Community Forums

Darwin lebuf · 04-05-2017, 01:29 PM

I currently have a TT that I enjoyed but I'm seriously considering a class c but I trying to get advice on a good brand to look at.
I have an FR TT and iv had 0 problems with but Im not sure if I want to stay with that brand or explore something new. The brands I'm considering are coachmen, holiday rambler, and jayco. Any advice would be home then helpful thanks.

okcnewbie · 04-05-2017, 01:45 PM

We went from a pop-up to an older Class C and don't regret a thing. We use it all the time. We even use it as a transport locally when we have family in town. Ours handles great but some are not so.
Don't really have advice on which model, etc. I'll just say that I would drive our 29'er anyplace I would drive my van.

Good luck!

MoePo · 04-05-2017, 02:24 PM

Do some research. There are many makes offer Class C RVs. To name a few Fleetwood Coachman Winnebago itasca jayco four winds etc. Pick a budget and stay there. Then determine your factors. New or used? How long? Are you towing? How much do you plan to use it? How many can it sleep. Conditions of the RV. What it's going to boil down to is if you like it and how well it has been maintained.

Good luck in your search

hilgert · 04-05-2017, 08:35 PM

Here's our story...

We had a Forest River Rockwood Signature Ultralite trailer for several years...our first foray into RVing. While we liked it, we never wanted to pull it very far...just was a hassle, always dealing with sway, and the hookup/unhookup was a pain. With a motorhome (A or C), hooking/unhooking a towed vehicle takes about 2 minutes max (at least for us...we use the motorhome so often it's just part of the routine).

We traded it in and upgraded to a Class C...2017 Forest River Sunseeker...last year. We spent over a year looking at lots of Class A and Class C units. We almost pulled the trigger on diesel A's a couple of times, but we are not [yet] full timers...we like to camp every 2-3 weekends with a couple of week-long trips each year. We finally settled on a Class C since it seemed easier to get in/out of some of the smaller parks, etc. We decided on the Forest River Sunseeker since it was one of the higher end C's...I'm an engineer and fairly picky about design and construction, and this one hit all the marks.

I'm 6'2" tall, so we had to have a full queen (not a "camping queen") bed, a decent shower that I did not have to hunch over in, and we wanted a decent living area for TV, eating, etc., AND had to be high quality. All that combined removed about 90% of the C's we looked at. In the end we found a unit that hit all marks AND was what I considered to be a quality unit.

Another issue is that I did not to be limited to towing 5000 lbs...this unit can tow 7500 lbs because the frame is built for it (many C's don't have the beefy frame to support that much). Glad we did, as we just upgraded our tow to a 2017 F150 FX4...which is 5200 lbs curb weight. In total, with both coach and towed loaded to where we want, we are still about 2000 lbs under the GCWR (just for giggles I do a weight whenever we fuel at a station with CAT scales).

We paid about $20-25K more than units of the same size with less of what we want (either in features/layout, quality or towing capacity)...but if we'd purchased a unit that did not work for us then we would have regretted it every time we pulled it out (and likely would have used it less). As it turns out, we've put almost 8000 miles on it, and it's still less than a year old...both the wife and myself love driving it (and I *hate* driving generally).

So, in the end we paid more to get the C that we wanted, but paid way less than an A that we did not need. I smile every time I talk to folks with the big A's that rarely use them...what a waste of money.

Hope this helps...everyone has a different set of reasons.

CampFire Junkies · 04-05-2017, 11:21 PM

We have a 2013 Thor Citation 24SR that we bought used with only 6600 miles on it. We had been searching for about 5 months and stayed with our game plan to end up with the floor plan that WE wanted. That is what I can add to the already good info you have gotten. One other thing we need was leg room in the cab. Gas class C's didn't give my 6'5" frame enough so we went with the MB diesel 3.0 liter 6 cylinder that gets us 16 mpg!

hilgert · 04-06-2017, 07:59 AM

Darwin lebuf, where are you located? As I mentioned in my prior post, we spent over a year looking around.

In the Republic of Texas (as it shall be called once we complete our Texit process like the UK) there is MHSRV in Avarado...which claims to be the world's largest motorhome dealer. If you've ever been there you'd believe that...we spent many, many weekends there looking at motorhomes there, all of which are open/unlocked and no sales people bothering you (when you find one you are serious about buying YOU go find THEM). They have about 50 golf carts they loan out to people (and many Saturdays there is a waiting list for a cart, so you just drive your car around)...the place is that large. It's the reverse of most other dealers we went to, where there are more sales people than prospective customers. It's about 90 minutes from us, and we probably drove down there 20 times (they have a nice free lunch on Saturdays...the place is like a "resort for RV sales").

We ended up buying from another family-owned dealer very close to where we live, as by chance we found the perfect motorhome for *us* one day, but spending the year looking around helped a lot.

My point is...look at a zillion motorhomes from as many manufacturers as you can, and then you will know when you see the perfect motorhome for *you*.

Best of luck...

Traxless · 04-06-2017, 02:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Darwin lebuf

I currently have a TT that I enjoyed but I'm seriously considering a class c but I trying to get advice on a good brand to look at.
I have an FR TT and iv had 0 problems with but Im not sure if I want to stay with that brand or explore something new. The brands I'm considering are coachmen, holiday rambler, and jayco. Any advice would be home then helpful thanks.

Take a moment to read some of the reviews in the following link.

https://forest-river.pissedconsumer.com/

Then subscribe to the RV Consumer Group at https://rv.org/ and begin your research. Might help you with your decision making.

okcnewbie · 04-06-2017, 04:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Traxless

Take a moment to read some of the reviews in the following link.

https://forest-river.pissedconsumer.com/

Then subscribe to the RV Consumer Group at https://rv.org/ and begin your research. Might help you with your decision making.

It definitely doesn't hurt to listen to possible first hand complaining but I'd take it all with a grain of salt. Millions and millions of our RV's are sold and it's almost impossible to get a large sample size of reviews. When buying used the market tends to dictate price......

JONWisconsin · 04-06-2017, 06:31 PM

I doubt there is a company without complaints found somewhere in the internet. I have read from Thor, Forest River, Winnebago and Keystone. If you don't believe me, spend time on the web and you will see. I think the dealer is key when you buy any unit.

Lovin2Camp · 04-09-2017, 07:29 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JONWisconsin

I doubt there is a company without complaints found somewhere in the internet. I have read from Thor, Forest River, Winnebago and Keystone. If you don't believe me, spend time on the web and you will see. I think the dealer is key when you buy any unit.

X 2!

sthorinek · 04-11-2017, 07:09 PM

We have a Class C 33 foot Forest River Sunseeker. Shari took it to Oregon and back with her brother. I did not mind driving it in the least. I drove it through Boise, ID and Springfield OR and in the mountains. We have had a Class A motorhome in the seventies. I prefer the Class C. It's like driving a pickup or truck.
They are right about checking out complaints on a MH company.
I did have some complaints with my dealer, they called me and are working on my petty issues.

Hooligan · 04-11-2017, 08:28 PM

I have a 2016 Thor Siesta Sprinter 24ST with 22,000 miles that I really enjoy.. Some problems initially, but all were corrected by my dealer & Thor.
Agree the dealer can make or break the satisfaction with your RV.
Also folks are more inclined to report problems than "all is well", particularly if posted on myRVsucksdotcom

Rrzasa · 04-13-2017, 11:16 AM

I purchased a Dynamax Isata 5 last June and it is great. First Class C built on a Dodge platform with the Cummins Turbo Diesel. Average about 11mpg and it rides fantastic. Knock on wood (rubs head, knocked too hard) we have had zero issues with it and we just turned over 16,000 miles in it. The Dynamax forum is fantastic and the GM regularly posts on the forum and answers all questions and even helps with warranty claims.

Check out the Dynamax Isata 5, you won't be disappointed.

HighDesert · 05-08-2017, 09:44 AM

Agree with other OP's. There is not a manufacturer out there, of RV's, that has not received criticism and complaints about their product. Often it is the squeaky wheel syndrome that seems to set the tone for a manufacturer. We just purchased a 2017 Forest River SunSeeker on the Sprinter chassis. Love it! Are there a few items that need to be taken care of - sure. I have never purchased a new RV, or auto that did not have minor issues to deal with after using. Find the floorpan and fuel system you like best and go with that.