Newbie help before purchasing first Class A..

[Davensocal]

Hi Everyone..
We are getting ready to take the plunge into our first MH.. After viewing and reading a lot, we are settling into the National Class A Gas series as our top pick (mmm, Dolphin LX looks really nice ;-) )..

We are a family of 5, 3 kids, 1@14yrs and 2@ 8 yrs (not including me, the most immature of all :-) ) I travel a lot across the west coast, so we are hoping to make this a family/work adventure. We are looking at Class A for the driving comfort, and short setup times if we are just pulling in for the night. Once we reach our destination, we should have full hookups, min 30A service.

My question for all of you folks is, is there anything I need to avoid in particular on the National coaches? We have a limited budget, so it looks like the 2003-2005 years are going to be in our price range.

Also, any feedback on importance of options would be appreciated.. The options I am having trouble assigning importance to are:

>>Generator Size (most have Onan 5.5 Gold which should be OK, but Platinum 7.0 would be a big bonus!)

>>1000w vs 2000w inverter package (leaning towards the 2000w)

>>Basement vs Roof air (totally split on this one)

>>Workhorse vs Ford Chassis (leaning towards WH for the Allison)

>>Refridge size (simply, bigger is better!)

>>What else do we need to consider?

Thanks in advance for your help! We are very excited to join the RV community, but we are trying to slow down and make a good choice for our first coach!

--Dave--

[denochs]

Just a few observations to leave something for others that have more experience on the coach you are looking at.

1. IMO basement air is best since it resembles (service wise) a home unit. You loose storage space. It is quiet compared to the roof mounted units.

2. If you can get the 2000w inverter you'll be glad you did.

3. Check the recalls on the WH chasis, esp brakes.

Dave

[Dixieray53]

Welcome...Make sure the floorplan works...sleeping arrangement etc. I love the workhorse...You will hear lotsa of opinions on both...If you don't have cash for repairs get an extended service plan it will help...Also plan your trips. If you save a few bucks on camping that will help with the fuel bills. Sites like Passport America and Camp Club America offer alot of camping at 50% off...really they do..Tracy and I just did 9 days to the Gulf and back...camping cost $95 bucks...Welcome again and remember no question is a stupid question...D

[Fred and Bonnie]

Dave, some of your items will be dictated by the model you choose.

Generators were dictated by NRV.

We had the Platinum in our ’03 and I loved it; EFI with no altitude adjustment. In our ’05 it’s a 7K Gold (No Platinum units), more temperamental to different altitudes. I believe the units with basement air will have the 7K unit.

Basement air is much quieter up front, but more wind noise in the bedroom. Like so many things it’s always a trade-off. I don’t think you will happy with 30A service and basement air, it just doesn’t get it done in hot temps, as only one compressor can be run.

Chassis’ are really your choice; unless it’s a Dolphin on a W24 chassis, then go with Workhorse. If Workhorse W22, check for brake recall, as previously mentioned.

I say a 12CuFt refrigerator is the way to go, make sure the Norcold recall has been completed.

We don’t use the inverter, so either is OK.

I like the extra space with two lounge slide, but that model may be hard to find.

I don’t think any model is any more or less involved when it comes to hook-ups. If you are making a lot of one night stays you won’t need to dumps the tanks each day, a definite time saver.

Thru the years we favored NRV products and still believe they were way ahead of the competition.

Good luck on your selection.

fred

[lilgreek7]

We just purchased a Dolphin LX 6355, a 2003 model. We have the 50amp, two rooftop a/cs, 5500 plantium Onan Gen., 2 slides, W-22 chassis (brake problem fixed) , the 12cu.ft. double door frig.,and a great floor plan. What I'm trying to say is that we just love it. We just returned from a trip to New Orleans and it was very comfortable. I am just curious myself about the ride. Some of the nations interstates are in horrible condition, but I wonder if air bags would help my ride. Ofcourse on smooth roads, the ride is awesome. It's our first class A, we have owned class C's before, but this is a different animal (in a good way). I was told that National had gone out of business and parts would be hard to find. But since coming to this forum, I feel confident that if needed, parts can easily be found. Can't wait for spring to get out of town again! Happy Trails, Patrick

[JMonroe]

One caveat on basement air. Even Winnebago, it's greatest advocate, has now abandoned basement air systems. Besides the mentioned loss of storage space, my guess is that they'll become ever increasingly difficult to find parts or service for. A roof A/C unit is easy to get to, relatively easy to service, and much easier to replace or upgrade, as you're not married to what was there before.

[Davensocal]

Wow, thanks for all the great input! That was more/faster than I had hoped for

Of course, I always have more questions!

Fred and Bonnie- You mentioned the Gen was dictated by NRV.. I have been looking at their docs, and most of the Dolphins were spec'd for 7Kw gens, but most I have seen (80-90%) have 5.5Kw installed.. Any idea why that would be? I was assuming the dealers ordered them with smaller units to save a little and lower the price (or increase the margins!).

Jmonroe-
You are killing me on the A/C! I thought I was OK with basement air, but you brought up a good point.. hmmm.. I think Fred and Bonnie eluded to the basement units struggling at 30A in high heat.. Can I assume two roof models would do better at 30A than a basement unit would.

I am also assuming retrofitting roof units would be very difficult considering the ducting and insulation used by NRV...

OK, maybe this is my last question... This one is for the whole class

How can I tell if an A/C unit had electric heating available? (heat strips?). I have read comments about the basement units having some heat capability, as well as the roof tops having some heating available.. Is this standard on all A/C units, or standard for NRV, or ???

Thanks again everyone!

P.S. It is going to be a little while before we can get our coach, but I WILL be announcing the purchase here, you can be sure of that

--Dave--

[JMonroe]

Davensocal,

I have no direct experience with basement A/C. As for roof A/C, generally the bigger the rig, the more A/C units. Our new Revolution has 3.

Last summer we attended the Good Sam rally in Louisville KY. It was near 100 degrees all week. We ran both roof A/C units on our Allegro all week, on the 30 amp power provided. We'd turn one off if using the microwave.

Most 'modern' rigs have wall mounted thermostats to control both heat and A/C. If the A/C has a heat strip, or heat pump, the thermostat control will have a setting that indicates such. The 'old fashioned' roof A/C units (no home style heat ducting) had the controls right on the roof discharge vent, and again would indicate if there was a heat setting.

As for adding roof air to a rig that never had it. If you have any roof vents, you could probably mount an A/C unit over it (the openings are a standard size), but it would discharge directly into the rig from there as it would be somewhere between impracticle to impossible to create a vent system (just like RV A/C systems did for years). You'd lose the vent function.

You'll find many that love the basement air, but I've also met some that have had a problem with theirs and from those conversations, it seems to be much more expensive to repair or replace.

Good luck. Just keep in mind, there's no such thing as the 'perfect' rig (or car, or house, or TV, or...). I've always told people I operate on a points system. Some features are worth more points than others. IFS was on my RV wish list, as example, but any of the rigs that had it, and ended up on my short list, lost points elsewhere. After driving a couple different rigs, the IFS fell from a must have, to a nice to have to a don't need it.

[Purplefans & Harvey]

Hi Dave! Here are a few things that I looked for when purchasing my first class A (last year - going from C to A). Automatic levelers. Bedroom door (with lock!) Room enough in the bathroom, good setup for Black/Grey dumping, and where the dealership is for repairs, along with closest location of engine/chassis repairs. Just my 2cents. Enjoy the hunt!

[Fred and Bonnie]

Dave, if you check-out http://www.mediafire.com/nationalrv you can view the factory brochurers, specs differ from year to year.

Don't confuse experiences from owners of different manufacturers, each unit it set-up differently.

I don't believe you can run 2 large A/C units on 30A power without a power management system, NRV didn't use this system.

fred

[M&EM]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Davensocal Hi Everyone.. We are getting ready to take the plunge into our first MH.. After viewing and reading a lot, we are settling into the National Class A Gas series as our top pick (mmm, Dolphin LX looks really nice ;-) ).. We are a family of 5, 3 kids, 1@14yrs and 2@ 8 yrs (not including me, the most immature of all :-) ) I travel a lot across the west coast, so we are hoping to make this a family/work adventure. We are looking at Class A for the driving comfort, and short setup times if we are just pulling in for the night. Once we reach our destination, we should have full hookups, min 30A service. My question for all of you folks is, is there anything I need to avoid in particular on the National coaches? We have a limited budget, so it looks like the 2003-2005 years are going to be in our price range. Also, any feedback on importance of options would be appreciated.. The options I am having trouble assigning importance to are: >>Generator Size (most have Onan 5.5 Gold which should be OK, but Platinum 7.0 would be a big bonus!) >>1000w vs 2000w inverter package (leaning towards the 2000w) >>Basement vs Roof air (totally split on this one) >>Workhorse vs Ford Chassis (leaning towards WH for the Allison) >>Refridge size (simply, bigger is better!) >>What else do we need to consider? Thanks in advance for your help! We are very excited to join the RV community, but we are trying to slow down and make a good choice for our first coach! --Dave--

Dave, we have roof air as it was not available in our model year(2003). It has 2 Dometic Penguin low profile heat pumps ducted in the ceiling. We reside in Az and deal with some pretty high temps. I can say that the roof tops can do the job quite comfortably with both running and full sun light at mid day in late June. But it will require 50 amp shore power or our 5.5 generator. Our gen can handle the 2 acs parked or on the road. There is not much excess power to run a microwave or toaster however. Outside of Az (Northewest areas) we have never run short of cooling capacity or power for other appliances. Even with a 30 amp hookup one ac has been sufficient. From my point of view, I would prefer roof tops with extra storage in the basement. Particularly when we travel with our grand kids and their baggage.

Marty

[Wjmt001]

More input on the basement air. We have a 2006 5342 and it has the basement air. One really good thing on the basement air is it is a heat pump. So it also works for heat. I have talked to several that have had it and turned up no problems. We were in Myrtle Beach in November and it got cool enough to use the heat. It was great, the gas never kicked on. the temp got down around 35 a couple of nights.
On the chassis, we hard a ford chassis on our previous MH and it does not hold a candle to the workhorse. Much better ride on the workhorse and the 8.1L engine and the Allison trany work very well together. The w22 chassis had some brake issues but Workhorse put out recalls and they should have been corrected.
Godd Luck!!