Real Newbies

[Ted and Renee]

We are currently waiting to buy our first motor home,,a 1996 Georgie Boy Swinger that up until a month ago has been garage kept..  My Wife and I have never RV'ed before..I am retired US Navy Submarine service and she is still working as a cashier at a local grocery store..I am hoping to shorten her schedule as soon as I can,, I am receiving a estate settlement this week and plan to make the purchase,,any and all advice is greatly appreciated,,I have shopped and looked now for about 9 months and am ready to buy..Any pointers on beginning the life I really want to get..

[ms60ocb]

Welcome to the Escapees forum.

First I will say this is a good site to do some searching as you will some varied suggestions from the seasoned campers and travelers.

Second I glad to see you are looking at used RV to start. Look at them as you would a used car.

Clay with a 2016 Fifth Wheel

[Ted and Renee]

Thanks Clay,,it is taking me a little bit to navigate around the site but once I learn my way I think I'll like it..I friend of mine from RVillager is also a member and that is how I learned of the site,,Can't get enough information for sure..

[Kirk W]

Welcome to the Escapee forums! We are happy to have you as a part of our community and we will help as much as we are able.

4 hours ago, Ted and Renee said:

I am retired US Navy Submarine service

You will find that are several sub veterans here, myself among them. I served 8 years and a nuke electrician. 

4 hours ago, Ted and Renee said:

our first motor home,,a 1996 Georgie Boy Swinger

We spent 12 years with a 1998 Georgie Boy, Cruisemaster as our only home. Georgie Boy built a quality motorhome and I was sad to see the company disappear, as so many have. You don't say what chassis you have but I'm pretty sure that you have a 16,000# GVWR so be careful of exceeding the weight limits as you load your equipment into it. If it has not been done, there is a good chance that it may need the addition of airbags as most of those older chassis ran close to the weight limits and in time developed weak springs. If you have not done so, it might be wise to have a professional inspect the RV for you prior to your purchase. 

[Ted and Renee]

Kirk and Pam,

  Thanks for the welcome aboard shipmate,,I was all the way at the other end of the boat as a Torpedoman's Mate..I served on the 640 class FBM's out of Scotland..I figured I could live in that space so a motor home should be a lateral transfer..  I think I just about have the wife fully committed to the proposition ,,she's asking me questions now..How long have you been RV'ing??  What advice would you give yourself if you were just starting out?? With the exceptions of the air bags..  We really don't want to screw this up..

  Thanks again for the welcome and I hope to run into you both during our travels..

ted

[Kirk W]

4 hours ago, Ted and Renee said:

.How long have you been RV'ing??  What advice would you give yourself if you were just starting out??

We bought our first RV (a pop-up) in 1972 and have had one of some type nearly all of the time since.Our first motorhome was an 87 Allegro bought in 1990, with the Cruise Master bought new as our retirement home which we kept for 14 years. My advice, take things slowly and learn as you go. Read all that you can find and don't hesitate to seek help as most RV folks are quick to do so. 

[bigjim]

I don't know about Georgie Boy so Kirk would know better but anything much over 10 years that has a membrane roof I would really look at the roof  and consider that it might be needed to be redone. Not cheap. I don't know about other types of roofs.  If you get a "good" inspector they should be looking at this and giving you a heads up.

[kb0zke]

Welcome, Ted and Renee. Make sure that you have plenty of money in your budget for repairs/upgrades that your coach may need. You probably already know that tires and batteries tend to age out before they wear out. Check the dates on them and use that as a negotiation point. Having a good independent inspector go over the coach is a good idea. Many people figure that they will spend $10,000 to $12,000 in the first year just doing repairs and upgrades.

If there is an owners' forum for your new coach be sure to join it. You will get lots of good information there that you won't be able to get elsewhere.

When we started out we had the basement packed, every cabinet inside packed, and stuff in the car. As time went on we got rid of some of that stuff and were able to do a better job of consolidating the rest. Unless you know that you will need something, assume that you will not need it. If you later find that you do need it you can always go to Wal-Mart. You probably won't need your Sam's Club/Costco membership anymore as you won't be able to buy in bulk. You will, however, be able to take advantage of farmers' markets all year long.

Plan to limit your driving to fairly short distances and times. Stay for at least a couple of days every time you stop. We generally figure on no more than 250 miles on a travel day and we try not to travel more than two days in a row. Yes, there are times when we have had to drive longer or more days, but those are rare. We generally don't get up any earlier on travel days, but the day before I try to put away as much outside stuff as I can. While I'm outside on the travel day, Jo Ann is packing up the inside. We're generally on the road by 0900 or 0930. I keep speeds to under 65 mph, usually 55-60 mph. That means that sometimes we eat lunch while sitting in a Wal-Mart parking lot, but that's okay. We're usually landed by mid-afternoon.

[Ted and Renee]

Wow,,now that is some of the most comprehensive and great advice ever..Especially the way you divide your travel days,,I never thought about that..I had just assumed you get up and head out and drive until you get there,,resting in truck stops or rest area's when you need to..I didn't realize travel days were planned out so well.

 Right now we are looking at the 96 Georgie Boy Swinger, garage kept until about 3 months ago..it has 60k miles on it and is in really good condition all around,,and under..Picking it up for 15.5K with great tires, all maintenance kept up,,a large super slide..I need to look to see if there is an owners forum and join it as well,,I am still learning this site, and navigating around it..

  Thanks for all the advice ,,feel free to share anymore at any time

[Kirk W]

1 hour ago, Ted and Renee said:

Right now we are looking at the 96 Georgie Boy Swinger, garage kept until about 3 months ago..it has 60k miles on it and is in really good condition all around,,and under..Picking it up for 15.5K with great tires, all maintenance kept up,,a large super slide.

That price is a little bit to the high side as high retail is listed as $15k. There are several things to be very careful of. The tires may look good but you need to check the date code on each one since any tire that is more than 7 years old is a potential blowout and when that happens not only is it a safety risk but it is very common for a blown tire at highway speeds to do extensive damage to the RV.  If you don't know how to find and read the date codes, visit this link and it will explain it to you. Modern, belted tires will deteriorate on the inside while sitting and can blow out even when they still look new. 

I would also be very cautious about anything rubber on the chassis such as belts, brake line hoses, radiator hoses, and all such parts that deteriorate over time. Rubber compounds will deteriorate over time and should be replaced if original which they probably are since this RV has been driven less than 3,000 miles per year. You need to plan to replace all fluids such as oil, transmission fluid, brake fluid, differential oil, power steering fluid, and engine coolant before you travel much. Brake fluid is especially important since it will absorb water that can change to steam when in heavy braking and cause a total loss of brakes. In addition, the roof is probably of EDPM and if so should be checked by a professional to make sure it is in good condition and all of the caulking should be replaced if cracked or separated at all. I would operate all appliances in all modes as even though they seem to have had light use, they are now 21 years old and using the refrigerator, water heater, furnace, or aid conditioners does not add miles so they may have seen much more heavy use than it seems. To see if it needs airbags you can look for signs of it sitting low or uneven while it is parked. If springs do not show some curvature you should have them checked. I would also make sure that the brakes are inspected to ensure that they have not rusted and so could hang up and fail to work. While this RV might be a real find, it could also be a disaster just waiting to happen to someone.

   Georgie Boy Owner's club

[Ted and Renee]

Kirk and Pam,

   WoW,,now your starting to scare me away..I mean I know I have a lot to do and to check over and I intend to do the very best job that I can,,I do expect to have the roof checked and sealed probably first thing since it will be outside and everything sits under that roof..I have been talking to the seller now for over a month and we have extensively talked about many items you have mentioned including the extra rubber belts he has stored in the basement..I expect to get the rig set up on a PMS Schedule and maintain a complete record of all preventive and corrective maintenance that I end up preforming..

  Getting all fluids checked and changed goes pretty much hand in hand with buying any vehicle,,at least it does with me..The records that have been kept have been great and I expect to follow up in kind..With the cooling of the temperature right now one of my concerns is going to be getting the unit winterized for the season..I defiantly do not want any surprises due to an early freeze..  Do you have any suggestions as to getting it ready for cold weather?? We have mild winters here in Kentucky,,but February is a cold month for sure..I have NEVER winterized a unit myself, but expect I am capable..

  Thanks for everything and I'll let you know how it all comes out..

ted and renee

[scouserl41]

If it helps we went thru the same things you are and will be doing. I created a blog on how we did things and our progress since which starts here: http://banbrv.blogspot.com/2014/11/stepping-up-to-plate.html 

We have learned so much in the last 2 1/2 years and it still keeps coming. Hope you have as much fun as we've had!

Brian and Barbara (BnB)

[sandsys]

3 hours ago, Ted and Renee said:

we have extensively talked about many items you have mentioned including the extra rubber belts he has stored in the basement.

Buy your first rig is SO exciting. I got so excited we bought the wrong first retirement motorhome. It's good to temper that excitement with reality.

So, you might want to find out how old those stored belts are.

Linda Sand

[bigjim]

We really are not trying to scare you away. There will be some issues but the odds are you will be fine but we sure would like to save you headaches and money.  One thing that can be usefull is don't set out cross country immediatly. Try hitting some campgrounds  just within a few hours or fairly near where you are familiar with. Kind of the "shake down" familiarity cruise.  Make sure you invest in a good RV towing service like Coachnet or Good Sam's towing service for RV's.  We are not talking big money on that but can be a seriously useful tool I hope you will never need. When I started full time 20 years ago I didn't know this and I was very fortunate.  I have only used mine a couple of times but thank goodness I had it.  I didn't get on this forum until about 6 years after I started and I sure could have saved some trouble.  I think if your roof has been covered it should not be an issue but better safe than sorry in inspecting it and keeping it in mind.  I definitly agree that checking that date on the tires is important. You can use some of this as a negotiating point.

[Kirk W]

10 hours ago, Ted and Renee said:

now your starting to scare me away..I

Not intending to do that, only to caution you and to be sure that you do not move too quickly. A great deal also depends on how you plan to use this motorhome. For a first RV it looks to be good, just move slowly and carefully. If it were me, I'd also make a somewhat lower offer price,  say around $12,500 or so unless you have already agreed to pay the price asked. I would definitely expect to buy 6 new tires and I'd suggest paying a mobile RV tech to go over things for you to make sure that it is in the condition you believe it to be. Just a bit like buying some insurance. 

[Barbaraok]

I'll second Kirk's advice to hire a mobile tech to go over the rig with you, explaining how everything works and what to check on what schedule.  And VIDEO the explanations because you will find that will end up being invaluable- no matter how well you THINK you understood the instructions, seeing them again is invaluable.  

Doesn't matter how good the tires 'look' , with RVs it is the age because UV exposure is the antagonist.   If the motorhome has been stored inside, the is a plus, but I still would want new 'shoes' if they are over 7 years olds.   Others will say 10 years - depending upon the manufacturer.

As far as winterization goes - another reason to hire a mobile RV tech to help you become familiar with a new way of life.   We had had Coach.Net for our roadside assistance provider for 11 years.   Have used them twice for the toad and once for the rig.   In addition to providing ability to get help to you, they also can help you do some trouble shooting and determine what kind of a response is needed.

Barb

 

 

[rad]

Hi Ted and Renee,

The people on this site won't steer you wrong. They helped me a lot when I started out. 

We bought a 2006 Georgie Boy, a little over a year ago, and finished a 5500 mile trip a few weeks ago. Had a Blast! 

I inspected the unit thoroughly, negotiated price and bought it. We took several short trips, one the day we bought it and after a full service, even the brake fluid was changed full service. After all problems we could find were corrected or decided we could live with. We planned a trip for over 5500 miles. Only problems on the trip was a slide drive sheer pin sheered. The local ACE Hardware had a it will fit clevis pin, it was installed plus a spare pin was put in the save the day assortment box. Off we went again.

So, just my 2 cents worth with some LUCK that is ( Labor Under Correct Knowledge) and some attention to detail and maintenance you may have many miles of smiles ahead of you.