it out if the surface is not inviting. Lightweigh, can hose off, air or blow dry, fold up and put in bag. We also have a 2 X 3 mat at the door, and an indoor mat inside the door (there is carpet in our Super C. We have a 2 gallon quiet shop Vac with a blower attachment that keeps it clean, and can be used to dry, if wet. (We use the blower to keep debris off the mat--we do not vacuum the mat)
RE: Inviting Other Kids & how to handle it??
If you invite, you pay for the expenses. If a couple invited you over for dinner, and then asked you to pay, would you be offended? I am sorry, but if you invite, you pay, or you are rude. If they offer money, you can accept or decline the money. If you eat all your meals in the CG, it cannot be that much money. Buy inexpensive meals to take. Otherwise you appear to be a cheapskate. No offense intended, but that is proper behavior, and you asked.
RE: family giving cold shoulder for rving
To the OPs question. Should you be able to travel. Yes, but you said something interesting. "We cannot fly down there every time there is an emergency," but you will take a 3 month trip. My expeirence with thousands of caregivers over the years, is that it is almost always a DD or DIL who ends up caring for the sick person. She gets burdened with almost ALL of the caregiving, doctors bills, appointments, legal situations. Rarely do other family members offer to help, and when asked, make excuses. You have to DEMAND their help, or they will not help. I have been both the caregiver, and the family member at a distance. Therefore I understand both points of view. Ask your family members if they would like a 2 week break, and you will take over completely for 2 weeks. Gives them a break, and gives you an appreciation for what they do, making everyone better human beings. May God bless you in your decision
RE: Super C recomendation wanted
We recently purchased a 2005 Seneca 35 (the triple slide model. We had looked at the FR, the GS and the MS? I have a teenage son and daughter. They did not like the bunks next to the bathroom-makes for a no sleeper if anyone is sick in the bathroom at night (past experience). They also did not mind a little more separation from each other. DD gets the overcab bunk, and DS gets the fold out sofabed. Everyone is happy. Mie came with the entertainment center, but I would have preferred the full queen bunk there. The triple slide had an incredible amount of space in the living area with the slides out. The split bath gave them a little concern at first, but they are OK with it now. With three kids, I could definitely see where the full queen overcab bunk would be a necessity. With my GS, there is even room for inflatable mattresses on the floor for guests. Walk through each model, go thru the motions of camping (sleeping, cooking, showering, using the bathroom, watching TV, eating dinner, playing cards, reading. Spend at least one hour in each model. After the whole family does this, you will see which one works for you. I initially thought the FS model would bbe our choice, but after we did the above, found out the GS was a better choice for us. I would reccommend buying used. A 2-3 year old model is $20-40 K less than new.
RE: Financing a new coach
A home equity LINE of credit's interest rate can change at ANY time. A home equity LOAN will have aguaranteed rate of interest for the life of the loan(essentially a second mortgage). Many people have used the home equity line of credit to buy nonessential materials, then the rate jumps, and the can lose their home because they cannot make payments, or house values drop, while income goes down, and home equity payment goes up. Do NOT confuse a home equity loan with a home equity line of credit. I would be very careful using the home as my bank. I also agree with purchasing an older motorhome, at least 3-5 years old, which will have depreciated about one-third to one-half its value at 5 years. Depending on purchase price of new class A, this could be well over $100,000 in 3-5 years!!
RE: Bunkhouse Question
I have a Surveyor 294. It is 33 feet long, great room for us. It is only 4500 # dry, with a GVWR of 7000#, giving you 2500 # of cargo carrying capacity. This weight puts it in the towing weight range of most full size SUVs and pickups. Do not get one without a slide-you will replace it within 2 years. I agree with bigger. If you buy "just big enough for us, and you do a reasonable amount of camping, you will upgrade to a larger unit eventually, resulting in a loss on the first TT. Good luck
RE: Hacked off about my trailer order!
I had ordered my TT, and it was to roll off the line the 3rd week of March (according to the dealer). So, I put my then current TT up for sale, and it sold the 1st week of March. Had a camping trip set for April 2nd. The TT did not arrive until 4/10. It was the dealers fault. He did not check with the manufacturer (like he said he did). We already had the trip planned, so we stayed in a hotel, instead. I raised a little fuss, but all he did was knock off another $250 of the price of the TT(which was already at 40% off of MSRP)
I was only out 5 nights of hotel cost, but it still irked me. Glad it worked out for you
RE: Dump into residential septic system?
To rolol and unroll the hose, consider one of the power reels for air hoses. I think I saw one at either Tractor Supply or Harbor freight
RE: Yellowstone trip
Stayed at Fishing Bridge in Yelowstone at the end of June-mosquitos were very bad, as the pads and roads are old, with lots of depressions for water to collect, and it always rains a little each afternoon (the lake is so big, it creates its own weather pattern) With puddles of water everywhere, the mosquitos breed. Be aware, and be prepared to be eiter away from camp, or stuck in your camper. The non-hookup CGs in the park do not have this problem.
RE: What is it about "RVing"
My friends and coworkers fall into three groups.
1-Those who "get" it about RVing-either have or had an RV
2-Those who are uppity or just think it is weird, and dirty
2-Those who value my opinion, and acknowledge that there must be something of great benefit to me and my family.
Groups 1 and 2 are my friends. Group 2 is usually made up of non-RVing family or the uppity types (sometimes both)
We began with a 16 foot TT, moved up to 2 more TTs, and now have a 37 foot MH
Seneca suspension mods
I recently purchased a 2005 Seneca 35 GS. It is on the 22,000 GVWR chassis, and has the Michelin XZE tires. I wondered if any SENECA owners have done any mods to their suspensions (sway bars, super springs, etc.) and what their effect on ride and handling were/are. I have seen general comments about the Kodiak chassis, but I was wondering if the Seneca owners, in particular, have modified, and what results they have had.
antifreeze in hot water heater
I began to winterize, and then antifreeze got in the hot water heater, befor I realized that not all valves were in bypass mode. I closed them, then finished winterizing. Will it cause any harm to leave the antifreeze in the hot water heater all winter?
RE: Smallest TT with Slide + Inside Bath/Shower + Full Queen Bed
The Funfinders are nice. I owned the 160 in the past. They have good ground clearance to begin with, and if you want even more ground clearance, you can flip the axles. They are only 7 feet wide, which helps in tighter spaces, too. There is a website on yahoo groups, called shadow cruiser funfinder-- http://autos.groups.yahoo.com/group/Shadow_Cruiser_Fun_Finders/?v=1&t=directory&ch=web&pub=groups&sec=dir&slk=16
RE: Hensley Arrow or Equalizer Hitch?
I have read many posts here about the various hitches. I have never seen anyone who has used a Hensley or ProPride say ANYTHING negative about them, only praises. Most of these folks have used one of the conventional hitches as well, thedreby being able to compare both. The folks who say that the Equalizer, or Reese are superior to all but the Henslay, or that you do not need the Hensley, have never towed with it. I guarantee once you tow with a Heensley or ProPride, you will never go back. I say this with all due respect to the owners of equalizer, or Reese Dual Cam. It is similar to diesel versus gas. We can also that gas works great as a TV or in MH, but once we drive a diesel, we do not want to go back to gass. The only people who can give you a comparison are thos who have towed with both. Search Hensley and see if there are any negative posts from owners. Good luck-$3000 is a lot of money, but safety is very important. Another benefit I discoverd. I was travelling at 45 MPH this summer, came around a curve, and a guy had stopped dead in the middle of the road to look at the scenery. I jammed both feet on the brake pedal as hard as I could, and pulled up just 2-3 feet from his bumper. If I had had my conventional nitch, I am sure the trailer would have jackknifed and casued a rollover. Other than scaring the heck out of me, no problem.
RE: Hensley Arrow or Equalizer Hitch?
The Hensley is a newer design. The ProPride is the newer, improved verson of the Hensley, and only costs $2500. Jim Hensley also designed the ProPride and sold the rights to ProPride. (He sold the Hensley Arrow company a long time ago. Check Hitchtrader to see if anyone has a used Hensley. Since the ProPride has only been out for 2 or 3 years, it is more difficult to find one used. With either the Hensley or ProPride, your towing experience will be wonderful.
RE: Towing Without Proper Mirrors
I agree that tow mirrors are needed for standard width TTs. There are 7 foot wide trailers (such as Funfunder), that do not require anything but stock mirrors to see around safely.
RE: Relationship Between Wheelbase and Max TT Length
I have towed a 23 foot camper with my 119 inch wheelbase Durango, at only 50 % of its tow capacity. I did not like how it felt with a conventional WD hitch and sway bar. I bought a ProPride hitch (improved version of Hensley. Marvelous difference-did not feel it at all. I now tow a 33 foot TT with my Durango and the ProPride, and ti did great this summer for a 6000 mile trip. If you want to go longer, AND cannot change TV, consider the ProPride or Hensley-they are both lifetime guaranteed, and can be moved from TV to TV, and from TT to TT. Their customer service is awesome at ProPrdie. TO MODERATOR- I have NO relationship with either company-just relating my experience with conventional and ProPride hitches and length of TT.
RE: Medigap and under 65
I am a physician and can give you some dos and don'ts. If you are currently insured via COBRA, and are disabled, you are eligible for all medigap plans and cannot be turned down, but you must tell the agent this when shopping. AARP used to not offer policies for under 65 years old. All plan F's are NOT the ssame. While all the benefits offered must be the same, whether or not they will cover a chemotherapy drug or other injectables can vary. Usually if regular medicare A and B cover an injectable, the medigap will cover their portion. What do you want to cover for yourself. If you wish to risk losing much of your savings by having an expensive health event-ie heart attack with bypass surgery, or cancer type with only nonapprove (translation- noncovered) drugs, you can then choose a lesser plan. I have the plan that covers EVERYTHING. However, I do not want to lose my house, my RV and savings. The slightly larger payment is worth that satisfaction. My current health costs for 2008 would have been $160,000 out of pocket due to a MAJOR event that would not have been covered under the more basic plans. Until that event, I was the epitome of health. We cannot predict if we will have a health problem-even if we are healthy. For an extra $100- $200 a month, it is money well spent. Throughout my career, I have seen people wiped out, who choose no, or limited insurance coverage. It is a horrible decision if you get a cancer, for which there are only noncovered drugs available. I watched patients struggle with the decison-- Do I use a large chunk of our savings to maybe save my life and risk my family being impoverished if I die, or do I just die? Be very careful with this choice. As an RVer, you also want to get a plan AND a company that will cover you ANYWHERE in US (and out of the couhtry if you plan to travel to Canada or Mexico. Anthem provides good coverage. I am not sure that Humana or United health care do well in coverage everywhere. Many of the managed care medigaps may offer limited coverae outside your home area- or be VERY dififcult toget them to pay without months of appeals-meanwhile you will be harassed by hospital and doctors billing offices to get their money. Sorry for the long post, but this is an area where I have a great deal of expertise, both personal and professional, and I want to help my fellow RVers.
RE: Price on used RV
on Ebay, go to completed sales in your account. I believe you must have an Ebay account to do this. For realistic prices, check the consignment sites, like PPL motorhomes in Texas. NEVER pay more than what they SELL for. On PPL, you can see what RVs sold for over the last 1- 1 1/2 years-watch the date of sale. What it sold for 1 year ago is way too high for now. You may also follow the bankruptcy sale site-crankyape to see if units like yours come up for sale-you can see what they go for. Asking price is totally irrelevant. Find the unit you want at a dealer on RVTrader, then make an offer 30-40% below the lower asking prices on the internet-they will come back with a better price. Do not do this with a private owner, they have a false senbse of what their RV is worth. I was looking for a 2006 Seneca GS, and the low asking prices were 80-90K. I found 2 units I liked, sent an email I was looking for this, but my budget was 60K, would they watch to see if one came in, in my price range. They immediately offered the unit for 74K, that their asking price was 85K. I eventually found a 2005 at my price point.
