Talk me into or out of a Class B RV purchase

[W2R]

Please continue any discussion of possible sales or purchases via PM, instead of on the public forum. Thanks, all.

 

[38Chevy454]

I saw something odd on I-95 today... a truck camper sitting on a 5th wheel flatbed trailer and was chained to the trailer. I'm guessing that someone liked their truck camper, bought a truck that it no longer fit and did some improvising.

Could be the remaining space on the flatbed is to haul UTVs, motorcycles or similar. Have seen similar setups and it's a way to have some creature comforts with the camper and have the hauling capacity for the extras.

 

[RobbieB]

Good thread.

I'm never going to buy an RV, I'll just camp in hotels -

 

[Just_Steve]

I saw something odd on I-95 today... a truck camper sitting on a 5th wheel flatbed trailer and was chained to the trailer. I'm guessing that someone liked their truck camper, bought a truck that it no longer fit and did some improvising.

Something odd on I-95 would be the day you don't see something odd.

 

[NW-Bound]

Or it could be like this resourceful disabled man who managed to live on $600 a month, by putting a truck camper on a flat bed trailer. He still had extra floor space on the trailer, so built himself a "room addition".

Sorry for the thread hijack that gets away from the OP's class B, but I could not resist.

By the way, when I was contemplating RV'ing, I did think hard about a B, but found a suitable C first. Used Class B's tend to hold value, and are also difficult to run across. There have not been as many B's being produced and sold, compared to the number of C's.

 

[NW-Bound]

We have had black bears all around our RV here in the Florida pan handle on the forgotten coast. No way would I want to be in a tent or pop up.

I took some pictures of mama with two cubs the other evening, but she looked only to be 150 to 200 pounds. Last night we hung our garbage up in a tree about 7 feet off the ground to the bottom of the bag (I am 6'7") and I made jokes about constructing a bear pinata. Well, sure enough this morning all of the garbage was strewn all over and the bottom of the bag was shredded with big claw marks. Milk jug bit in half. I don't think a 150 pound black bear can reach 7+ feet standing up? Daddy might have come sniffing around?

Tent here? Nope.

But there are no grizzlies in Florida. These beasts can be as tall as 8' when they stand up on their hind legs. They are also known to reach up tree trunks to leave claw marks 12' off the ground!

 

[NW-Bound]

I have only tented.
Friends of mine have a pop-up and they use to tent a lot, but as they got older than 40, they found the popup was nice.
After a day of hiking around to be able to return to the campsite and sit at a table.
Personally, just having one with a toilet inside would be heaven compared to a tent.

See my highlight above. Heh heh heh! I have never camped in a tent my whole life, and at this age am not going to fumble around at night when I have that need (and no, I have absolutely no prostate problems). That's a creature comfort my wife and I will not do without.

A class B would work for us (we are skinny people and do not need a lot of room), but class B's are pricey, even used. And a C has more room, can haul a lot more knick-knacks for long trips (up to 2 months for us). The lack of mobility compared to a B is negated by towing a car, which beats any RV. even class B's, for going into town when visiting large congested cities.

One thing I have observed with gas mileage: it makes little or no difference whether I tow the car or not. Wind condition makes a much bigger difference. I keep meticulous records, and always write down the mileage of each leg when I refuel. It can be as high as 11 mpg or as low as 8 mpg, but the norm is around 9 mpg.

Other than wind conditions, I usually get higher gas mileage at higher elevations when driving in Rocky Mountain states, compared to driving in coastal areas or flat land where the air is denser and the air resistance is higher. The frontal area of a class C is the same as 2 sheets of 4'x8', and is just about as aerodynamic. Heh heh heh...

 

[NW-Bound]

The OP has been a tent camper, and just now thinks of getting an RV. He does not sound like someone who cares for "luxurious" things like fancy cabinetry, faux fireplace, chandelier and hot tub (they have them, don't they?) in an RV. He is not sure if he likes RV'ing, so is not yet committed to spending a lot of money. People have suggested pop-up campers, which offer a lot of amenities for the money, but he does not want to tow. Hence, a class-B motorhome is what he's contemplating, but B's are expensive even in the resale market.

So, here's an idea. How about a shorty class C? Many of the C's I see on the road are the big types, some as long as 31'. These tend to be loaded with slideouts, and heavy like heck. On the other hand, they make smaller class C's which can be as short as 21'. Mine is a 25-footer.

These smaller C's are not at all expensive, even when new ($50-60K). They are fairly basic, which I like. No slideouts or powered steps that can fail. They don't have a full-time bed, and you have to make do with a sofa bed and a dinette table that can be converted to an extra bed, and the overhead cab is the 3rd bed.

They are not as light and agile as a B, but they do have several advantages. Foremost, there's more room. The payload is much higher, due to the dually rear wheels. This allows them to have more fresh and waste water storage. There's more room to stow your "stuff". The C's squarish shape allows them to have a roomier bathroom than the B's (I have stayed in European hotels with a smaller bathroom than in my RV). I rarely use the shower at RV campgrounds, unless I inspect it and find it nice and clean. So, having my own bathroom is important.

These shorter C's also have good ground clearance relative to their longer cousins and the B's. All C's tend to sit higher than most B's, mainly due to their cargo van chassis. However, the longer C's have terribly long overhang after the rear axle, and some are known to drag their rear on a curb.

I just looked, and saw on RVTrader some shorty C's with 20-30K miles going for around $25K asking. I have no doubt that they can be negotiated down.

Just thought that this can be a good way to try out RV'ing. If it does not work out, one can resell it, and may be out the same or less money than the cost to rent one for a month.

 

[pb4uski]

Could be the remaining space on the flatbed is to haul UTVs, motorcycles or similar. Have seen similar setups and it's a way to have some creature comforts with the camper and have the hauling capacity for the extras.

That would be a great idea but this was a short trailer and only the truck camper was on it and it went to the very end of the trailer... took up the whole thing.

 

[Murf2]

That would be a great idea but this was a short trailer and only the truck camper was on it and it went to the very end of the trailer... took up the whole thing.

You may have seen an older style 5th wheel camper. A lot of them looked like a truck camper on a trailer and we're much shorter than modern ones.

 

[RonBoyd]

Here is a good article for those considering purchasing an RV for the first time:

Meryl and Me Hit the Road: Observations Based on Online Encounters with Some RV Owners

It is important - in my opinion - that if one is looking at making an investment in an RV or Travel Trailer whether new or pre-owned, that one do a good deal of research on RVs/Travel Trailers in general and then when shopping and purchasing learn as much as possible about that RV/TT about that particular RV/TT.