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Location: We_tside PNW (Columbia Gorge) / CO / SA TX / Thailand
34,742 posts, read 58,090,525 times
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we are considering full time living in the RV. I do not think a 32' would be very comfortable full time, but we will look at them.
Give it a whirl... we QUICKLY discovered we need a 'place' to call home and we prefer 'flexibility' while on the road.
Thus... for us... the <$100k property(s) in a desirable 'retreat area' with a LARGE shop / awnings / RV hookups / Apartment / laundry... (and a FT rented out MH on a different portion of the property for security / maint / and extra income ($1500/month)).
Consider a central area that you might desire as a 'hub'. Ours (TX) is <10 miles off I-10, and 'mid-way' in USA (+ PNW (10 min to freeway) and CO (10 min to freeway)) All are < 1 hr to international airport (with LOTS of CHEAP connections in USA). No issue with storing tools / toys / heirlooms. Always 'free guests qtrs' for friends we meet up with. Won't be the forever plan, but works for now.
Alternatively.... I would have a NNN commercial property (Tire Shop / non-internet erosion business) with adjacent RV parking or small apartment (as allowed by code). Enough passive income,... and you can do whatever you want! I enjoy the tax / travel benefits of having multiple properties across USA. (for now, not forever)
When purchasing an older MH, also be aware that some parks have rules against MHs over a certain age. If you get an older one that "looks" like the models currently being sold, you probably won't run into trouble. I have a feeling the park owners have the rule in place so they can inspect your rig and then give you a thumbs up or down, based on the way it looks.
We went and saw an Entregra Anthem and then compared the nicest 5th wheels they had on the lot. There was no comparison. The entregra was basically the nicest house you have ever live in on wheels. The 5th wheels were very much gussied up campers. One of the more significant differences were toilets and showers. all of the 5th wheels had the toilets with a plug hole int eh bottom and a foot pedal. The Entegra just had a more or less normal toilet.
The 5th wheel showers, I could only stand up in them by putting my head up into a little skylight bubble. They were cramped and awful. The shower in the Entegra was very simlar to one of our showers at home.
The nicest 5th wheel they had was Riverstone. We have to go find some better 5th wheels to compare more evenly, but on this comparison, there was no comparison. (The Riverstone was about $100,000 while the Entegra was over $500,000 - asking. they said the real price is about $400,000 - which means is it really about $350,000 - still it is not a fair comparison. They did not have any of what I have seen identified as the higher end 5th Wheels (Luxe, Vanleigh, DRV, Grand Design and I forget the other two right now). Hopefully the higher end brands are a lot nicer.
The passenger seat in the cockpit of the Entegra was the most comfortable chair I have ever encountered anywhere. To give the 5th wheels a fair chance, I have to keep my wife from sitting in that chair
Hopefully we will be able to find some of the higher end 5th wheels at the Indiana RV show in August. As far as I can tell, there are no dealers who stock any of them anywhere near us.
Location: We_tside PNW (Columbia Gorge) / CO / SA TX / Thailand
34,742 posts, read 58,090,525 times
Reputation: 46231
Entregra Anthem nice!
I'm sure there are some sweet rides in that price range, and looks to be quite a few used ones with the 40 - 50% depreciation hit with as low as 10,000 miles use! (Many with 20k)
450HP for <38,000# should be the MH performance version of a Jensen Interceptor ! (I am used to tugging 105,000# through the mtns with less HP (but more gears!))
Buying a HIGH end 5r would be an equity risk, as there are zillions of 5r's FS, and many are VERY inexpensive, and quite equivalent.
I always try to replace RV fittings / accessories / appliances / plumbing fixtures and with 'conventional' versions. (for ease of future replacement / repair + robust usage. )
RE: the Jensen Interceptor... Looks pretty similar to some 124 Fiat Spiders I had but closer to the Sunbeam Tigers that a good friend collects (V8 but with far less engine than a Jensen). Mopar big block must be a serious SWEEZE between the fenders and interesting suspension (and brakes) to match.
There were a LOT of Tigers in NZ (as with many other Muscle and sport cars). I expect they have the majority of Jensens too. Seems every sheep farmer has a shed full of USA and UK muscle / collectibles, they consider it very CHEAP to buy a $40k classic USA car.
I got my "too much power" cure when at age 11, I stuck a V8 Buick into an English Ford Anglia. Definitely one of my more insane 'death-traps'. Since age 18...(and always lived in the mtns) I have been more of a 'torque' (diesel) person And riding vintage 'thumpers'
I'm sure there are some sweet rides in that price range, and looks to be quite a few used ones with the 40 - 50% depreciation hit with as low as 10,000 miles use! (Many with 20k)
450HP for <38,000# should be the MH performance version of a Jensen Interceptor ! (I am used to tugging 105,000# through the mtns with less HP (but more gears!))
Buying a HIGH end 5r would be an equity risk, as there are zillions of 5r's FS, and many are VERY inexpensive, and quite equivalent.
I always try to replace RV fittings / accessories / appliances / plumbing fixtures and with 'conventional' versions. (for ease of future replacement / repair + robust usage. )
RE: the Jensen Interceptor... Looks pretty similar to some 124 Fiat Spiders I had but closer to the Sunbeam Tigers that a good friend collects (V8 but with far less engine than a Jensen). Mopar big block must be a serious SWEEZE between the fenders and interesting suspension (and brakes) to match.
There were a LOT of Tigers in NZ (as with many other Muscle and sport cars). I expect they have the majority of Jensens too. Seems every sheep farmer has a shed full of USA and UK muscle / collectibles, they consider it very CHEAP to buy a $40k classic USA car.
I got my "too much power" cure when at age 11, I stuck a V8 Buick into an English Ford Anglia. Definitely one of my more insane 'death-traps'. Since age 18...(and always lived in the mtns) I have been more of a 'torque' (diesel) person And riding vintage 'thumpers'
We would almost definitely only consider used MH or 5th wheel. Probably 5-10 years old. They depreciate fast and do not seem to get heavy use, plus people ten to take car of a multi hundreds of thousands dollar investments. If the older ones were really substantially better, I wold not be averse to gutting one and updating it with ally he cool electronics, and plumbing gizmos etc. Probably still be cheaper.
The very nice Entregra which would sell for $350k - $400K today, will be $150 - $200K in seven years and will be in nearly identical condition.
The higher end 5th wheels we have found (DRV) were about $150K used. We ahve not seen anyhitng other than DRV that rivals the Entegra in quality, but I keep seeing people online saying DRV quality has gone into the dumpster. Maybe some of the brands we have not seen are equal (Luxe, etc).
I think you are looking at a Jensen Healey (which is what I have) as opposed to an interceptor
Jensen Healey is simlar looking to the Fiat or a sprite - sort of. It has a Loutus 907 (4cyl, dual o.h. cams, twin Delloroto carbs, but only about 150 - 180 h.p.)
The interceptor convertible is a four seater, largish and heavy. It has either A 383 or a 454 depending on the age. THe 383 is faster/better due to less emission junk and a lighter engine. I thin it is one of the classiest looking cars ever made. I woudl love it even if it did not have my name on it. The interceptor coupe is considerably less attractive but still a great car.
A closer competitor for the Sprite is the Jensen CV8 although they only came as a coupe. Little fiberglass car with a big v8. Realyl dangerous, but fun. They are hard to find.
We went and saw an Entregra Anthem and then compared the nicest 5th wheels they had on the lot. There was no comparison. The entregra was basically the nicest house you have ever live in on wheels. The 5th wheels were very much gussied up campers. One of the more significant differences were toilets and showers. all of the 5th wheels had the toilets with a plug hole int eh bottom and a foot pedal. The Entegra just had a more or less normal toilet.
The 5th wheel showers, I could only stand up in them by putting my head up into a little skylight bubble. They were cramped and awful. The shower in the Entegra was very simlar to one of our showers at home.
The nicest 5th wheel they had was Riverstone. We have to go find some better 5th wheels to compare more evenly, but on this comparison, there was no comparison. (The Riverstone was about $100,000 while the Entegra was over $500,000 - asking. they said the real price is about $400,000 - which means is it really about $350,000 - still it is not a fair comparison. They did not have any of what I have seen identified as the higher end 5th Wheels (Luxe, Vanleigh, DRV, Grand Design and I forget the other two right now). Hopefully the higher end brands are a lot nicer.
The passenger seat in the cockpit of the Entegra was the most comfortable chair I have ever encountered anywhere. To give the 5th wheels a fair chance, I have to keep my wife from sitting in that chair
Hopefully we will be able to find some of the higher end 5th wheels at the Indiana RV show in August. As far as I can tell, there are no dealers who stock any of them anywhere near us.
We don’t fulltime but have a Tiffin RED 38QRA (DP) that we take off in for a few months at a time. We are in it right now at Glacier NP.
We looked at several of the highest end fifth wheels before we bought it and while you get more room in a fifth wheel, they can’t compare to the finish in our DP. We’d also looked at Fleetwoods DPs and they looked cheap in comparison to to the Tiffin. We have one bath with an RV type of toilet and one that is like a residential toilet. The shower is large and my 6’2” husband can stand up in it. Having a washer and dryer is a must and a residential fridge is great too.
Entegras are beautiful and I’ve heard great things about the midrange and up Newmars.
Last edited by mistyriver; 06-20-2018 at 07:32 AM..
I just discovered Entegra is a Thor company and that apparently means poor quality. I like some of the newmars is see online.
Newmar, Monaco, Country Coach, and Tiffin seem to be some of the better middle or upper middle range MHs. I am trying to find the point at which you stop paying for quality/practical features and start paying only for bling. Once you get to a certain level they all seem to have the same basic materials, appliances etc. While I do not want those cheap plastic camper faucets, I do not need touch-less faucets, nor gold plated anything. I do not want to crouch in a closet to shower, but I do not need room for four people in the shower either, and I do not much care whether the shower had designer brand tile. I do not need lLED lights every three inches. Even the mid level rigs have heated tile floors, the good kind of toilets, residential fridge and sinks/faucets, etc.
One thing that is interesting is none of them have a very nice kitchen/dining table. At least a few of them have free standing chairs and table. One I saw had leaves and could be expanded to seat six without crowding. Maybe in an RV you mostly just sit on the couches to eat or eat outside?
Looked at Prevost which are crazy expensive but did not like them. Newel looks nice but I do not understand what you get for the extra million in price. Those are out for us anyway. The only advantage I can see in some of the million plus Motor homes is some of them are made out of buses so the have a sturdy aluminum frame rather than a fiberglass and wood box.
I just discovered Entegra is a Thor company and that apparently means poor quality. I like some of the newmars is see online.
Newmar, Monaco, Country Coach, and Tiffin seem to be some of the better middle or upper middle range MHs. I am trying to find the point at which you stop paying for quality/practical features and start paying only for bling. Once you get to a certain level they all seem to have the same basic materials, appliances etc. While I do not want those cheap plastic camper faucets, I do not need touch-less faucets, nor gold plated anything. I do not want to crouch in a closet to shower, but I do not need room for four people in the shower either, and I do not much care whether the shower had designer brand tile. I do not need lLED lights every three inches. Even the mid level rigs have heated tile floors, the good kind of toilets, residential fridge and sinks/faucets, etc.
One thing that is interesting is none of them have a very nice kitchen/dining table. At least a few of them have free standing chairs and table. One I saw had leaves and could be expanded to seat six without crowding. Maybe in an RV you mostly just sit on the couches to eat or eat outside?
Looked at Prevost which are crazy expensive but did not like them. Newel looks nice but I do not understand what you get for the extra million in price. Those are out for us anyway. The only advantage I can see in some of the million plus Motor homes is some of them are made out of buses so the have a sturdy aluminum frame rather than a fiberglass and wood box.
I completely agree. We decided the RED had the features and the fit and finish without crossing over into more bling and more things that can break. The Phaeton and Tiffin Bus and Zephyr are very nice but not nice enough that I would pay more for them. And I dislike the gaudiness of so many coaches.
This coach would be very easy to fulltime in.
We will be in an RV resort in Polson next week that is riddled with million dollar plus Prevosts. The owners own their sites and many have the coaches driven and delivered to the sites for them. I can’t figure out why they’d do that instead of just buying a place there.
ETA: our coach has dining table for two with chairs and two extra chairs stored below to seat four people when you pull it out.
One thin that irritated me with Fleetwood is that they claimed their sofa pulled out to a queen sized bed. Totally false. It barely equaled a twin. A short adult would have to sleep diagonally to fit. The sofa in our Tiffin pulls out and then has an inflatable mattress with a built in pump that makes a surprisingly comfortable actual queen sized bed.
One thing that is very nice that I originally thought kind of ridiculous is the fireplace. I’ve really come to appreciate it. It warms the place and adds a degree of coziness on dreary days.
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And riding vintage 'thumpers'
