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Old 08-20-2018, 04:51 AM   #1
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Best & Worst Class B Makes?

Hi,
After spending a considerable amount of time investigating small travel trailers I've come to the conclusion that what would really best suit my intended uses is a Class B RV.

I'd like to hear others' opinions of the best or worst makes of Class Bs and why, as well as any tips or suggestions that I might find helpful.

One last thing; I must consider buying an older used Class B since my finances won't permit getting a new or late model.

Thanks in advance for your replies.
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Old 08-20-2018, 10:02 AM   #2
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Depending on how limited your finances are you may be better off looking at small 26-28 ft class A's than class B's, you tend to get a lot more bang for your buck.
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Old 08-20-2018, 10:15 AM   #3
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I never met a Class B I didn't like. Starting in September, you will probably start seeing more RV's for sale and for good prices.

See my signature: My finance's RV is a Class C or B+. Let us know what you end up buying.
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Old 08-20-2018, 05:54 PM   #4
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Just for Me.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Isaac-1 View Post
Depending on how limited your finances are you may be better off looking at small 26-28 ft class A's than class B's, you tend to get a lot more bang for your buck.

Perhaps I should've mentioned that there will never be more than two persons using my intended Class B, and 95% of the time it will only be me. For that reason I don't see the sense in getting anything bigger than a 20 footer.
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Old 08-20-2018, 07:24 PM   #5
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You might be better off looking for a 24-26' Class C. Both Class A's and B's tend to be a bit pricey even older units. A Mercedes chassis will cost you more but a Ford or Chevy chassis C should be cheaper than a B at any given year
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Old 08-20-2018, 10:36 PM   #6
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You might be better off looking for a 24-26' Class C. Both Class A's and B's tend to be a bit pricey even older units. A Mercedes chassis will cost you more but a Ford or Chevy chassis C should be cheaper than a B at any given year

Thanks, but the Class C that I've seen are all bigger than I want to pilot around when it will almost always be for me alone. And FWIW, I've seen more than a few Class B units on a Ford or Chevy chassis.
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Old 08-21-2018, 02:58 PM   #7
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Looking at downsizing due to family changes and while the Class C offers a lot of bang for the buck the Leisure Travel Van Wonder on a Ford Transit chassis looks very compelling and opens up about every state park, BLM and NFS site in existence. Just my two cents...
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Old 08-21-2018, 03:20 PM   #8
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Looking at downsizing due to family changes and while the Class C offers a lot of bang for the buck the Leisure Travel Van Wonder on a Ford Transit chassis looks very compelling and opens up about every state park, BLM and NFS site in existence. Just my two cents...

Thanks. That's the kind of comment I'm looking for.
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Old 08-21-2018, 03:28 PM   #9
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It somewhat depends on what you want to do. My buddy is happy with his van conversion B because he does not shower very often and mostly eats out. We would have a problem because we do shower and mostly eat in. Bigger units also give you more seating options and separation when one wants to sleep and the other be up doing anything else.
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Old 08-21-2018, 05:20 PM   #10
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It somewhat depends on what you want to do. My buddy is happy with his van conversion B because he does not shower very often and mostly eats out. We would have a problem because we do shower and mostly eat in. Bigger units also give you more seating options and separation when one wants to sleep and the other be up doing anything else.

As I've written, it will be used almost entirely by me alone, and making my own meals isn't a problem. As for bathing, I realize water has to be conserved because of the limited supply and I've resorted to sponge baths on my camping trips.
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Old 08-21-2018, 05:24 PM   #11
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I've been looking at various sites listing used Class B units for sale and, as a result, I have a couple of questions.

1. Are slide-outs a serious potential maintenance and repair headache? I'm suspicious of them, but I wonder if that's truly warranted.

2. There are some really low priced units available, but they come with well over 100,000 miles on them. At what point should high mileage become a cause for concern?

Thanks for any and all replies.
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Old 08-21-2018, 07:04 PM   #12
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With a real B the shower issue is more one of size of the wet bath than tankage. Wet shower bath because the toilet is essentially in the shower. Pretty tight.



While the engine and transmission are good for closer to 200,000 I would avoid anything close to or over 100,000 if you are planning long trips. More milage = more wear and more likely you will have problems and need repairs.



If you are concerned about what motivates me it is to point out the issues. We started with a short C and moved to a longer one to get a real bed and bedroom. I've traveled with my buddy as well as discussed how we differ on what we want. I don't really care what you buy. I do care that you don't get sandbagged by lack of information.
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Old 08-21-2018, 07:31 PM   #13
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Condition is far more important than mileage, there are many 50,000 mile coaches out there that are rotted to the point of being beyond economical repair.
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Old 08-22-2018, 12:24 AM   #14
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Best & Worst Class B Makes?

HJC, One of the things I really like about a true class B is that the van body is engineered and built by the chassis manufacturer. I believe that they are likely to be safer as a result than most class Cs. My dad rolled his Dodge based Lesiure Travel Van and walked away from it even though it was totaled.

A lot of the good Class B used ones out there come from Canadian brands like Roadtrek, Pleasureway, Leisure Travel Vans and Great West. On all sorts of chassis.

Personally, I really like my Sprinter based RV. The Roadtrek Agile and Pleasureway Ascent are both based on shorter sprinters and have been made for years.

Good luck on the search.
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