C or A Class for Family cross country travel?

[1st_time_rvr]

Hi there,

We are a family of 4 with our girls being 2 and 6 this summer. We rented two RVs through Canadream last summer and had an amazing time. We of course had certain things we liked about the layout of each but now are considering purchasing!

Our family is all in Ontario and we are in Alberta and with Covid restrictions likely to be in place until the fall, we are hoping to take the RV to Rural Northern Ontario and Back. Having the RV will allow us to be fully contained and not stopping in random places for a washroom or restaurants etc.

So my question is.. Do you suggest a Class A or a Class C in terms of drivability, safety, gas mileage etc? C Class units seem to be a bit more family friendly but I'm open to doing some renos to either to create the bed space we need. My biggest concern is the long drive and having something that doesn't feel shakey (which the canadream units did at times). I know it's probably a lot to ask for in such a large vehicle but is there such thing as a smooth driving RV?

Of course my main concern initially is our large drive, but we are also hoping to have this RV for many years for camping/road trips!

I'll be looking for a used unit in Calgary, AB if anyone knows of any leads or has a dealer they prefer! Thank you so much!!!

[Driveby]

We thoroughly enjoyed our Bunk Class A - Itasca 35J plan. in that era there were a few plans from mostly everyone wiht a bunk. I think they sorta died out later years. But if you can find a well cared for unit I'd hop all over it. Our boys (roughly that age when we bought) enjoyed their own space and often retreated to it when the closeness of "brotherly love" became too much. We also didn't need to make up/down a bed daily for anyone. That was huge for us.

We rented a Class C couple times to see if we liked the lifestyle. C is OK but A is better if you can find one that fits your needs and budget.

[ga traveler]

I always recommended a class a to our customers. You sit up high and can see more scenery. Also if you have a wreck with a car, the car will come in under you and much less chance of injury.
I had two customers that had cars hit them. Both were unhurt. Both auto drivers were carried off in ambulances.

[buzz57]

This is a long term purchase so think and plan accordingly......small kids now, in 4 years are you all going to fit? AND all the gear you want instead of need to bring. Bikes, are you going to want a toad with you? Canoes, kayaks etc.

This is just my opinion.

Class C will be cheaper to buy but generally the same cost to operate as a class A.

Class A will give way more living space, storage and amenities.

With covid going on, the prices of these have gone up due to people getting out while they aren't working/going to school. Used prices have climbed too. Find the right floor plan for your family, that is the key.

[kenandterry]

Originally Posted by 1st_time_rvr

Hi there,

We are a family of 4 with our girls being 2 and 6 this summer. We rented two RVs through Canadream last summer and had an amazing time. We of course had certain things we liked about the layout of each but now are considering purchasing!

Our family is all in Ontario and we are in Alberta and with Covid restrictions likely to be in place until the fall, we are hoping to take the RV to Rural Northern Ontario and Back. Having the RV will allow us to be fully contained and not stopping in random places for a washroom or restaurants etc.

So my question is.. Do you suggest a Class A or a Class C in terms of drivability, safety, gas mileage etc? C Class units seem to be a bit more family friendly but I'm open to doing some renos to either to create the bed space we need. My biggest concern is the long drive and having something that doesn't feel shakey (which the canadream units did at times). I know it's probably a lot to ask for in such a large vehicle but is there such thing as a smooth driving RV?

Of course my main concern initially is our large drive, but we are also hoping to have this RV for many years for camping/road trips!

I'll be looking for a used unit in Calgary, AB if anyone knows of any leads or has a dealer they prefer! Thank you so much!!!

All I can offer is.......
1. We purchased a new 35’ Class A Georgetown, kept 10 years and 60,000 miles.
2. Purchased a well loved, well maintained, CanaDream 2018 Class C in 2020.
3. I’ve driven large vehicles for quite some time to judge drivability of both.
4. Our experience has only been the two of us......long term in one spot, and our next phase is shorter term in more spots.
5. Have had both with and without a toad.
6. Miles per gallon is not the deciding factor in any RV.
7. I can relate as far as a Canadian RVer......living in the North Shore of Lake Ontario.

Hope that helps. We can Private message for specific details if you want.

[Fast E]

"A" all the way...

[Bill Gail]

Originally Posted by ga traveler

I always recommended a class a to our customers. You sit up high and can see more scenery. Also if you have a wreck with a car, the car will come in under you and much less chance of injury.
I had two customers that had cars hit them. Both were unhurt. Both auto drivers were carried off in ambulances.

Class A motorhomes simply do not provide the protection a Class C provides.

A Class C is based on a Van chassis with all the factory protection of impact energy dissipation and driver and passenger airbags.

Regarding servicing and maintenance costs , only the gas Class A's are comparable to the Class C's.

The diesel Class A's are significantly more expensive to service and maintain. An oil change can run into the hundreds of dollars . Tires are exponentially more expensive . Plus the joy of the DEF issues the newer coaches are experiencing.

If cost is not an issue , then yes , a Class A provides a better ride . Partially due to larger tires and longer wheel base.

[rarebear.nm]

Originally Posted by 1st_time_rvr

Hi there,

We are a family of 4 with our girls being 2 and 6 this summer. We rented two RVs through Canadream last summer and had an amazing time. We of course had certain things we liked about the layout of each but now are considering purchasing!

Our family is all in Ontario and we are in Alberta and with Covid restrictions likely to be in place until the fall, we are hoping to take the RV to Rural Northern Ontario and Back. Having the RV will allow us to be fully contained and not stopping in random places for a washroom or restaurants etc.

So my question is.. Do you suggest a Class A or a Class C in terms of drivability, safety, gas mileage etc? C Class units seem to be a bit more family friendly but I'm open to doing some renos to either to create the bed space we need. My biggest concern is the long drive and having something that doesn't feel shakey (which the canadream units did at times). I know it's probably a lot to ask for in such a large vehicle but is there such thing as a smooth driving RV?

Of course my main concern initially is our large drive, but we are also hoping to have this RV for many years for camping/road trips!

I'll be looking for a used unit in Calgary, AB if anyone knows of any leads or has a dealer they prefer! Thank you so much!!!

There is no "perfect" RV. Everything RV is a comprise. With a family floor plan and remodel options may be very important to you. Some rigs are easier to remodel to fit your needs. Think this though carefully before buying.

I'm in the camp that Class C are overall safer than Class A RVs. There is very little material around the passengers in Class As and may not even have air bags, check it out first. Class Cs come with the safety features provided by the chassis manufacture. Class As arrive at the RV manufacture as a frame, drive train and steering wheel, not much else.

Many Class Cs are built on a cut away chassis. Since much of the Class C market is feature and blitz driven to better compete on feature price point corners are cut in places. One of them is no or undersized anti-sway bars and steering stabilizers, etc. This oversight frequently causes Class Cs to sway and be bounced around on highways. In ours we added anti-sway bars and steering stabilizers and adjusted the alignment. Now it handles like a car. The hard handling compliant is real and common but can be fixed.

MHO- forget about worrying about mpg. RVs do not get good milage. You have a large box pushing a lots air with lots of weight, milage is not going to be good. Something like 6 to 9 is common for many Class As and Cs. As a share of the total cost of ownership milage is very small.

IMO opinion there's a large difference in maintenance and repairs between Class As and Class Cs, with the A's being more expensive. For example look into differences in price of common things like oil change, tires and brake jobs.

Are you going to be towing a car or use the RV to get around?

The one plaaces CLass A's clearly out shine Class Cs is their weight carrying capacity. This is know as the OCCC rating. Check into the differences between various models.

There just is no perfect RV for everyone. Figure out your must have various wants. Always be ready to walk away from any RV deal that does not feel good to you.

[Dany]

Have a class A 38 foot and love the extra storage you have, i am lucky to have the tag axle so i can pretty much add as much cargo as i could think about, they only drawback would be that it almost impossible to go to scenic road and look outs so you would have to carry a car, which to me is a great idea if you need to park for many days. You can let the rv at the park and leave for the day and come back dont have to install everything back, hope that helps

[Bobog]

We have done California once in a Class C, Alaska once and Newfoundland & Labrador twice in a Class A from our base near Edmonton. Many advantages in a Class A - room, carry capacity, water and waste tank sizes, and more. In my experience with Ford and Workhorse Class A chassis, the Workhorse rides and handles better, has a little more power and gets about the same mileage. Test drives will help but any problems with ride and handling are worse when you add in a couple of thousand pounds of fuel, water, supplies and people. I strongly recommend a suitable toad. Good luck with your search.

[Isaac-1]

I too would tend to vote class A, they are all built on heavier chassis, which means more cargo carrying capacity, which can be important on longer trips where you may want to bring more stuff along, think bicycles, camping chairs, BBQ grills, canopy tents, etc. Also the higher cargo carrying capacity means for a given length class A coaches tend to have larger water tanks, often sturdier cabinet work, etc. Sure there are some corner cases where this advantage will be minimized, but as a general rule it is true. As to safety I would not worry about it too much, sure it is true that class C's are built around a van can which has extensive safety testing, but it is also true that you are higher up and in a heavier vehicle when in a class A, which is something I would want if I were traveling in moose territory. My personal informal observation of accounts of major motorhome accidents is that those involving class A's which have fatalities would generally be considered unsurvivable in any other type of RV as well, such as hitting a concrete embankment head on, or head on collision with an 18 wheeler. So sure class C's have engineered crumple zones around the cab, simply being in a larger, heavier vehicle, and sitting up higher in a class A goes a long way in real world survival.

[Maik]

Our preference is class A coach; and it is a smooth ride. Like others have mentioned a C class with be less expensive to purchase. We find the A class has a better viewing area up front and has more living space for the same length. The one thing that also made an A class appealing was the leveling jacks so that the RV is not rolling as people move around.