Getting Started in Motorhome Camping

In my estimation, you can't beat it. No matter the size of your pocketbook or the number of people in your family, motorhome camping is really the way to go when you're going to have fun. With so many modern campsites available throughout the country, motorhome camping brings the outdoor life to your doorstep with most of the comforts and pleasure you would experience right in your own home. All this and the ability to go where you want, when you want.

We've driven motorhomes from the east coast to the west coast and from Canada and Nova Scotia to Florida. This location in the Florida Keys is typical of the type of spot we might stop at to enjoy the scenery, make a photograph, do a little fishing or even to have lunch. We point the unit in a direction so that from our table we have a view that even the best restaurant in town could not provide.

While there have been vast improvements in motorhomes in the last 20 years, I recommend the best way to get started in motorhome camping is to purchase an older model first. Living like a turtle, with your home on your back, offers some interesting situations and challenges. But don't be surprised when you find that a ten year old model that has a hardly 10,000 miles on it. Motorhomes are not like automobiles when it comes to determining wear by what's on the odometer. Motorhomes are not driven every day and may only be used on weekends in the summer. And from past experience I can tell you in some cases that's good and in other cases that's bad. Here's an example by which you can benefit.

In 1986 we bought a 1976 mini-motorhome built on a Chevrolet chassis. This was motorhome was our second one so we had some idea what we were looking for. This little 23-footer was a little weather-beaten on the outside but on the inside it looked as though it had not been abused at all. It had only one previous owner, all of the books and manuals that came with the unit including the add-on accessories, were in one neat folder. This unit fit all of our space requirements and it passed my quick, on-the-spot mechanical inspection with ease. The odometer showed just 12,682 miles and it was powered by a Chevy 350 engine, one of my favorites V-8's. All six tires looked like new. (I would not drive, let alone own any motorhome, without duel rear wheels.) After a thorough cleaning and closer mechanical inspection, I still thought we made a great deal. But because the vehicle had so little use in the few years previous to our purchase, our biggest concern was with rust and dry rot. This was one of my early experiences that proved just because a vehicle has low mileage it doesn't necessarily mean it's a good deal or will last a lot longer. No vehicle, car, truck, motorhome or even a motorcycle is better because of little use. Like our bodies, little or no exercise is worse than a lot of exercise.

After a few short shake-down trips of a couple hundred miles each and replacement of engine belts (rot), wipers (rot), rubber molding around the doors and one skylight (rot), the right front brake rotor (pitted from rust) and all the standard fluid and filter changes, new spark plugs etc., we headed from our home in Pennsylvania to the northwest. The trip would take us on a northern route to Kalispell, Montana, then south through the Grand Canyon, Yellowstone, and further south through Nevada and finally a southern route back home. Four days out I noticed a few drops of gasoline on the ground when I filled the tank to the very top. Inspection when we got to the next campground show a rotted fuel vent line. I bought a new piece of rubber hose and at the campground store and made an easy replacement that evening after dinner. The rest of the trip our motorhome ran perfectly. Well, except when we got south of Las Vegas and road temperatures reached 140 degrees and those "new-looking" tires started to shed rubber. Apparently the tires had been on the vehicle for some time and while they looked good, they just rotted from non use. We put on four back tires and that was that.

Sounds like a lot of repairs and work. Really it was not. Except to replace the two front tires a few months after the trip out west and for normal maintenance, that rig took us on another excursion back out west, Florida, Nova Scotia and several trips through New England and dozens of weekenders to the New Jersey or Maryland sea shores. Six years and more than 34,000 miles later we sold the unit for just a couple thousand dollars less than what we paid for it originally.

Of course, the newer the motorhome the less work it will need. Today's modern motorhomes have it all from full kitchens and baths to microwaves and superior sound systems. Fuel efficient engines and ease of handling make motorhomes trouble free and a joy to drive.

My point is that when you buy a used motorhome you do end up with some automotive type repairs and a lot of "fixing up" of those little things to suit your personal tastes. Look at it as though you were buying a vacation home that came with a used car in the driveway. You may change the curtains, linens and maybe even a little paint to make the house "your" house. A little fixing up on the car and your all set.

The major difference between owning a motorhome and a vacation home is evident. The vacation home has the same view year around...the motorhome can bring the world...(ok, only the continental United States, Canada and all of South America) right to your door step.