Community Forums

Doggievet · 03-18-2007, 06:12 AM

I am thinking of getting a smaller RV. Presently I have a 36' diesel Journey, and I have never felt comfortable driving it. I've driven other RVs with no problem so I think I would use a smaller RV more often.

Has anyone downsized and if so, were you happy with your decision?

I am thinking of getting a Vista Cruiser Mini or a Winnebago 23' View. Does anyone have experience with either of these? Your comments please.

Annie K. and Sparky the long-haired chihuahua
03 Journey DL 36LD
04 Saturn L300W
Blue Ox and Brake Buddy

Doggievet · 03-18-2007, 06:12 AM

I am thinking of getting a smaller RV. Presently I have a 36' diesel Journey, and I have never felt comfortable driving it. I've driven other RVs with no problem so I think I would use a smaller RV more often.

Has anyone downsized and if so, were you happy with your decision?

I am thinking of getting a Vista Cruiser Mini or a Winnebago 23' View. Does anyone have experience with either of these? Your comments please.

Annie K. and Sparky the long-haired chihuahua
03 Journey DL 36LD
04 Saturn L300W
Blue Ox and Brake Buddy

Skip- Kerrville, TX · 03-19-2007, 06:07 PM

Hi Annie,

We downsized a couple of years ago, from a 38' Mountain Aire to a 30' Jayco Granite Ridge (class C). For us it was a great move.

We find the Jayco more comfortable to drive.. more car-like. We are able to go to state parks without worrying about scratching the paint.. can stop at roadside fruit stands.. that sort of thing.

It is a bit of an adjustment- where do you put all that 'stuff?' Well, most of the stuff we couldn't fit in the smaller rig is in boxes and I can't even tell you what most of it is. So obviously it wasn't too necessary.

We do miss the interior room sometimes, but not too often.

Service is alot easier and cheaper too... Oil, lube and filter change costs $35.00.

It's not for everyone, but it works for us.

Skip and Bobbie

Arch Hoagland · 03-19-2007, 07:43 PM

You didn't say how far you've driven it. It took me about 10,000 miles before I was comfortable driving my class A. Especially on small 2 lane roads.
We did a 9000 mile trip around all the border states of the U.S. After New England the rest of the country was a breeze. We did all back roads from Mich. to New England.
I know what you mean though. Our class C was easier, even my wife would drive it.
I've put 23,000 miles on ours now and I really enjoy driving it. Especially on a long day, I don't get as stiff as I did in a class C.
Good luck whatever you decide to do.

SeeTheUSA · 03-20-2007, 02:59 AM

We've had our View (a 2006 model) for about 1 1/2 years now and love it! The 2008 models are out and have a V6 diesel (ours is an inline 5 cylinder).

There are three floor plans available - two have a slideout, one does not.

Good Mercedes & Winnebago quality, EASY to drive, SUPER fuel mileage. Without a toad, we'll typically get 16-17 mpg, with a toad about 14-15 mpg. We nearly always take our toad - fits our style of RVing. I normally drive 63-65 mph. Our View does very well on the mountain passes. Great for two people - would be small for more than that.

Take a look at a Winnebago View or Itasca Navion (vitually identical). There are some used 2006 and 2007 models, but resale value is pretty high - might be better off going for a new one.

jobrien · 03-20-2007, 04:41 AM

I went from a 33' class A with 2 slides to a 26' Born Free. We "travel" more than camp in one spot, and many times never extended the slides. The slides were more work and maintenance for me, and potential leaks and problems.

The Born free is much easier to drive, my wife will drive it, and we can stop places we couldn't or wouldn't take the chance on with the larger motorhome.

On occassion we do miss the additional space, but then I think back to when we tent camped and realize how much better off we are.

Like others, we carried a lot of extra "stuff" because we had the space, but never used it. I've been giving stuff away. I kept it in my garage and after not missing it, it's going out.

I do not regret the downsizing.

jphansen · 03-22-2007, 06:14 AM

We went from a 40' Journey to a 28' Safari Trek. We love it. We can now go many places that we wanted to go without worry or size issues. For us the Trek was a great choice.

We do miss the storage but have adjusted well. We figureed that the smaller rv is costing us about 30% of the bigger one. (payment, service, parking, not fuel) Any time we start to whine about space or power we just remind ourselves 30% -- and we can take this one to the store if we like.

For us a smaller RV was the answer to our travel problems. We go more, are less stressed and it is much less expensive....

Happy travels.

Gary the Wombat · 03-22-2007, 07:10 AM

We haven't downsized because this is our first RV, but we really like our Winnie Sightseer 26P.

For the 2 of us (plus 2 cats) we find it plenty big enough (last year we did a 6 week, 19 state trip without killing each other), easy to drive and maneuver in campgrounds and gas stations, and because it has the Vortec 8.1 engine, it has heaps of power for its weight. It tows our Jeep Wrangler with ease and still gets 8 to 10 mpg.

If we were fulltimers, we'd probably get something larger, but for 2 people who use it avout 3 months a year in total, I really don't see the need for a large RV.

BounderDan · 03-22-2007, 07:50 AM

We downsized a good 10' and to a Class C gas motorhome. At 28' it was nice in tight spots and good on fuel usage. However, 18 months later we are back up to a 36' class A. Stuck with a gas engine though. Fuel costs are about the same but power is better and maintenance is about 10 cents-on-the-dollar, and a breeze.

Sometimes, you don't know what all you have, need, or even want until you've done some horse-tradin'.

Saturn Vue pushing a Bounder 35E.

Always try to be the person that your dog thinks you are.