The major issue in "full timing" is the bed arrangement. Be sure to buy one that does not have the step or hump on the drivers side caused by the engine vent.
Now on to another issue, having full timed it for close to a year, am very glad we bought a private bath, and not a walk through. Might be a little cramped at times, but worth it.
Turns out the washer and dryer arn't really needed, no one we have met likes them.
We use ours every day on a trip to run a small load of clothes, dry towels and pre warm them before stepping out of the shower!
The '96 is pretty good price for a 40' U320. I've seen them advertising it on Austin's Craiglist, although they mention in the ad it's been smoked in. :'( Mileage is higher than some I've seen, but that just means it hasn't sat in storage as much.
My wife would not be without it, once the girls on a motorcade showed her how to use it properly.
Sure beats dragging all that laundry back & forth to the laundromat.
Use ours too. In fact once you wait for a washer at a major park one time you will be thankful you have it. We just run a load at night right before we go to bed. It washes and then we stop it in the beginning of the drying cycle and shake the clothes once and turn it back on. Works like a charm. As to full timing and only 5000 miles, I think you might do more than that. Especially if you want to hit the high spots in the country. I have taken trips that are more than 5000 miles. If you want to go to Glacier or Yellowstone or Jackson Hole or over to the Smokies or up to Lancaster and see the Amish or into New England, you will travel a distance. Not that you will put on 50k but if you really want to travel in comfort and see the sights than you will be higher than 5,000. I am not a full timer but a long timer and I know I put on more than that. If you are not going to drive much a 5th wheel will give you more space and be cheaper to operate in the long run.
Have o weigh in on the side of having the washer - My mom uses it for 6 months of the year - conveninet and saves a some $$ - just upgraded to the 2100XC this year - she claims it is a big improvement
"Turns out the washer and dryer arn't really needed, no one we have met likes them."
We do not have a washer in our coach so I can't speak from a personal stand point, but we have met dozens and dozens of owners who do have the washer / dryer and have never met anyone who was not crazy theirs.
When we bought our coach, we thought the washer/dryer was a silly idea. Then we had to use it during the first night of ownership (dogs ::) ). Now we wouldn't be without it.
We upgraded to the 2100XC in 2008 and as Tim's mother says, it is a vast improvement over the 2000 series (greater capacity, much lower water use). After seeing what gets washed in some campground laundry facilities, I'm glad we have our own machine.
As for the bath, ours is a walk through and we love the space. There are pocket doors at either end so you can close it off from either the bedroom or the front of the coach (or both). In our floorplan the closet is in the bath (it's where the potty room would be in a private bath) so it's basically a huge (for an RV) dressing suite.
So there are options to suit everyone (and don't rule out a coach until you've seen it or a floorplan like it in person).
Michelle
Side Aile, the only way to go.
What is it that you like about the side asile? We looked at a Newmar that had that floor plan, and we much prefer the more spacious feeling of the walk through bath... Not to mention having the washer handy to warm towels on a cold day.
Don
WTB FTW!
see ya
ken
1. Full size washer and dryer for sure. This would be a must have on my list. Combo washer/dryer are OK for part timers like us now though. We still use local laundromats if they're decent. Takes too long to finish a load in the combo units.
2. A recliner chair inside for one of us :)
3. Some kind of computer desk/station for a laptop maybe? Depends on how much you use one.
4, Air card for your private wifi.
My 2ยข :)