Hi to all from the NJ Shore

[Chixter]

Hello everyone. Glad I found this place, I love internet forums for the knowledge that gets shared. I will preface this by informing the reader(s) we have NO experience in this outside of a rented Class C with friends over 25 yrs ago, 1 trip. Wifey and I are in our late 50's, so far in good health. We are road travelers, that is we love to travel, but hate flying. Our 35 years of marriage has consisted of road trips to hotels. We have been considering changing things up now that we are older, have more time to travel, and more $$ at our disposal. We have considered RV traveling, not f/t but extended trips. My brother owns a Prevost bus, that is absolutely beautiful but...a tad out of our league. Plus, we are the types that once we get to where we are going, we want to explore. I know one can tow a vehicle with a motor home but that idea has been trumped by visiting some shows over the past year and deciding on a 5th wheel/truck combo for our adventures. It seems to fit our needs as we can park-detach-takeoff to explore. Also fits in our budget. We have finally accumulated $100k that we would be willing to spend on a 5th wheel/truck combo, give or take a few thousand. I certainly not opposed to recent pre-owned equipment in great shape, I would actually prefer it, more bang for the buck I believe. Something in the 36' range would be fine based on what we have seen at shows. King bed a must, and of course the most we could get in options in this price range. I would be appreciatively interested in hearing from experienced folks their opinions on what they would look for given our circumstances and budget. Here's to new adventures!

[wingnut60]

Welcome to the Forum.
There are tons of fivers and tow trucks to choose from. Most would suggest that you settle on a fiver floorplan/length so that you will know what size tow vehicle to get.
If you get the truck first, then that will limit what you can tow to its tow ratings.
My own experience with fivers, is I bought a 2005 $104k list Mobiles Suites in 2007 for $45k--it had never been towed except to a park site. That same trailer--9 years later--is still our fiver. These types of deals come around every so often, you just have to spend a lot of time searching/researching rv ads--pplmotorhomes.com rvtrader.com are a couple of the largest sources of info on used rvs.
Unfortunately, you can't order a used RV, so you need to know what features/options are necessary, and what you may have to compromise on when the right unit comes along. The bargains are out there, and it can be fun but time-consuming to look at all the ads regularly.
There are combos that are advertised also on a regular basis--truck + trailer and may be a great deal when you find one.
Some of the fun is in the search, and getting a good deal on just about exactly what you want just increases the fun when you use it.
Joe