Hello - I'm on the East Coast so we may not meet down the road anytime soon, but you've come to the right place to meet a lot of nice people and get a lot of advice.
First piece of very serious advice - take your time and look around. Buy in haste, regret at leisure.
Looking on websites at floorplans can be helpful but you really need to see the units in person to start making judgements. "Vintage" is so cool, but... high maintenance. Newer units have lots of conveniences like water heaters that turn on at the flick of a switch - rather than going outside at 6:00 AM with a match!
Visit a dealer or two if there are any near you. Leave your charge card, check book and cash HOME and have your hands duct taped together so you can't sign anything on impulse.
Try to make a lot of notes about the pros and cons on various sizes and layouts. Some very small units have dinettes or gauchos (couches) that are the only bed - and have to be made up daily. Rear bath units often mean that guests will have to traipse past you to use the facilities - at 2:00 am it's a bit distracting. Develop a list of must have and must avoid features. If you like to do a lot of home cooking the smallest kitchens with 2 burner hobs may not suit you. The unit that is perfect for me may be a waste of space for you.
For most dealer list prices new you can get at least 15% off, 20% if you're persistent, more if the unit has been sitting on the lot for a long time.
Having bought 2 new ones myself, if I do it again it would be gently used. The first year or two is a huge hit on depreciation. A lot of people make a mistake on the first one and either upsize, downsize or decide RV'ing isn't for them. Of course some health issues force people to sell them too.
Look here under "Rallies" - bottom of the home page, and under the Classifieds tab. Air Forum rallies are generally open to anyone. There is a club WBCCI which has rallies and caravans - but some are not open to non-members. (There has been a dramatic drop in membership due to some internal issues. Don't want to bore you with all that stuff, but they are recruiting new members and I believe the unit in your area is one of the better ones. Check here, send a message and see if a looker would be welcome.
At rallies almost everyone shows off their unit. You'll be invited in, and can discuss the merits and drawbacks of each floorplan. Sitting in someone else's Airstream for 10 minutes can be worth it's weight in gold.
If you want recliners you'll probably end up customizing a unit or buying very large! Lots of us get rid of the dinette or a couch to have recliners. It limits the number of sleepover guests, but is that necessarily a bad thing?
HAVE FUN looking and buying.
Paula
Oh, and before you fall in love with vintage, search on "mouse poo"
and "the full monte"
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