New RVs Prices/Quality/Floorplans

[seatinkers]

Why are they putting the washer/dryer in the bedroom? Why are they making a seperate room for the toilet? (We don't have that in our homes). Colors for the interior are absolutely awful!! You can tell the people who design these do not RV:p Prices have gone up and the slides are smaller, windows are smaller and they give you plastic awnings. So why are the prices going up. I have a 1995 Newmar Kountry Aire and I am having a hard time replacing the quality of my coach with a new one.

We love fulltime RVing but the RV makers should really rethink their floorplans and quality of the interior.

[golfgal]

I agree with you. My biggest complaint is putting carpet in the center of the floor. Diesel fluid stains the rug and my guy always wants to wash his hands after filling. Why not put the tile all the way up the center? Your right about the slides being smaller. We have a 2003 American Eagle and the interior design leaves a lot to be desired. We love traveling and have met some nice folks along the way.

[kzkids]

Hi golfgal

For fueling I keep disposable gloves in the truck and also with the sewer hose. Also a large bottle of hand cleaner. An outside shower is handy.

As for the feet I have a piece of cardboard in the truck and a container of kitty liter. Kitty litter can also help for traction.

Hope that helps. Ron & Vicki;)

[aghfl]

check out our photos of the makeover we done in our RV, cost us $2,000 for everything and we did it ourselves, we are also new learners and beginners. Laminate floors are easy to do, paint the walls, get rid of that nast bulky dinette if you have one. We now have as much room as an RV with slides, and we have no slides. 1996 Georgie Boy Pursuit, love it....

[breenw]

aghfl - I can't see any photos. Am I not looking in the right place?????

[sales]

Try looking at the 07 Holiday Rambler diesels They have a Front Kitchen Floorplan in a Quality coach that has Tile starting at the door and runs throughout the front Kitchen... :)Side bonus the TV is at Eye level located in the living room towards the back of the front room of the RV. So you don't hit your head on it as you walk in the coach. The Ambassador 40SKT and the Endeavor 40SKQ both have that floorplan. I can send you pictures if you like of both of them. my e-mail address is rvsales@veurinksrv.com ; ATTN: John

Hope that helps, plus Newmar and Holiday have a similar construction so you don't loose quality in your construction, AND YOU GAIN the Roadmaster chassis! WIN - WIN

John
aka Sales

[aghfl]

try looking on my web page on here.

[yesitsfree]

try looking on my web page on here.
I would rally love to see your web page but there was not a link or anything to direct us there. Could you add it please?

[carole293]

Most of all the reason I only buy vintage trailers and fix them up is because the newer ones look so cheezy. The upholstry is always an ugly pattern and all those gold knobs and particle board cupboards look cheap. The over the top bedspreads and curtain poofy things, yuck. And the outsides have goofy designs and stickers that peel off. Our last "new" camper the door turned a weird yellow color and had to be repainted. I would like if they did solid colors that you could add your own colors for pillows, curtains and the like.

[littlelynne]

I think we women should get together and design our version of our dream trailer, coach, 5th wheel. If we're not happy, no one is happy!
After looking at hundreds of new and used RV's we decided on a used 2001 Alpha Ideal 5th wheel because it was roomy with plenty of storage, had large windows all around and super size slides. And most important to me it had a private bath! There was nothing in the bedroom that had anything to do with the bathroom. Of course it only met 90% of our needs but if I wanted to I could be in this 5th full time.
Have you noticed how the market is catering to the younger crowd with all the toy haulers out there? Where we live most dealers are only selling them.
Does anyone know of any new trailers that keep the bathroom separate?
Littlelynne

[nerdofparadise]

You have made everything private. We would like to see your Mods. Where have you hidden this website that you mention? You even don't except emails.......

[nerdofparadise]

try looking on my web page on here.

We have........

[juljenki]

:) We have a 45ft Teton 5th wheel and our toilet & second sink are in a seperate room off the bedroom. We also have a sink in the bedroom.The washer & dryer are also in the bedroom area behind closed doors. These RV's have only limited space so I guess things have to be placed where they can fit & also for equal weight distriburtion.Very important issue so your tires wear evenly.There are lots of different makes of Rv's so keep looking around until you find the one you love.We live full time in ours. This is going on our 15th year. Our last Teton was 40ft & we had that for over 13 years.It also had a seperate toilet area.W/D in the closet. Was still in excellant condition.Someone else is now enjoying it.

[breenw]

Littlelynne:

It's interesting that you equate toy haulers to the "younger people". We purchased a toy hauler last May as we have a motorcycle and our 2 adult boys also ride. Our friends who we camp with also ride motorcycles, so we thought the toy hauler would be a good way to go. We are in our middle 50's and I have to tell you that after purchasing the toy hauler, we were not disappointed. It allowed us to "haul our bikes" to the campgrounds, then we used the bikes for afternoon trips to locations near whichever park we were staying in. We used the separate garage area of the toy hauler as a separate bedroom at times. We would throw a blow up mattress or two into the back room and it gave privacy as a separate sleeping area. If it was really hot, the door between the garage area and the front part of the trailer would stay open to allow air conditioning to flow between. Our garage had a full door pull down screen, so if it was a nice summer night, the ramp door on the back could stay open with the screen down. It was like sleeping outdoors but without the bugs!!! I see these toy haulers gaining popularity as more and more styles become available.

[bchbmw]

I would love to have tile floors in the living area. I am always cleaning the carpet in the front area. My grandkids would love this also. Carpet is nice in the bedroom.
I also agree about the colors in the 2007. We bought a Voyage Winnebago and if they had not put a leather couch in the living room it would have been UGLY but with the leather it helped to tone down the other colors.

[1larry4]

How about a maintenance free roof? How about slides that work and don't leak? Let's add tile from entry through-out the coach. Why are there two vanity stations when one is sufficient? How about putting ALL the electrical stuff (underfloor, 110 & 12v) in one location. How about making liquid monitors that work over the lifespan of the coach? Why build a Diesel chassis that lasts ~250,00 miles and an interior that doesn't? There's more, but I guess the manufacturers are content on building products and pushing them onto the customers, "there it is, that's what we make." It reminds me of the car makers back in the 60's-70's who were surprised by the Japannese giving their customers what they wanted and of very respectible quality. This RV industry will be in deep trouble if the Asian manufacturers ever decide to enter this market. I can hardly wait.

[seatinkers]

What about your mate in the bedroom. I don't know about you but as I get older or even younger for that matter I have a tendancy to turn up the TV. Why would I want the tv near the bedroom that is a stupid floorplan. Its like putting the bath in the back of the rv. If someone is sleeping you are going in there making noise and with the new rvs I am sure that they are not as sound proof as my 1995 Newmar.

Littlelynne some of the Class A have what they call a sidehall bathroom. This is where the bathroom is on one side of the RV but now they are even making them smaller. I went into a new Gulfstream Suncruiser and loved the floorplan till I saw that the slideout in the living room was smaller than mine and that if I bought it I would be giving up space and the bathroom...well they should be ashamed of themselves..the sink was the size of a bowl LOL and the bathroom was all jammed into a small area they are doing this in all the new RVs.

I wish they would make the walk thru bathroom like I have. I have a door in the front and a door to my bedroom. On one side is the sink and toilet and on the other is the tub/shower and linen closet it is all one room you walk thru it. Newmar models up to the year of 2003 have them but when they come up for sale they sell almost immediately because of that feature.

Newmars new 2007 coaches look like they have possibilities but then again they are putting cedar closets in them. That is nice if you like that smell but if you don't oh well. It is really getting to be a pathetic RV market out there. They are now doing retro decor ya know like from the 1950s YUCK!! Good luck also remember when buying an RV look to who has the best service and quickest repair because from what I am hearing (my friend works on RVs for a living) alot of them tell him "Call me tommorrow can't be bothered today" and that is not the one you want to buy from.

Can you tell I am frustrated..want to know why because I am looking for a new RV and can't find anything at all that even peeks my interest or that is even worth the money they want.

[amimjs]

While I was planning for retirement My wife and I went to several RV shows and Rallies. We looked at what we wanted in our 5er. After that we visited about 75% of the manufacturers in the US and asked what they would customize .

We were planning on a 5 to 10 year plan & wanted something that would hold up to that type of traveling. We found that most mfgs will not work with the client. You buy their design with a couple of color options and that was it.

After much looking we narrowed our search to three. Travel Units, New Horizons and Travel Supreme. All these companies build solid top of the line units that met our requirements and had a minimum of 3000 lbs cargo capacity we needed.

We wanted tile on the livingroom floors and got it. We got everything we wanted and more. Once I knew the units weight, we ordered the truck to pull it.

Just for information Travel Units is a very small company in Elkhart that builds full custom units. They have been building for the circus industry for 30 years. Their units are so solidly built that I would have to buy a International to pull it. We bought the TS and after 6 months have been very pleased. We came close to buying the NH but I could not justify the price difference of $20,000 between the two mfgs.

I would give this advice to anyone making a buying decission. Do your homework. Visit the factories. I was shocked to see how some mfgs throw these units together. Ask questions and don't believe anything a salesperson tells you without documentation.

There are many good mfgs out there. You just have to know what your requirements are and who can meet your needs. Good luck

[stampgirl]

Here is the webpage he/she (aghfl) was speaking of:

try looking on my web page on here.
http://www.myrvspace.com/profiles/aghfl.php

[donbar]

We saw a 2007 Monaco Knight with the kitchen in the front, separate bath with a hallway down the side, it was awesome. I'm ready to switch.... just need to work the financing out.:D

[rvmamaw]

We have a 2001 M.H.C. Pinnacle with two slides. We have plenty of living space but the kitchen lacks storage for necessary items so we converted our hall hanging closet to a kitchen storage closet. One side we put those white coated shelves in upsidedown so the lip turnes up instead of down. This is perfect for pots/pans toaster/coffee pot etc. The other side we put a drawer unit for larger utensils, serving spoons, measuring cups/spoons wooden spoons, and I hang my mop, laundry detergent on floor and small sweaper fits in that side. I still have room to hang hoodies and flannel shirts on the bar above the drawer unit.The closet drawers I put kitchen towels and bathroom towels in the two bottom drawers and silverware in the top drawer. The kitchen cabinets are just not big enough to fit these things a full timer needs to live, unless you eat out every day you need to utilize the space differently.
Our bedroom closet has hook-ups for a washer/dryer. I didn't want to loose that space(besides I enjoy the trip to the laundramat)so we put shelves and drawer units in that closet. See through drawer units with no stops. The drawers pull out all the way for easier access. Get them at WalMart.MUCH MUCH more storage and you utilize that space to its fullest capacity. Who needs all that hanging space for jeans and t-shirts anyway. We also replaced our mattress with an RV Short Queen Sleep Number Mattress and we have gobs of room around our bed with the shorter mattress. I use see through drawers in the cabinets above our head and those white coated wire shelves above them so I can utilize that space more effeciently. I don't waste any air space. My husband uses the drawer units in the understorage too. Hope I've given you some helpful ideas ;)

[gearslammer01]

well look real close, cause i know what a mistake costs ... after buying a new 07 coachman mirada. trust me you wouldn't want one of those... i traded it on a new holiday rambler vactioner pusher deisel. lots of room and nice bathroom layout and better yet good price....

[dadburnett]

How about a smoke detector that detects the cause of most RV fires - electrical fires.
Oh, having the tank gauges inside is OK but put a set that can be seen from the outside while emptying the tanks.

[artandcaroline]

can someone tell me where in this frigging country can you buy a complete dinette boot set, i am looking for one for our newer monaco cayman, help pleaseeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee:rolleyes:

[sherm]

My best friend and I are planning to go fulltime. The problem is finding a fifth wheel with two real bedrooms. The master is his - he's over six feet tall - and I'm okay with that. But I don't want to be stuck in a cave with four tiny bunkbeds. Has anyone remodeled a bunkhouse or know of a good floorplan out there? We're interested in 36'-38'.

Also, has anyone heard anything about the customized Cherokee units?

Thank you,

Sherm

[rebdjbrving]

At an RV show I was speaking with a factory rep and lamenting the fact that so few units have an electrical outlet near the table, where I think one is definitely needed! He couldn't understand why anyone would possibly need one there! I reminded him of items such as toasters, sewing machines, etc. I doubt it sank in though....

[elkhornpapa]

I agree, the quality doesn't compare to the old in many campers. We have been looking at Park Type Travel Trailers ( Jayco Jayflight Bungalow BHS and Forest River Lodge 40 FB. They have almost identical floorplans and they both have a sliding door that separates the bedroom from the bathroom. Nice trailers but we don't know much about the quality. We hope someone can help us out.

[gerry25313]

Most of the new units I have looked at the past 2 years are "all show and no go", very little pantry space but lots of glitter. I think most manfacturer are trying to make their units like like some of the million $$$ rigs in some of the travel shows. As for the question about why washer & dryer in the bedroom, thats where the clothes are,why move them from area to area?

[ramblin3]

Check out the Allegro Bus, front kitchen with residential refrigerator, 42" midship tv, a few items Monaco couldn't offer. Outside TV, King Bed, Stacked washer/dryer and slideout kitchen island.

[papatony]

I know I'm just dreaming but here goes...

I want a travel trailer, less than 30 feet coupler-to-bumper, with:
walk-on roof; walk-in shower; heated/enclosed tanks; a decent amount of counter space in the kitchen; metal skin and aluminum framing; front bedroom with queen bed and nightstands on both sides; amidships galley & head; rear living; enough tongue length to store (not use) a portable generator; and most important of all, QUALITY at a REASONABLE PRICE.

[jdensie]

I know I'm just dreaming but here goes...

I want a travel trailer, less than 30 feet coupler-to-bumper, with:
walk-on roof; walk-in shower; heated/enclosed tanks; a decent amount of counter space in the kitchen; metal skin and aluminum framing; front bedroom with queen bed and nightstands on both sides; amidships galley & head; rear living; enough tongue length to store (not use) a portable generator; and most important of all, QUALITY at a REASONABLE PRICE.

Looks like you have start looking at a Airstream. Not knowing the floor plans but they are wrapped in aluminum and you can walk on the roof. Have a good day.

[zeeman]

If you are buying a new motorhome, I would not pay more than 75% of the
MSRP. Sales are not as brisk at this time. Perhaps 70% of the MSRP for
a 2008 model.

[karlandlois]

We have a Montana fifth wheel. It is a 2004. We love it. Whenever we go to a RV show, we are always drawn to the Keystone/Montana 5ers. It is rock solid. We have remodeled a few things, more shelves in kitchen cupboards, day/night shade for a linen draw shade, backsplash behind the stove and turned the table out when we are parked for any period of time. We learned in our first year of fulltiming, that if we don't wear it, use it or need it get rid of it. We're going on 3 years of fulltime and have decided to keep what we have as we live very comfortablely . Wherever you have a cupboard, you can add shelves with a lip to keep things intact. We have the artic pkg so it holds cool air with a/c and heat with furnace. We have 2 large slides. carpet shampoos nicely plenty of tile in front of door around to kitchen. I know this sounds like a sales pitch for the Montana, but this is indeed the finest fifth wheel we have seen on the highway. Lois

[spiritwomyn]

littlelynn: actually I think those toyhaulers are cool. With a little work you could turn it into another room...sewing,art,a teens bedroom. Wish I could afford one. My daughter and I live in a fifteen foot travel trailer, a 71, fulltime.