Choosing the right motorhome

My Casita Liberty Deluxe

Choosing the right motorhome takes time.  When I first decided I was going to live fulltime in a house on wheels, I envisioned myself in a Class C motorhome.  I never was interested in a Class A because they seemed too big for one person, nor did I want a Class B because they seemed too small.  Notice I used the word “seemed.”  What is too big or too small to one person isn’t necessarily to another.

The Class C was my first choice for several reasons.

The size range was right and the fact that you can get up from the house part and go sit behind the wheel to drive away appealed to my I’m-not-in-the-mood-to-say-hello personality.  I followed Tioga George’s blog and he has a Class C.  As the months and years went by, I imagined the crew and me in numerous situations in the Class C and ruminated on how we would handle those situations.

What do we do when the engine needs repair?

If my house is part of my vehicle, the canine crew and I are tethered to the repair shop!  Repairs might take several days.   Maybe we’d be allowed to live in the motorhome in the repair shop’s parking lot.  Ick.  If not, we’d have to go to a motel.  Yuck.  I hate motels.  And I can’t imagine two terriers are an asset when trying to book a room.

A trailer and tow vehicle gives me the flexibility I need.

Once I got over being intimidated by towing a travel trailer, I did some research.  Travel trailers always conjured up a vision of a tin can with leaks, whether deserved or not.  When I stumbled upon the fiberglassrv website, I fell in love!  The molded fiberglass shell only has one main seam and it’s around the middle, like a belt on Humpty Dumpty.

The Casita stole my heart.

It is manufactured in Rice, Texas which is a doable trip for me from Georgia and places me in the Southwest which I want to explore.  I called the factory and spoke with Jonathan.  Soon I received a booklet that described the various models available, from the 13′ Patriot to the 17′ Liberty.

It included a very long list of standard specifications and options.

A few weeks later I received a picture postcard from Texas.  On one side a photo of a Casita, on the other an announcement:  “Special Limited Time Sales Discount.”  (That postcard is now taped to the wall over my desk.)

I got on the phone and placed my order.  I decided to get the 17′ Liberty Deluxe with the following optional equipment and upgrades: awning, refrigerator fan, outside shower (for the crew), sway bar, high lift axle with 15″ tires D-rated, 25 gal. fresh water tank, range cover, sink cover, entertainment package, accessory package (water hose, bubble levels, blowout plug, water pressure regulator, hitch lock), air conditioner with thermostatically controlled heat strip, and vinyl flooring.

I was surprised that the vinyl flooring was so much more expensive than the carpet.  Jonathan explained the price reflected the increased labor necessary to sand down the surface the vinyl would rest upon.

I decided not to get a furnace or a microwave.

A little portable heater would be enough for me.  A microwave takes up precious space and isn’t an important appliance to me.

The last week of November, 2010, I sent the deposit check for $2,000.

My Casita was completed the last week in March, 2011.  After six years of planning, making decisions, dreaming and saving, I still await the day I walk through the door of my new home on wheels!

rvsue

Doggie life jacket update:  Bridget swims in it.  Not really swims.  It’s way too big for her.