RV Buying Tips On Finding The Right One

Above, The Beast at La Mesa RV.

When I bought "The Beast" (a 2015 Winnebago Minnie Winnie 22R), I already narrowed my choices down weeks before.

I decided on Winnebago as they have one of the best reputations for RV manufacturing. Plus, I chose the size and layout ahead of time. The size was easy. At the time, I had a two-vehicle parking space at my Tarzana apartment and anything longer than 23 feet wouldn't allow me to park both the motorhome and my car.

When I decided on the make, model and color scheme, I checked all the local Winnebago dealers and none had what I wanted in stock. Then I took a look online at La Mesa RV in San Diego and they had exactly what I wanted. So, after negotiating on a price, I flew down and picked it up.

Above, the "shake-down" trip to Las Vegas. The Beast at Circus Circus RV Park. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

RV Life has an article on "How To Find The Perfect RV". It depends upon what you want and what you consider to be "perfect".

They begin with:

If you have worn out a set of tires driving all over to attend RV shows, collected so many sales brochures that you had to hire a librarian to catalog them, and visited so many RV manufacturers websites that you can’t remember the difference between a Foretravel and a Forester, then you have analysis paralysis and I have a tip for you. 

There is no such thing as the perfect RV—it will always be a compromise. 

If you get one large enough to have all the features you want and storage to take everything with you, it will be too big for some campgrounds and the fuel mileage won’t be ideal. It may not fit your budget either. 

Conversely, if you get a smaller RV that’s easier to drive and park in rural campgrounds, you probably won’t be able to have the desired master bedroom suite, three 55” TVs, 100-gallon freshwater tank, and two bathrooms. 

So how do you decide which RV is right for you? Prioritize your needs into categories such as; “must haves”, “important”, “would be nice, but can survive without it”, etc.

To read more, go here.