Buying a motorhome is quite possibly the biggest investment a person will make in their lifetime, other than the house they are living in and maybe your daughter or son’s college tuition. But before you invest in one, you should do some serious research since it is such a sizeable outlay.

Learning about the nuts and bolts of maintaining and driving a motorhome is one of the best steps you can take while you decide whether or not you want to buy a motorhome.

For a moment, let’s consider one of the first questions you’ll need to ask. “Will I enjoy RV’ing?” should be the primary question you ask yourself before committing to a purchase.

If you want to know for sure whether RV’ing is enjoyable for you, the best method is simply to take a test drive! Rent a motorhome similar to the style you are interested in and take it out for a vacation. Within 4 to 7 days of vacationing, you’ll know if you are able to operate and park the vehicle with ease. You’ll also know if you enjoy RV’ing enough to buy one for your own use.

Motorhomes come in three “classes” — A, B, and C. Class A motorhomes are constructed in one of three ways. They can be constructed on a commercial bus chassis, a commercial truck chassis, or a chassis that has been specially designed for a motorhome. Class A motorhomes are also the largest sized vehicles of the three classes and can be 20-45 feet in length.

Depending on your budget, a Class A motorhome can be had for 50,000 dollars on the low end. If you have the ability to spend more, you can specialize your motorhome; be aware, though, that some customized RV’s can raise the total to a million dollars. Even though many people will not go this route, it’s good to realize the costs that can build up.

You will find that most Class B motorhomes are built on a van chassis and have a roof that has been raised. Many have been turned from vans into motorhomes. Many people would think of them as a spruced up version of the van. If your roof is high enough, you might even be able to stand up inside the vehicle!

Class B’s are usually designed for one or two people only and are great for a weekend up to a week in the outdoors. Prices have been known to be erratic on the Class B’s but the average starting price is around $ 30,000

Finally, you have the Class C motorhome. Class C’s are normally constructed on a truck chassis and have a cab section attached to them. Most of the time, the cab section is van based, but they can also be truck based as well.

One of the defining characteristics of a class C motorhome is that they often have a cab-over method of contstruction. Usually, this is where the RV’ers will sleep. You might know the Class C type as a mini-motorhome.

By now, you have a good grasp of the three basic styles of motorhome available. Have a great time choosing your RV!