The Motorhome and RV Lifestyle

February 26, 2009 at 11:16 am (motorhome)
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1. Attend an FMCA international convention and other Recreational Vehicle shows, where many motorhomes and related products are on display at one location. You can comparison shop, talk with motorhomers and dealers and, perhaps, go on a test drive. At each FMCA convention, a special workshop called “Motorhoming: What’s It All About?” is open to the general public and anyone who wants to learn more about motorhoming.

travel trailer for sale(RV insurance, motorhome insurance and travel trailer insurance shopping can feel like an onerous task, but it’s one of those things you need to do every once in a while. RV America Insurance can make shopping for RV insurance easier because they represent five top-rated motorhome insurance and travel trailer insurance companies. If you haven’t shopped your recreational vehicle insurance lately you might give them a call today to see if you can save some money on your motor home insurance. RV America Insurance can be reached at 800-400-0186.)

2. Subscribe to Family Motor Coaching to read motorhome reviews, new product info, company profiles, and safety, livability and technical articles. By reading FMC magazine, you’ll learn about the specific types of motorhomes available. Travel destinations and tips for enjoying the lifestyle are included, too. Once you become a motorhome owner, consider switching to an FMCA membership to take advantage of other benefits offered to FMCA members.

3. Rent: If you have little or no RVing experience, renting a motorhome before buying is a good idea. Rental fees range from approximately $90 to $200 per day. To find rental locations, check the phone directory under “Recreation Vehicles.” Or, contact the Recreation Vehicle Rental Association (800-336-0355) at www.rvra.org.

4. Tour: If buying a motorhome for sale, consider taking a tour of a manufacturer’s plant. Many offer tours on appointment, where you can watch various phases of the production process, learn about construction materials and ask questions. List of manufacturers and custom bus converters.

5. Request: The Recreation Vehicle Industry Association (RVIA) offers a free packet of material to first-time RV buyers.

6. Considering jumping right in to full-timing? Janet Groene’s Full -Timer’s Primer column appears in every issue of FMC and offers valuable advice to those who plan to live and travel in a motorhome full-time. Read a selection of prevously published columns.

7. Read RV-related books, which are available in bookstores, libraries and from online booksellers. Review selected titles.

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Renting An RV In Alaska

January 8, 2009 at 6:12 am (RVs)
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Alaska may be the last frontier, but the cost of owning your own RV may seem like its own insurmountable boundary, never mind the drive to Alaska. In renting an RV in Alaska, you can travel when and where you want, and at a fraction of the cost of buying an RV. Alaskan RV rentals offer the best way to experience the Alaskan experience.

The most popular RV rental is the class-C motor home. It’s easy to drive — making it perfect for the first time RV renter — and has comforts of home like beds, a toilet, shower, heat and air-conditioning, refrigerator, and a microwave. These may be especially nice in the Alaskan wilderness. If you want a slightly more rustic experience, consider renting a Folding camper, travel trailer, or truck trailer.

Some rental agencies provide complementary cooking and bedding sets, a TV and DVD player for when you are tired of looking at the Alaskan wilderness and BBQ sets with lawn chairs for Alaskan cookouts. If you don’t want these extras, shop around for more basic, and possibly cheaper, RV rentals.
class-cPricing varies throughout Alaskan RV rental agencies. The off-season, when rates are the cheapest, starts at the beginning of September and runs through the end of May. Some agencies charge a base fee of around $150 a day with unlimited miles within Alaska. Other agencies have a cheaper base fee starting around $70 a day, but charge an additional fee per mile, usually between 15 and 20 cents.

Most Alaskan RV rental agencies provide one-way rentals, but you will have the best luck finding an RV in Anchorage, where the majority of RV rental agencies are based. Start your search on the Internet to find the Alaskan RV rental agency that will serve your needs the best. Don’t be afraid to ask questions, especially about insurance and extra costs like cleaning fees. Have fun exploring the last frontier.

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Diffrent RVs Are Here

December 9, 2008 at 10:29 am (RVs)
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If you’re in the market for an RV, you might just be surprised at the wide variety of recreational vehicles on the market. While RVs are intended, by and large, for the same purpose; they come in all different sizes, models and equipped with various features. Before you hit the road shopping for your first RV, it’s a good idea to become familiar with the wide gamut of recreational vehicles.

A Class A RV is a motor home that in which the cab is actually a part of the coach, or ‘living area.’ These vehicles may have either a diesel or gasoline engine; which is normally located in the front of the vehicle. You will typically find that a Class A motor home will have a bit more space than other models; however you must keep in mind that when traveling with this type of RV you will either have to bring along another means of transportation or suffer with having to drive the RV itself for basic errands away from the campsite.

A Class B RV, on the other hand, is more of a motor home that resides on the body of a converted ban. This model of motor home typically contains a section that will slide out once you have set up camp in order to allow for additional space. While the Class B RV generally contains all the comforts of home such as cooking, toilet and shower facilities as well as heating and air conditioning; this type of RV is really best geared for shorter duration trips due to the fact that it does not typically contain a lot of additional space. The upside to the Class B motor home is that because it is built on the frame of a converted van it is often much easier to maneuver than other RV models and you won’t need to park it at the back of the lot when you stop at a restaurant or shopping center.

toyhauler for sale

The Class C RV is similar to the Class A in that the cab is contained within the body of the vehicle. This type of motor home frequently features a compartment located over the cab; quite often containing a sleeping loft. Cooking, shower and toilet facilities are also included with the Class C RV and depending on the size of the model, additional sleeping space may also be included.

Between the Class C RV and the traditional travel trailers falls a mid-category of pop-up tent trailers. These models are generally inexpensive and quite portable due to the fact that they are collapsible. They can be hauled by a standard vehicle and feature sleeping areas that can be pulled out on both sides of the trailer with a limited amount of living space in the center and basic cooking facilities.

Travel trailer are another form of RVs for sale; however, they are somewhat different than the above mentioned classes because they must be hooked up to a secondary vehicle and pulled to the site. These models come in a wide range of sizes and lengths; varying from 12 foot models all the way up to 35 foot trailers. The smaller models are intended more for short term trips and weekends with basic accommodations while the larger and more luxurious models are well suited for full time occupation.

The largest type of RVs are known as fifth wheel RV. These models are similar to travel trailers in that they must be towed; however, the difference lies in the fact that the vehicle towing the RV hauls it with the hitch located over the rear driving axles. This type of RV is also well suited for longer trips and typically contains luxurious appointments.

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Airstream Ratings & Reviews

November 7, 2008 at 7:26 am (RVs)
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Our best selling RV Comparison Guide rates over 60 RV manufacturers in North America including Airstream Inc. Our consumer guides will help you learn who’s who in the industry and how Airstream stacks up to other manufacturers.

Understanding how RV manufacturers compare to each other is the first step in deciding which models to consider.

If you learned that a particular RV manufacturer has poor customer service or builds below average products would you purchase a RV unit from that company?

Wouldn’t it be nice to have a simple to understand RV Comparison that rates over 99% of the RV industry including Airstream Travel Trailers with unbiased ratings and reviews? Anybody serious about purchasing an RV.

There are rating guides for automobiles, appliances and electronics but not for the RV industry, until now.  With thousands of copies sold our RV Comparison Guide is considered the reference guide for RV buyers.

Our guides are not model specific where we purchased individual RV models and take them through a grueling testing period and then make our recommendations.

Instead we wanted to rate individual RV manufacturers and put forth a rating based on overall performance in the areas of:

o Customer Satisfaction
o Quality of Product
o Dealer Ratings (RV Dealers fill out a survey form)
o Resale Price

Airstream RV 0Our RV Comparison Guide does feature some of the best selling models produced by Airstream RV based on our interviews with the company, which are; Airstream Safari and Airstream European Safari Sport.

Please keep in mind that the main focus behind our guides is to concentrate on RV manufacturers and provide a fair and balance review of each based on OVERALL; customer service, quality of product, dealer ratings and resale value.

Don’t buy an Airstream travel trailer without reading our selling RV Rating Guide first. Our rating guides cover the four main classifications which are: motorhomes, (class A and C), travel trailers, fifth wheel and toy haulers. We do not rate Class B motorhomes or pop-up trailers.

Our book has helped 1000’s of RV buyers!
Anyone who seriously plans to purchase an Airstream RV is at a disadvantage without this amazing resource guide. Don’t be at the mercy of an RV dealer during the negotiation process.

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Finding the Right RV

November 6, 2008 at 7:29 am (RVs)
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How do you go about buying the right RV? Most people understand how to buy a car or truck, but they’re not sure which RV best suits their needs.RV Insurance Coverage: Have you looked at your recreational vehicle insurance policy lately? If you own a motorhome or travel trailer, you should occasionally review your RV insurance policy. Why? Because you could be over-paying for your motorhome insurance coverage, and not getting the specialized coverage offered by companies that specialize in motor home or travel trailer insurance . RV America knows how to insure RVs.

“How To Buy An RV Without Getting Ripped- off!” cuts to the core of the matter.”The correct order for choosing an RV is as follows: 1) type, 2) size, 3) quality, 4) floor plan, and 5) price.” The rest of this article will discuss RV types.

The TYPE and USE of the RV make a good marriage. When you consider how you will USE the RV and consider planning ahead five years, the specific TYPE of RV you’ll need becomes clear. Renting an RV before buying is an excellent idea.

What is an RV? According to the RVIA definition, “A recreation vehicle, or RV, is a motorized or towable vehicle that combines transportation and temporary living quarters for travel, recreation and camping. RVs do not include mobile homes, off-road vehicles or snowmobiles. RVIA classifies all RVs into two groups: towables and motorized. (Travel Trailer or motorhome)

Towables, according to RVIA, are “…designed to be towed by a motorized vehicle (auto, van, or pickup truck) and of such size and weight as not to require a special highway movement permit. It is designed to provide temporary living quarters for recreational camping or travel use and does not require permanent onsite hook-up .” The towables include conventional travel trailers, fifth-wheel travel trailer, folding camping trailer and the truck camper.

Motorized RVs are “A recreational camping and travel vehicle built on or as an integral part of a self-propelled motor vehicle chassis . It may provide kitchen, sleeping, and bathroom facilities and be equipped with the ability to store and carry fresh water and sewage . Motorized RVs include motorhome (Class A), Van Camper (Class B), Motorhome (Class C) and conversion vehicles.

The size, shape and configuration of these RVs will be referred to frequently. For now, a brief description is all that is required. The Conventional Travel Trailer will cost about $18,000. The length ranges from 12 to 35 feet. It is towed by means of a bumper or frame hitch attached to the towing vehicle.

The Fifth-Wheel Travel Trailer has a wide cost range, from $25,000 to over $150,000. RVIA defines it as “….can be equipped the same as the conventional travel trailer but is constructed with a raised forward section that allows a bi-level floor plan. This style is designated to be towed by a vehicle equipped with a device known as a fifth wheel hitch.”

The least expensive RV is the Folding Camping Trailer, or Tent Trailer. With a price range from less than $5,000 to about $18,000 , it is designed for temporary living quarters. The quarters are mounted on wheels and connected with collapsible sidewalls that fold for towing by a motorized vehicle.

The Truck Camper has an average price of about $10,500. RVIA defines as “A recreational camping unit designed to be loaded onto or affixed to the bed or chassis of a truck, constructed to provide temporary living quarters for recreational camping or travel use.”

“Full-time RVing” describe Class A motorhomes as “…resemble buses in shape although many models are sleeker and more streamlined.” The living unit has been entirely constructed on a bare, specially designed motor vehicle chassis. The price range for Class A is extensive, from $60,000 to over $500,000.

They describe the Class C motorhome as being “…built on a van cutaway chassis and have a van cab with the engine located under an extended hood. The distinguishing feature of all Class Cs is the cabover bed.” The price range is fairly narrow, from $35,000 to $75,000.

A very popular RV that is creating it’s own niche is the Van Camper (Class B) Most are a “panel type truck to which the RV manufacturer adds any of the two following conveniences: sleeping, kitchen and toilet facilities. Also 110-volt hook-up, fresh water storage, city water hook-up and a top extension to provide more head room.” These RVs start at $42,000 and can cost as much as $68,000.

The Conversion Vehicles are vans, trucks and sport utility vehicles manufactured by an automaker then modified for transportation and recreation use by a company specializing in customized vehicles. These changes may include windows, carpeting, paneling, seats, sofas, and accessories. Ambulances and airport.

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