New guy: going FT next year...so much to learn...

Hi Senior,

I see that your wife may be a little apprehensive about driving a large class “A”. This recommendation is probably going to start a string of other recommendations. Anyhow, here goes. As you can see by my signature in this forum I pull a 38' 5th wheel with a large Diesel truck. We purchased our 5th wheel at one of the largest RV dealers in the country ( www.lazydays.com/ ) . They are located in Seffner, FL. Once you purchase a unit from them you become a lifetime member and with that membership comes loads of benefits. They have regularly scheduled driving classes for all types of RVs and all the classes are certified and will help to reduce you insurance costs among other things. The classes are hands on type classes and are highly recommended for people that may be a little apprehensive about driving a large rig with a toad. I see by your profile that you are in IL and going to a FL dealer may not be advantageous but there may be such a dealer within your driving range.

FastEagle

p.s. The RV Driver Confidence Course can be found under the RV lifestyle tab on the Lazydays web page.

MikeyD
Just another thought, if you are going full time, do consider purchasing your rig in FL, or at least registering either in FL, SD, or Texas. These three states can save you a LOT on taxes, etc. and it is easy and legal. South Dakota has no state income tax, and only a 3 % tax on the purchase of the RV. You can do everything thru a mail service. I'm not sure how Florida and Texas work it, but you can bet that there will plenty of advise comming aboth these states very soon. If you want, I can provide the web address of one of these services.
When you buy your rig, tell the dealer that you will be registering it out of state and they will not charge you the local state tax and will give you a temporary registration, (I know, I have done it).
This applies if you are going full time. If you still keep you local residence, you may have some problems, and I am sure these will be brought to light by others.
Frank

In response to purchasing in Fl. I am a resident of Ms. Jan of 2007 We bought a new 5th wheel in Fl. The dealer had to charge sales tax on the unit. When I got to Ms. to register it, Ms wanted to charge the sales tax again. Ms does not have an agreement with Fl for the sales tax. The only way I could avoid paying another 7% on the purchase was to register the trailer in Fl. If you plan to buy in another state, you need to check with your state about the taxes before you buy. By the way the dealer, Bates RV in Tampa, told me that they were sending the tax money to Ms., they lied.

I know Bates RV, They are just down the road from Lazydays and are actually in Dover, FL.

The information in my previous post has been misunderstood. I’m not recommending that you should cross state lines to buy a rig. I’m just pointing out things to look for when searching for a dealer. We looked at Jayco & Teton 5th wheels at Bates but did not like their organization. By the way, we are FL residents. I pay $37.50 a year for my 5th wheel registration and $75.10 for my truck. There is no personal property tax in FL.

FastEagle

Thanks again all. Been away for awhile on vacation. Went on an Eastern Caribbean cruise on Royal Caribbeans' Mariner of the Seas. Had a great time but now it's back to work. The more I read, research and hear from everyone we're leaning towards a Class A diesel pusher. The driving school for large RVs sounds great. Will definitely look into that. Will probably establish our home of record either in Texas or South Dakota prior to making the big move. I'm leaning more towards Texas as I've always considered moving there anyway. For now, it's back to the grind. One week away and two weeks of work piled up. (Remember those days? LOL) Will catch up with everyone later. Mikey D.

Mikey D, there is another site that also has a lot if info for the potential full-timer, that being RV-Dreams.com. The folks there are very forthcoming with all their monthly budgets and may be helpful.. Marty