How would you spend 10k on an RV?

http://www.cruiseamerica.com/rent/

...and...

I bought a 90's winne, with known water issues. Its worked out great so far, but the box wont last forever. I reseald all the seams and its been a fun rig.

I like the thought of a used greyhound coach but don't know how useable a $10,000 one would be.

I know of a 1966 Greyhound, converted that might be available for $10k.

Renting one as necessary and spend the rest on fuel.

Go on CL and search "Blue Bird"

There was another thread about this a couple of weeks ago. I doubt $10K would buy one but they are damn nice looking.

Here's what I did.

Renting RV's were ridiculously expensive when I looked in california. For a week long trip we would have spent more than airfare and hotels

I would spend $10k on an RV on 100 nights in a Hampton Inn.

What exactly are your plans and needs? As mentioned, $10K can buy you a whole world of problems. In this price range, make & model don't matter much.

Cheap Bluebirds seems to end up in FL and GA. We had a thread a few days ago and someone posted an CL ad with one for $7K.

Bear in mind, most of these rate fuel economy with decimal points...

NMNA

http://losangeles.craigslist.org/sgv/cto/4952502334.html

About 20 years ago my brother-in-law bought a 32 ft Southwind class A for around that price. The RV was 10 years old at the time but only had 30K miles. Interior was dated but functional. Everything worked as intended. The only major issues were the exhaust manifolds cracked and had to be replaced, (common on BB Chevys in RVs), had coolant hose leaks at times due to age until they were all replaced, and the rear parking brake cables were frozen and wouldn't release and of course fuel mileage. It got 7-6 mpg but it did have a 70+ gallon tank! He ended up selling it for more then what he paid for it 5 years later.

Just spitballing here, but what about a cheap truck and a trailer? Figure you can pick up a 90s-era heavy-duty pickup of some kind for around $3k, leaving $7k for a travel trailer. That way you also gain a pickup, plus when you get to your destination, you can park the trailer and drive the truck around for shorter trips. I know I'd rather fix mechanical issues on an old pickup than an old motorhome.

Find the closest to the top of the food chain you can afford. For 10k, this means a bus conversion or an '80's Foretravel. I stayed away from the conversions because of parts availability.. where to find 48v headlamps, for example. Our U280 was a 300k unit in 1989, bought by me for 13, built very very well and well loved. So it still works as intended. Mobile cabin and ultimate racecar service rig and gets 11mpg, drives like a big comfy car, we love it.. I like bluebirds. But we have a geat many big hills around here. A Bird weighs as much empty as ours does at full load, and has drums instead of 4 air discs, a strong consideration. When you find something you like, go find the forums for it and gather info. Maybe even find someone local to it that knows what they're looking for do do an inpection for you. Beaver is basically the one other make I would consider but an ex greyhound or a Bird or a Foretravel will go a long way toward saving you from many builtin moneypit disasters. Just know that tires and oilchanges are gonna cost ya, that's all..Them cute little class B's on the sprinter chassis are cute and all but add a zero to your budget!

My VFR and all the camping gear and luggage is probably still a grand under $10k. Something like that, I'd do again, although maybe with a different bike. Used Z1000 perhaps.

My Wanderlodge was $10,500.00. You have to do your homework but they are out there.

http://www.wanderlodgeownersgroup.com/forums/

Picked up a clean good running 1978 28" Airstream Argosy in last Sept for $2700. Over the winter have updated the interior $2300 and spent another $1500 on misc for a total of $6500. Will be painting the exterior when the weather warms up. 454 and 11mpg http://www.viewrvs.com/motorhome/argosy/argosy-1978.php

In reply to bearmtnmartin:

That sounds like a killer deal. I haven't seen one below the mid teens.

Related question.

I have two small kids (4.5 and 15months) so the idea of a layout with like bunk beds or something in the back that can close off from the living area is appealing (so kids go to bed but mom and dad can stay up) because of this the class C layout with the cab over bed is somewhat interesting since mom and dad could sleep there.

I also want to be able to tow a miata on a trailer to the race track and have the family be able to hang out. For towing I know that going for older beaver chassis was recommended in another thread (class A) and class A is pretty much the only place you'll get a diesel.

Any suggestions on these quality older rigs that might have a suitable layout?

I will add my two cents here since I have a lifetime of RV experience including full-timing for several years. You may reject it at will - recommending RV stuff is like recommending a Chevy simply because I've owned a truck. There are so many options that my advice may not ring with you.

For occasional use, a powered RV (motorhome) is one of the worst choices. You will be paying registration and insurance on a single-use vehicle that will sit and atrophy for 11 months out of the year. For long-term vacations, motorhomes are also one of the worst choices unless you have a dedicated towable vehicle to take with you. Setting up and tearing down camp is a significant time investment, and you don't want to be camp-bound without wheels. Motorhomes are road warriors. They shine if you are doing a Griswold road trip and never plan to spend more than a few days in one place.

5th wheels are very easy to tow, and you can unhitch and have a vehicle free. The downsides are big, greasy hitches in the bed and not much bed space. You also can't have a tonneau or camper/cap to keep your cargo dry.

Travel trailers are (IMO) the best compromise of all worlds, but one of the worst towables. The billboard acts on the hitch like a lever. For that reason, it often requires a heftier tow rig than a comparable 5er, but you open yourself up to nearly any tow rig; SUV, truck, large car, etc.

Pop ups are not good road-trippers or long term camping. Everything in the trailer is inaccessible without cranking up the roof. They are great for small tow rigs for a long weekend.

Class A (box-front) motorhomes command a premium, partly because they are built on medium-duty frames. I think its also perception. Class C (van front) motorhomes are just as capable but lose their new value fast, so they can be had cheaper.

My suggestion would be to get a travel trailer that is sized properly to go behind a tow vehicle that would double as a useful vehicle when its not towing. Otherwise, you're no better off than with a motorhome from the registration/atrophy standpoint. Good used travel trailers can be had for a song. Heck, in 2002 I bought a brand new 31' Fleetwood with big slide and tons of options for $17k. I let it go for $13k three years later after living full time in it. I replaced it with a 93 32' Alumalite Holiday Rambler for around $8k. Its now worth about $3k, but it is still 150% livable.

Hands down, if you're getting a TT, 5er, or motorhome, look to the early 90s Holiday Rambler/Alumalite RVs. They have aluminum skins, roofs, studs, bonded foam insulation, and very high quality parts. All RVs will leak. With an alumalite, there is no part of the structure that can rot. Most of the more common RVs have 2x2 pine studs and they rot very quickly. After the late 90s, Holiday Rambler was bought out and things started going downhill.

Any newer RV is pretty much a joke to me. They are built so cheaply knowing that people will only use them two weekends a year. They try to make them light and end up making them out of polished cardboard. My advice: Find an early 90s Alumalite MH or TT for $4000, fix what's wrong, and enjoy.

But what if you need to tow also like a race car? Our issue was we would likely get desert toys (or had them both quads and bikes) or be towing a race car to the track so the 5th wheel/travel trailer was less of an option especially because most toy haulers are not big enough for a car

In reply to curtis73:

wanderlodges don't leak. Ever. Also the only DOT rollover rated motorhome because they are based on a school bus shell.

Jaynen wrote: But what if you need to tow also like a race car? Our issue was we would likely get desert toys (or had them both quads and bikes) or be towing a race car to the track so the 5th wheel/travel trailer was less of an option especially because most toy haulers are not big enough for a car

Then your only choice is to either double tow (in states that allow it) or use a motorhome. But the OP didn't mention a race car, just vacations.

bearmtnmartin wrote: In reply to curtis73: wanderlodges don't leak. Ever. Also the only DOT rollover rated motorhome because they are based on a school bus shell.

They are pretty resistant to leaks, but try finding a running one for under $20k. There is a nice 15-year old Wanderlodge in Georgia; price reduced to $168k.

In reply to curtis73:

No, mine was $10,500. I drove it 3000 miles home and have put another 7000 on since. I posted links to a couple in another thread somewhere.