RV/Motor Home Purchase Guide

By: Jason Petrina



Purchasing an RV can be an exciting time and it can be easy to get caught up in that excitement as you peruse the various options and models available; imaging the future pleasurable trips you are sure to enjoy.

Before you get to caught up in your daydreams or start imagining yourself tooling down the road behind the wheel of a monster fifth-wheeler, it might be a good idea to perform a quick reality check and consider the features you really want and need in a travel trailer or motor home.

One of the first questions you need to ask yourself is how often you plan to use your RV. Are you considering the purchase of an RV in order to take advantage of year around travel or do you plant to use your RV only a few weeks out of the year? The amount of time that you plant to spend in your RV can make a huge difference in the type and size of RV that you should purchase. This is particularly true if you plan to be traveling during months of the year in which the whether tends to be extreme-namely summer and winter.

Along the same line, you need to give some thought to the length of the trips you plan to take in your motor home. Are you looking primarily at a couple of week long vacation or perhaps a few weekend trips scattered throughout the year? Or, perhaps you are more interested in lengthier travel and anticipate spending several weeks or months at a time traveling in your motor home. Whatever your answer to these questions happen to be will be a critical factor in the size of RV you choose as well as the amenities that will make your trip more comfortable and pleasurable. Generally speaking, if you are only planning to take short trips, then you might not need as large of an RV or one outfitted with all the works. Longer trips; however, may be more pleasurable if you opt for a larger, more luxurious model.

You should also give a fair amount of thought to the number of beds you will need. Do you anticipate traveling with guests? Will you find it cumbersome to fold and unfold sleeping compartments every day of your trip? Do you require privacy or will an open concept suit you?

The amount of cooking you plan to do while you travel in your motor home is also an important consideration. Think about how much storage space you will need for food items. You might also want to think about whether you want and need an entertainment center in your RV or whether you plant to spend the majority of your time pursuing activities outside your motor home.

Also consider other amenities such as toilets, tubs and showers. Will you be fine with showering in a small shower stall or do you need to opt for a larger motor home complete with a bath tub?

One of the most important factors you need to consider is the towing capacity of your current vehicle. While a fifth-wheel motor home may be the model of your dreams, you must stop and ask yourself if your existing vehicle can handle the haul.

Finally, ask yourself how much money you can afford, and wish, to spend on a motor home. One of the great things about RVs is that they come in all sizes as well as a wide variety of price ranges; making them an affordable option for everyone. Don’t forget to consider options such as pre-owned vehicles; which can make the idea of owning an RV even more realistic than you might have thought.



Jason Petrina is the Editor and Publisher of Article Click. For more FREE articles for your ezine and websites visit - www.articleclick.com