Ha, I quoted myself. Anyway, he also recommended a shower in the RV and the brand Winnebago, which are supposedly the best in terms of quality for the price.
Personally, I don’t see anything wrong with living in an RV, or a car for that matter, but I do think our culture has some biases against it.
As a family of five - (myself and my wife + MIL + 8 and 2 Y.O kids) we spent almost two weeks travelling in a 6.9 metre, 6 berth RV.
As a way of holidaying - I loved it. What I liked most was the sheer convenience of the space in the back while on the move. We could stop and cook as and when we liked, the kids could watch TV - while I visited my family, MIL stayed inside and watched TV (long story).
I would heartily recommend it - with a few caveats -
Firstly - get as much RV as you can handle. The one we had was actually two small to comfortably sleep for any length of time (mostly because when you went to bed, all you luggage had to be moved into the drivers compartment
The size we had would have been perfect for only Two people for an extended time (if you are well organised)
Parking - we never had much of a problem, but we didn’t really go to the city centre, and anyway - 6.9m isn’t so huge, a supermarket or mall parking lot could accomodate by “pulling through” and using two carparks.
Fuel wasn’t much of an issue - it was a diesel (which in NZ is reasonably priced) and my diesel cost was only around what you would expect for a mid sized petrol sedan.
I found it easy to drive, reversing was not an issue (with a little help from the SO when spaces were tight)
We did get broken into - but we had left everything in a hotel room at the time so that wasn’t too bad - I do however echo the security concerns. Although I would think a sophisticated alarm system would go a long way towards helping this.
Thank you every one for the input so far!
We will be staying in Socal, except for the occasional vacation.
We will have our dogs with us, so less worries there.
Checking out the used private owner prices and I think thats how we will go.
Hubby is very beyond handy and I am handy myself.
Bounders are looking most favorable with their large water and holding tanks. Thinking 36 ft or so.
Wireless options are our only question/uncertanity I believe.
Bringing dogs along will definitely make you want a larger RV. Besides the occasional mess, dogs really get antsy in an RV (some think of the vehicle as a big cage it seems) so the more room that they have, the happier everybody will be.
Be very cautious when buying a used RV, as they take a considerable beating during their lives and deteriorate quickly from vibration, moisture, etc. Look over every foot, including the roof to see if there are any bubbles in the fiberglass skin. This will indicate that water has gotten behind the skin and made it separate from the underlayment. It’s an expensive repair and the source of the leak may not have been repaired. Make sure that all the exterior caulking is in place. Check inside all cabinets to make sure there is no mold or rot or other evidence of water intrusion.
If you can possibly do this before you buy (if not, be sure to do it after):
**have a reputable RV repair place do a complete systems check that includes water and gas lines.
**have them check the sewage holding tank to see if there is a big buildup of sludge. This is a common problem with RVs and the reason that we no longer use the RV toilet for serious business.
**check the AC units for proper operation
**check the generator for proper operation and maintenance
Bounders used to be called “Bouncers” not all that long ago, because they had a nasty habit of bouncing up and down excessively every time you drove over a dip or bump. Make sure that when you test drive the vehicle that you take it over a variety of road surfaces, including hills. Have the dealer/owner take you to an empty lot somewhere and go through a complete setup (as if you were going to camp there).
Unless you’re going to be staying in a park where there are no hookups, or spending long periods of time in a remote area, really large holding tanks aren’t really necessary. In an RV park, you hook up your drain hose to the waste pipe at your spot and everything just flows out by gravity. You’ll also be hooked up to a water supply, so a big tank full of water is not required, either.