class A or C

[beckyrae]

We are considering RVing within the next few months as my reitirement will be starting!! Any suggestions on class A or C? We plan on seeing the country! Would you recommend a cheap unit to see if this is truly what we want? Rode in a Class A once only ! Any suggestions would be appreciated, thanks, Beckyrae

[padre44]

We started with a small class C. Not enough room so moved up to a little larger one with a slide. Still felt cramped, so got a 30 ft. class A with two slides. Expensive lesson. Perfectly adequate for our needs now. Get the biggest you can afford but think about where you will park it and the issues of getting around the kind of roads you will want to drive, as well as how much time you plan on spending in it.

[RickO]

Welcome to the forum and congrats on your retirement!

Padre gave good advice IMO. If it's just the two of you and you plan to do a good bit of travel, I'd suggest a Class A. The ironic thing is that, many times, the layouts of a Class C rigs are designed to sleep more people... but in much more of a "weekend camping" style... and the bigger Class A rigs are often geared more toward providing two people with a more "home-like" setting. There are certainly exceptions but this has been my observation.

I would certainly suggest buying used and your budget will determine how "cheap" to go. I would caution against going too cheap however, because if you spend much of your time on the road dealing with breakdowns, it could sour you on the entire RVing experience.

Best of luck

Rick

[retiring1day]

We are on our 4 th rv in 2 years. I would recommend renting a few for weekend trips to find out what works for you. We have owned 2 class a and one class c. Now we have a DP 39' DH loves me I feel like I'm taking the house with me. I really liked the Class C , but not the floor plan we picked out. Do a lot of shopping and thinking about what you will use it for and how many people will be traveling with you. Happy hunting!! I always say RV's are like shoes you will know when they fit!!

[deandec]

I would recommend using the internet to look at internal pictures of Class A and Class C motorhomes. Also, attend some RV shows or visit some dealer lots to further your education.

Folks use various size RV's for a lot of different purposes. Your style of RV use will dictate the type of rig you might want once you define your use frequency, travel distance, etc.

Even if you decide on a Class A, you will still need to decide floor plan, gas or diesel, budget for purchase, length of rig, load carrying capacity, engine power level and so on.

We were in your position 10 years ago.

We bought a seven year old 38' high line diesel pusher that we still use regularly. It is now worth about 25% of our purchase price and 7% of its original list price. Depreciation is the big cost of RV equipment.

If you are not sure you will like the RV life, renting a rig for a few trips might answer some of your questions more cheaply than buying a rig and taking immediate depreciation hits.

[1ciderdog]

Just my thought but you'll spend more time parked than driving so layout (livability) and storage that will meet your needs should be high on the list of considerations - not A or C or diesel vs gas.

[tncruiser]

we went from an c to a in about 14 months both new
problem with c was no slides and air was not ducted
the a drive just as easy after a few miles and the extra room is worth every penny
branj

[Possum]

We started with tenting and evolved to a Travel Trailer, then a 24' Class C and now are in a 30' Class A. We thoroughly enjoyed the "C" but when we were about half way through our planned 10,000 mile trip we realized we wanted more room. We found a unit on Kijiji that fit our needs and as they say, "Bob's Your Uncle."

We have both vehicles and will use the "C" for wandering the gravel roads of Vancouver Island while we explore fishing finds, until I get an offer close to what I find acceptable for it. The "A" will be our long trip and paved road unit.

I agree with the sentiments of those who say "rent units first" as this will give you a clearer idea of what you want your mobile home to be.

Welcome to IRV2 and enjoy your traveling time with us here.

[SarahW]

Originally Posted by beckyrae

We are considering RVing within the next few months as my reitirement will be starting!! Any suggestions on class A or C? We plan on seeing the country! Would you recommend a cheap unit to see if this is truly what we want? Rode in a Class A once only ! Any suggestions would be appreciated, thanks, Beckyrae

Howdy and welcome! Congrats on your upcoming retirement. Are you thinking of full-timing in an RV or just taking extended trips? I'd suggest looking at as many as you can in your price range, because as others have said, the layout (floorplan) is the most important option.

Picture yourself in the RV doing the "routine" things. Is there enough storage? How's the kitchen layout? Do you have to turn sideways to watch TV from the sofa? Will the layout of the bathroom suit you? Is the bed a good size, and can you get around it easily to make it up? Lots of things to consider!!

Have fun looking, and come back to iRV2 to ask lots of questions.

[Jack1234]

Lot's of things to consider if you are planning to adopt RVing over the next couple of years.Take your time and you will be able to sort through the various issues and arrive at a decision which is best for you. Personally, I still think the best piece of advice is...."buy your LAST RV FIRST". It gets very expensive buying the wrong RV and having to sell/trade for the one you should have bought originally!

Many people think the most important thing in the RV World is the floor plan....in fact most manufacturers pay particular attention to the "shiny stuff". So in the interest of balance, I would suggest you consider one other very important thing. Every year more people in America die from traffic/highway accidents than any other source......so whatever you decide to buy make sure it is well built and SAFE.

The automobile manufacturers make this pretty easy as Gov. has implemented some strict safety regulations, there are strong consumer advocacy groups and people CARE about the safety of their car. Not so in the RV World! Visit the websites of the major RV Manufacturers and you won't find things like "5star crash rating", front/side airbags, crumple zones for the driver and the passenger, collision avoidance technologies, etc. You will need to take some time educating yourself on safe chassis, braking systems, power trains, transmissions....you will need to understand GVWR, CGWR, CCC. Don't assume the manufacturer or the dealers/salesmen will do any of this for you....they know the "shiny stuff" sells and most people don 't understand the nuts& bolts issues. You will find lot's of threads on this forum from people who have literally spent hundreds of thousands of $$$$ only to find that their shiny new MH....once filled with water, fuel & passengers is now overweight and can't SAFELY carry anything heavier than their blow-up pool toys. Goggle aftermarket performance & handling for RV's and marvel at all the aftermarket gizmos you can buy $$$$ to make your shiny new Motorhome drive down the highway safely.

Don 't overlook the obvious stuff. Almost every MH you'll look at will have a heavy and/or large TV mounted overhead between the driver & the passenger. How you would ever watch this thing comfortably from the seating set-up is a mystery to me, BUT do you really want this thing overhead if you get into an accident? Does this set-up give you confidence that the manufacturer is/was looking out for your safety or was this just a convenient place to stick this thing?

Just something to take into consideration as you drool over solid cherry cabinets, hot water in-floor heating, stainless steel appliances, Venetian tile floors, hydro massaging shower heads, outdoor entertainment centers, etc, etc.

[beckyrae]

I really appreciate everyone's input.....this is such a huge endeavor!!! I am constantly online looking for helpful hints.....

[szy]

Originally Posted by Jack1234

Lot's of things to consider
Almost every MH you'll look at will have a heavy and/or large TV mounted overhead between the driver & the passenger. How you would ever watch this thing comfortably from the seating set-up is a mystery to me, BUT do you really want this thing overhead if you get into an accident? .

When set up the overhead is the TV I watch the most.

In an accident the OH TV is the least of your worries , considering all things .

In fact I am amazed that this even came up .

[Steve N Sal]

When we first started traveling we had a 32' Class A with no slide. For the type of traveling we did at that time it worked out great. As retirement neared we decided on something a bit bigger as we would be spending much more time in it. So we moved up to our 38' they we have now. As mentioned take a look at a lot of different models and decide on the one that has the best "floorplan" that works for you. Good luck on your shopping experience and by no means be in a hurry. Take your time as this is quite a large expenditure. Hope to see you down the road.

[Jack1234]

Originally Posted by szy

When set up the overhead is the TV I watch the most.

In an accident the OH TV is the least of your worries , considering all things .

In fact I am amazed that this even came up .

Hey...no problem with your disagreement on this point. However, I would suggest you Google Class A safety and review some of the articles which refer specifically to the safety hazard posed by overhead TV's.