RV Selection Class A vs. Class C

[PERSonalTime]

I'm looking at the possibility of getting an RV motorhome in the near future. I'm looking a both Class A and C rigs, but I don't know the pros and cons of one verses the other.

Is one easier to drive that then other, more spacious, etc. I would like to know what the views are of RV'ers who have selected one type over the other. BTW, I expect DW will be driving whichever one we select so I need to keep that in mind as well. If your an RV'er, why did you select one class over the other?

Thanks in advance for your response.

[REWahoo]

You might want to also post your question over on IRV2.com. You will likely get far more responses there since that board is RV specific.

I've owned both a Class A 40' diesel pusher and a 28' Class C. I wasn't a big fan of either for a number of reasons and ended up with a 5th wheel which suits our needs far better.

[38Chevy454]

Class A is almost always larger than class C. I agree, read up over on iRV2 Forums for more responses. Many options in RV world. Class A, B, C, and tow behind or 5th wheel trailers. Plus lot of sub-options within a general type.

Class A or C your wife can drive, whether she will be comfortable doing it is a different question. Class C are typically a Ford F-450 van style chassis and gas engine with 22-34 ft length size range. Class A can be either front engine gas or rear engine diesel (called diesel pusher); and will range from 28-45 ft size length.

I have a large class 8 truck conversion motorhome, size similar to a big class A. I want the extra room for extended trips and power of the big diesel engine. It's all a matter of what works for your situation and desires.

Whatever you do, buy used and save a lot of money vs new with the high depreciation rates on any kind of RV.

[REWahoo]

Quote:

Originally Posted by 38Chevy454 Whatever you do, buy used and save a lot of money vs new with the high depreciation rates on any kind of RV.

^ What he said.

[Bamaman]

Motorhomes are for traveling from place to place.

Fifth wheels are for going to one place and staying for awhile. They are very roomy and can be equipped like your house.

Our Fifth wheel stays in a storage lot in the Blue Ridge Mountains, and the campground moves it onto a campsite for us. We have little desire to hit the road because our place is so nice.

If you are new to camping, look for a good, used Class C. If you take to it, you may can sell the camper easily when you move up to a Class A.

[Nemo2]

Another great thing about a 5th wheel, that we learned from traveling in tandem with friends in a large diesel pusher with toad, is that the turning radius on the 5th wheel is much tighter, (especially if the RV doesn't want to unhook and reattach the toad).

Our friends once had to go a couple miles out of their way in order to find a place to turn around.

[REWahoo]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nemo2 Another great thing about a 5th wheel, that we learned from traveling in tandem with friends in a large diesel pusher with toad, is that the turning radius on the 5th wheel is much tighter...

+1

We have a shorter (30 ft) "traveling" 5th wheel that has a really nice turning radius. The improved maneuverability and no need for a toad were two of the reasons we moved from a Class A to a 5th wheel.

[Rambler]

We bought a 35' travel trailer when I retired almost 5 years ago...bumper pull. Had it for 2 years, used it 60-75 nights each of those two years. We enjoyed RVing so much that we bought a class A diesel pusher. We love it, but I'm beginning to regret it. Why? Well, it's a quarter million plus rig that got used about 10 weeks the first year, then only 3 weeks last year (DW got sick, couldn't travel) and not quite 3 weeks this year (I got sick, dr appts and tests took mush of my summer). It's just too much of an investment to be sitting in my shop unused. We love it, but it's just not getting used enough to justify it. Btw, you can't really financially justify one of these. They're only justifiable by the enjoyment you get out of them. On top of that, if you buy too big, you can't fit in a lot of state parks and mountain campsites...so much so that we're thinking of a small trailer for these smaller local mountain campsites. If I had it to do again, and it were just me to satisfy, I'd get either a 30-32' class A gas, or 28-30' class C. Would have saved a bunch, and would've killed 2 birds with one stone...but that's me, and DW really likes her super-rig diesel pusher.

[cooch96]

I prefer to rent a CL C. I like the change in levels, the “bedroom” is lofted above the rest of the RV. In the CL A, it feels like a straight galley which strikes me as less cozy.

Try renting both a couple of times before purchasing your own. Make darn sure you know what you want before pulling the trigger.

I dream of eventually getting a 5th wheel, but will likely top out at a slide in bed camper.

The only benefit I would get to having a motor home would be the option of accessing the living quarters during traffic jams. Not worth it to me.

[folivier]

I've owned a 34' class A, 39' & 45' diesel pusher class A, and now own a 26' class C. To us the major difference is the amount of room and storage. In the larger class A's we took longer trips of a few months to full timing in the 45'. Now our trips are not as long and we want to go to places with smaller campgrounds so the 26' is a nice size. Just got back from a month in the NM mountains.
Class C is more like driving a car or van. Class A is a very different experience driving.
Ask yourself these questions: How long are you thinking your trips will be?
How long will you stay at a specific campground?
Do you want to stay at smaller more remote campgrounds or at larger ones with more amenities?
And I've never bought new, too many problems and too much depreciation. If you decide to go to 45' motorhomes then look at a used Newell. Built better than any other brand at a price of 1.8million+. But a well taken care of coach at 10 years and older is still better built than a new other brand.

[Breedlove]

Become a friend with someone who has a dealers license and get a LOC and go to the monthly repo auction in Dallas . RV's go cheap cheap

As has been said never buy a new RV . Most motorhomes are driven less then 10K a year but after a few years the newness wears off and it becomes less then 2000 a year BUT...........as it sets things dry out and leaks start . Know what you are looking at . Good Luck !

[wrigley]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rambler We bought a 35' travel trailer when I retired almost 5 years ago...bumper pull. Had it for 2 years, used it 60-75 nights each of those two years. We enjoyed RVing so much that we bought a class A diesel pusher. We love it, but I'm beginning to regret it. Why? Well, it's a quarter million plus rig that got used about 10 weeks the first year, then only 3 weeks last year (DW got sick, couldn't travel) and not quite 3 weeks this year (I got sick, dr appts and tests took mush of my summer). It's just too much of an investment to be sitting in my shop unused. We love it, but it's just not getting used enough to justify it. Btw, you can't really financially justify one of these. They're only justifiable by the enjoyment you get out of them. On top of that, if you buy too big, you can't fit in a lot of state parks and mountain campsites...so much so that we're thinking of a small trailer for these smaller local mountain campsites. If I had it to do again, and it were just me to satisfy, I'd get either a 30-32' class A gas, or 28-30' class C. Would have saved a bunch, and would've killed 2 birds with one stone...but that's me, and DW really likes her super-rig diesel pusher.

My family and I did a lot of camping when my kids were young (and my wife and I were also younger ) We went from strictly tent camping and graduated to a pop-up camper that we kept for years. It was easy to pull and we could take it pretty much anywhere. It also fit in my garage which was a benny. Now that our kids are grown and gone we've been tossing around the idea of getting back into camping and purchasing a travel trailer and visiting many of the state and national parks that we find interesting. We have a 4 year old grandson that we would also like to introduce to camping. We have many very fond memories of camping. Most of the families that we camped with years ago have all graduated to class A or B motorhomes. I hear them quite frequently complaining about the overall cost involved in operating and maintaining them.

Mike

[ncbill]

rent rent rent rent

both class a and class c

several times before you buy, if you buy at all (renting might well be cheaper)

[SH09022016]

Back to the OPs question, pros and cons of Class C vs Class A. We've had both (as well as camp trailers and 5th wheels) and it really depends on what you plan to use them for.
Class As are usually larger and are nice for long road trips staying in developed campgrounds or RV parks. Not really "camping". You cannot get them into a lot of Forest Service campgrounds or smaller parks, etc...
Class Cs, at least the smaller ones can go almost anywhere, can easily park them in a normal parking lot and are easier to drive. We do mostly backroad/backwoods camping so our 23' Class C is what we like best. As mentioned look for a good used rig. We've had 3 used Class Cs and after many years finally figured out EXACTLY what features we wanted so this last one we did buy new. It will no doubt be the last one we buy so resale wasn't a big concern. Plus after shopping around I happened to be at the RV lot end of quarter when the manager was gone and a newbie sales guy was eager to make a deal. He probably made a better deal than he should have. He's no longer there and I got a smokin' deal!
Absolutely good advice to rent both a couple times. They are quite different from each other so best to try them out with your camping/traveling style before you put out that much money.

[Luck_Club]

Quote:

Originally Posted by PERSonalTime I'm looking at the possibility of getting an RV motorhome in the near future. I'm looking a both Class A and C rigs, but I don't know the pros and cons of one verses the other.

I'm also in the preliminary phase. Our plan is to loop the country over two 3 month journeys, living the rig out west over the holidays. We will be traveling with 2 dogs, and are planning a class C used. Big decision/uncertainty is to tow or not to tow a car.

[Teacher Terry]

LC: we found that many of the newer cars can not be towed. Then we looked into a cart to put it on and that was 4k. So our solution was to drive a car if we were not going too far and if it was a long trip we rented a car anywhere we didn't want to drive the motorhome. We bought a used motorhome because none of our vehicles were capable of pulling a 5th wheel and that would be another big expense. It is only 27 ft so fits in the National Parks. Sadly, we have used it more as an extra guest bedroom then traveling. Gas has gotten to be such a big cost as well as RV sites. So now we are using it on shorter trips closer to home.

[calico1597]

We've had both. Started out with a small used class C five years old. Had to spend a rainy week at a campground and decided that we needed something bigger. Three months later we traded it on a year old class A. Used it for 10 years. Stayed in it for three Arizona winters after retirement. It seemed to get smaller every day, so we rented a house the next three winters. It just wasn't being used and taking up space in the man cave so two years ago we sold it and bought a 23' pull camper. Works for the occasional hunting and fishing trip a couple times a year. I'd advise buying used AFTER you rent a time or two.

[kite_rider]

Why not consider a Class B? Drives and parks much easier than a Class A or C. Getting use to living in the smaller space takes some getting used to, but once you do; you may be glad you didn't buy something so big.

[Rambler]

Quote:

Originally Posted by kite_rider Why not consider a Class B? Drives and parks much easier than a Class A or C. Getting use to living in the smaller space takes some getting used to, but once you do; you may be glad you didn't buy something so big.

I've thought of this and even looked into it a little. The only problem with a class B is the cost vs utility proposition. A decent class C and even a smaller class A gasser will usually be a lot cheaper than even a mediocre class B, and the class be will be a lot less comfortable. That said, they are considerably easier to drive and park.

[38Chevy454]

If you go the motorhome route, whether class A or C, towing a car behind is almost required so you can go exploring and see things once at the destination. Even a smaller Class C at 22-24 ft range is still big to fit into normal parking lots. Plus the hassle of disconnecting from campsite to go anywhere. Towing a car behind will not really adverse the mpg, it will be bad regardless. RV'ing is a lifestyle choice, not really a financial choice. It enables you to go places and experience things you can't do with hotels. But it is not necessarily a low-cost travel option. Also if you own an RV of any type, having skills to do some repairs is vital since RVs always need some repairs.

Many cars are capable of being towed, look at the irv2.com website and see what people use for toads (term used for the towed car). I almost always take a toad behind my MH. When I don't it is because I have other transportation available. A tow behind or 5th wheel trailer you have the tow vehicle to drive around once at the camp spot.

No matter what type RV you get, consider the storage when not on the road. That is another potential expense and hassle if you can't keep it at your house.