Community Forums

Vtwin996 · 01-19-2014, 12:33 PM

Hi! My wife and I will be retiring this year and have decided to buy a Class C for trips up to a month at a time. It will be just the 2 of us and occasionally myself and a motorcycling buddy.
After Christmas we rented a 25ft Class C which we took to the Texas Coast for several days.
We plan to look for a used unit, 2-3 years old, around 25-27 ft with 1 or 2 slides. My wife's only 'must have' is a walk around bed.

We have a 2dr Jeep Wrangler that we plan to use as a toad. On other trips we will pull a motorcycle trailer (haven't decided on covered or uncovered) with 1 BMW 1200 GSA (weight around 650lbs) instead of the Jeep.

What I am looking for is a single source to compare specifications on new 2-3 year old units. My biggest concern is ensuring that fully loaded, pulling the Jeep that we will be under gross weight.
Is the RV Consumer Guide worth the $100+ investment or is there some other publication that I can use to compare specs?

Our budget is $50K - $65K.

I'm thinking a V10 on a F450 chassis would be the best unit - a diesel would be nice but I suspect is out of our price range.

Most of our camping would probably be at State Parks or provincial campgrounds but would like to do some boon-docking fro a few days at a time so larger tanks would be an advantage.
I'm in N Texas where it can get down in the 20's at night and would like to camp year round so a unit with decent insulation would be good.

Anyway looking forward to the search and any input would be appreciated.
Thanks in advance!

rjf7g · 01-19-2014, 02:25 PM

Do you know how much your Jeep weighs *as you would be hauling it*? Weigh it with a full fuel tank and whatever gear you are planning on hauling in it when it is being dragged behind your class C. Make sure your class C can pull that much! We will be looking for a light weight, automatic car that we can tow four down in a few years.

You may want to start here - 2010 Class C Motorhomes : Motorhome Reviews, Prices and Specs and then go here RV Prices, Values & Reviews - NADAguides to check used price ranges. Then, start searching on Craigslist, eBay, Race, performance & street cars, engines, engine parts, trailers for sale, and RVs For Sale On RV Trader- New and Used Fleetwood,Airstream,Winnebago,Keystone,Forest River,Newmar RVs and More-RVTrader.com once you have a better idea of what you are looking for.

Doggy Daddy · 01-19-2014, 02:44 PM

You might want to look at and consider used Class A and Class C Toy Haulers. Then you have a garage for your motorcycle and can still pull a toad.

mikebreeze · 01-19-2014, 03:28 PM

I know that some car sites allow you to do a side by side comparison of models. Not sure about an RV site. Since you are from TX, mhsrv.com has a 2014 30 foot Coachman Freelander 50th anniversary edition on sale for around 55K (They were 49K up until a few days ago.) I would check with them.

38Chevy454 · 01-19-2014, 04:33 PM

Agree suggestion to look into toy haulers. A 10 ft garage in the back is enough to fit your motorcycles. Most toy haulers will be heavier duty Super C based on medium duty truck, and more likely to be diesel. May stretch your budget a bit, but a little older one and maybe higher mileage could fit your budget.

You could even take both motorcycles and toad with a medium duty chassis MH.

Big Bear Local · 01-29-2014, 04:11 PM

Look at mine. I pull a jeep with no problems and probably carry more than I need. It is for sale here on the Irv2 classifieds.

rvten · 01-31-2014, 09:47 AM

Our Ford E460 handles our Ford Flex toad fine.#4200
Do you want or need the cab over bunk. We have a C without the bunk.

Vtwin996 · 02-03-2014, 05:04 PM

Right now we don't think we'll need a bed over the cab. It is just my wife and I with (very occasionally) one other adult. We think the area above the cab can better be used for storage with a dinette or sofa making out into an occasional bed. We are not looking to buy until the end of this year so have plenty of time to narrow down the search.

Dr. Den · 02-14-2014, 09:47 PM

We pull a Wrangler behind our 30ft class C and you don't know it is back there.

Vtwin996 · 02-15-2014, 06:54 AM

Dr. Den,
Would you mind telling me what tow hitch you use and what braking system did you install on the Wrangler (if any)?
Thanks!

StringFellow · 02-15-2014, 09:21 AM

We have a 27' class C with a Ford E450 and we pull a 4 door Jeep Wrangler. Except for long steep grades in the mountains we dont even know it is there. In the mountains we use the right lane and take our time at a lower speed.

We use a Blue Ox Aventa tow bar and Brake Buddy Classic for the auxiliary breaking.

Since weighing our RV is Maryland is next to impossible, I try and closely monitor what we carry during trips. We keep the jeep empty and have noticed that a full tank of gas vs. half tank makes no noticable difference. The key is to not think of the Jeep as extra storage. Using a toad for extra storage is just asking for trouble.

Every season as part of my dewinterizing process I inventory all storage compartments and remove unnecessary items. Amazing what gets added over the season.

Recommend chaging the transmission fluids and engine oil more frequently when towing. Sythetic fluids help as well, they take longer to break down and lubricate better.