Complete Newbie in Alabaster, Alabama

Chateau Maylene · 10-05-2016, 02:24 PM

After procrastinating for about 3 years, my wife and I are finally ready to purchase our first RV. We have different opinions about "exactly" what we want; I'm leaning toward the Thor Vegas 25.2 and she likes the Jayco Greyhawk (we have a local dealer with a new 2016 31 ft. model). I'm not crazy about the 31 ft. length, but the price seems pretty good. Yes, I know they are completely different beasts. Would love to hear any user experiences about either of them.

So, as our adventure continues, I'll try to post our purchase/ownership experiences for other newbies (and you "old pros") to follow along with.

chopshop · 10-05-2016, 02:44 PM

I had 2015 Vegas 251 . I learned after about the third time out, that it was to small for me and my wife. I went for a 2016 thor hurricane 31s. I could not be happier. everything is easy to maintain just open the door and check the battery's, easy sewer hookup with a tank rinser. on the Vegas it was a pain in the but to service, everything is buried and hard to maintain.

JamieGeek · 10-05-2016, 03:20 PM

Conversely we love our Axis 24.1 (same thing as the Vegas).

I haven't had any issues with where things are.

Jegdrum5050 · 10-05-2016, 04:11 PM

Welcome to the Rv lifestyle !! You will get many opinions, but whatever makes your wife happy, go with it!! I started in a pop up then a C class and now an A. All were great when in use! Happy hunting. 😎

Larry · 10-05-2016, 04:50 PM

Couldn't be happier with our Axis. Good luck with whichever you decide upon!

bevedfelker · 10-05-2016, 04:51 PM

We have a 2015 Vegas 24.1 and absolutely love it. My wife & I are both retired and travel with our 17 lb Bichon. The 24.1 is the perfect floor plan for us. We love the twin bed configuration and there is tremendous storage space inside and outside.

We have 8800 miles on it and have spent about 100 days in it since purchasing it last Aug. We had a few minor warranty issues but in all the Vegas spent about 13 days at the dealer's maintenance facility in 4 separate warranty maintenance activities.

We get about 10 mpg with the RV fully loaded. We have only camped in full facility parks. The 26 ft length is perfect for maneuvering on city streets and parking lots.

I compiled as Owners' Manual with checklists and system operations guides. The Pre Delivery Inspection (PDI) Checklist and the setup and teardown checklist would be useful to you regardless of what you purchase. The manual will give you a better perspective of the systems and operations of an Axis/Vegas RV. Here is the link to download the manual. You can choose MS Word or PDF format from the menu on the OneDrive site:

https://1drv.ms/w/s!AiYx6DLSeiiP6UNyy_VYGDO0BW6L

vkb · 10-05-2016, 04:51 PM

I am surprised that no one recommended your renting a unit similar to what you are looking at the get the feel of the difference in size.
Keep in mind...if you have a 31-32' motorhome and decide to tow a vehicle..then you have around 40'.
A couple yrs ago, Ron decided he wanted a toyhauler...we sold our 26' motorhome...bought a 30' toyhauler...coupled with the truck we were at 40'..
it lasted one season..we enjoyed it but he did not like pulling all the baggage down the road as much as he thought he would.
We traded for the Axis in January 2016...and LOVE IT !!
Drive that Jayco...drive the Vegas... check out all of the storage, bathroom,
kitchen and slide.
If this is your first motorhome...good luck in finding the 'right' one the first time !

Kay

DocMike · 10-05-2016, 06:16 PM

After the first few months of shakedown cruises, repairs, warranty work and new house batteries we love our Vegas 24.1. Had a weekend trip planned for the East Coast this coming weekend...but Mother Nature has changed our minds. Also have some family coming here to escape the bad weather, so home bound this weekend.

Will head to the mountains next weekend and do some fishing and R&R.

Doc

Mr Sunshine · 10-05-2016, 06:56 PM

I second the suggestion to try out rentals first. Over many years and life phases, I've had a 21' Class C and a 33' Class A, as well as other types. We are really happy with our Vegas 25.2 after 2 big trips and many shorter ones.

Enough storage inside and out, and we like the walk around queen bed and bigger shower. Wouldn't want a corner bed.

Joe-FL · 10-06-2016, 08:40 AM

Welcome, and good luck with your search. We were looking to change from our 5th wheel to a Class C when our recent search began. Ended up with a larger Class A (used) for a little less money than a new Class C would have set up back.

Take your time searching, there are tons of new and used units out there, one of which has your name on it!

Chateau Maylene · 10-07-2016, 07:55 PM

Thank you, everyone, for the great replies. We may try to rent something for a few days before we make a final decision (which won't be before mid-November). Once we *really* get our choices narrowed down to 2 or 3 vehicles, we'll start doing test drives. We are hoping that a late model used vehicle pops up before we lay down all that cash for a new one, but so far in our local market, we don't seem to be having any luck in that department.

tenbear · 10-07-2016, 08:40 PM

Have you any idea what kind or RVers you will be?

Will you be always staying in campgrounds with hookups or will you be camping off the grid? If you will often be off the grid you should make sure you have at least 2 coach batteries, space for 4 would be better.

Can you reach places you might want to reach with the slides in? Don't assume that you can.

Do a good walk thru. Try everything and make sure that it works. Make sure any work that is required has been done before you pay for the RV.

Don't assume that the number in the name is the overall length of the RV.

Good luck with your purchase, hope you enjoy your camping life.

Chateau Maylene · 10-07-2016, 08:52 PM

We are going to start slow...weekends within a few hundred miles of home. We really want to share the camping experience with our granddaughter, so, at first we may stay really close to home to see how she does. As we become more comfortable with the vehicle, we plan to do some serious travel, but no hardcore, long term (months on end) stuff. We were tent campers when we were younger, so we are looking forward to the more "posh" accommodations in the RV.

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