Motorhome vs 5th wheel

Many RVers, and especially potential RVers have that burning question, which is better a motorcoach or a towable rig? In our case we had a 5th wheel. First let me say that for many years we enjoyed our 5th wheel and made many memories. As we traveled, we always enjoyed seeing the ginormous Class A motorcoaches rolling down the highway and I would often say, "we need one of those". Typically these coaches were out of our price range and we were not prepared to go into debt, we were spoiled being debt free for all those years. But now came the time that we were going to update our rolling living quarters. It was time for a new truck and I wanted a new 5th wheel, so when you looked at that total package we were going to spend about what we would spend on a nice motorhome. Yes it was scary, my stomach was sick, and I kept second guessing myself, but what the heck, you only live once ...go for it! Introducing ...ta-daaaa!...The Tuscany!

Would I like to have one of these? Why sure, but a Marathon or Newell Class A diesel pusher rolling mansion is not in our budget until I we finally win the lottery. Until then our Tuscany has all the features we desire and she has been a wonderful coach.

This is a Prevost by Marathon, so beautiful.

 Straight out of our home state of Oklahoma, ladies and gentlemen here is a Newell!

For 6 years we enjoyed our 32' Keystone Everest 5th wheel, this coach took us to many wonderful places and we had 2 slide outs, we were so happy. Generally a 5th wheel will be more spacious and have more cabinet space too. The 2001 Ford F-250 Powerstroke diesel was a hoss, I loved that truck, 209,000 miles and still going strong!  Kathy took this picture from her car as she followed, we were on our way through Utah. We wanted to enjoy Kathy's Mercedes Benz SLK-230, so she followed in her car and we got to enjoy it at our destinations. Her following was inconvenient, since she was in her car and we were not together, plus the additional fuel costs. We loved our 5th wheel, but we just wanted to experience the motorcoach life, and so far I'm glad we did.

From beautiful Winchester Bay, Oregon to

the Rio Grand Valley of Texas

and the beach site at Mayport Naval Station, Jacksonville, FL

So which is better? Tough question, but here is my opinion.
5th wheel probably has more living and cabinet space. Motorhome will have more basement storage.
If you are going to spend a lot of time in one place, a 5th wheel may be more practical unless money is not an object. After all, why have a big motorhome that just sits for extended periods?
If you are travelers, the motorhome is so much more comfortable. Two hours in the pickup and your back and legs are killing you, but in a motorhome you can cruise all day sitting high in the leather capt. chairs looking out of the giant windshield at all the beauty the USA has to offer.
Have to go to the bathroom, no problem, just go. Of course I'm talking about the passenger, driver still has to stop. The air ride suspension proves much more comfortable than the tugging and pulling of the 5th wheel behind the truck.
Time for lunch, Kathy fixes it while we travel if the weather is bad or we don't want to stop. One of our favorite things is to stop at a pretty rest stop and enjoy an outdoor lunch, often parking by other RVers and exchange greetings and stories.
You tow your car behind the motorhome, so when you arrive at your destination you have all the transportation you need. We use a tow bar, I do not like the tow dolly. The dolly requires much more work to load and unload your car,plus you have to store the dolly.
Yes, a motorhome can be expensive to maintain, what toy isn't? Boats, motorcycles, and even cars are expensive, but to play you have to pay... right? The memories you make are hard to put a price on. Let's say we have a $2000 repair issue, yes it's a lot of money but we have not paid property taxes and utilities for many years so the money is available for repairs. If you go full time, have money in reserve! Thanks to the internet many issues can be resolved yourself if you just put out a little effort.

You don't get views like this from an airplane. The view as we head to Arizona, I love the desert and mountains.

 Going down the steep grade of hwy 93 to Lake Mead in Nevada.

This is our site at Galveston Island, the Gulf is in view from our windows.

Whatever you choose to buy, my personal opinion is (1): don't buy new,  get a 1 or 2 year old rig that probably has the bugs worked out, (2 )don't pay "doc fees" when you buy it,and (3) don't buy extended warranties. No financial expert that I have heard has recommended extended warranties. Take that same money and put into a bank account, draw some interest, and then use it for repairs that MIGHT be needed, I have read so many horror stories from fellow RVers that were ripped off due to all the exclusions in the fine print. Remember, these companies are here to make money, not dish it out to us because they want to be nice and help us. As always, discuss this with your financial adviser or professional.

Finally arrived at the KOA/Lazydays RV Park in Tucson,AZ

On Jan 7th, 2015 we arrived at the KOA in Tucson, beautiful 76 degree weather and got site 1646. The next day we got an all day rain, they should pay us for visiting since we can bring rain even to the desert. Our friends from Camp Gulf in Destin, FL, Joe and Tammy Wise were here to greet us...well after they got back from a Phoenix trip. So far our impression of this park is.... nice! Two swimming pools with hot tubs, a restaurant with full bar, and a fitness center. It is a large park with about 380 sites.

The swimming pools are heated and the weather so far has been everything we had hoped it would be. Most days have been 70-80 degrees as much of the country is suffering from a brutal winter.

We were hoping to get a workamper job and we did! Kathy got hired first working in the main office as a reservation specialist, and I got hired later working just a few nights a week as security. She is much busier than I am dealing with  people calling who have a multitude of questions about the park and then ask about things we know nothing about. Some people actually want you to recommend other RV parks in the area or where is a good place for them to walk their dogs!

Beautiful weather and plenty of room to walk the dogs.

Another good thing about the larger nicer RV resorts are the many nice rigs that pull in. I love to look at the beautiful big 40-45ft Class A motorcoaches. It's amazing how much money people spend on these mobile mansions! This guy has a gorgeous Prevost from Marathon Coach, plus he has a Corvette, a Mercedes Benz, huge Ford  F-650 truck, T-Bucket street rod, and a golf cart that is capable of 90 MPH!

Here's a few more of the luxury Class A motorcoaches that come to stay at RV resorts.