New to start RV Life

[jmcom111]

I'm retired and looking to explore our great country for years to come. Meet some good people on the road. Hope to meet those I have already "met" on line. Looking at buying Class A . Or even a RV Trailer to get started. Then upgrade soon after. And need as much advice of what to avoid when buying.
I am looking at a 2002 Winnebago Adventurer , 32ft. Any advice what to be aware of? Any known issues

[Eagle5]

Hi Jmcom111,
With a 21 year-old motorhome, I would check-out:

1. Replacement tires? (absolutely if they are the originals)
2. Batteries? (both house & coach)
3. Roof Leaks? (has the roof been properly maintained?)

You can also search this forum for 2002 Adventurer, and read some of those Threads.
Here is the brochure for the 2002 Adventurer. The Ford V-10 had a known issue with too-few threads in the head to keep the spark plugs in-place. If this engine has not been upgraded with the new heads, that is a potential problem. As far as I know, the Workhorse Chevy drivetrain works well.
Welcome to the forum.
Eagle5

[BobC]

Originally Posted by Eagle5

Hi Jmcom111,
As far as I know, the Workhorse Chevy drivetrain works well.
Welcome to the forum.
Eagle5

I have a 2002 Suncruiser, which is the twin sister of the Adventurer. I can vouch for the Workhorse chassis and, based on my experience vs. many forum postings, the Workhorse doesn't have near the same handling issues as the Ford F53s. If the one you're looking at has a Ford chassis, I suggest holding out for one with the Workhorse chassis.

[creativepart]

Hi and congrats on retirement. We love being retired.

Not to scare you but just to help provide some realistic expectations... if you've never owned an RV of any type before you should be aware that a motorhome is a combination of a truck chassis and a house built on top of it.s So, owning one is like having a house with a truck parked in the driveway. As with most 21 year old homes AND 21 year old trucks there are plenty of things that can break, fail and let you down. And, this can happen in either the truck part, the home part or both parts of the motorhome.

So, it's easy to think of the ease of retirement, the joy of the open road, the beauty of the landscape and forget about the maintenance, repairs, and even emergency rescues that come with owning a 21-year old motorhome.

A great many of us have owned multiple RVs - I, personally, have owned 3-travel trailers, one Class C and one Class A over a 20-year period. Like other's here I've learned to roll with issues that crop up and learned how to fix things myself and on the fly. We love it and have learned to just accept that things can and do go wrong on a regular basis. It doesn't matter if you buy new or used. Stuff happens with them all.

While we vastly prefer owning our Class A motorhome, I have to admit that owning a travel trailer had fewer issues since there is no old truck to repair and maintain as part of the equation. Also not needing a Toad (or Dingy car) to pull behind the motorhome can make things simpler because the tow vehicle you pull the travel trailer with is your get around vehicle.

As with all new things there is a learning curve. It will take time to master any RV and it's many systems. Like a house you've got plumbing, electrical, sewage, HVAC, Audio, Visual and a range of appliances.

Just be sure to understand upfront that, like owning a boat, an RV is hole where you pour money to store, operate, outfit, maintain and repair this mobile lifestyle. Having the right attitude can make the experience all that much better overall.

[BobC]

Another factor to consider is the degree of DIY skills that you have. There are lots of things that will need attending to and paying someone to do them can really add up. For the most part, they aren't difficult, sealing roof fixtures, replacing a "house" water pump, tracing down an electrical problem, etc. Tracing electrical problems can be very time consuming and very expensive if you have to pay someone.

I've had both TTs and MHs and I agree with creativepart about maybe starting with a TT of manageable size, forgetting the massive 35' trailers. The key issue will be an adequate tow vehicle so read as much as you can about the issue. Take the manufactures' tow rating with a grain of salt. Generally they're determined based on a tow vehicle with 150# driver, no passengers, no dog or stuff and a tank of gas. Most of us don't travel that way. Nothing can replace having accurate weights but a reasonable rule of thumb is to stay less than 80% of your tow vehicle's rated towing capacity.