New to RV Searching Would Like Some Suggestions Please

[Panthur]

Hi. This started in the Class C forum but now I am looking for a good used Class A instead. Here are my wants and needs: Its just me, the wife and 2 small dogs. We have never had an RV and never have, or plan on actually camping with it I doubt. It has to be a gas unit. I want the emphasis to be on the road trip part , mainly so that we will have way more room than with an SUV for the wife and dogs, etc. It has to be a "small" Class A , it has to fit in my driveway so 28' is kinda the max length. I likely would rarely ever be plugging into 30A shore power but would be plugging into a 15A house outlet with the dog bone changeover at my daughters house 11 hours away when we go visit. (I presume I will need to run gen some if on 15A supply if I want amenities to all function including AC ). Hopefully I can run gen while driving to enjoy roof AC then too. Does fridge, toilet, etc...all function while driving ? I would prefer no slide outs but I know that seriously limits me in available RV selection so I would take a unit with a slide if need be. But I would really want the interior stuff to be pretty useable and everything accessible while the slide was still "in" if that is achievable ? It seems almost impossible to find pics or videos of the inside of the RV status when the slide or slides are all in. So, for us its more about the transportation aspect and taking dogs rather then camping, with of course the ability to sleep, relax, and cook sometimes, but we wouldn't actually be going "camping" as per say....so I suspect I will need to log quite a few hours on generator then LOL ? I see a couple Class A options being the Coachman Pursuit 27XPS or maybe the Thor Vegas 24.4 or the Axix 24.1 or something along that line ? I have heard Thor not the greatest quality though for some owners....We did look at Class B vans and too small. And I have read much about small cabin size and poor legroom in Class C cab ( for a Class C I would have required the Ford chassis and gas engine and seems like many people saying poor legroom in E350, E450 and/or Transit chassis ) - I can confirm that for myself on the Transit as I recently sat in a 2025 LTV Wonder and didn't like the lack of legroom, although the coach itself was awesome - i never sat in the other ones. Not worried about fuel economy , budget is around 150K give or take. Any comments, experience or input is most welcome. Thanks

[d23haynes57]

Looking at used do you have a budget range? How many years old? For that size you will be limited to mostly entry level stuff. If equipped with generator yes you can use that while driving. For a small unit dash heat and AC will usually be enough. If you will be frequenting a location such as family members home, it will be helpful to invest in at least a 30-amp circuit for the RV. Same for parking at home. Especially if you have a residential fridge, you will need power for that, battery charging, and of course AC. With 30-amp power you will be able to use some electric heat and maybe you will have electric water heat to extend your propane supply. From experience being at someone's home and needing the genny just sucks.

[Panthur]

Yes budget range is around 150K or so. I was hoping to find something a couple years old or so.
The Coachman Pursuit 27XPS looks like it would be a decent option. I know there's not a lot of sub 30' Class A units out there. Coachman Euro as well, and a couple Thor models although I am not reading good things about them regarding quality.

[Flyer15015]

OP,
What's the story on your driveway limitations? You in an HOA? Got a close storage lot?
Lots of these out there in the 40 - 50K range and the '04 - '06 years seem to be the sweet spot. 38 footers come in several different floor plans. GM 8.1 gasser and Allison 1000 transmission are bulletproof for about 200K miles. "Chips' are available too, and it doesn't take much to make them into a hot rod. See the mod's in my signature and ask me how I know........

Mike in Colorado

[Donskiman]

How about a Newmar?
https://www.rvtrader.com/listing/202...271#sid=784891

Seems to check most of your needs and Newmar is typically better quality.

It will likely be very difficult to find a small Class A without slides unless you get something very old.

[Panthur]

Yes that Newman would suit my needs well. Problem is where I live nothing much for dealers or selection unless I travel 10 hours to a big center. Not sure if that’s normal procedure for purchasing or not. And even at that there’s not much to chose from. Seems to be a fewThor Vegas/Axis available tho. Much lower quality tho I’m guessing. And I know they are not on the F53 chassis but on the E-450 chassis I think.so like a class c with a class a body Wonder if that’s bad ? Or maybe ok in the realm of staying “smaller footprint “.

[Donskiman]

Originally Posted by Panthur

Yes that Newman would suit my needs well. Problem is where I live nothing much for dealers or selection unless I travel 10 hours to a big center. Not sure if that’s normal procedure for purchasing or not. And even at that there’s not much to chose from. Seems to be a fewThor Vegas/Axis available tho. Much lower quality tho I’m guessing. And I know they are not on the F53 chassis but on the E-450 chassis I think.so like a class c with a class a body Wonder if that’s bad ? Or maybe ok in the realm of staying “smaller footprint “.

We bought our Tiffin from a dealer 1100 miles away. We never even saw it in person until the day we flew there to get it. We did get it fully inspected beforehand though. I still think you should find a way to rent something first. You may find a Class B+ on the E-450 works much better than you expect, or you may find a small Class A has such a jarring ride you would regret it. The thing is, you haven't actually driven anything, so you don't know what could work. Relying on the subjective opinions here may not be the best way to get something you'll be happy with.

[d23haynes57]

I live in New York. I purchased 2 brand new motorhomes form Giant RV in California. Build to order. Drove old one out and new home 2X. One I have now I purchased very used. Did a lot of flying to look at units. Purchased this one from a dealer in Oregon. Flew out to look. Spent 2 days inspecting and test driving. Flew out to pick it up and drove it home myself. Long 4 days. But yes, it is common to travel to find the ideal unit and often you will have travel to have them serviced.

[Panthur]

I know buying an RV for just the large cabin space (as compared to my SUV) to drive to here and there without likely using it to go camping is probably overkill. Thats why I started by looking at B / B plus units so it would be way more of a daily driver. Here is what I discovered to date: Wife thought regular B was a little small (Pleasureway Ontour 2.2 @ 22') The LTV Wonder (@ 25')was much nicer and of course it has the wider body as compared to regular van body like the Ontour. Damn those things are very expensive compared to Class C and A. The Wonder is about $250K new plus tax(Canadian) ,and nothing much available in the used department (even new is limited supply, build time of over a year). My dilema - The Ford Transit cab has poor legroom I find, as I suspect do the E series as well so then I started ruling out Class C units. Just would hate to spend lots of money for an uncomfortable driving experience. I so far have ruled out anything on the Sprinter chassis too (which is a LOT of units ruled out I realize ) because of the horror stories I read of people needing repairs and not having access to a dealer that can work on them, damn Mercedes diesel - both at home and on the road so I am scared of that factor. And of course now I am hearing that the driver and passenger space in the cab of the Sprinter is a fair bit better then the Ford chassis's which means I might like a Sprinter LOL. So now here I am, i have been led to the Class A next. I know there will be way more room for driver and copilot while driving. Just want something 28' max to at least fit in my driveway for 8 months of the year (I live in a crescent on the inside of the curve so the parking area in front of my house is literally only10' in length sadly. I know - every route I start exploring seems to have a downfall LOL. So I thought a small A might work best. Or something on Sprinter chassis if the cab is bigger than Ford - but then I risk breaking down and not easily finding anyone that can work on it wherever I might be. I know I am just whining now ha ha, but I have spent hours upon hours researching everything from Class A, B, B plus to C.

[d23haynes57]

Getting an RV no matter what size there are compromises. You need to prioritize your needs and then wants. Then you need to explore. Maybe hire a partner, consultant to help at some point. Most important you need to do some exploring. The space and comfort difference of the cab seating in a Sprinter may not be as impressive as some claim. Ride comfort yes, highway performance, power, it's European! Does the job but always working near its limits. You need look and drive. Class "A" might be extremely disappointing in the size class or you may be OK with it to get the space. You have to try it for yourself. As for fear of breakdowns and service, any vehicle can have failures and the further you are from home the more difficult it is to deal with. Always have a back up plan including rental cars and airline tickets. Funding for unknowns is key. Get something that makes you smile every time you get into it. I sometimes sleep in mine in the driveway. And as you use it nothing wrong with evaluating and planning for future upgrades. Counting the VW Camper I'm on RV#5 and looking again. Seriously, just so many choices and options. You need to try them out yourself.

[Panthur]

Exellent information and suggestions thank you very much. Yes I plan to do more hands on viewing and testing for sure. I am probably over-analyzing everything somewhat as well. I have only looked at the 2 units live and in person so far - mainly because this journey has just begun but also partially because of the proximity of options near to me, and this stupid Canadiaqn winter here atm and its been stupid cold minus 30 ish and snowy and story so not exactly RV type weather LOL.

[Pathwacker]

Class A will give you all camping features while on the road. Front or rear engine could also route coolant to heat the water heater. AC, microwave ect run off the generator. They are already setup to boondock just like a class c.