Used Class B or Class C Motorhome - Advice Sought

[NW-Bound]

If the location of that Chinook on RVTrader were close to me, I would go to check it out and buy it, perhaps to have two RVs to choose from for each sortie until I sell the existing class C. I do not have problems with the look.

About the one in Santa Rosa, I happened to spot it too.

 

[Major Tom]

I just saw a couple of older Chinooks in dealer "For Sale" videos on YouTube and am getting used to the look already.

 

[NW-Bound]

Good for you. I think Roadtreks may be better for traveling, but living full-time in one is too tough with the bathroom arrangement.

 

[folivier]

Sounds like a great way to see stuff. We full timed for a couple years but in a much larger motorhome, 45' with 2 slides.
A couple suggestions if you plan to "stealth camp" is to get something that looks nice. No quicker way to get run off is to have a camper that looks like it is falling apart.
Read up at Escapees forum. Plenty people are doing what you want to do.
2 groups you can join are Harvest Hosts and RV Golf Club. For a fee they offer free overnight parking in your rv at either wineries, farms, or gold courses.

 

[Major Tom]

I remember it was Escapees from whom I discovered there was a winery relatively close to me in Napa which allowed free overnight parking. It was probably Harvest Hosts - I forget the name. Thanks for the reminder, and I agree about the importance of not having a camper that looks somewhat decrepit.

Also, on a different note, I realize that my response to aja8888 on the first page of this thread didn't acknowledge that he was warning me about the risks inherent in purchasing any used RV without a full inspection by someone who knows what to look for, rather than a specific tale about Four Winds RV's. Even a brand of Class C known for quality of construction will eventually be in deep doo-doo if a leak is sprung, and not attended to.

I'm really feeling the conflict between Class C's and Class B's. I'd love the space of a Class C, but there are several qualities of Class B's that make them more appealing.

Perhaps there is something to this sticks n' bricks thing after all

PS - Please feel free to just call me Tom. I'm not that Major

 

[NW-Bound]

I'm really feeling the conflict between Class C's and Class B's. I'd love the space of a Class C, but there are several qualities of Class B's that make them more appealing.

Perhaps there is something to this sticks n' bricks thing after all

That's why I like to have a smaller motorhome for traveling, then come back to my home after a jaunt. I cannot see myself with a cumbersome class A for traveling. And no RV is large enough to replace my 2 homes.

So, if you loosen up your purse string, you may find that a class B for travel plus your existing place is still affordable.

By the way, when I was in Montana in the most recent trip, I saw many travelers spending the night in their cars, getting caught in the storm. Brrrr... I knew they were travelers and not living in their cars because the cars were not choked full with stuff.

 

[Fermion]

That Chinook you guys mentioned isn't *that* big. A mini Winnie class A also is pretty small and has the great view like our cabover.

NW, instead of hijacking this thread I started one on Montana since that is our first destination. Feel free to post your experience RV'ing there as we could use all the help we can get being so newbie to this.

 

[RonBoyd]

I don't bring much knowledge to this thread other than our experience with Roadtrek. Our 2008 210 Versatile now has over 165,000 miles on it -- with the only unexpected repair being a rear wheel bearing failure. A couple days ago, it was asked in the Roadtrek Chapter of FMCA's forum:

Just a quick curiosity type question. How many miles could one expect out of their RoadTrek? I just turned 90,000 [on a 2005 model] and wondered if it's reasonable to expect another 90,000 with good maintenance practices.

My response was:

We have 165,000 miles on our RT.

I am thinking that 300,00 would be easily be within expectations. Express vans were designed for much more heavy-duty use (or abuse) than I would ever be able to provide RVing.

Several others agreed that 300,000 was not that many miles for such use. We have been very happy with our Roadtrek.

Now, having said that. We were staying at the San Francisco RV Resort in Pacifica a couple weeks ago and had a Roadtrek in the space just across from us.

It was in very nice shape and looked of relatively recent vintage. I went over and spoke with the guy. He told me that he had purchased it less than a year ago and paid IIRC in the neighborhood you are looking for. I was quite surprised when he told me it was a 1995 model.

Anyway, he lived outside of Lake Tahoe (in California) and came to SF every Sunday and spent Monday consulting with the SFFD. (He had gotten tired of hotel pricing.) He said that he was glad that he purchased it and was very happy with it. Being over twenty years old it didn't, of course, have any "modern" stuff (what comes instantly is no AC) but did allow him to cook and such. My guess is that the bathroom would not come anywhere close to what you want, however.

 

[rodi]

I know/knew two people who had roadtreks. Both former coworkers. One had a 95 based on a dodge van frame. He has well over 200k miles and it's still going strong. They use it for extended vacations so they can bring their aging dog with them. He also does senior olympic bicycle racing - and they prefer the roadtrek to hotels when they go to races.

The other person was a woman who was an ironman athlete who also owned dogs. She rotated between various beach areas, used her gym and work for showering. She lived in it for over a year. Her training was intensive and expensive and the roadtrek kept her expenses low. Unfortunately, she was hit and killed by a car when out for a night time run. (nothing to do with roadtrek.... just explaining why I refer to her in the past tense.)

Both swore/swear by roadtrek.

 

[NW-Bound]

That Chinook you guys mentioned isn't *that* big. A mini Winnie class A also is pretty small and has the great view like our cabover...

A lot depends on what one wants to do. We like to camp out in a natural setting, but also want to visit touristy spots or go into adjacent towns to see how people live. That's what the towed car is for. If we are restricted to just one vehicle, then I would prefer a smaller motorhome like a Roadtrek. I only wish its bathroom is better.

I do not know what lifestyle Tom wants if he goes full-time. Typically, full-timers have a lot more time to stay in one spot. One cannot move about all the time; it costs too much in fuel, and driving is tiring. So, they camp in one spot for a couple of weeks at a time, or perhaps even a month. A larger vehicle (plus a smaller one for excursions) works out OK.

People like myself or RonBoyd are not full-timers, but travelers who tend to be on the move more frequently. So, we want more mobility.

 

[travelover]

..........
Dumb question from a newbie. That molded fiberglass body - how easy is it to get repaired if you bang it up a bit?..........

Fiberglass is very repairable. Any shop that can fix a Corvette can fix fix a fiberglass RV. Ditto with boat repair shops.

 

[imoldernu]

Enjoying every bit of this thread... Keep it up.

 

[NW-Bound]

Come to think of it, who needs a stinkin' motorhome, let alone a decent-sized bathroom? (hmmm... stinkin' and bathroom used in the same sentence? That's not right!).

Anyway, on I-90 in a snowstorm, we passed this man. Look at his gray hair. And here we are, talking about creature comfort. Tough travelers laugh at all this discussion by sissies.

 

[Major Tom]

I'm reading all the responses and they are all very helpful, but I'll refrain from posting quite so often, as I'd rather let you guys do the talking.

The stories of the high mileage RoadTreks are very encouraging and support my hope that if I purchase the right vehicle and keep it maintained, I should be in good shape. I mentioned Dodge Xplorers in the original post, and they're a Class B I'm keenly interested in. I like the rear bed arrangement, and the fact that there is a pull-out bunk over the cab, which would give my kitties extra room for perching and peering out of the portholes. I just found a 1996 Xplorer on RVTrader with 75K miles that looks to be in good shape, for $17K. I don't know what it is about the Xplorers but from the photos and videos I've seen, they feel a bit more spacious. The white cabinetry probably helps. There is a version with a slightly wider body and duallies.

The great thing about this is that I'm in no rush whatsoever.

NW-Bound - when out in the more rural areas, I'd probably find a spot and stay there for a few days, perhaps moving just a few miles between spots. I would be coming back to the city to see my friend, for which a Class B would be more convenient. Who knows how it would work out in real life. That's the plan though.

 

[NW-Bound]

Instead of a bicycle on a rack, how 'bout a folding bike that you can ride to bus stops or train stations to go into town?

In previous trips, I used to have 2 bikes hanging on the towed car. And then, we did not get a chance to use them. This last trip, we kicked ourselves for not bringing them when nice trails presented themselves. The problem was that the bikes were cumbersome, and felt like a nuisance when I did not get to use them.

So, I made a point to look for a couple of folding bikes on craigslist before our next trip.

 

[NW-Bound]

One more thing about the advantage of a smaller vehicle: the ability to pull over and to make serendipitous stops at interesting spots.

Even though our class C is nowhere as cumbersome as a class A or a 5th wheel, we have found that if we did not have the towed car we would miss out on a lot of sites. If one vehicle is all you are going to have, then you will not be able to make impromptu stops to check out interesting spots that you happen to run across, if your RV is large.

With our setup, when passing an interesting spot, we often managed to pull over past the interesting spot to park the MH, detached the towed car and used it to go back to visit for a couple of hours before continuing on. It would be tough to do that with a class A or a 5th wheel. However, those people with large RVs tend to stay at a certain spot longer, as I explained earlier, hence have more time to explore with their detached vehicle.

So, as you can see, the modus operandi is different for each set up. What I describe is how we enjoy our travel, and it may not work for somebody else.

 

[calico1597]

We've had a Class A & C, now have a 23' Keystone pull camper. You need to join iRV2 website. Tons of info there and you can inquire about the one you're looking at.

 

[Major Tom]

One more thing about the advantage of a smaller vehicle: the ability to pull over and to make serendipitous stops at interesting spots.

The ability to stop and peruse at will are what good traveling is all about, in my opinion.

You need to join iRV2 website. Tons of info there and you can inquire about the one you're looking at.

Thanks for the tip. I just started browsing the forums there - there are some interesting conversations.

 

[Christine]

My experience is with europeean motorhomes - which tend to be a bit smaller than the US equivalents. I am on my second. The first one got ditched for two reasons:

The bathroom sewer system was this small box which you manually carry with you and dump in the designated hole in the ground. Every 1-2 days or so. My second RV got a large tank which lasts for 1-3 weeks and I don't have to carry anything. Do all US RV's have these tanks? If not then that is an important thing to consider.

The first one was front wheel drive which ment that with it's heavy rear end I got stuck on perfectly flat surfaces in the winter outside shopping malls etc. The second RV got rear wheel drive and I never gotten stuck anywhere.

It's an european A-class 9 metres long or about 29 feet I think. In the garage I got my ordinary pedal bike which I use to get around. I might get an electric bike eventually which could extend my range considerably. I'm not the sporty biker type.

And my best accessory? 3 solar panels on the roof. On sunny days I can boondock for days and weeks - no noisy gennies.

 

[Lcountz]

Major Tom have you ever visited the sites airforums.com ( for Airstream owners, Airstream makes the Interstate, a class B, and has a section on those type units)?

Or.. forestriverforums.com..?..a site for Forest River owners...Forest River is owned by Thor Industries which make the majority of US RV's ( including Airstream trailers)....

I used to dream too of buying a motorhome or trailer+truck and doing the RV thing....until I spent years on these sites seeing the unbelieveable problems people have with NEW units, much less used ones.

Sort of took the shine off the idea of owning one for me.....

One thing most of the forum members complain long and loudly about is servicing the units after purchase.....poor service networks, and the servicers don't have to touch yours unless you bought it there. Not like car dealerships which will work on your car no matter where you purchased it. Dealer networks from what I've read, for the most part stink. If you're not mechanically inclined, that could be a problem.....

The other thing is that RV'ing has become so popular in the last few years, they are banging them out so fast the quality control appears to be non-existent. This is even true on 100,000 dollar Airstreams.

I read those forums for hours during the long cold winter months and decided it's probably not for me.....

 

[Major Tom]

Hi Christine -

Some of the smaller camper vans and van conversions don't even have proper toilets or showers, but I'm not interested in those. The full-fledged Class B's manage to cram a toilet and shower, as well as a small kitchen, into the van. That's what I'm leaning towards - a Class B. The "proper" ones have 3 tanks - for freshwater, grey (sinks + shower) water, and black (toilet) water. I want one with all those. The larger RV's always have all 3 tanks, it's just that the tanks on the Class B's are smaller.

Yes to solar panels! I wouldn't mind a generator as back-up, but my goal will be to derive all house power from solar. I think I should be able to do it with 200 or 300W in panels and 200 - 300AH in batteries.

29 feet sounds like a good length - you must have a fairly good amount of space.

Thanks for your input!

 

[Major Tom]

Lcountz -

I haven't visited either of those forums, as those particular brands don't interest me. Airstreams certainly have an appealing aesthetic, and I imagine that is one of the reasons people like them - that, plus their heritage (the fact they are considered a "classic" trailer brand). I don't know anything about the build quality, as I simply haven't done the research on them.

I have read that most (if not all) of the RV's made by Thor are not recommended for full-time use. They may well be perfectly fine for occasional use for vacations, but not necessarily for full-timing.

Considering the fact that I'll be purchasing an older unit (15- 20 years) and hope to full-time, it is very important to me to purchase a type of camper van/RV and brand that is known for reliability. This is where Class B's appeal, as roof leaks don't have the potential to cause as much structural damage as they do with Class C's. With Class C's, I honed in on Lazy Daze early on in my search, as being particularly well-constructed. Thanks to this thread, I also learned that Born Free are worth looking into for Class C's, as are Chinook for Class B's.

Two of the RV'ers (Tioga George and Nomadic Fanatic) who I have followed and who seemed to spend an awful lot of time fixing things both owned older Tioga's, which are not rated for full-time use. There's a lesson there, I think - that there are definite differences in build quality between brands.

All that said, given that I'll be looking at purchasing an older unit, I expect to have problems. I'm just hoping to minimize them by buying a good unit, and doing the proper maintenance. You know, after 6 months in one, the shine might come off it for me too, but I at least want to find out.

Thanks for commenting. I really appreciate it.

 

[Bamaman]

Major Tom have you ever visited the sites airforums.com ( for Airstream owners, Airstream makes the Interstate, a class B, and has a section on those type units)?

Or.. forestriverforums.com..?..a site for Forest River owners...Forest River is owned by Thor Industries which make the majority of US RV's ( including Airstream trailers)....

I used to dream too of buying a motorhome or trailer+truck and doing the RV thing....until I spent years on these sites seeing the unbelieveable problems people have with NEW units, much less used ones.

Sort of took the shine off the idea of owning one for me.....

One thing most of the forum members complain long and loudly about is servicing the units after purchase.....poor service networks, and the servicers don't have to touch yours unless you bought it there. Not like car dealerships which will work on your car no matter where you purchased it. Dealer networks from what I've read, for the most part stink. If you're not mechanically inclined, that could be a problem.....

The other thing is that RV'ing has become so popular in the last few years, they are banging them out so fast the quality control appears to be non-existent. This is even true on 100,000 dollar Airstreams.

I read those forums for hours during the long cold winter months and decided it's probably not for me.....

The worse part is that the going hourly rate for RV technicians is around $110 per hour. RV's are very complicated, with both RV and 12 volt electrics, plumbing and sewer systems--all of which get jostled around every time they're moved. Class A's and Class C's are even more complicated with the chassis' mechanics, and they cause even more problems.

I've been very fortunate to not have had any problems on my 2015 model fifth wheel trailer. We keep it in storage at a mountain campground, and seldom move it ourselves.

 

[aja8888]

I've been very fortunate to not have had any problems on my 2015 model fifth wheel trailer. We keep it in storage at a mountain campground, and seldom move it ourselves.

I suspect you don't have problems since it's a year old and doesn't move much. That's not much to boast about as that result should be your expectation.

 

[Texas Proud]

Major Tom have you ever visited the sites airforums.com ( for Airstream owners, Airstream makes the Interstate, a class B, and has a section on those type units)?

Or.. forestriverforums.com..?..a site for Forest River owners...Forest River is owned by Thor Industries which make the majority of US RV's ( including Airstream trailers)....

I used to dream too of buying a motorhome or trailer+truck and doing the RV thing....until I spent years on these sites seeing the unbelieveable problems people have with NEW units, much less used ones.

Sort of took the shine off the idea of owning one for me.....

One thing most of the forum members complain long and loudly about is servicing the units after purchase.....poor service networks, and the servicers don't have to touch yours unless you bought it there. Not like car dealerships which will work on your car no matter where you purchased it. Dealer networks from what I've read, for the most part stink. If you're not mechanically inclined, that could be a problem.....

The other thing is that RV'ing has become so popular in the last few years, they are banging them out so fast the quality control appears to be non-existent. This is even true on 100,000 dollar Airstreams.

I read those forums for hours during the long cold winter months and decided it's probably not for me.....

If servicing one of these is like servicing a boat then yea... kinda sucks...

I have to make an appointment to have the boat fixed... and that could take up to 3 months (was this long once).... and it is only 18 ft long!!!! and the hourly rate is HIGH...


I mentioned to DW about buying an RV and she said "NO WAY", I am not going to live in a small bus for any length of time.... so, that is that...