Hi -

I've been researching Rvs for the last few months - I intend to start full-timing next summer (at first it was "in a few years," now I don't want to wait any longer than I have to). I work for a staffing agency and have already been traveling for over two years, but my employer has been putting me up in apartments and hotels each assignment, and my parrot and I are getting tired of it.

At first I wanted to get a Sportsmobile to fulltime in, partly for mobility and partly because I didn't think I could drive anything larger or tow anything AT ALL. Then a friend let me hook up her 5th wheel horse trailer (which was surprisingly easy!) and tow it out on the highway and on back roads for about 1/2 an hour or so, and then she had me back it up a 200' curving driveway to park it back where she had it to begin with. I made it! :-)

After that, I got to thinking about several factors - #1, I'm usually in one place for three to six months at a time. #2, I would lose my car allowance from work if I didn't ahve a tow vehicle. #3, with all the options I was adding to the Sportsmobile, I could get a 5th wheel and tow vehicle for the same price as the Sportsmobile, and still have my car allowance to help pay for it!!!

So now I've been looking at 5th wheels.

I was wanting a toy hauler - I have a parrot who will be in a rather large cage, and I would love to have the space for a craft studio, but most of the alrger, nicer ones have a wall and door separating the garage from the living area, and my parrot would HATE that. Then I found the website for Americana RV, and I fell in love - they seem to be really well made, they have a lot of space (and, really, I do most of my crafts on the couch in front of the TV anymore anyway), and they have an area at the back with two chairs which I think could be removed and I could put the parrot cage there instead (or at least, in the place of one of them - I do like the idea of a rocking chair).

My problem is this: my sister feels that I have terrible judgement and that the RV will probably fall apart as soon as I get it. Since they are custom-built rvs, they are not rated on rv.org (I e-mailed and asked). I can't find any reviews of them online. I can't find any used units for sale, which to me might indicate that people keep them, but it also doesn't show me if they hold their value any better than any other unit.

My sister, of course, also told me that if I would just give up this traveling nonsense and stay in one place and live in an apartment like a normal person, no one would think less of me. So she deosn't exactly have an unbiased, helpful attitude about things to begin with.

I've been living in a 26' travel trailer for the last month as a "try it for the summer" kind of thing - my parents have a large 5th wheel and were selling the Sportsmen camper (which is about 15yrs old and had been used out in western KS for hunting for the last few years - and had been infested by mice, so my dad and I had a lot of clean-up to do last month before I could move in), so I asked if I could borrow it for the summer. I'm glad I did. I've learned a lot of things I don't like about the layout, so I've gone through my very-beat-up copy of the RV Buyer's Guide 2008 and crossed out ANY MH or 5r with that layout. :-) Also not too thrilled with the shower, which was one thing that influenced my decision towards Americana (you can upgrade to an electric continuous hot water heater). Other than that, though, it's not too bad as far as storage goes. The A/C is noisy, and it doesn't cool the bedroom, which is inconvenient since I work nights and sleep during the day and it's 90 degrees outside, but I have a fan that blows the air from the living room into the bedroom. My parrot ends up a little too cold, unfortunately, but it's the only way I can sleep. On my week off, it's great, especially last month when it rained a lot - I didn't have to turn the air on until about 11am, and turn it off around 7pm, and then open the vents and it stayed perfect all night.

Anyway, enough rambling. Just wanting to hear from others with an Americana. It's frustrating to not be able to compare them to the others!

We own an Americana RV. We took delivery of it last August. Now, let me qualify what I am about to say. This is our very first rv, so I have nothing to compare it too. We too found the website and were both impressed. We contacted the owners and were invited to Elkhart to talk with them and take a look at some of the units being delivered that week. It was an awesome day and we fell in love with Americana. We ordered our unit shortly after that day. It is a 39 foot with the skp package. So far, we are very pleased with our choice. We have had a few repairs needed, most were minor and all were taken care of by Americana. We had one major event and that was the failure of one of the leaf springs. We were in Florida at the time. That too was handled to our satisfaction and when we returned home Americana replace all 4 leaf springs at no cost to us as well as sending us a check for the first repair in Florida. One thing Forest River actually manufactures the basic unit and than Americana RV customizes it. The another thing I might mention is the amount of time Americana spends with you when the unit is delivered. They actually have you stay there on site for about 3 days. They want to make sure you understand how everything functions and they even take you out for a test drive pulling your unit to make sure you are comfortable with that as well. I could go on and on, but I'll stop now. Please feel free to ask all the questions you want and I and my husband will do our best to answer.....Debbie

One last thing. Feel free to email me privately if you wish. My email address is located in my profile. Debbie

I do not own an Americana, but I saw them on display at the Escapade in Goshen last Fall. I was very impressed with their floor plans, decor and quality. I would not hesitate to own one. It is also encouraging to hear the responsiveness of the manufacturer to problems. It is rare in the industry today.

First, welcome to the Escapee's Forums.

I suggest that if you have not done so, you do need to join the RV Consumer Group, rather than to just email them as they will supply you with a lot of good educational materials about how to judge RV quality. To buy any RV with little or no in depth knowledge of RVs is a huge gamble. This is not a subject that can be learned in a few minutes. I purchased my first RV used, in 1972 and am still learning more today.

On the one that you are considering, I have no direct knowledge of that unit but I can tell you a few things about it, based upon the information that I get from their website. First, the basic unit is built by Forest River and if you dig you will find it very easy to locate many poor reviews of that company, their products and the factory support. I have never owned one of their products, but I read a great deal and could send you to several current threads on other forums about this company.

Second is that the company brags on their low prices. I can tell you from many years of RV experience that low price and high quality do not go together. It is expensive to build a quality RV that will hold together for many years of full-time living and there is no way to make money selling them for low prices. Before you choose, take a close look at the products from Teton and Double Tree. These are very expensive trailers but they are also the top of the quality ratings. No company has more trailers in continuous use for full-time living than Teton. Trailers like this are very expensive and very heavy.

For what you have in mind you would be better served by buying a used RV that is of high quality than to get one that is new, but cheap. I am guessing that you are young, that you have little RV experience and that you have a limited budget? If that is true, to purchase any RV of less quality will mean more maintenance and repair and can you do it yourself, or afford to hire it done?

That Americana may be the best answer, but go slow and make sure before you spend your money. After eight years living full-time in our RV, I can tell you that most new RVs do well for a year or two but the real test is five or more. Typical RVs that sell in the lower price ranges do not survive well with constant use as a home and to keep them functional requires far more maintenance.

If you want a very easy way to check RV quality, look around to see what brand names are still in use after more than twenty years of ownership. It will be a very short list of brands.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Kirk,

All good points and one would do well to listen to them all! I just want to add that we have so far been impressed with both the quality and the service by both Forest River and Americana. I may not have much experience with other units, but I do feel I know "well made" and "quality" when I see it and live in it. Also, believe me the price is definitely not cheap and I do believe you get what you pay for in this life. Should you jump in and buy an Americana based on me and my experience---certainly not. But if you are seriously considering purchasing do contact Americana and if you can, attend their next delivery session. That way you can compare "apples to apples" Most of the owners we have talked to love their units as much as we do.

quote:

Since they are custom-built rvs, they are not rated on rv.org (I e-mailed and asked). I can't find any reviews of them online. I can't find any used units for sale, which to me might indicate that people keep them, but it also doesn't show me if they hold their value any better than any other unit.

You won't find an RVCG rating under the name Americana. However, an Americana is really nothing more than a Forest River Cardinal that has been taken off the line at some point and additional upgrades added. So, look at the ratings for the Cardinal if you want to find out more about them. Other than the additional upgrades (cosmetic stuff), there's nothing different in the underlying structure of the Americana that is any different than the Cardinal. In fact, I've seen fifth wheels with both the Americana and the Cardinal name on them.

quote:

Originally posted by LindaH:

quote:

Since they are custom-built rvs, they are not rated on rv.org (I e-mailed and asked). I can't find any reviews of them online. I can't find any used units for sale, which to me might indicate that people keep them, but it also doesn't show me if they hold their value any better than any other unit.

You won't find an RVCG rating under the name Americana. However, an Americana is really nothing more than a Forest River Cardinal that has been taken off the line at some point and additional upgrades added. So, look at the ratings for the Cardinal if you want to find out more about them. Other than the additional upgrades (cosmetic stuff), there's nothing different in the underlying structure of the Americana that is any different than the Cardinal. In fact, I've seen fifth wheels with both the Americana and the Cardinal name on them.

Yes, but according to the website, they do quite a bit of modifying to the actual structure. That modification makes it enough unlike a Cardinal that it can't be rated like one.

quote:

Originally posted by Kirk:
First, welcome to the Escapee's Forums.

I suggest that if you have not done so, you do need to join the RV Consumer Group, rather than to just email them as they will supply you with a lot of good educational materials about how to judge RV quality. To buy any RV with little or no in depth knowledge of RVs is a huge gamble. This is not a subject that can be learned in a few minutes. I purchased my first RV used, in 1972 and am still learning more today.

On the one that you are considering, I have no direct knowledge of that unit but I can tell you a few things about it, based upon the information that I get from their website. First, the basic unit is built by Forest River and if you dig you will find it very easy to locate many poor reviews of that company, their products and the factory support. I have never owned one of their products, but I read a great deal and could send you to several current threads on other forums about this company.

Second is that the company brags on their low prices. I can tell you from many years of RV experience that low price and high quality do not go together. It is expensive to build a quality RV that will hold together for many years of full-time living and there is no way to make money selling them for low prices. Before you choose, take a close look at the products from Teton and Double Tree. These are very expensive trailers but they are also the top of the quality ratings. No company has more trailers in continuous use for full-time living than Teton. Trailers like this are very expensive and very heavy.

For what you have in mind you would be better served by buying a used RV that is of high quality than to get one that is new, but cheap. I am guessing that you are young, that you have little RV experience and that you have a limited budget? If that is true, to purchase any RV of less quality will mean more maintenance and repair and can you do it yourself, or afford to hire it done?

That Americana may be the best answer, but go slow and make sure before you spend your money. After eight years living full-time in our RV, I can tell you that most new RVs do well for a year or two but the real test is five or more. Typical RVs that sell in the lower price ranges do not survive well with constant use as a home and to keep them functional requires far more maintenance.

If you want a very easy way to check RV quality, look around to see what brand names are still in use after more than twenty years of ownership. It will be a very short list of brands.

Wow. What an amazingly condescending post! I went through trying to cut out what was NOT condescending so I could make it shorter and just leave the irritating parts, and ended up not cutting out anything.

Thank you, though, for assuming that I'm young - I guess I'm young at heart, despite eleven years of widowhood. Although, you know what they say about assuming things... and boy, did you assume a lot.

Gee, I did not think that was condecending at all! Except perhaps the assumption about your age and circumstances. I actually thought it was some pretty good advice.

Just shows you how anything can be read differently by different people.

Laura
Have you discovered RV Dreams yet? I suggest you check out there forum and personal story. The web address is RV Dreams I think you will find it a very enjoyable experience! Debbie

lala,

Welcome to the forum. There is a tremendous amount of know-how regarding RVs and RVing to be found on these boards. There is also a whole lot of goodwill.

Internet message boards have one huge flaw--people are attempting to interact and discuss without the benefit of being able to see anyone else's facial expressions or body language or hear their tone of voice. This sometimes leads to misperceptions.

Kirk does not need anyone to defend him. However, since his advice on this forum is consistently courteous, well thought out, and useful, I cannot see his post labeled "condescending" without speaking up. I have reread Kirk's post twice and I can't figure out what you see as condescending. I must admit that I, too, thought that you were probably "not old" because you are borrowing the travel trailer from living parents (including a father who is in good enough shape to help clean out the mouse poop) but that is really irrelavent because Kirk's advice to you did not differ from the advice he gives everyone who asks the kinds of questions you asked. (And one of the amazing things about Kirk is that he has the patience and cares enough to give that advice over and over.)

My husband and I have been full-timing since May, 2007. What we know about RVing you could put in a thimble. I've been reading this board since July, 2004, when we decided we wanted to buy an RV and full-time. There are two people who have posted in this thread whose advice I would not want to be without--Kirk and Jack. LindaH is also very knowledgable and helpful.

When reading this forum it is a good idea to assume that the advice posted is intended to be helpful and non-judgmental because 99% of the time that is what you will get.

Good luck in your search for the best RV for you.

Mary

Laura,

I'm not sure why I took you to be young, but perhaps compared to myself, you are? I suppose we all tend to think in terms of age based upon our own and Mary is absolutely correct about the reason I took you to be young, at least when compared to myself. Of course, at 65 with a child who is nearing 45, I tend to think of anyone 50 under as young. But the remark about age and experience was intended to be a question? We don't usually get posts such as yours from people who have vast experience with RVs so I also assumed that you do not have such?

I did not intend to be condescending and hereby offer an apology for having given you that impression. Beyond that, I'll leave the comments to others.

quote:

Originally posted by maryfair:
lala,

Welcome to the forum. There is a tremendous amount of know-how regarding RVs and RVing to be found on these boards. There is also a whole lot of goodwill.

Internet message boards have one huge flaw--people are attempting to interact and discuss without the benefit of being able to see anyone else's facial expressions or body language or hear their tone of voice. This sometimes leads to misperceptions.

Kirk does not need anyone to defend him. However, since his advice on this forum is consistently courteous, well thought out, and useful, I cannot see his post labeled "condescending" without speaking up. I have reread Kirk's post twice and I can't figure out what you see as condescending. I must admit that I, too, thought that you were probably "not old" because you are borrowing the travel trailer from living parents (including a father who is in good enough shape to help clean out the mouse poop) but that is really irrelavent because Kirk's advice to you did not differ from the advice he gives everyone who asks the kinds of questions you asked. (And one of the amazing things about Kirk is that he has the patience and cares enough to give that advice over and over.)

My husband and I have been full-timing since May, 2007. What we know about RVing you could put in a thimble. I've been reading this board since July, 2004, when we decided we wanted to buy an RV and full-time. There are two people who have posted in this thread whose advice I would not want to be without--Kirk and Jack. LindaH is also very knowledgable and helpful.

When reading this forum it is a good idea to assume that the advice posted is intended to be helpful and non-judgmental because 99% of the time that is what you will get.

Good luck in your search for the best RV for you.

Mary

Ditto to what was said above. If you look back through the years of this forum you will find that Kirk always gives true and honest advice. I don't see where he was talking down to you or assuming anything.
Ray

Laura, I'm sorry, but when I first read your initial post, I (ya ready for this?) 'assumed' that you're young, too, and for just the reasons others might have: you have a Dad who is young enough to be active, and a sister who is still trying to boss you around, like mine does me! I don't think it was even a 'conscious' assumption, just one of those impressions that we're left with after briefly seeing, hearing or reading something. About a month ago, I was privileged to spend a long weekend with a wonderful family in Arandas, Jalisco, Mexico. After a couple of days, someone asked my age. I honestly owned up to 66 years, and you should've seen the jaws drop! We had been having so much fun that it had never occured to any of us that I out-aged them by between 10 and 35 years! My body, by the way, says I'm old, but my mind thinks I'm still about 36. I choose to pay attention to my mind; it's smarter than my body! I have no advice to offer you in regards to the choice of an RV, Laura, but want to WELCOME you to Escapees and the SKP forum, where you'll find a great bunch of people willing to share experience, advice and friendship with you. And, whatever it is that you're doing to give the impression you're young at heart, keep it up!

WELCOME!! Lee