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| Class C Motorhomes Related Tips |
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teknomad
Land of Enchantment
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Joined: 10/06/2009
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OK, so with our very limited experience we are considering that a class “C” is for us. We really don’t want a huge vehicle, probably no larger than 25ft. We like diesel for mileage and engine longevity. We are of course also interested in a unit that would hold its resale value. We have been told that Winnebago is the company for that. Is that true?
Love the interior designs of the Winnebago Itasca Navions or IQs, for example. OTOH, the new Reyo looks fantastic. While small, it’s considered a class “A.” No idea why that is?
So, in your opinion and experience: What is the best, quality built class “C” or small class “A” RV and why?
Does anyone know of a website where one can compare RV features?
Thanks for your help.
* This post was
edited 11/02/09 06:46pm by teknomad *
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Eycom
Fl to NY
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RVing, like everything else in life is a trade-off. If resell value is any indication of quality, look at a Lazy Daze. No experience, just food for thought. Class A?... I dunno.
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tatest
Oklahoma
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Itasca Reyo is a "Type A" RV because it is built on a bare chassis.
"Type C" is built using a cab-chassis or cutaway chassis (cab manufactured without a back wall).
If you are looking at Sprinter chassis RVs from Winnebago, I would not expect significant quality differences between Type A and Type C, since they are built together using the same engineering technologies and manufacturing methods, to the same product standards.
If you are looking for quality differences, you might look across manufacturers. You might find C's that are built to a higher standard than some small A's, and other C's that are shoddy. Currently, you won't find many small A's at all, though they were popular in in the 1970's and early 80's, and manufacturers may be coming back to them to test the market once more.
The RV Industry Association no longer uses the term "Class" to describe different RV types, because for some buyers that word carried a confusing connotation about quality.
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ed6713
FL
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Depends on your budget & quality requirements. Generally speaking, Lazy Daze, Born Free & Coach House Platinum are considered the highest quality Class C RV's.
Fleetwood products tend to be at the other end of the price/quality scale.
Either way, a membership in the RV Consumer Group is money very well spent. Considering how much money you're considering spending, their information is pocket change. They are the Consumers Report of the RV world.
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gemsworld
Sunny Southern California
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I just saw a 26' standard class A at the Pomona RV show but forgot who the manufacturer was.
Personally, I think all of the Sprinter based RVs are highly overpriced relative to what you get, regardless of the brand. You can get a class C on a Chevy or Ford chassis for considerably less money. If someone actually bothered to sit down and work the mileage numbers on a Sprinter versus a Chevy or Ford chassis they would be able to see that it would be impossible for the average RVer to recoup the additional cost of a Sprinter in the fuel savings.
If you decide on a class C, buy a Winnebago.
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hotbyte
Barnesville GA
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When we started looking at moving to a MH, I did ran some rough numbers on Sprinter vs classic C cost. I forget exactly what I came up with but it was many miles (100,000 plus) for mpg improvement to worthwhile. As primarily weekend campers with our 5'er going out about once per month I figured it would take MANY MANY years to reach enough miles to make it worth the extra cost.
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cruising spud
Pennsylvania
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Lazy Daze-check their website and the Lazy Daze yahoo group.
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burlmart
Baton Rouge
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If you do not want/need a bed over the cab, the following look good for your needs and quality concerns.
If you want the upper bed,
They are all quite stylish inside as well as out. I do not see why you should be too fixed on diesel.
On Edit: Forgot to say why these are better...maybe cuz I don't really know. I am basing my assumptions about quality coaches mostly on what I have read over the years on these forums. On that basis, the winners for quality are BF and LD.
Also, your cooking interests may be constrained by the kitchens in these smaller Cs.
* This post was
edited 11/03/09 06:35am by burlmart *
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flrvman
Texas
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Check Lexington by Forest River. Very good quality for a lot less money than some of the higher priced units. JMHO. Yes I own one.
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Westronics
Redmond, WA
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A few points.
1. On a Class C (Ford Chassis, at least), there is little advantage to the diesel engine - you'll pay dearly to get it and not make that up in fuel savings for many, many years. They are also hard to find these days.
2. On a Class A, that may not be quite as true.
3. Resale will be more than a little disappointing if you buy new. That's just part of the deal for any new vehicle, RVs are no exception.
The Reyo looks very interesting - I really like the pull-down front bed, though, with that in place, I think I'd prefer to have a floor plan available without a floor-level fixed bed so as to have much more living space.
There are many brands to choose from. For the best idea of theoretical resale value, look to NADA for previous years. That will give you a really good fact-based idea of how brands compare for resale value.
An RV purchase is truly a case of "buyer beware." If you are to be happy post-purchase, you must do as you are starting to do here - research; you must get really, really smart on RVs that interest you or you will likely regret it later. I have no idea how many hours (hundreds, probably) I spent on research before buying our motorhome. It was time very well spent.
A couple of things to keep in mind (unsolicited advice  ):
1. Take nothing a sales person says at face value. They are paid to sell, and sell as quickly as possible. Therefore, verify everything and get everything in writing. So long as you verify everything, the sales force can be a great resource for you. Also, keep in mind that the sales people are not technical experts, but often will not come out and admit it and will simply attempt answer your questions with whatever seems reasonable. The best place to go is one that prides itself on repeat business.
2. Three things you can't change post-purchase at any reasonable price are floor-plan, storage space and weight distribution/ccc. You can see the floor-plan and the storage space, for the weights you should get the vehicle weighed before the purchase is final or write in your contract the maximum allowable delivered weight in each axle end (not just overall, and not just each axle). In this way you have a reasonable chance to avoid driving in an overweight motorhome - which is a real safety hazard.
Good luck with you purchase and have fun with your search!
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