Choosing the right RV

Good service, support, and network was our number one reason for buying a Prevost. Here is Maddie getting some work done and visiting her friends who work for a living (note the greyhound bus in the background haha).

Since Maddie the Mobster just went in for service I was thinking about why we chose the RV we did. We have had campers before so we weren't new to the game we had a 5th wheel and toy hauler and loved them both for different reasons. The 5th wheel was most like a house which was great, and the toy hauler was fantastic for the cats and dogs as we put the litter boxes and cages in the toy hauler area. Our last toy hauler we had we loved the layout of it and the side deck was amazing. Amazing. What wasn't amazing was it was new and would leak. I felt like we were always chasing leaks in it, and if my husband wasn't mechanically inclined it would have been in the shop for months which isn't practical when you are full time. It also was a pain in the butt to hook and unhook it, now I know a lot of people have bumper pulls and do that every day but it was a bit of a pain. One of the final straws was that the trailer pulled like crap, and spare me the "do you have the correct truck to pull a 38 foot toy hauler" comments. We have a F-350 dually and we had a good hitch and it was still sketchy. Come to find out other people with the same type of toy hauler had similar problems with sway so at least I know it wasn't just us.

The side deck of our old toy hauler I did love that feature.

So after the toy hauler we set off to find the "perfect for us" full time RV. We had pretty much dismissed any type of "trailer" 5th wheel or bumper pull for one big reason. While we do have an F350 dually and it can pull a lot as seen with the toy hauler. It is older (almost 20 years!) and we love her and don't want to kill her as she's expensive to replace and does a great job pulling the horse trailer or a car trailer to go to shows (in a non-pandemic world). While the truck can pull a lot of weight, it's nothing compared to what the brand new ones can, and since the new trucks can tow more, in turn, trailers have become heavier and bigger. So if we wanted something bigger in the trailer department we would have to buy a new truck as well as a new trailer and that is NOT a cheap date.

So we turned to class A motor homes. Since we loved our toy haulers and the versatility they offered, we looked hard at the Thor Outlaw which is one of only two class A's that is a toy hauler. We loved it....mostly.... it was huge and the toy hauler area was a great advantage. What I didn't love was the quality. Since the litter boxes and dog cages would be in the toy hauler area we needed it to have an a/c unit in the back. Which it did but it seemed like an afterthought they literally stuck a window unit in the side of the class A and it seemed like leaks were prevalent in them because of the design (most all rv ac units are mounted from the top not the side). Then there was the very honest salesmen who was showing us the unit who I am very thankful to. He explained that most people before they even drove it off the lot had a lot of upgrades done to the suspension and steering to make it drive better. So I researched this a little and found it was true and he wasn't just trying to sell us more stuff. Apparently they drive crappy(ish) if the upgrades aren't done. So at this point we are well north of 6 figures for a class a toy hauler that's going to need work done to make it drive well before we pull out of the lot, not to mention if it needs warranty work they aren't know for having a good "turn around time."

That's where we come to our next and final answer for us, a Prevost. Now before you start googling "Prevost" and see 3 million dollar buses populate on your screen, check the used/older ones. Our Maddie is 24 years old which may sound old right? I didn't want to buy a new Thor Outlaw but I was ok with a 24 year old bus? The biggest reason is since Prevost are good quality and mainly built for commercial purposes, they have a fantastic support network for when things go wrong, which is very important when you are living in it full time. I can't afford to be down for long because the bus is broken and I can't get it in for service. Quick side story, a fellow camper we met in Copper Harbor had a brand new Thor class A and its been in for warranty work twice now and it's currently there again for two weeks. That is not ok or possible when you are living in it full time. So yes Maddie is 24 and I know that she shakes us down for money sometimes, but we knew things would show up as Maddie wasn't used much of the last two years. Maddie was never in commercial service (a lot of prevost that have been turned into rv's used to be charter buses think greyhound/tour buses). Maddie's interior was designed from the ground up a by a disabled vet to be their bus that they lived in full time, they stopped using her when they built a house and so now we are playing catch-up because she sat for a few years. If she had been used more the ac's would have been replaced already along with the hot water temperature sensor and the air valve for the leveling suspension. While all these things are annoying for sure none of them are going to leave us stranded on the side of the road except maybe the air leak in the suspension BUT this is where Prevost (IMO) shines. They have a hotline to call when something goes wrong with the actual bus chassis/engine/suspension/etc. So hubby had already made a plug for the air leak but called to see if they had any other idea's and to make sure his plug would be ok to drive with. They answered right away gave us the names of a few people in the area who they have sent buses to in the past to get work done and also assured hubby the bus could drive for a long time with the plug if needed and it wouldn't hurt anything. Turns out everyone who could raise up the bus to replace the valve was crazy busy but since we had the plug it wasn't a big deal. So we made an appointment to take it to the Prevost center in Chicago the next time we were to be in Chicago. By this time we had a running list of things we wanted done mostly normal maintenance; oil change, coolant change, etc. We told them we were full timers and they told us based of the list of things we needed done it would be ready in two days which is far better then the horror stories of being without an RV for weeks. True to their word we picked Maddie up 2 days after we dropped her off, they told us she was one of the best mechanically sound buses they had ever seen and it was clear the people before us had taken care of her. This of course made me feel much better. We had thought she was well taken care of based off the previous maintenance records but to hear the actual Prevost mechanics tell us that was good news.

A Happy Maddie after she had a good checkup.

I often see posts on Facebook from new rv folks asking what they should buy. As you can see it's really dependent on a few things. First and foremost is your budget. This should go without saying but decide on what you want to spend and stick with that before you even start looking. It's easy to fall into the trap of wanting to spend more so make sure you set a budget you are comfortable with. Second, are you looking to go camping a few times a year or are you going to live full time in the RV? This does make a difference, I can compromise a bit more on some things if I am not living in it full time. Third do you want a trailer, either fifth wheel or bumper pull, or do you want a class A or a class C? If you already have a truck you can tow with a trailer might be the way to go, if you don't have a tow vehicle already maybe a class A or C (or even B) is the way to go. If you do have a tow vehicle make sure you know how much it will tow. Also remember that trailer weights are usually given as empty weights, so make sure you check the empty weight as well as max loaded weight. Fourth, don't get hung up on the decor, colors can be changed but layouts and builds cannot. If I had unlimited funds Maddie probably wouldn't look like 90's Vegas hotel room, but everything works and functions so I'm not changing it. Fifth, be aware of how big your rv is, it can be a limiting factor when finding a campsite. Not only is Maddie too big for most state/national parks she weighs a lot more then the average travel trailer so its something I have to keep in mind when looking for campgrounds.

If you're still reading I'm amazed!! It really is a very individual choice on what type of rv to buy and there are no right or wrong answers. What works for one person might not work for another. There are many different makes and models with different layouts so everyone can find one they like. I will say find one you are interested in then join a facebook page or forum for that brand, you will find out all sorts of information you probably wouldn't at a dealer and it will help you make a better informed decision. Happy Camping!

Our beast of a toy hauler at a rest area

The toy hauler was great for bringing the golf cart with and putting the dog cages in, something else I miss about it.