Give me the good, bad, and ugly...We may be moving away from purchasing a trailer to purchasing a Class A or C. We cannot spend more than $30,000...I know in that line of motor homes, that is a very tiny budget. We know this means used and that is completely fine. What I cannot figure out is that so many of these pre-owned Class A's and C's seem to have very few miles on them. One only had 50,000 and had just had a new transmission replaced. What I want to know is that a common fix after so few miles with these classes of rv? TIA Trishy
Hi, 6 miles per gallon is not untypical. 30k spent on a class A may buy you a much older unit than 30 k spent on a class C. I would pick a 26 foot, 176 inch wheel base, class C, for easy of driving. Many folks only get 2 weeks of holidays--so the mileage on a 10 year old RV represents perhaps only 7 months of actual use. Look for water leaks. If there is the least sign of that--run away.
QUOTE(pianotuna @ Jun 10 2014, 10:29 PM) [snapback]36910[/snapback] Hi, 6 miles per gallon is not untypical. 30k spent on a class A may buy you a much older unit than 30 k spent on a class C. I would pick a 26 foot, 176 inch wheel base, class C, for easy of driving. Many folks only get 2 weeks of holidays--so the mileage on a 10 year old RV represents perhaps only 7 months of actual use. Look for water leaks. If there is the least sign of that--run away. Thank you so much for this information! That is very helpful. What would you consider low mileage on a motorhome? I mean in the grand scheme of things 40,000 miles on a six year old car is considered somewhat low. That may not be true then for an RV? Am I looking at this right? I'm definitely going to check out what you suggested about Class C's.
Many of the features of class As and class Cs are very similar, so I would consider the layout to be your main concern. See if the unit will fit the number of people in your family, is there enough room to cook dinner and have someone go to the back. I'll admit, I probably made a mistake when I purchased our motor home 4 years ago. I was dead set on class As since my parents had one when I was a kid, and my first coach was a class A. I realize now, if we had a class C, the kids could continue to sleep while we make breakfast, but with our class A, we need to change the dinette from the bed to the table to have enough room. 30K will get you lots of (used) coach for the money. Like said before, watch for leaks. Also watch for rigs that have sat a lot, surprisingly, low miles, indicating lots of sitting time, could mean more engine problems down the road, compared to a unit that has a few more miles that has been used every few months. Drive both types, some people find driving a class A to be easier in the long run because you don't have to rely quite as much on your mirrors, and they are easier to move from the drivers compartment t the living quarters
QUOTE(pianotuna @ Jun 12 2014, 12:56 AM) [snapback]36916[/snapback] Hi, Low mileage would be 4000 miles on a 5 year old rv. This is such helpful info you all are giving me. To above poster who has kids amd parents with a class A I am in the same boat. what about dependability? Is one better than the other? my husband is not very mechanically minded so something that is going to need constant mechanical repairs isnt going to work. i understand about regular maintenance and that is not a problem.
Hi, In the broadest sense of the word, a class C is a cut away cargo van with many components that are in regular trucks such as the F-350 and F-450. Any garage that can service a heavy truck can do repairs. Class A are built on a much more hefty chassis--so finding someone to work on the mechanical parts may be much harder.
Well, that is something I had not thought of. There will be myself, the hubby, teenager, and two younger boys. I'm not super concerned about layout for the kiddos...I don't really care either way about bunks or no bunks and they use air mattresses on the floor. The most important thing to me is that the rv have sound mechanics and operating systems and be something we can use for years. That is one big concern since our budget will allow us to only get something older if we go this route and I don't want to get something so old it is a constant fixer-upper. I guess now I need to find a checklist to take with us when we go look for things to look for buying a used rv. I'm seriously considering a Class A or C because I just can't square the idea towing a trailer with our Tahoe (although I know that it is done). We just got the Tahoe and I don't want o mess it up, although $30,000 would buy a VERY nice trailer!
Even though a Class A chassis will be heavier, for the gasoline-powered vehicles that you will be considering both the C's and the A's will, most likely, be powered by the same Ford V-10 and transmission. So from a perspective of reliability and ease of getting parts, etc, they will roughly be the same. Some Ford dealers will work on a Class C some won't, I know that from experience. The same is probably true of an A.
A few other things to consider: Class c's will generally get slightly better gas milage, but their towing capacity in general is lower. You will have more storage and more room in general with a class A. The tires on a class C in general are slightly smaller, and regular tire shops may have that size in stock, but the class A tires are usually bigger, and you will need to get them from a truck/motorhome speciality store (more cost). I know you keep asking about reliability, but I really think both types are fairly equal. Your husband may find working on a class C slightly easier since they are based on a van, whereas a class A is on a light truck chassis. Purchase some roadside assistance to give you all a little more peace of mind. I noticed I keep saying" in general", but I feel I have to qualify my statements, because a lot depends on the size and type of rig you get. There are small class As that will have less room and features than the large class Cs. Finally, check out magazines, your local RV stores, and the internet to compare prices, styles and features of both. You might want to check out http://FMCA.com. this is a club for just motorhome owners, and they may have more feedback and advice for you in their forum section.
I own both and I would look for an older highline DP. Yes transmissions are a common issue with some brands. They just are not made to haul all that weight around all the time. The F350 or 450 trucks that see heavy duty are usually diesels though there are some gas v10s out there too. I have a v10 and if all things were equal I would look at getting a sprinter version but they will cost too much. You can find a nice 90s DP with no slides that has lots of life left. I have 158k on my coach now and hope to drive it to 500k at least.
We are a family of 4 and moved from a trailer to a 36' class A 2 years ago. I LOVE the extra space and comfort while we are driving. It's a very nice way to travel on long trips. However, we also tow a car when we are staying more than a couple days at a time. Once we set up camp we cannot just pull out the MH to pop into town. They both have pluses and minuses. We like our MH but I would go back to a trailer too.
Plain and simple answer is you will not get much of a class A for $30,000. You will get a decent class C for $30,000. The engine in a class C will cost you less in maintenance then a class A, because as it has been previously pointed out a class C is a cargo van that's been converted from the cab back. Its still a Ford or Chev drive train. You generally can't pack up the Class A and head into town for an ice cream or a movie because its big and takes time to break down and setup. Good luck trying to park it downtown somewhere. A friend bought an older Apollo motorhome which today is in showroom condition. It has no slideouts. He related that the reason he bought it was that he wanted to be able to afford to drive it. He was relating the cost of things like the smaller tires his unit used versus the larger class A's and the ease of maintaining his gas engine etc. He thought that it had been a very well built unit as well. I don't know what your tow capacity is on your family vehicle but there are ultra lite trailers out there which might fit your needs as well.....Don't be in a rush to pick a unit, take your time check out other RV forums, ask questions. Go to CG in your area and talk to RVers. We love to talk to folks. Good luck with your research and decision.
