We are thinking about upgrading to a Class C because we think our children would enjoy riding in the camper instead of being cramped in a Denali pulling our trailer. We currently own a 28 foot Keystone Outback and have loved it. We are choosing a Class C over a Class A because we have four children (early teens) and two adults and cannot find a Class A that would sleep 6 or more people. Unfortunately when I have looked at reviews for Class C's they have not been too good. It seems like there are a lot of problems with them. My husband is not the type of guy who can fix things so it is a necessity that we find a unit that customarily does not have problems. Thanks for any inputs or recommendations you may have. I would like to hear good or bad things.
You are on the right steps. A lot of class C are a pain in the butt. You may spent more time on repairs than time on the road. You need to go to RV.Net and look at the class C on this board. The P-30 units stands out as one that is very bad. Some units would be OK and others will spent tons of your money and time in the service shops. Remember cheap is good on front end but you will pay down the road and soon. Ask people on RV.Net for help and look at all the information from other people who own one. I hope this will help you. FMCA is a good web site for more information.
I've had a 3 different class C's. The biggest mistake we made was buying our last one new - and assuming there would not be problems (like most new cars.) We paid a premium when we could have saved thousands. BUY USED. We bought C's for the same reason as you - kids! Fleetwood is about the most apathetic company I have ever dealt with - don't think I could purchase any of their products again. If you tow, beware of the longer C's as the frames are usually modified (welded) to get the extra length - so the tow ratings are very low. Check dealer ratings as well. They can make or break you experience.
We have owned our Coachmen 32ft. Leprechaun Class C for 3 years and have no problems with it at all. Coachmen makes a great product and stands behind it very well. It has a superslide, which I recommend,especially if you have kids. If we had it to do again we would get one with a slide in the bedroom. That is usually the tightest place in the RV. Happy Camping Russ in Georgia
Would a Class A with a sleeper sofa (2 adults or 3 young children), dinette option instead of table and chairs (2 smaller people) and bedroom for mom and dad work?
QUOTE(roanokecampers @ Jun 17 2006, 08:13 AM) [snapback]4407[/snapback] We are thinking about upgrading to a Class C because we think our children would enjoy riding in the camper instead of being cramped in a Denali pulling our trailer. We currently own a 28 foot Keystone Outback and have loved it. We are choosing a Class C over a Class A because we have four children (early teens) and two adults and cannot find a Class A that would sleep 6 or more people. Unfortunately when I have looked at reviews for Class C's they have not been too good. It seems like there are a lot of problems with them. My husband is not the type of guy who can fix things so it is a necessity that we find a unit that customarily does not have problems. Thanks for any inputs or recommendations you may have. I would like to hear good or bad things. We have had a class C for 6 years. We purchased a 2000 Fleetwood Jamboree GT 31W new and have had very few problems with the coach. The biggest problem was the tires - Firestones. We have replaced all of them. We have taken our kids to Yellowstone, New York, Key West, etc. in it. It is easy to drive and as my husband says, "The vacation begins the moment we leave the driveway." We have recently decided to upgrade to a Class A and are in the process of trading up. Fleetwood was WONDERFUL about taking care of us. The ceiling fabric had separated and they sent a rep to get the coach. He took it to Indiana where they completely replaced the ceiling. Good luck!
QUOTE(Cheryl @ Jul 5 2006, 05:49 AM) [snapback]4537[/snapback] Would a Class A with a sleeper sofa (2 adults or 3 young children), dinette option instead of table and chairs (2 smaller people) and bedroom for mom and dad work? There are some Class A floor plans that can accomodate 6 or more. We have a Monaco Dynasty Countess III, and it easily sleeps 6 without the dinette, with it you could sleep even more. ( 2 sleeper sofa's and the bed in the back. ) The other nice thing about the countess floorplan is the private bath, we didn't like the showers in the hallways as most class A's have. I recall seeing another (Bishop 3, I think that has 1.5 baths, with the main being private.) A good idea for a big family. One thing though if you go the class A route make sure you don't get any leather sofa's as they aren't very comfortable for sleeping compared to the others.
I have had both Class A and Class C. I found very little difference in the upkeep and maintenance. In this day and age, keep in mind the class C is going to give you much better gas mileage on the highway. Another thing to consider is when you need maintainance on the chassis, most places can handle a class C, very few will touch a Class A and you will be forced to get service at an RV dealer, most of these are with untrained mechanics. Some companies are producing Class C's now that can attain gas mileage in the high teens, you will not find that on a gas powered Classs A.
We recently purchased a new 2006 BT Cruiser by Gulfstream and so far we LOVE it! We traded in our BT 23 footer to get the bedroom. We are retired and do not have the need for lots of sleeping space (our grandson comes along occassionaly, We definitely prefer the entertainment area over cab rather than sleeping accommodation. Just about every "C" we look had at least a single optional bunk there. Ours is only 27', but so far seems to fit out needs and the wife can handle it with no problems. Gas mileage runs about 8-10 mpg at 55-60 or so. We looked at some "A"s, too, but the price tag was certainly more than we wanted to invest. Of course, there were so bugs that we are dealing with, but Gulftstream has been SUPER, dealers are another matter. WE the love V10--power when you need it! Our family has 'camped' in just about everything except an 'A' and We much prefer the "C" for various reasons. Mileage and handling ease is a bigy for us! Easy to get to Bathroom, 'fridge, snack, and even naps while the other drives. I would skip on the leather sofa, dining etc. You might try renting a larger unit to see how you like it. Just have fun!
I do not know what you would want to spend, but I know Newmar makes a class A with a mid engine deisel that has the master bedroom in back and a loft with twin beds above it. Just a thought.
We have had both class c and class a. The only thing I like better about the class A is the heated basement which helps alot if you are traveling in the Northeast in the winter!! You don't have to worry about the pipes freezing if you have full tanks. We bought a winnebago and love it. They all have problems, we had lenghty discussions with a certified mechanic we met on vacation, he said they all suck, but Winnebago stands behind their rigs all the way. So far we have found that to be true. We are planning several winter trips this year, from Salem Mass for Halloween to a nice cross country via the southern route later in the winter. Good luck with whatever you decide on and I hope you enjoy it as much we we do!
Yes A gets crowded fast. We have two teens but older so bigger on one hand but go with us less on the other. I agree check RV.NET not only for class C but "traveling with kids" too. Lots of members and excellent tips. I don't know which class have bunks but know some do. jmo
