Motorhoming - How many years and in what?

[merle&louise]

How many years have you been motorhoming?

And what brand did you start out with?
Motorhome, travel trailer, tent?

What were some of the pluses and minuses of each RV?

Would you like to go back to those days?

Or are the buses better today!

Which was your favorite?

[garyde]

I always Camped since I was a little kid, so I always had a tent or something.
My first and second Campers were Volkswagon buses in my early 20,s. Toured the whole USA and Canada.
Then an old slide onto a Pick up Camper Hand me down. Back to Tenting when the Kids were small.
Finally , in about 1998 or so , I bought a Type A, Holiday Rambler,36'. Toured the Southwest with the Family & had a ball.
2 Years later, Monaco Diplomat Pusher , Brand New with DBL. Slide, & Custom Paint. 3 years later, Country Coach Lexa. Many Trips to Northern Pacific, Canada, Idaho, Colorado, Utah, etc. Great Ride.
Now , the Ultimate, 2003 Liberty Coach. I'm in Heaven!

When I was a young Boy, my folks used to ship me off to the Grandparents in Idaho on a Greyhound Bus for Summers and Christmas. I guess thats how I got hooked on Driving and Buses. Gary

[Jon Wehrenberg]

Just starting in our 17th year. Started out in 1987 Liberty, got our present 97 Liberty in Aug. 2004.

I slept in a tent as a boy scout.

[Ray Davis]

Made perhaps an unusal progression:

1978 - 2 man tent camping from motorcycle (with wife)
1978 - (1 day later, expanded to 3 man tent)
1980's - bigger tent, with car
1980's - borrowed neighbors tent trailer. Boy that's a step up
1990 - First motorhome, 23 ft class C Tioga
1991 - Purchased GMC (urban assault vehicle from Stripes) Class A
2005 - (December) Purchased Prevost

Loved my GMC, but probably spent more time under it than in it! Had friend with similar coach who got me into the GMC. Later he purchased a Prevost (wife didn't like him under the coach so much, especially when they were supposed to be driving!), so naturally I followed suit.

I will admit the GMC was a lot easier to get around in smaller, tighter places, and really drove nice (when it was running!). But, sleeping was horribly cramped. Bought the bus to hopefully (1) have more reliable transport, and (2) bigger sleeping accomodations.

So far, I'm pretty darn happy with it!

[Kevin Erion]

Did a few days tent camping in Boy Scouts, spent about 10 days every year tent camping at Lake Powell just out of High School, that lasted 5 or 6 years.

First RV is a 99 XL45 Marathon I bought in June of 05, I have put about 32,000 miles and 2 Summer Vacations with the wife and 3 girls. Can't believe how hooked I am with the Prevost and can't wait until the summer of 07 to do another 20,000 miles or so.

Kevin

[dalej]

We never thought of RV’ing until some friends from southern Illinois were up here for a
visit and to spend some time they wanted to look at class C motor homes, I thought they
were crazy at the time.... (motor homes).?? Well after they left Jan & I started thinking
about it and you know... it would be nice to see the USA by a motor home. We had
always flew to the Caribbean to dive and relax. The airports were a hassle, they always
wanted to inspect all the camera gear etc.

July of 1998 we started looking and asking questions, a lot of questions. The majority of
the people that owned motor home said you start small and work up to a class A and
then the ultimate form of transportation, The Prevost Bus!

By August we were flying to California to buy a 1986 Prevost, country coach conversion
bus. We had looked at new Class A’s and decided to spend between 200-250 thousand.
So why not step into a used Prevost bus and not trade up every two to three years.

We just love our bus, our mobile home as my mom calls it.

PS...our friends bought a new Gulf Stream Tour Master a year later...then traded it for a used 96 Prevost (Marathon) four years later.

[lewpopp]

30 years of motorhoming

Had to find a way to take all of my family on trips and the station wagon ended up being too small. 7 children and the two of us, JEEZE we need something. When the campgrounds saw us exiting from the motorhome, they thought it was the circus.

1977 1973 GMC , rebuilt it twice
1987 1976 GMC, rebuilt it stem to stern. Between the 2 GMC's I put about 400K on the coaches. Has anyone seen my "SUN OF A BEACH" ?

1996 1993 Gulfstream Tourmaster
1999 1996 Gulfstream Tourmaster
2002 1990 Prevost, How sweet it is

The only camping I did was in the scouts and the army. Don't need that!

Lew

[Ben]

How many years have you been motorhoming?
8 months.

And what brand did you start out with?
Motorhome, travel trailer, tent?
1997 Prevost

What were some of the pluses and minuses of each RV?
Love the private toilet, single waste water tank and temp. controlled shower.
Wish I had keyless entry, shore cord real and motorized awnings.

Would you like to go back to those days?
Huh? I'm in those days now. :-)

[Orren Zook]

We been 'camping' for 29 years, we've had Airstream trailers when the kids were small, but sold the trailer and bought a Winnebago to pull an enclosed trailer 'cause we couldn't take the motorcycles or fourwheelers along to the woods. We outgrew that and moved on to a Georgie Boy then a had two American Eagles before we finally bought a Prevost. There's no comparison - fit, finish, ride, power - we should have done it years before! Go back? Never!

[dale farley]

1973 Champion 28' Class A
1994 Tioga 24' Class C
1996 Avco 32' Class A
2003-2004 5th Wheels
2005 40' American Dream
2006 Prevost 1970-73 Tents


I started camping with the boy scouts a long, long time ago. As a married couple, we started camping about 38-39 years ago in a tent. After a few years of fighting the Florida mosquitos, we gave the tent away, and bought a new Champion class A in 1973. Used it on trips within 500 miles for a few years. It was cheap, cheap, cheap, and I could see it would falll apart in a few years, so I sold it after a couple years.

Later bought a Class "C" and drove it to Idaho, Canada, and circled through California back to Florida on our first trip. We enjoyed the trip, but our teenage son and his girlfriend were bored because there wen't enough video games, etc. to keep them entertained. They later got married, he became a minister, and they now have two boys and a better appreciation for the simpler things of life, such as scenery and solitude.

We bought a used 32' Class "A" Avco (not Travco) in the mid 90's and I put thousands in bringing it up to par. Replaced almost everything on it, and when I got through, I still had a motorhome that I wasn't really happy with. Sold it, lost a lot of money and had no camper for a few years.

In 2003 we bought an "almost new" 26' 5th wheel. It was nice but not a lot of quality. Sold it and bought an older 32' Mountain Aire. It was nice, and well-built, but we wanted something nicer. Bought a 1994 37' Londonaire that was a one owner with two slides. It is very nice, and we really like it. I just can't see pulling an 18,000 5th wheel out West. I will reluctantly be selling it in the near future, just because I don't need it and the Prevost. I need the money for it worse than I need the 5th Wheel.

In 2005, after planning a trip for a month to Yellowstone, I ruled out pulling the 5th wheel and bought a 1999 American Dream. It was very nice, and we had a great trip, but we really like the Londonaire 5th wheel better, so I sold the coach to a guy in Canada. I actually made a few thousand off it, because I had bought it at the right price. Didn't make enough to offset the loss on the Avco!

Since our only son just moved out of town, we wanted something nice to travel in and hopefully retain its value, so that's why we decided on the Prevost we bought a couple weeks ago. Our son was our Pastor before moving, and it was hard to get out of town without the Pastor knowing we were somewhere goofing off and missing church. Sorry for the long post.

[Coloradobus]

So far we have completed 102,000 miles of coach travel in 5 different coaches. They are in order:

1999 35ft Airstream Cutter Diesel Dec.1999-Nov. 2000
2000 40ft Country Coach Affinity Nov 2000-Oct.2001
2001 45ft Country Coach Prevost 2 slide Nov.2001-Oct.2002
2002 45ft Marathon XLII single slide Nov.2002-Oct.2004
2000 45ft Marathon "H"3-45 No slide Oct 2004-Present

We also supplement coach travel with either a 1959,1967,1979, 1997 Airstream product. We have a 2006 Airstream Bambi 16ft we've had for a year and never used. ????? You kinda wonder?? I do!

[Joe Cannarozzi]

I asked Debbie if she wanted to get married while camping in a 11 1/2 Ft.67 Wonderland slide-in. We had just met 40 days earlier, that was 92.
The rear wall folded down and a roof folded out to make an 8Ft expand-a-room off the back that came with canvas/screen walls. The rocker panels and lower door jams of the Dodge P/U were so rotted and rusted that the door striker and post would not line up if sitting normally. We had to simultainously jump up off the seat and slam the door to get the door to hit the striker and close.
Used to pull an enclosed Snowmobile Trailer to the U-P Mich. By the end of the week there would be 1 inch of frost 10 inches high on the bottom of the door, inside.
Our last camper before the bus was a 26Ft Class C. This one we decided we wanted, went out and found it, bought it, loaded it, pointed it towards Key West and drove it off all on the same Saturday in January a few years back.
We still play with some vintage stuff.

[Joe Cannarozzi]

YO Roadrunner, look what we found.
491
73 Champiin 28Ft 30000 original miles.

[dale farley]

Joe, Just seeing that Champion brings back a lot of memories, but it doesn't quite make me want to sell my coach and go back to the Champion. Dale

[Alan__]

Started in a 2 person tent with bride who was very hesitant about the whole camping thing. First night camping on Memorial Day in Colorado high country the tent blew over and woke to 2 feet of snow. Poor timing.

Two years later upgraded to tent trailer--thought we were cutting a fat hog.

Followed with Class C Midas.
Upgraded to Class C Coachman with 454 Ford engine that vapor locked at the drop of a hat.
With the arrival of a daughter justified moving to Class A Georgie Boy.
Daughter tired of being away from friends so we left RVing for several years.
Back in with Holiday Ramble Septer. Coach was in service more days than we had it so traded for Monaco Dynasty. Found ourselves lusting for a Country Coach Affinity at FMCA so ordered what we thought would be a long term coach. CC service was the most dismal thing we had experienced. The last straw was having the slide pop out as we exited the interstate at Breckinridge, CO.
Made the best move of our RV life in switching to a Marathon in February. Twenty thousand miles later finds us extremely happy campers pleased with drive, build, service and the entire bus experience.

[Jon Wehrenberg]

"Two years later upgraded to tent trailer--thought we were cutting a fat hog."

Alan, no disrespect, but I'm thinking between you and JDUB we are going to start hearing some unique phrases and terms.

[merle&louise]

Thanks to everyone who has posted on this thread.

It is interesting to see how long some of us have been camping and also how many coaches were purchased during those many years.

I started out in 1992 looking at motorhomes; Holiday Rambler, Bluebird, and Newell were the brands that I tested. I bought a 1987 Newell 40' and kept it for 5 years. I loved the Newell and decided to buy a 1993 model. I kept it for 8 years and then decided that a slide out coach was in order. In November 2005 we purchased our current 2 slide Newell and love it.

The people that we have met in campgrounds and at rallies are the nicest and most friendly folks around. I guess the reason for this that most of them are enjoying the most comfortable mode of travel on the planet. As you know, we have access to bathroom, kitchen and a comfortable place to lay down for a nap. All while traveling down the road and seeing America.

[truk4u]

Alan,
Where have you been?:rolleyes: Jump in here more often, us Marathon owners need all the support we can get when dealing with the Liberty bunch:D

[Alan__]

Jon: Obviously you never have cut and ate a lean hog!

Truk4u: I have been lurking and observing the water before trying it out. It seems the Liberty group has more experience with maintenance. Is that by necessity or background?

[garyde]

Ok, now, now. I prefer to believe we are an inquisitve Bunch.

[Jon Wehrenberg]

Tom Tom:

I notice that you were not picking on Liberty folks until you got some reinforcements. Ya all might want to be carefull because your back-up might not be willing to pick fights with us bling boys.

[rfoster]

I do believe more Maintenance for my Liberty is in direct porportion to the usage. Due to the frequent useage and fondness I have for my Liberty - it gets a little more than probably necessary, but what the hell, I love it. It don't argue, always glad to see me, likes my freinds, doesn't complain about the way the fuel smells, likes black tires, always ready to go when I am. Even likes the roads.:cool:

[Toy Box]

A small pop-up in 1973. several years of work, a 33' windcruiser in 1986followed by a 40' marathon in 1992, a 40' liberty in 1996, and currently a 45' liberty since 2005. Loved everypne and have done all maintenance on my own including replacement of pinion seals and holding tanks. None have been a big deal. Can't wait to get back out on the big road again in a few weeks!

[merle&louise]

My daughter and I were driving to her in-laws house for Thanksgiving dinner, and we drove by an oilfield service company parking lot. There parked in the lot was what looked like my first coach. We pulled over and after asking permission; we looked around inside. Sure enough, it was my 1987 Newell 40' with the orginal paint, carpet, bedspread, etc. all in very good condition.

The coach had been bought and sold about 3 times since I sold it in 1997. What a great Thanksgiving gift to just stumble upon this MH after 9 years!
Boy, that coach brought back a lot of memories.:D :D

[Coloradobus]

The total camping scene for us starts well before the motorhomes. I had my first airstream in 1982, a 27ft Overlander International. Chris had a pop-up truck camper and then a Hi Low, followed by a 28ft Excella 1000 Airstream trailer.
We traded the Excella for the Airstream Cutter diesel trying to stay product loyal. In the end, we tossed it.
Earlier this summer Airstream announced they are out of the motorhome business. Just as well, motorhome building is not their forte.

We had good luck with Country Coach service, both with Affinity and the XL while Bob Lee was at the helm. We also nurse-maided the service crew, in that we kept an eye on progress or the lack of. We NEVER left the coach, and let any service crew have their way with the coach, that includes Prevost and Marathon, to this day. We find if we are handy to answer questions, or assist them in some small way, the service visit is much more rewarding. This is also what we do when we have service at a CountryCoach or Marathon sanction rally. We get it all fixed most of the time.

[merle&louise]

Jim,

Did CountryCoach and Marathon allow you to live in the coach while it was being repaired?

I think that this is great if they did because, like you said, you are right there to answer any questions or give any suggestions. I do this when I bring mine in for service, and it just makes the waiting time pass a little faster and I find that I can learn a great deal from the techs. It also gives you a chance to talk to other owners who are in for service. I have learned more talking to other owners than any other means.

Experience is the best teacher!

[Loc]

How many years have you been motorhoming? 6.5 years - we are pretty new to this gig. :)

And what brand did you start out with?
Motorhome, travel trailer, tent?

2000 - 2002 2000 Fleetwood DP 46,000 miles
2002 - present 1992 Angola XL 101,000 miles

What were some of the pluses and minuses of each RV?

Fleetwood - great first MH, but after 40K miles it had more rattles than Sweetwater during the rattlesnake roundup and we really disliked the 30 amp service

Prevost - incredible drive with great fit and finish and no rattles. We have done a lot of upgrades and rebuilding, but still wish it had a Series 60 with a six speed and got a little better mileage (5 mph).

Would you like to go back to those days?

Will keep the Prevost and upgrade to an XLII someday when my bride is in a weak moment (probably longer than a moment).

Or are the buses better today!

A better drivetrain, but our does just fine.

Which was your favorite?

The bus hands down.

[JIM CHALOUPKA]

Hi Jack14r, Welcome to POG. Here is a good place to jump in and say howdy. :) JIM

[MangoMike]

My brother just sent me this pix of my first "bus".

1957 International Harvester Step Van

Totally Stainless Steel Body

I had it outfitted with a fold down bunk, reclineable first class airline seats (from a Connie), wood paneling, carpet, and headphones jacks for all flyers tied into the 8 track. Led Zeppelin all the way.

Owned from 1968 until I gave it to my brother in 1972.

959
photo here on the beach at Long Beach Island, NJ.

Some great memories here - for both my brother and I.


mm

[dalej]

Mike... you've come a long way baby!

[Coloradobus]

We have after this latest trip to the Palm Springs auto auction last week, completed 108,000 miles since 1999. Yes, we did buy something, too.:D

[Jim Skiff]

OK Jim,

Let's see pictures of what you bought! The suspense is killing me!

Jim

[garyde]

My brother just sent me this pix of my first "bus".

1957 International Harvester Step Van

Totally Stainless Steel Body

I had it outfitted with a fold down bunk, reclineable first class airline seats (from a Connie), wood paneling, carpet, and headphones jacks for all flyers tied into the 8 track. Led Zeppelin all the way.

Owned from 1968 until I gave it to my brother in 1972.

959
photo here on the beach at Long Beach Island, NJ.

Some great memories here - for both my brother and I.


mm

Hi Mike. My 1st car(bought in 68) was a 64 Volkswagon bus with windows all around. I took out the middle and back seat and put a 4x8 piece of plywood in the back and I had an instant camper. Man was I popular. Freinds and I took trips up and down the coast of California for many years. I kept that VW all the way thru college. Great times. Gary