What style MH do elderly people find most comfortable to drive

[Busskipper]

Originally Posted by Allaloneami

I am really torn between a Class A, C, or even a B+.
I am nearly 70 and am hoping to live my remaining years moseying around the country while living full time in my RV.
I am alone and will be doing all the driving myself, ..... but total ease of use is what concerns me most.
I know if I feel something is too much of a hassle or wears me out too quickly, I will become disenchanted easily.

I have decided to spend my remainder of this life doing this, because I do not want to spend my last few years just sitting alone in my house watching TV and googling the internet for hours on end.

I suppose it is a completely personal choice as to kind, make, model, size, engines, chassis, etc, etc. .....
do some of you have a definite opinion regarding a single, elderly, person making the complete life changing move.

I have no relatives to leave anything to, so I am at the point that it is silly to die in a big home just sitting here with my money in the bank.

Now that I have addressed my major health problems,

I want to start having fun, instead of vegetating my life away.

So, the question is ease of use and comfort.

This to me would cover everything from getting in and out of the RV,

driving for hours, and doing the chores that come with keeping it clean, operational, and constantly on the road.

FIRST off 70 is not OLD!!!!! Not in my BOOK.

Second you need to look at your Budget - Lifestyle needs?

Where do you want to go? - what do you want to DO? - Full time right - Style - one day, one week, or months at a time on most stops? - Warm weather or Cold? - Living in the RV not just Driving? - Nice comfortable Toad/Car/4X4/Jeep/GX470?

Cook and eat in - or coffee and eat out?

DO you HIKE? - Fish? - Photograph? - 4X4 - all will need to be Prioritized.

Is there the Possibility of a Partner in this adventure?

All of the above will help to contribute to the right answer.

For me if I would imagine not changing a thing from what I currently have - Large - goes anywhere - pulls a 4X4 - can Boondock - can stay in any Resort I want - allows me to stay in the National and State Parks - gives me "Space in bad weather" - allows me to cook Good Meals - so what works for me and what might work for you will likely be different.

Give us a little more info and the answers will be a little more on topic.

I'm sure you have thought that you have given this a lot of thought - BUT - lot's more to think about.

Hope this is of some help, as it sounds like you are getting ready for one GREAT ADVENTURE.

Best of Luck,

[MisterT]

ClassC type for a single person without need for as much room as a classA seems appropriate - they are built on a typical Ford type chassis, like a passenger van, gas engine, drives more like a larger family Van, have plenty of room for one person, all the amenities of home, and easily manueverable ...

[Busskipper]

[QUOTE=Allaloneami;3578070]Below is what I seem most interested in as of now, with a few links to one of each. Comments about any would be appreciated.

Being alone, I don't feel need to shower daily as I did once (wash cloth and hot water does it most days), I don't need a queen bed (single is better for me), outside of the closet space you miss out on, I think a queen size bedroom on a slide would be wasted on me. I don't know how much the added length of the coach adds to the difficulty in driving and parking it daily to go eat and get groceries. Is there a common number in feet where it goes from easy and casual to harder and awkward to drive and park? For instance, is 26' any easier than 30'? And is the same length Class A any more difficult or awkward than the Class C? One thing I keep thinking about is that it would be a lot easier hopping in and out of a Class C than getting in and out of a Class A very often. Is that so? Is being parked and staying inside a Class A that much more enjoyable that people prefer them to a Class C?

Thanks for you replies. Of course I will need to experience them all first hand before making a choice. But wanted you opinions to prepare me for what to notice or look and feel for.

Class C's
'05-'10 Born Free - 22-26' w/ no slide


Look this over

https://www.camperscornerrv.com/prod...class-c-24rb/#

Seems you are looking at the under $50 K budget - smaller, MAX 26' so as to be able to park- no toad?

Things we found we needed - We boondock - QUIET generator - larger shower - NO booth - space to relax in BAD WEATHER - TV in the right spot - to view from where we sit - ability to COOK - .......................

Length is length - so A or C

A just has more ROOM - Front Seats are part of the Coach/House.

A door is a door.

Nice to have the Bedroom seperate - so if you have guest and it is not cleaned up - you can close the door.

Still getting closer,

BOL,

[jim27358]

My 2 cents, rent first, I'd say for at least a month for each class then make your choice. There's one thing I will comment on being able to drive and park ANYWHERE is a pipe dream. Any vehicle that is large enough to live in full time doesn't fit that bill. To have to drive any class as your sole means of transportation is crazy. My point, you are parked at a campground need to go get some milk, you have to unhook everything, put in the awnings drive to the store then come back and reconnect. To me that would be a royal PITA.

[OLYLEN]

Although not alone I'm reaching the 70 age milestone. Not so much size but a few options make life easier.
Leveling jacks.
Two slides or more so you have a larger bedroom area and wardrobe.
Ease of ingress and egress for driving and living.
Heating and cooling for weather extremes you might find yourself in.
Towing capacity as it sounds like you will want to explore life around you once parked.
Now depending on budget for full timing A or C will work from 30-40' Gas or diesel and even up to 45' if you want the glitz and room for company(even at our age having someone to share with is nice) and a rear bath makes the night time trip EZer.
Now all that said the wife and I down sized from. 40' to 31' so we could fit in state and county parks and national forest parks. We tow a 4x4, we enjoy exploring and do some off raiding to see the sights.
Sounds like a great plan live long and have fun.

LEN

[Allaloneami]

By the way, do any of the top of the line luxury coaches make a 30 footer or less class A diesel pusher? That might be something I should look for .... used of course.

I did find a 2011 31' Thor Diesel . What do you all think of this? Front diesel? Is it a decent brand? Something this size would be the max for a simple single guy like me. I can't see needing anything bigger. But too big is better than too small, I suppose.

Here is another make that looks nice, but I know nothing of this Manufacturer: 2008 Gulf Stream Diesel Pusher

There seems to be lots of diesels in this size, many of them being the Thor ones. Is there a reason so many Thor's are on the market in this size with front diesel? I think they are an international diesel, where the Gulf Stream is a Cummings. Any difference really?

[winniman]

Most diesels will be 32 ft and up. There would be almost no difference from a 30ft to a 34ft. You start getting up around 38 or 40, you have to be more aware of the tail swing if you turn too sharp. I would agree with the renting suggestion. You might find by the time you are done investigating that the rv life is not for you. Who knows, at least you will have tried the different kinds and know which one suits you best.

[nothermark]

Well, you asked. Most folks will advocate what they drive. We are in a 28 ft C and had a 22 ft one before that. We are looking at doing an upgrade. What I advocate is what I have learned works for 1 or two people and a small dog. Probably could trade a big dog for the other person. I'm about to turn 72 and have new knees and hips so I have some limitations. Just pointing out that I have reasons to minimize hassles.

There are issues you need to work out for yourself. If what you want to do is a 1 or 2 year tour of the country you will keep moving, need to be able to park and visit places and not be taking much stuff as your hobby will be traveling. You can do that best in a B. You don't have a lot of room but you don't need it and you have all the amenities if you need them. Any decent campground will have better showers. Shopping is something you do on the way somewhere every 2 or 3 days partly because you can only carry a couple of days worth of food in the fridge. The van fits in the parking lot.

If you really want to do more than drive through and check a state off your bucket list then you want to move over to more of a move a few hundred miles every few days but be able to make some miles when you need to then you want to think seriously about something bigger with a towed. Leaving camp every day in your house is a PITA. You will want more room to spread out and more space for stuff as you will have time to do other things than travel. Look at something around 30 ft. We went with a 28 and wish we had just a bit more room. In that range you can have a decent bathroom and bedroom that are not part of your living and dining space. That makes life a lot easier. In a C you get the front bunk as an attic. Be careful what you load as weight counts.

If you are base camping then taking the house out every day for a drive is a PITA. That opens up the world of toweds and towing. We dolly tow because we are part time and don't want to drive the vehicles commonly available that will tow 4 down. Singles manage that all the time. Probably with some tricks you will learn and a little more getting out and looking. The point is you have another vehicle so the house stays put when you run out of milk or beer, parking the towed is a lot easier at attractions and shopping, it gets way better gas milage so your average fuel usage comes out better, and if one breaks you have the other while something is getting fixed or you have to run to the store for a part. You also have room for some tools if you are handy. If you are not a bit handy skip RV's and go to motels. You will be happier and the expenses will work out about the same.

FWIW Our issues are a decent closet and the bathroom stepover. So called shirt closets are often too short for anything. Figure out how long your shirt is on a hanger and take a tape measure. That will also cover most jackets. Most folks carry a couple of changes of nicer clothes even if they live in shorts and Tee's. There are some layouts where the toilet and shower floor are very high so it takes a high step down from the shower and our feet dangled when sitting on the toilet. I ended up making a platform that effectively raises the floor but blocks the cupboard.

In the 30 ft range you can go C or A. We went C over price. You lose the front cab as living area but get the front bunk as an attic. The truck cab with air bags and doors is arguable safer and easier to deal with. It's a defendable choice either way. The point is that it takes about 30 ft to get separate living, sleeping and bathroom spaces. When we are together we get some space away from each other on a rainy day. When I am alone it gives me room to be working on a hobby and still take a nap or make a meal. YMMV. What works for you is all that counts. I need some space. The guy that moves from Casino to Casino does not. You figure what you want.

If you are going into the 30 ft range you also open up the option of a table and chairs with a credenza instead of a booth dinette. I though booths were cool but have come to loath their single seating position. Chairs give one more freedom. I am also looking at pulling the J couch and putting in recliners because we are not planning on sleeping 8 people. Ever. Not it that space.

There are a couple of general guide lines. When you are looking sit everywhere you are supposed to sit, stand where ever including in the shower, lay on the bed. Make sure you fit. Check the TV location and make sure it is reasonably comfortable to use. You will want some news and mostly weather if nothing else.

A lot of folks preach rental. I don't because a couple of weeks rental = loss on a resale of a used unit. Look for something a couple of years old from a dealer. That will get you a good walk through and somebody to ask questions later. Look for something you think will satisfy your needs then go for it without cutting all your roots. Use what you get to see how you like it. If you do it even close to right you will gain enough experience in a year of exploring closer by places to become another one of us armchair experts. You will also have a much better handle on what you want and how you want to go about doing it. With luck you will be happy. With less luck you will want an upgrade but have a much better clue about what your personal needs are.

FWIW packing up into an RV and disappearing into the sunset sounds good but the practical side has a lot of ways to raise it's ugly head. You might find it makes a lot more sense to keep some roots and to some long vacations while you figure out the rest. If that works then finish the root cutting and go for it. If not recovery will be a lot easier.

[WendyG]

Like others, I'd suggest you rent first. It will give you a taste of both the driving and camping experiences. We rented a class C first, and we liked rv'ing, though not that rig. Full timing as a couple, we bought a 33 foot class A gasser as our first rv. If I were single, I might have selected a smaller unit.

If you enjoy the rental, you will have some extra experience as you shop for your own rv. If you do not enjoy the rental experience at all, you can quickly begin exploring other life options instead.

[Gordon Dewald]

IMO take a tour over to several dealers and take a look at all of the units they have in stock, new and used. Sit in them (ditch the salesman) and pretend you are having to live in there for several days because the weather is terrible.

Can you set some stuff up so you don't have to move it to do something else? Can you have some friends/neighbours in for coffee, play cards, socialize? Is the shower big enough? Is there enough counter space to cook comfortably? Can you hang all of the clothes you will need?

Pretend you are living in it. Be critical because you will be living in it!!

Now you should get a feel for what you would like, what you need and what you will tolerate. Go with what you would like.

I have not heard of too many people who were not able to fit a larger space but I have heard of lots who did not have enough and were unhappy.

Driving a larger unit takes a bit of practice but is not that difficult if you look where you are going, think about what you are doing and take care. If you have any doubts, stop, get out and take a look. Above all when you are in tight quarters go slow.

[Allaloneami]

What scares me about diesels are that there seems to be so many bad ones out there. The Ford MaxForce, sometimes called International also, ones have inherent problems. This seems typical of some of the lesser priced ones out there.

This guy bought a low mileage diesel and with only 23k miles had to put $14,000 into it which including all new fuel injectors, exhaust scrubber, new turbo and exhaust system, EGR valves, front end totally upgraded with Billstein shocks.

I don't see any savings gas wise to overcome the cost of some of these diesel repairs. Am I missing something? That scares the hell out of me. Maybe the Cummings DP are more reliable and safer investment?

[THenman]

I can tell you our 45ft coach is not bad to drive and the toad is an easy hookup with what we bought. All can be done without help. Coach is not quite as nice to drive for distance as my Audi S6 but it's not bad and better than the Wrangler we tow. Any RV is going to be a bit more work than a car since you lose the rear view mirror and have to depend on the side mirrors along with having less acceleration, deceleration, and worse cornering.

Now having said that:
Our coach could be a bit smaller inside and be fine for the two of us but when we add fence and kennels for dogs it gets a bit tight.
Storage, well I'd really like some more under the coach. Then again we are not the most organized in storing things.
Look at carrying capacity on whatever you get. You may find a low capacity is just fine or may find moving to a larger coach is required.
Also note different vehicles will drive different! Just going on class and length will not be good enough to really know what something drives like.

Best wishes and good luck finding what fits your needs.

Tom

[Charles L]

Originally Posted by Allaloneami

Below is what I seem most interested in as of now, with a few links to one of each. Comments about any would be appreciated.

Being alone, I don't feel need to shower daily as I did once (wash cloth and hot water does it most days), I don't need a queen bed (single is better for me), outside of the closet space you miss out on, I think a queen size bedroom on a slide would be wasted on me. I don't know how much the added length of the coach adds to the difficulty in driving and parking it daily to go eat and get groceries. Is there a common number in feet where it goes from easy and casual to harder and awkward to drive and park? For instance, is 26' any easier than 30'? And is the same length Class A any more difficult or awkward than the Class C? One thing I keep thinking about is that it would be a lot easier hopping in and out of a Class C than getting in and out of a Class A very often. Is that so? Is being parked and staying inside a Class A that much more enjoyable that people prefer them to a Class C?

Thanks for you replies. Of course I will need to experience them all first hand before making a choice. But wanted you opinions to prepare me for what to notice or look and feel for.

Class C's
'05-'10 Born Free - 22-26' w/ no slide
'15 Winnebago Minnie Winnie - 25' w/ no slide
'07-'08 Winnebago Aspect - 26-29' w/ 1 slide for L.R

Class A's
'05-'09 Fleetwood Bounder - 32' w/ 2 slides
'09-'11 Winnebago Vista - 26' w/ 1 or 2 slides
'01 Safari Trek - 28' w/ no slide

The 2015 may be the best deal IMO.

[Allaloneami]

Originally Posted by Charles L

The 2015 may be the best deal IMO.

There is a 2015 Winnebago Vista Class A 26' for the same price as the Minnie Winnie Class C and with similar low miles, 7,000, $59k. That seems like a lot more of a coach than the bare bones Minnie Winnie, although I could fit fine in that too.