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Old 04-18-2019, 04:18 PM   #1
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Brand: Still Looking
Model: Fleetwood Bounder 35P
State: Florida
Posts: 475
THOR #15054
Hello from Sarasota!

Greetings to everyone. New member, here, and I have shared this same info with different forums so if you're also a member in those forums and reading this AGAIN, I apologize!

My wife and I are relatively new to the rv community. We own a (permanently parked) fifth wheel that is at a campground in Michigan which is run by our daughter and son-in-law. We spend a little time there during the summers but we live full time in Florida since our retirement in 2017.

We both love to travel, but we have found that our vacations in our working years (and the first year of retirement) all looked the same: Fly somewhere, rent a car, spend lots of money on hotels, do touristy things WITHOUT our own gear (kayaks, bicycles, etc.)

We have decided to purchase a Class C in late 2019/early 2020 to remedy that. We are avid runners and cyclists and we want to be able to do these things in different locations, as well as visit national parks and sites at our own pace and if we decide to stay a bit longer, we're not paying $200-$400 a night on hotels and also changing flights!

We have done a lot of searching so far and have greatly narrowed down our list. I am joining this forum to assist in that decision making. Please feel free to share ANYTHING that you feel would help in that regard, including new vs used, extended service plans, and likes/dislikes of certain models and manufacturers.

Some "must-have" items that we know for sure:
  • We want to sleep in a queen bed as a minimum size; prefer the twin/king that is on some models
  • We want to be able to sleep without having to use a slider to do so.
  • We want the vehicle to be short enough to maneuver around town, as we plan on no tow vehicle, at least not yet.
  • We prefer to keep the bikes in the interior storage (basement) when transporting. (front wheels come off and go back on quickly.)
  • We want a cab-over bunk as a 2nd sleeping option.
  • I prefer new for warranty purposes, but would consider used if the savings made sense.

Thanks for any words of wisdom!

Cheers!

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Old 04-18-2019, 04:34 PM   #2
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Model: Tiffin Wayfarer 24 BW
State: New York
Posts: 22,195
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Welcome to our "Internet Campground"!
It sounds as if you've got your needs pretty well sorted-out, so I'll just add that I hope you enjoy the shopping process!
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Old 04-18-2019, 04:40 PM   #3
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Model: Fleetwood Bounder 35P
State: Florida
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THOR #15054
Quote:
Originally Posted by Bob Denman View Post
Welcome to our "Internet Campground"!
It sounds as if you've got your needs pretty well sorted-out, so I'll just add that I hope you enjoy the shopping process!
Thanks, Bob. We have our "needs" sorted; it's the "wants" that are killing us!

We just began this process about a month ago and we've learned SO much already. We thought we were going to go quite small and basic, like a Coachmen 21QB (24'), but the Four Winds/Chateau 25V is REALLY looking good to us. We love the split beds with king possibility.

The one thing that is a MUST is the basement must accommodate our two road bikes with the front wheel removed. This eliminates 85% of what is out there from the start. Both of these two have nice tall underneath spaces.
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Old 04-18-2019, 05:14 PM   #4
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State: New York
Posts: 22,195
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It's the most fun part of the process: Knowing what you want... and finding the RV that will actually fit all of it!

Patience: it's out there waiting for you!
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Old 04-18-2019, 05:16 PM   #5
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Model: Axis 24.4
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Welcome to the site.

That 25V floorplan is identical to our 24.1 floorplan (although I think it'd be quite the squeeze to get some bikes in our rear storage--maybe not as I've been able to fit a lot of stuff back there).

As far as interior: We've been very happy with that layout going on 5 seasons now. The biggest drawback for it is the size of the shower. The next time you step in one make sure you stand in the shower to see if you can live with it. (I see that the shower size listed on the 25V is the same as on our 24.1.)

The only other drawback with that floorplan is the placement of the slide with respect to the driver's chair (this may only be the Axis/Vegas units): On ours the driver's chair cannot slide back too far when the slide is in (or recline for that matter)--something else to think about the next time you're in one.

Just for grins you might want to take a gander at an Axis/Vegas 24.1: Has very similar outside storage, same floorplan, and yes there is a bunk up front (its a power drop-down one).
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Old 04-18-2019, 05:16 PM   #6
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Bob Denman View Post
It's the most fun part of the process: Knowing what you want... and finding the RV that will actually fit all of it!

Patience: it's out there waiting for you!
Yeah, the search is the fun part. It gets scary when it's time to pull the trigger.
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Old 04-18-2019, 05:21 PM   #7
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Originally Posted by JamieGeek View Post
Welcome to the site.

That 25V floorplan is identical to our 24.1 floorplan (although I think it'd be quite the squeeze to get some bikes in our rear storage--maybe not as I've been able to fit a lot of stuff back there).

As far as interior: We've been very happy with that layout going on 5 seasons now. The biggest drawback for it is the size of the shower. The next time you step in one make sure you stand in the shower to see if you can live with it. (I see that the shower size listed on the 25V is the same as on our 24.1.)

The only other drawback with that floorplan is the placement of the slide with respect to the driver's chair (this may only be the Axis/Vegas units): On ours the driver's chair cannot slide back too far when the slide is in (or recline for that matter)--something else to think about the next time you're in one.
Thanks, Jamie. That's great info. The great news for us is, I'm 5'6" and my wife is 5'2", so those should not be real drawbacks for us!

The basement is really good in the 25V, much better than most of the Axis/Vegas models that we've seen. We will be able to do it with maybe a slight "modification" of the plastic panel on the sides of the basement. (There was one of the 24.x models that had real possibilities also, but they named them in such a strange way that I have trouble keeping them straight and can't remember which one it was!)
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Old 04-18-2019, 05:34 PM   #8
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Looking at a 25V online...wow! that looks familiar ! LOL
Although it has a dinette instead of the couch--didn't notice that at first.

From the image the rear storage looks to be of a similar size too.

In addition: they are both on the same chassis (E-350 if you get the 25V on a Ford chassis). LOL

I bet the 25V is a few inches wider..yeah 99" vs 94" hence the room for a dinette in the 25V vs the 24.1's couch (which also means there is a bit more room between the twin beds in the back as well).

Floorplans for comparison:
Four Winds 25V:

Axis/Vegas 24.1:


Note that I'm just pointing out another option. Pick whatever RV fits the most of your needs/wants. (We picked our RV because we liked the floorplan and that it had a lot of nice touches over our old 5th wheel--and it looked pretty unique to boot ! LOL.)
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Old 04-18-2019, 05:51 PM   #9
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Model: Allegro Open Road
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Welcome to the Forum, We are loving our Windsport 29M and will be at Myakka State Park (Sarasota) on Monday for a week of Glamping.
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Old 04-18-2019, 05:53 PM   #10
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State: Florida
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Quote:
Originally Posted by JamieGeek View Post
Looking at a 25V online...wow! that looks familiar ! LOL
Although it has a dinette instead of the couch--didn't notice that at first.

From the image the rear storage looks to be of a similar size too.

In addition: they are both on the same chassis (E-350 if you get the 25V on a Ford chassis). LOL

I bet the 25V is a few inches wider..yeah 99" vs 94" hence the room for a dinette in the 25V vs the 24.1's couch.
The big difference is in the middle of the 25V storage. The tray actually goes down, which gives a 32" wide, 34" tall, 26" deep space for the rear tires! If I get really creative, I might be able to get all four of my bikes in there, two facing left, two facing right!
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Old 04-18-2019, 05:55 PM   #11
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Originally Posted by Ron1Z View Post
Welcome to the Forum, We are loving our Windsport 29M and will be at Myakka State Park (Sarasota) on Monday for a week of Glamping.
Thanks, Ron! Nice rig, there.

We just came here in November and Myakka is already one of my favorite places on earth! Alligators and birds. I'm in heaven with my camera always ready.
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Old 04-18-2019, 06:40 PM   #12
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Model: Tiffin Wayfarer 24 BW
State: New York
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TimmyB,
When it comes time to pull the trigger:close your eyes, take a deep breath...




... and think about all of the fun that you'll have!
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Old 04-18-2019, 08:12 PM   #13
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Originally Posted by Bob Denman View Post
TimmyB,
When it comes time to pull the trigger:close your eyes, take a deep breath...




... and think about all of the fun that you'll have!
And pray that you didn't screw up, despite a year of research!
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Old 04-18-2019, 10:09 PM   #14
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Model: Tiffin Wayfarer 24 BW
State: New York
Posts: 22,195
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That's my motto:
"Oh Lord: please don't let me screw this up..."
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Old 04-18-2019, 11:16 PM   #15
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State: Indiana
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Originally Posted by Bob Denman View Post
That's my motto:

"Oh Lord: please don't let me screw this up..."


Ah yes...the pilots prayer!
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Old 04-19-2019, 12:02 AM   #16
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Model: Quantum RQ29
State: Ohio
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Welcome to the forum. Food for thought: if you find one that you really like that doesn't have room in the basement for the bikes, you could get a bike rack that installs in the receiver of the rear hitch.
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Old 04-19-2019, 12:09 AM   #17
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State: Florida
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Originally Posted by coachray View Post
Welcome to the forum. Food for thought: if you find one that you really like that doesn't have room in the basement for the bikes, you could get a bike rack that installs in the receiver of the rear hitch.
Hi, coachray, and thanks for the welcome! Yeah, we have a real nice 4-bike Thule rack already and that IS an option, but I really (REALLY) want to keep our two road bikes protected a little more than that. We know it might be overkill as they are not $5K tri-bikes, but they are good bikes and we want to keep them that way (and keep them ours!)

My plan was to use a hard shell case that would protect them on the hitch-rack and I discovered...no one makes one! Even my bike dealer said he's not seen anything other than the soft bags that cover them.

The really good news is, I have so much time before this purchase that I'll be able to investigate ALL alternatives.
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Old 04-19-2019, 12:45 AM   #18
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Model: A.C.E. 27.2
State: Indiana
Posts: 1,842
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Welcome aboard Timmy B. We looked at the 25V (on the internet) and couldn't find one to look at within 250 miles of our location, even though they build them an hour and a half from our house. It's a Great looking floor plan. We ended up purchasing a year old ACE 27.1 that the dealer used as a rental unit. We are not first time buyers so we know the ins and outs of RV repairs. That is why we dropped the extra coin on purchasing an extended bumper to bumper warranty to cover everything on and in the coach for an additional 4 years. Rv's are notorious for needing something right after the original warranty is gone. Good luck and have fun with the search
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Old 04-19-2019, 12:51 AM   #19
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Brand: Still Looking
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State: Florida
Posts: 475
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Originally Posted by MJC62 View Post
Welcome aboard Timmy B. We looked at the 25V (on the internet) and couldn't find one to look at within 250 miles of our location, even though they build them an hour and a half from our house. It's a Great looking floor plan. We ended up purchasing a year old ACE 27.1 that the dealer used as a rental unit. We are not first time buyers so we know the ins and outs of RV repairs. That is why we dropped the extra coin on purchasing an extended bumper to bumper warranty to cover everything on and in the coach for an additional 4 years. Rv's are notorious for needing something right after the original warranty is gone. Good luck and have fun with the search
Thanks! Our place in Michigan is also about an hour and a half from all of those places so we are going to take a couple of tours this summer!

I'm glad to hear SOMEONE say they bought a used with an extended warranty. Living in an apartment (now that we are retired), I have ZERO way to DIY, so I am at the mercy of the dealers for repairs. This means, buy new and make sure you really shake it down the first year and find anything wrong that you can, or save a lot of money and buy used with an added warranty, as you did. I am assuming that this has worked well for you, taking this path?
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Old 04-19-2019, 02:13 AM   #20
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Originally Posted by TimmyB View Post
Thanks! Our place in Michigan is also about an hour and a half from all of those places so we are going to take a couple of tours this summer!

I'm glad to hear SOMEONE say they bought a used with an extended warranty. Living in an apartment (now that we are retired), I have ZERO way to DIY, so I am at the mercy of the dealers for repairs. This means, buy new and make sure you really shake it down the first year and find anything wrong that you can, or save a lot of money and buy used with an added warranty, as you did. I am assuming that this has worked well for you, taking this path?
Haven't had the 27.2 long enough to have any real issues (knock wood) but after owning a couple previous MH's I am very aware of the types of issues that develop with a "house that goes through a mild earthquake" every time you drive it. I will report that the additional road hazard warranty we purchased for the rig is paying for itself as I found a cut on the inside sidewall of one of the rear dually's. A $560 tire.
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