Going From Class A to Class B - Need Opinions

[TheTourVan]

Hello all. My wife and I are moving on from our Fleetwood Discovery and into a Class B on the Mercedes Sprinter Chassis. With what we do for a living and the traveling we put in, it becomes a better fit for us with gas mileage and perfect for comfort.

We have looked at Road Trek, Pleasure Way, Winnebago, Great West, Travel Leisure and Airstream and they all seem to have plusses and minuses.

Road Trek - Good look, nice layout, but a little simple for what the costs seem to be in terms of "luxury".

Pleasure Way - Luxury look in cabinets, but we really did not care for the way the kitchen "island" sticks out when you first walk in the door. Just a personal thing I guess.

Winnebago - Things look slightly cheaper here and there, but for the money, it is getting really hard to ignore. It appears as though the ERA models run close to $20k less than many competitors.

Great West - Fabulous storage, a great modern look and wonderful flooring appearance. However struggled with lack of closet space and did not care for the "dresser" behind the drivers seat.

Airstream - High price without a doubt. Loved the look and the layouts. Loved most about it, but the sky high price keeps us pulling back a tad bit.

Travel Leisure - Really liked the slide out feature. Still new and for the love of everything cannot find a picture of the interior with the slide closed. Searched and searched and no picture we can find.

At this point, we may end up picking a floor plan that kind of suits us and going cheapest price. That is where this thread comes in. Do you own, have you owned, or do you have expertise on the Mercedes Sprinter Class B vehicles? If so, what are your thoughts on the brands and features that they have or do not have.

Thank you so much in advance. Our 2000 Fleetwood Discovery has been wonderful. We upgraded this thing fully and love how it has treated us, but it needs an owner that wants a Class A without a doubt.

Looking to your feedback everybody.

[TdogKing]

I still own a Class A Bounder (kept in a Garage). To travel/sightsee better, easier ,cheaper we bought a Pleasure Way Excel TS. It's not on the Sprinter Chassis, but really like it a lot. I'm very pleased with the Quality of the Pleasure Way. I didn't research too much of the other makes because we really wanted the Twin Beds and liked the Coach across the back. Our Bounder has Twin Beds and we like that sleeping arrangement because I toss and turn too much . We've put about 10,000 miles on it so far and don't regret our decision to downsize . My hobby is Photography and now I can turn around, pull over, park anywhere at any time , that's awesome. We are keeping the Class A because its paid for , stored indoors and we use it when we go to one place to camp for extended stays.

[TheTourVan]

Thanks for your input. Very much appreciated.

[wincrasher]

I think you should expand your search to B's with a domestic chassis - it suspect the Sprinter chassis is really driving up he price. They are a good chassis - some contractors use them in panel truck form and beat the heck out of them.

[TheTourVan]

Its a design thing for us wincrasher. We just do not care for the designs of other models outside the Mercedes.

[SKPKen]

We were in your position last year at this time. We settled on the Sprinter early, because of the space in the driver and passenger area. We looked at every available brand of Sprinter based B at the Tampa RV show, but didn't buy. In April, we bought the Winnebago ERA. I don't think the overall build quality is as good as the Pleasureway we replaced, but I'm also not so sure any of the new ones have that build quality.

The floor plan was the largest factor in our decision. We have both second row seats, and don't see a need to replace seats with additional cabinets. The extra seating options are great when sitting parked on rainy days.

I made a few modifications, of course. Probably the most useful is a "cocktail" table for the front. The counter top matched exactly that in our house, so I took the sink cutout, mounted a post socket, and we use it in the front table socket. In fact, my laptop is on it now.

We now have over 10,000 miles, with a long trip of 30 nights. Most of those were dry camping.

Overall, we have averaged 18.5 mpg. That includes a trip through Rocky Mountain National Park, a 1300 mile drive at interstate speeds, and slow poke and go through rural small town areas.

[TheTourVan]

Thanks SKP. Great info for sure. We have honestly dropped the ERA down a peg because of it being 24 rather than 22 in length, but we do love one of the floor plans and certainly love the price. Glad to hear someone has had great success with it as well.

The only thing that concerns me with Winnebago is the lack of 3 year warranty that seems that many have on the house, where as Winnebago offers just a single year.

[avid_dk]

I own a 2007 Airstream Interstate Mid-Bath unit, it was purchased new in May of '08. We went with Airstream after a disastrous purchase of a Class C motorhome from a major RV company. My trust in Airstream turned out to be well placed. Unlike our first unit were the dealer or the manufacturer didn't seem to give a *%&# if we were happy, Airstream really did care. In fact, we purchased our unit in another state because there were no Airstreams remaining locally with the 5 in-line engine on the 2006 MB chassis. Despite this fact, the nearest dealer treated us like we purchased the unit there.

Currently we are considering trading up to a Class A for more room on longer trips. We spent a day at two big RV dealers last week and the prospect of purchasing from someone other than Airstream is frightening. My wife's favorite Class A is from the company that built the motorhome that gave me PTSD. I am partial to Tiffen only because the company has a reputation for solving problems even after the warranty is over.

All this said, we love our Airstream Interstate and we may end up driving it until the wheels fall off, as they say. We are awaiting the delivery of a Jeep Wrangler Sport that will be used as a dinghy. It will make the Interstate grunt when towing but I know it can handle it.

Now if Airstream would build something like the Itasca Reyo on the MB platform we would head to a dealer in a heartbeat. Holler if I can answer any more questions. I know what a chore Motor Home shopping can be.

[srh]

Originally Posted by TheTourVan

At this point, we may end up picking a floor plan that kind of suits us and going cheapest price. That is where this thread comes in. Do you own, have you owned, or do you have expertise on the Mercedes Sprinter Class B vehicles? If so, what are your thoughts on the brands and features that they have or do not have.

Thank you so much in advance. Our 2000 Fleetwood Discovery has been wonderful. We upgraded this thing fully and love how it has treated us, but it needs an owner that wants a Class A without a doubt.

Looking to your feedback everybody.

I can't speak for Class B coaches as I haven't owned one, but can definitely speak for MB diesels. Having owned five MB diesel vehicles, they are absolutely tops in terms of dependability, economy (mpg), etc. I wish we would see more Mercedes engines in DPs.
Best of luck with your selection!

[TheTourVan]

Originally Posted by avid_dk

I own a 2007 Airstream Interstate Mid-Bath unit, it was purchased new in May of '08. We went with Airstream after a disastrous purchase of a Class C motorhome from a major RV company. My trust in Airstream turned out to be well placed. Unlike our first unit were the dealer or the manufacturer didn't seem to give a *%&# if we were happy, Airstream really did care. In fact, we purchased our unit in another state because there were no Airstreams remaining locally with the 5 in-line engine on the 2006 MB chassis. Despite this fact, the nearest dealer treated us like we purchased the unit there.

Currently we are considering trading up to a Class A for more room on longer trips. We spent a day at two big RV dealers last week and the prospect of purchasing from someone other than Airstream is frightening. My wife's favorite Class A is from the company that built the motorhome that gave me PTSD. I am partial to Tiffen only because the company has a reputation for solving problems even after the warranty is over.

All this said, we love our Airstream Interstate and we may end up driving it until the wheels fall off, as they say. We are awaiting the delivery of a Jeep Wrangler Sport that will be used as a dinghy. It will make the Interstate grunt when towing but I know it can handle it.

Now if Airstream would build something like the Itasca Reyo on the MB platform we would head to a dealer in a heartbeat. Holler if I can answer any more questions. I know what a chore Motor Home shopping can be.

Thanks for your info. We too like the Airstream and it is definitely on the list. I do have one question. Why bring a TOAD? Meaning I assume the Class B can fit in most places right?

Originally Posted by srh

I can't speak for Class B coaches as I haven't owned one, but can definitely speak for MB diesels. Having owned five MB diesel vehicles, they are absolutely tops in terms of dependability, economy (mpg), etc. I wish we would see more Mercedes engines in DPs.
Best of luck with your selection!

Thanks for your input srh. We hear it time and again about the dependability of these.

[avid_dk]

Originally Posted by TheTourVan

Thanks for your info. We too like the Airstream and it is definitely on the list. I do have one question. Why bring a TOAD? Meaning I assume the Class B can fit in most places right?

Depends on what one likes to do. The Interstate can go into any parking spot anywhere and is easy to maneuver in city traffic. We have two Brompton folding bikes that fit perfectly in the back seating area while underway. We like to go hiking and leaving a fully loaded Interstate with all manner of gear sitting at isolated trailheads is a recipe for disaster. Plus we like to spend time in the desert and there are Jeep trails aplenty. In the past we would rent cars on occasion while in locales where one came in handy.

The reason we are considering a larger motorhome is for extended stays in the desert, a.k.a. snow birding. Actually you have me looking at what the current Interstate models have to offer. The Airstream three year warranty is hard to beat.

avid

[TheTourVan]

Great West has a 3 year warranty as well and we really like that machine. It makes us lead in the direction of the longer warranties for sure.

Thanks for further input. We are completely ready to move on from our Class A to the Class B.

[TheTourVan]

After spending hours and hours on this, it appears as though we might have to eliminate the Airstream from consideration. Unless we go to the bigger unit (which we are not entirely for), it does not have storage for golf clubs in the back due to the way the sofa is constructed.

[ptguard]

i like the look of the leisure travel models. what type mileage do you get with yours? trying to decide between the unity & the free spirit ss.

Originally Posted by TdogKing

I still own a Class A Bounder (kept in a Garage). To travel/sightsee better, easier ,cheaper we bought a Pleasure Way Excel TS. It's not on the Sprinter Chassis, but really like it a lot. I'm very pleased with the Quality of the Pleasure Way. I didn't research too much of the other makes because we really wanted the Twin Beds and liked the Coach across the back. Our Bounder has Twin Beds and we like that sleeping arrangement because I toss and turn too much . We've put about 10,000 miles on it so far and don't regret our decision to downsize . My hobby is Photography and now I can turn around, pull over, park anywhere at any time , that's awesome. We are keeping the Class A because its paid for , stored indoors and we use it when we go to one place to camp for extended stays.