# Seems frustrating



## Gunslinger2681 (Oct 20, 2015)

My wife and I really want to get a nice big fifth wheel and experience the great parks and all the nature this country has to offer. After reading this forum, 
My two biggest takeaways are the dealership experience is terrible and somethings always breaking. And service is bad
Has put a little discouragement in our motivation


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## Sgrem (Oct 5, 2005)

Part of the game. Like owning any toy gotta love the maintenance as much as the play time. Schedule the maintenance just like you would schedule your adventures. Get after it or you will think the idea to death. It's an RV not a marriage. If you dont like it dont keep it.


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## Muddskipper (Dec 29, 2004)

I see a lot of people upgrade after 1-2 yrs
There is some value there

But if your only going to use it 4-5 times a year..... just like a boat...just rent one

Friend of mine rents a 5 th wheel once a year.... they even take it to where he camps and then they pick it up....

Like he said.... no storage, maintenance, insurance or hassle 

Maybe try doing that prior to buying one .... look for a place near your camping area to rent
And check prices

Buddy camps on new bransful river ....there are a few he chooses from

But it takes some planning.... 3 months out minimum... you need availability for camp site and RV rental to match


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## Hookem-Guy81 (Apr 3, 2013)

Gunslinger, don't get discouraged. Hey, regular cars and homes and computers break down too. To be honest there are many more hours of use, where there are no problems and trip and experienced are awesome. Every once in a while an RV will have an issue. Just like a boat too. You just have to get in there and tackle it if this is what you want to do. And there are so many places to see all over the US. Things we have solved over the years since 20011, when I bought my Fifth wheel. New Tires: Michelin XPS Ribs, New board on the fridge, leaking water pump which I just posted about on the fix, Broken Vent cover (tree limb), Generator not running (Carb job and switched to True Fuel), New TV with Dish Outdoors Pay as you go Wally Receiver, and New portable Auto Satellite dish, Verizon Jet Pack Mi Fi for our own WiFI internet connection rather than using the unsecured park WiFi which doesn't always work either. Other minor things like light bulbs, etc. Gotta keep it going down the road. We're Rubber Tramps. Get on PPL website and check out some units and Go by PPL and check them out. Inventory is down but they still have a lot. I am going to Matagorda right now but when I get back I will post about what to look for when buying used RVs. Come on Gunslinger, you can be a Rubbertramp too!


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## Gunslinger2681 (Oct 20, 2015)

*Which is best*

How come standard advice is â€œdo not take possession until itâ€™s 100%â€ from the dealership, itâ€™s common for stuff to not work from day one?
most QUALITY PURCHASES, everything works really well in the beginning, a lemon is an exception.

Iâ€™m just not very mechanical at all, Iâ€™ll pay top dollar for stuff to be done right and high-quality, aint got no time or patience for â€œits brokenâ€

Is there a consensus on whoâ€™s producing the most well-built time tested fifth wheel?


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## Hookem-Guy81 (Apr 3, 2013)

Muddskipper said:


> I see a lot of people upgrade after 1-2 yrs
> There is some value there
> 
> But if your only going to use it 4-5 times a year..... just like a boat...just rent one
> ...


This ^^. Gunslinger, after thinking about it an reading your posts again, I think this would be your ticket. I use to rent from several outfits. Worked out good for Trail Ride, and Bandera. There are several here in Houston. What is really cool is you can make a Reservation in Yellowstone at a reservable campground ahead of time, go to Outdoorsy web site, and Rent an RV in Idaho Falls or other close by large towns. Have them deliver to Yellowstone to your reserved spot, then Fly in to Idaho falls, do all the paperwork, and rent an SUV or car to go to your awesome RV and campsite!. Do not have to haul all the way up there, and you can fish and tour Yellowstone and sit by the fire, and smell like the fire, and enjoy. Then Fly home and they will come pick it up. How cool is that.


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## Hookem-Guy81 (Apr 3, 2013)

Or, you can take the scenic trip to Yellowstone in a car or SUV and stay in hotels on your way to Yellowstone. I forgot to mention you can get the RVs there for avg $200 a night depending on size and type. Delivery fee and pickup is around $200 I think. I haven't rented in a while here locally so don't know those prices.


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## Ducatibilt (Jul 8, 2010)

Gunslinger2681 said:


> My wife and I really want to get a nice big fifth wheel and experience the great parks and all the nature this country has to offer. After reading this forum,
> My two biggest takeaways are the dealership experience is terrible and somethings always breaking. And service is bad
> Has put a little discouragement in our motivation


One thing to think about that I don't see mentioned is "a nice big fifth wheel" may not be the best choice if you're planning on mostly staying in state and national parks as opposed to private parks. 
I currently have a 42' fifth wheel and pulling it with a long bed crew cab truck there are a lot of parks that I just can't get a spot to fit in or it takes extra planning as there might only be a few spots available to fit a big rig. We started years ago with a used 20' bumper pull and sometimes I wished we still had it just for this reason.

As an example do a search for Yellowstone RV length limits and you'll see what I'm referring to.


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## Muddskipper (Dec 29, 2004)

When you take a step back and look at deprecating the value of the 
5th wheel
Insurance 
Additional gas haul
Maintenance... tires, propane, etc....
All the small things you need
Then your time investment 

Unless itâ€™s getting used monthly I find it hard to justify the big purchase


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## Hookem-Guy81 (Apr 3, 2013)

Ducatibilt said:


> One thing to think about that I don't see mentioned is "a nice big fifth wheel" may not be the best choice if you're planning on mostly staying in state and national parks as opposed to private parks.
> I currently have a 42' fifth wheel and pulling it with a long bed crew cab truck there are a lot of parks that I just can't get a spot to fit in or it takes extra planning as there might only be a few spots available to fit a big rig. We started years ago with a used 20' bumper pull and sometimes I wished we still had it just for this reason.
> 
> As an example do a search for Yellowstone RV length limits and you'll see what I'm referring to.


For sure ^^ Get some experience in a Rented RV. When we first started out I learned what not to do and what to do. Also we joined Good Sam and they have a Forum just like 2 Cool Fishing. We rented Bumper Pull Trailers and Motorhomes, including Class A, Class C, and Mini's. We have so many memories, and have had so many good times.


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## richmanmag (May 9, 2012)

I have a 40â€™ 5th wheel and we love it. My dad stuck me with it after he decided he didnâ€™t want to retire in it and it took years for my wife to want to use it. Now she wants to homeschool our three young boys and travel the country. It only took one good trip to convince her it was awesome. 

Is there repairs, hell yes! Have a found a good place to take it, hell no! Itâ€™s at a dealer now who has been screwing me around for several weeks. Itâ€™s frustrating, but itâ€™s worth it! The good out weighs the bad. The only time I see people disagree is when people have no experience pulling a trailer or they donâ€™t like being outside. I never understood the people that do all this work to sit in the rv and watch tv all day. To each their own but for me that would not be worth it. 

Hereâ€™s some perks...
-I always have my own vehicle
-I never have to pack (I keep all my toiletries, clothes, etc in the rv) 
-If I canâ€™t go and I booked a site I loose hundreds not thousands on plane tickets and hotels. 
-You can pickup and go on a whim. 
-traveling is much more affordable so we go way more. Usually about a week a month. 
-I can office out of it 
-itâ€™s my toilet seat, sheets, etc
-you donâ€™t have to eat out every meal 
-your usually closer to outside activities, ie the ocean or a river etc. 

Iâ€™ve learned to buy used. It may not be as glamorous but someone else has worked out all the issues. Plus you donâ€™t take the big hit. If you can afford to donâ€™t do a 12-20 year loan so you can unload it if you get tired of it. Live life! Go RV! 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## Aktx (Jan 18, 2017)

Do not buy new! Too much depreciation, and let someone else pull it back to the dealer/factory to do what they should have done before it was sold. 

Buy an older, high end rig. Lots of them have pretty well depreciated out and build quality is either there or not...no way to add it after the fact. 

I've been very happy with my old Foretravel motorhome. Stone ax simple mechanical Cummins, very well built. Tx factory still in business and still services any of their coaches. 10 mpg and we average 10K miles a year for the 9 years I've owned it. Solid walnut interior and wiring like a learjet.

If I was just wanting to give it a try I do believe I would purchase a 10-15 year old Lazy Daze motorhome, it's common to find garage queens that have less than 50k miles. Give it a try, if not to your liking sell it for what you paid. 

If your goal is to visit National Parks, smaller rigs are typically the only ones that fit. Remember, these parks and campgrounds were built back when people camp4ed out of their cars.


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## redexpress (Apr 5, 2010)

We are on our 3rd 5th wheel since retiring in 2008. First 2 were new. Current one was 2 years old when we bought it last year. Went from a 28', 34', to the current 40ft. All 3 were maintenance nightmares. Most brands are built with the same components...A/C, stoves, furnaces, etc. All lot of components are made in China as cheap and as light as possible. 
Most salesmen at the dealerships are the best liars on earth. Most dealership service departments are terrible. It's not regarded as a profit center except when they are installing accessories. Find a family owned service center that only repairs RV's, no sales. I found one that I have used for 30 years and I'm about to shop for another one. Grandkids inherited it and have a lot to learn about management.
I might consider renting a motorhome. Buy a lot of Lysol. I can only imagine what happens in one at a rodeo. Not sure about renting a tongue pull. That will take some fine tuning of the equalizers. Renting a 5th wheel will require having the correct hitch and a truck heavy enough to carry a pin heavy 5th. Assuming a 3/4 ton truck will haul any 5th wheel is a mistake. 
There is no perfect RV. I have had a motorhome, truck camper, and 3 5th wheels. Currently have a Bigfoot cabover truck camper and a 40ft Landmark Oshkosh 5th wheel. The Bigfoot is the best built RV I have owned, but they are expensive.
A small class C motorhome towing a Jeep is a pretty good combo.


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## OG Donkey (Aug 22, 2007)

I'd add to this conversation--we ordered a new 5th wheel months ago and it's still not finished....everyone is facing shortages due to covid...hoping to have it by mid Nov.


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## Jerry713 (Nov 6, 2019)

If you're not the type that can make your own RV repairs I would look at other options. Travel trailers can be a lot of fun but they're built really cheap and for the most part a horrible investment unless you buy an older one that is already at the lower end of it's depreciation. Something is and seemingly will always be breaking on them. If you have to rely on RV dealers to make repairs you'll get screwed every time. Their price markup on parts alone is staggering. 

The last one I owned I had for 3 years. Used it the first year a lot (12 times). After that used it 3 times the next 2 years (15 times total). I spent $14,500 in payments, storage and insurance in the time I had it and that was a 26 footer. That's almost $1000 per use and that's not including what I spent in RV park fees, maintenance, increased cost of fuel when towing, etc. 

They can be fun but are expensive.


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