I can, and do, talk for hours about RVs. I love them. I love cranky old RVs, in particular (I live in a 1984 Avion...which is one of the all-aluminum models, of which Airstream is the best-known manufacturer and the only current manufacturer). There are forums for every major manufacturer of RVs, most of them are super helpful; a bunch of retired old-timers who love talking about their RVs.

I'd recommend you spend some time learning about them. There are definitely quality differences; usually you get what you pay for, though buying older can get you a great deal, comparatively speaking. I would much prefer a high quality old rig to a cheap newer rig. But, older rigs can have a lot of hidden problems; my Avion has had a much rougher life and needs a lot more work than previous owner disclosed (for a variety of reasons I bought it knowing it needed work but some of the work it needed/needs is beyond what I expected or could reasonably find in the brief inspection I gave it).

One probably can't easily summarize everything one should know before buying an RV, but I'd recommend you start reading up on them now, and don't plan to buy for at least a month or more. Go visit RV dealers (with no intention to buy new, or even to buy from a dealer at all, as they will overcharge by a huge amount in the majority of cases...it's normal to pay half what a dealer would charge for a used RV).

Do you already have a tow vehicle? That's probably where you need to start, if you plan to go the travel trailer route. If you plan to live in the trailer full-time, you probably need a big truck to haul it; I've got a diesel F250, and it works great. With a weight distribution hitch it'll comfortably haul more than my house (which is probably about 9000 pounds loaded with tanks full).

As the other commenter recommended, road side service from Good Sam is a great idea; I've used both Good Sam and AAA, and Good Sam does a slightly better job getting the right sized tow truck out to you when you need it.

>Do you already have a tow vehicle? That's probably where you need to start, if you plan > to go the travel trailer route. If you plan to live in the trailer full-time, you > probably need a big truck to haul it; I've got a diesel F250, and it works great. With >a weight distribution hitch it'll comfortably haul more than my house (which is probably >about 9000 pounds loaded with tanks full).

Yep I have an older F150 XL pickup. It is harsh on gas consumption and with towing the trailer that will get quite a bit worse but the savings can be substantial in the long run I suppose (as opposed to living in an apartment/house)

I live in Canada and would like something that is easier for 4 season usage. I can make do with warm clothes and down blankets etc but for example while working on my laptop in the winter, it will be easier without gloves ;-)

I can do without buying new but I am not too mechanically handy and do not want to spend a lot of money paying someone else to fix any issues with older trailers. However, I would definitely be down for buying something older if it is in good shape.

You'd want what is sometimes called a four-season RV; you're going to need a bigger truck. They tend to be among the most expensive options; they're heavier, and more densely insulated. But, keep in mind that one of the benefits of living in an RV is that you can follow good weather. No reason to freeze your ass off, if you can just drive a few hours to a lower elevation.

Arctic Fox is among the best known four-season RVs. I don't know of any other manufacturers who specialize in that area off-hand. Modern RVs are better insulated than older RVs, in the general case, especially when comparing similar quality levels (e.g. a new Airstream or Winnebago will be better insulated and energy efficient than a similar model made 25 years ago...but, 10 year old models are probably comparable to current models, and will often be obtainable for 1/3 the price).

With a travel trailer, there's much less concern about needing to be handy than there would be a with a motorhome. While things are going to break, and things are going to need work, that's true of new or old RVs. My motorhome (which was 7 years old when I bought it) constantly needed minor repairs. Likewise, my 32 year old Avion also constantly needs minor repairs (and it needed and still needs some major repairs).

Sticking with ~10 year old trailers is probably the right time frame for someone who has no desire to have a fixer-upper (I don't recommend fixer-uppers, no matter what, as they always cost more in the end). But, if you start searching well before you want to leave, you can be extremely picky and you'll find someone that has loved their trailer, and kept it in great condition. A lot of trailers only see seasonal use...so they've only been lived in for maybe 6 months, even if they're 10 years old. If the owners winterized them properly, and kept them covered or at least protected from direct sun and such, a ten year old unit can be damned close to new. Higher quality trailers hold up better to aging than cheaper ones, so look for the high end brands (there's too many of those to list, but if you spend a few weeks checking out RV dealers, and RV shows and reading some forums, you'll get a feel for the ones that people really like).

I live in the SW (in the Rockies), which is the summer home of many RV-ers. At this point in the year, many people put their RVs up for sale. Just this weekend, I saw 3 used RVs that looked to be ~10 yrs old (1 looked 3 yrs old). All were about ~30ft in length w/ the side slide-outs that allow for more room. I'd check craigslist in these RV-heavy areas first.

Rent an RV for a month and live in it full time first before buying one. After you're sure that you want to live in one then get a Good Sam membership and the rest will come naturally.

Or, just buy an old one. Renting costs ~$100/day (and that doesn't include the cost of RV parks, fuel, etc.). You can buy a travel trailer for not much more than a month of renting, if you don't mind an older one.

Buying a new RV would be madness, of course unless you're really sure you want to live this way and have a lot of spare cash laying around. They depreciate at an incredibly high rate. My first motorhome cost a bit over $30k when I bought it (it was 7 years old when I bought it), and I sold it last year for $12000, after living in it for most of the six years that I owned it. If you take your time, and shop carefully, you can find really great deals.

But, yeah, it's definitely a major life change, and one that maybe shouldn't be dived into without careful consideration.

Yeah but then if you don't like it you're stuck with an old travel trailer or RV to try and sell(hard) or store until it rusts away(space/money).

Spending $3000 to validate a pretty huge lifestyle change isn't that much really.

We got lucky that we really enjoyed it when we bought ours but I could understand a lot of people finding the lifestyle ultimately a lot different from what they expected.