| Buying a motorhome can be an exciting adventure, | | | | offerings. So RV shows are an invaluable source of |
| and as pleasurable or stressful as you want to make | | | | information where you can walk through coaches |
| it. There are a lot of things to consider when buying | | | | from different manufacturers and get a feel for |
| a motorhome, and at times it can seem | | | | what appeals to you and what doesn't. Usually there |
| overwhelming. But if you go about it in a logical way | | | | are RV shows taking place in a given area almost all |
| and use the tips provided here you should be able to | | | | the time, so just look online to find them and then |
| find the one that fits you and your needs best. | | | | plan ahead to attend. Even if you have to drive quite |
| Of course, emotion will subtly creep in and try to | | | | a distance, it's really worth it to get more |
| take over your decision making process, but do your | | | | comfortable with the whole motorhome shopping |
| best to keep it at bay as much as possible. That | | | | process. One warning though. Be sure not to let the |
| doesn't mean that you don't want to even consider | | | | RV sales people at these shows get you all excited |
| how attractive the coach is, because after all you will | | | | and tempt you to jump in and buy a motorhome |
| be living in it at least part of the time. But try to stick | | | | before you have completed your research and are |
| to doing your homework and keep some sense of | | | | well-informed. It's their job to make sales, but at this |
| practicality mixed in as well. Here are some tips to be | | | | point it's your job to just say no. |
| able to find and select the right motorhome for you: | | | | * There are some great industry buyers guides |
| * Before making a large ticket purchase as important | | | | available and the top two that come to mind are |
| as a motorhome, you will need to get up-to-date | | | | Trailer Life and Woodall's. Both of these companies |
| information, and lots of it. You need to know what | | | | also put out campground guides too, but every year |
| coaches are out there and familiarize yourself with | | | | they also publish a listing of the major RV brands and |
| their reputation and what they have to offer. One | | | | list the various floor plans and options available on |
| way to accomplish this is to start reading RV | | | | each model. It's a great way to learn about each |
| magazines as thoroughly as you can. If you can get | | | | major brand of manufacturer and have an idea of |
| your hands on back issues that go back for a year | | | | what models they produce that you wish to look into |
| or so, that's even better. Your goal is to bring your | | | | further. |
| knowledge up to date with the progress of the | | | | There are other ways to help be fully prepared to |
| industry. | | | | make a wise motorhome buying decision, so make |
| * There is no substitute for actually physically | | | | sure to read about them in Part 2 of this article. |
| inspecting and investigating the latest motorhome | | | | |