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.

Educating yourself about all the basics involved in owning and operating a motorhome is highly recommended, especially when it comes to making the decision on the class of motorhome that’s right for you.

But let’s back up just for a second to that first decision you need to make. “Is RV’ing for me?” should be the first question you answer before you start considering making the purchase.

How can you find out how well a motorhome will match up to your wants? Our best advice for you in this regard is to rent a motorhome and take it with you on vacation! You will certainly know whether or not you want to own a motorhome by the time you get back home. Even a short trip lasting only 4 to 7 days can help you and your spouse, if you have one, to decide whether or not you can handle the steering, parking, and operating demands of a motorhome. Some people may decide RV’ing is not as fun as it appeared at first, while others will love it.

You can buy a motorhome from one of three unique classes, known as A, B, and C. The Class A motorhome is often built on the chassis of a commercial truck chassis, a commercial van chassis, or a designer chassis intended just for motorhomes. A Class A will give you the most spacious living area as well, with a total length between 20 and 45 feet.

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.

Class B motorhomes are usually constructed on a van chassis and are van conversions that usually have a raised roof. Essentially, they are what people would refer to as a tricked out van. The extended roof creates more interior room, enabling some people to stand up inside them.

You should plan on a Class B if your trips include only one other person and are usually only about a week long or less. You can buy a Class B for a starting price of 30,000, but expect a lot of variance as far as pricing goes.

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 most noticeable features of Class C motorhomes is the cab-over section where sleeping room is found. They are often called “mini-motorhomes”.

So that should give you a pretty good idea of the different types of motorhomes that are on the market. Good luck, and happy shopping.