Green as grass

[Kent G]

Hi all. Just wanted to introduce ourselves. We are going to buy our first MH and are considering getting the Thor Delano on the Sprinter chassis from the big dealer in Texas.. We know ( and I can not stress this enough) Absolutely nothing about the RV life, Motorhomes etc but are looking forward to this next great adventure. If you could only pass on one piece of advice what would it be?

Kent and Lulu

[revjeffrey]

Take it Slow and Enjoy the Ride!! ...also make sure. All the batteries are BRAND NEW Before leaving. Congrats.

[EA37TS]

Welcome to the forum and congrats. If you have questions ask away. There are a bunch of knowledgeable folks around that may have the answers.

Again, welcome.

[coachray]

Welcome to the forum. If I could only give one piece of advice it would be make sure EVERYTHING works before taking possession of it.

[Pete'sMH]

My one piece of advise is to don’t stress over the learning curve or needed repairs. Look at the learning as a fun, mind expanding adventure and the repairs as a way to learn more about the inner workings of a complex machine. Once you practice a bit and get stuff fixed you’ll get years of good service from your coach! Visit this site often and don’t be shy about asking questions. ALL of us were new once too and you’ll never find a nicer or more helpful bunch of folks than right here

[ducksface]

Youtube
Do a search regarding what you think you want to know. Then do 250 more searches related to the things you need to learn more about.

There are ssssoooo many rv's for sale with very few Miles on them.
This isn't for everybody.
If you're a chronic complainer and highly untalented at mundane repairs, run away and find a different hobby.


It's a shack of a house which spends its entire useful life In a 7.7 earthquake.

We love it.
Lots of folks do, lots of folks don't, lots of folks do and their spouse doesn't.

Below is the one piece of valuable information you asked for.

A long term rental is your best choice right now.
Rent one for two weeks to know if you want one bigger or smaller or not at all.

[JamieGeek]

LOL! Ducks he said "one" piece of advice

My "one" piece of advice: read this forum.

[Kent G]

Thanks to all for the kind words and sage advice. We will be checking in here often as we kick off our new adventure. First trip will be in June. We are pointed toward doing a gradual slide into retirement and transitioning from exploring the US on a motorcycle to an RV.

[SunriseCamp]

Welcome! We too are 1st time RV owner rookies. The learning experience was first a little overwhelming, but now it's fun getting ready for the 1st big trip. I agree that doing a complete walk-thru / checkout of your new RV before taking possession is important - take a half-day and spend time talking to the RV sales and mechanical folks at the dealer about your new rig.

Enjoy!

[MJC62]

Welcome aboard. Enjoy the journey that’s half the fun of owning a motorhome.
My one piece of advice. Learn the do’s and dont’s of dumping the tanks BEFORE a busy Sunday afternoon when everyone is trying to get the nasty done and head home.
If you want to thoroughly flush your tanks either leave real early or real late or better yet get a full hook up site.
Nothing torques off a group of RV’rs waiting in line to dump and head home than some schmo spending an hour trying to scrub the inside of his black tank...

[Mr Sunshine]

The best single suggestion I have was already posted. Rent before you buy. It may seem costly, but will prevent a much larger cost if you purchase the wrong RV.

Try to find one as close as possible to the one you think you want.

Mrs S would say her suggestion is pass on any RV with a corner bed. I have to agree, unless you are traveling alone!

[Dabobo]

We have a 2018 24hl chateau sprinter and love it. We had a 30 foot jayco with a v10 and the mileage stunk. We get 12 to over 14 mpg going 65 to 68 mph.

[rudyhehn]

Welcome! The forum is helpful. Agree that renting for a trip is helpful. My one piece of advice is making a departure and arrival checklist so you can set up and leave with less stress and fewer mistakes.

[Pete'sMH]

Originally Posted by Dabobo

We have a 2018 24hl chateau sprinter and love it. We had a 30 foot jayco with a v10 and the mileage stunk. We get 12 to over 14 mpg going 65 to 68 mph.

My 30 ft class A gets about 7 mpg overall . I’m happy with that.

[Lt Keefer]

Welcome to the club. My advice would be to always have internet service. That way you can search for solutions or answers to anything that you encounter.

[TerryJames]

We found it useful to video capture the walk-through explanations for the various technologies useful as future reference.

[Mygirlscats]

Welcome and congrats on the upcoming purchase! The Delano looks gorgeous. My best advice...take your first trip close to home. Really close to home (or better yet, close to the dealer that sells you the unit!). Anticipate something being not quite right, and use the first weekend trip as a shakedown cruise to identify any deficiencies.

When we took our first brand new MH out for the first time with our toddler, we found out the toilet was not connected!

Expect the unexpected, take it in stride and give yourselves time to take it back to the dealership for correction. Then enjoy yourselves.

[Edensob]

The old saying applies. There's no thing as a dumb question. Someone here has likely solved your question, so ask!

[paulwadley]

Congrats on your decision. There are many out here(including myself) that own a sprinter based motor home that can assist in the many questions you will have. The final walk through is important and educational. Take notes, video it and test everything that you can. Take a few short trips to test out everything. Take notes on anything that needs to be addressed by the dealer while still under the one year warranty period. Be prepared to tackle a few of the small item repairs yourself. There is a wealth of knowledge here in the forum. Just ask.

Paul
2018 Thor Siesta 24SS, Summo Springs, The Equalizer Leveling System, Good Sam Member.

[axis earl]

Speaking of renting before you buy, etc... I saw what looked like a brand new Winnebago Class B on a Ford Transit chassis with a For Sale sign in the windshield. Looked very nice for a Class B. Talked with the owner/seller who told me it had less than 3000 miles on it and they were getting rid of it because they didn't like the height of the rear bed because at their age it was just too difficult. Just an example that came to mind of someone buying into the concept rather than the reality of using it.