RV for my Folks

[Everyone]

Greetings all. Folks are (finally) retired and want to purchase a Class C RV. I'm well versed in the automotive field, but not so much in RVs. Could use a few pointers to help me getting a footing here so I can help my folks make a good decision.

Few things they have on their checklist:

• Max Length of 26'
• No older than 5 years
• Max mileage of 40k if used
• Slides acceptable, but not desired
• Gas or Diesel (more on this)
• Over-the-cab sleeping quarters
• No dinette; they want a sofa area instead

Budget is pretty open ended. This will be a buy once, cry once purchase. They don't want to cheap out on anything here. But if they can save a bunch by going used (which seems like used is going to be a better option) they'd go for it. They have a few trips to planned for around the country, but it will mostly be for a trip here and there for an overnighter. They extended the option out to my family to take and that will include cross country trips around the U.S., Manitoba, AK, Nova Scotia, etc.

Ma has taken a liking to the Dynamax series it seems. Any input on them?

Dad and I keep going back and forth on the Gas vs Diesel debate. I'm not sure if its as heated as it is for pickups, but for this application I'm almost thinking diesel would be the better option. I'd expect a V10 to get something in the 5mpg range. We don't mind the typical maintenance stuff, but I get worried about problems with injectors, turbos, and emission crap.

That's all I can think of for now. But if you could point me in a direction that'd be great. Any major things to avoid or models to look at more seriously.

Thanks for the help.

[Tip10]

Towards the lower end of price range there are a couple of models you don’t see much of anything about on here.
Coachmen Orion T21TB or if the are short (like under 5-10 or so) and are willing to lose the overcab bunk maybe an Orion T24RB. Both on a Ford Transit V6 chassis that easily has enough power and pretty decent (actually excellent for RV) gas mileage @ 12-14 or so.
Hard to find and quality can be spotty though — looked at a couple new ones that were pretty much junk (fit and finish very sloppy) Ended up finding a new one (T24RB) that seems well put together (fit and finish) and everything works like it’s supposed to. Floor plan works very well for us (retired couple) Not sure we’d have been willing to order one if it came to that though.
Might work well for a trip here and there and an overnighter....

[Everyone]

Originally Posted by Tip10

Towards the lower end of price range there are a couple of models you don’t see much of anything about on here.
Coachmen Orion T21TB or if the are short (like under 5-10 or so) and are willing to lose the overcab bunk maybe an Orion T24RB. Both on a Ford Transit V6 chassis that easily has enough power and pretty decent (actually excellent for RV) gas mileage @ 12-14 or so.
Hard to find and quality can be spotty though — looked at a couple new ones that were pretty much junk (fit and finish very sloppy) Ended up finding a new one (T24RB) that seems well put together (fit and finish) and everything works like it’s supposed to. Floor plan works very well for us (retired couple) Not sure we’d have been willing to order one if it came to that though.
Might work well for a trip here and there and an overnighter....

You bring up some other points that I had missed.

Dad is 6'3". So he needs the head space. Also the overcab bunk is a must. Won't get one without. They need sleeping quarters for them and for my kiddo when they take him out.

Speaking of beds, they are looking for a queen bed. I think the size is 80x60.

[Winterbagoal]

If you do go diesel, as in something on a MB Sprinter or Ford Transit chassis, beware, they tend to be OCCC challenged.

They do, however, get upwards of 14mpg when not towing, and our Navion gets just shy of 13mpg towing our 4 door Wrangler, if fuel economy matters at all.

Just sayin'.

[Everyone]

Originally Posted by Winterbagoal

If you do go diesel, as in something on a MB Sprinter or Ford Transit chassis, beware, they tend to be OCCC challenged.

They do, however, get upwards of 14mpg when not towing, and our Navion gets just shy of 13mpg towing our 4 door Wrangler, if fuel economy matters at all.

Just sayin'.

I think this is going to be a jump up from a Sprinter chassis. I'm guessing its something on the F350/F450 chassis?

As for the diesel, I really can't work on it but then again how common is it to get issues? That's why they/we keep going back and forth on it.

And you lost me on OCCC.

[Solo_RV_Guy]

CCC- cargo carrying capacity. This is the allowed additional weight after 2 passengers, a full tank of fuel, full fresh water, empty waste tanks, full propane tank. CCC is how much "stuff" you can carry in the unit; if they are towing a car behind the unit, subtract the tongue weight from the CCC.


New or used? Eh... New is not "new" in the sense of buying a new car, where you're most likely to have a trouble free auto (at least for a while). RVs are not built like cars, are not warrantied like cars, and are not repaired like cars. Buying a brand new RV often means it spend days or weeks at the selling dealer waiting for repairs to things that should have been fixed at the factory before it was shipped to the dealer.


The chassis systems - the stuff built by Ford, GM or Mercedes - is typically NOT the source of repairs & problems, although they can and do require maintenance and occasional repairs. For the most part the stripped, cutaway chassis supplied to the RV manufacturer is the most trouble-free part of the unit.


A pre-loved RV from a family trading up, down, or retiring from the RV lifestyle is your best bet. Don't let mileage be the sole criteria as it's the "house" and its subsystems that "age" the most. Cruise America starts to spin off their inventory at around 80,000 miles (mine had almost 100K on it when they sold it to the buyer before me) and so far I've put about 10,000 on it, replacing tires and doing a front brake job. I replaced the 15 year old rooftop air conditioner blower motor ($140) this year. The E350/450 chassis are proven, as is the F53 used in the Class A gas coaches. The V10 and Triton 8 cylinder engines will run a long, long time (200K is common).


Find a floor plan your folks like. Find an interior that is pleasant (good luck) and has sufficient storage capacity for the stuff they'll take with them (hence the up thread comment about the Mercedes chassis being close to the limit as shipped, before personal stuff is loaded).


When you narrow the search down to 3 or 4 units, post here and ask for feedback. Remember that more folks with problems will post than those with satisfactory experiences.


Good luck and safe travels to your folks!

[Everyone]

Originally Posted by Solo_RV_Guy

CCC- cargo carrying capacity. This is the allowed additional weight after 2 passengers, a full tank of fuel, full fresh water, empty waste tanks, full propane tank. CCC is how much "stuff" you can carry in the unit; if they are towing a car behind the unit, subtract the tongue weight from the CCC.


New or used? Eh... New is not "new" in the sense of buying a new car, where you're most likely to have a trouble free auto (at least for a while). RVs are not built like cars, are not warrantied like cars, and are not repaired like cars. Buying a brand new RV often means it spend days or weeks at the selling dealer waiting for repairs to things that should have been fixed at the factory before it was shipped to the dealer.


The chassis systems - the stuff built by Ford, GM or Mercedes - is typically NOT the source of repairs & problems, although they can and do require maintenance and occasional repairs. For the most part the stripped, cutaway chassis supplied to the RV manufacturer is the most trouble-free part of the unit.


A pre-loved RV from a family trading up, down, or retiring from the RV lifestyle is your best bet. Don't let mileage be the sole criteria as it's the "house" and its subsystems that "age" the most. Cruise America starts to spin off their inventory at around 80,000 miles (mine had almost 100K on it when they sold it to the buyer before me) and so far I've put about 10,000 on it, replacing tires and doing a front brake job. I replaced the 15 year old rooftop air conditioner blower motor ($140) this year. The E350/450 chassis are proven, as is the F53 used in the Class A gas coaches. The V10 and Triton 8 cylinder engines will run a long, long time (200K is common).


Find a floor plan your folks like. Find an interior that is pleasant (good luck) and has sufficient storage capacity for the stuff they'll take with them (hence the up thread comment about the Mercedes chassis being close to the limit as shipped, before personal stuff is loaded).


When you narrow the search down to 3 or 4 units, post here and ask for feedback. Remember that more folks with problems will post than those with satisfactory experiences.


Good luck and safe travels to your folks!

Good stuff.

So weird that there seems to be a lot of "fixing" that needs to be done during a PDI.

The storage space makes sense. I don't think they'll be towing, but it would be a decent option to have.

Won't do an ex-rental. I was a mechanic for rental vehicles at one point and forget that. "drive it like a rental" means just that. Not knocking your rig, but its what I've had experience with.

I'll certainly ask for feed back.

Ma seems to be fond of the Dynamax if anyone has any dealings with them.

Thanks again.

[Solo_RV_Guy]

Originally Posted by Everyone

Good stuff.

So weird that there seems to be a lot of "fixing" that needs to be done during a PDI.

The storage space makes sense. I don't think they'll be towing, but it would be a decent option to have.

Won't do an ex-rental. I was a mechanic for rental vehicles at one point and forget that. "drive it like a rental" means just that. Not knocking your rig, but its what I've had experience with.

I'll certainly ask for feed back.

Ma seems to be fond of the Dynamax if anyone has any dealings with them.

Thanks again.

The RV rental business is different from the car rental biz as most of the renter-created problems are due to the size & weight of the unit or lack of familiarity with "house" systems. The RV rental companies don't want to pay for expensive, off-site service and they keep up their units better than many other types of rental companies take care of their stuff. Also my pointer to the C.A. units (mine in particular) was meant to illustrate that mileage is not a primary factor in determining if a specific, used RV is a good value or not.


The Chassis is not the floor plan, but one LIVES in the floor plan and the 'liveability' is a primary factor causing owners to replace a unit with another. Dynamax or E450 is not a big deal, what sits on top of them is...

[NRR]

Things to look for I have found value in while having in a class C ….


Walk into shower. Some showers you have to step up to get into them.


Corner shower, some are bigger than others. Big ones are real roomy inside.


Counter space by the kitchen sink for food prep.


Large outside rear storage. They can be up to 100cu ft.


No window over the headboard of the bed.


Livable with slide(s) in.


A north south bed that is offset to one side. That gives you room to walk & dress on one side.


60x80 real queen bed. Uses standard bed sheets and such.


Ford E450 or Chevy 4500 chassis. As a Ford guy, I have found the Chevy better. Hate to admit that.

[Everyone]

Originally Posted by Solo_RV_Guy

The RV rental business is different from the car rental biz as most of the renter-created problems are due to the size & weight of the unit or lack of familiarity with "house" systems. The RV rental companies don't want to pay for expensive, off-site service and they keep up their units better than many other types of rental companies take care of their stuff. Also my pointer to the C.A. units (mine in particular) was meant to illustrate that mileage is not a primary factor in determining if a specific, used RV is a good value or not.


The Chassis is not the floor plan, but one LIVES in the floor plan and the 'liveability' is a primary factor causing owners to replace a unit with another. Dynamax or E450 is not a big deal, what sits on top of them is...

Never thought of the RV rental business that way. Good point. I'll send that info over to my folks, but I doubt they'd get on board with it.

I also get you on the mileage. Its all I've ever dealt with so its my main focal point. And its because of that I'm checking out the mechanics of the RV, not the living quarters.

Good info. I appreciate the help.

[Everyone]

Originally Posted by NRR

Things to look for I have found value in while having in a class C ….


Walk into shower. Some showers you have to step up to get into them.


Corner shower, some are bigger than others. Big ones are real roomy inside.


Counter space by the kitchen sink for food prep.


Large outside rear storage. They can be up to 100cu ft.


No window over the headboard of the bed.


Livable with slide(s) in.


A north south bed that is offset to one side. That gives you room to walk & dress on one side.


60x80 real queen bed. Uses standard bed sheets and such.


Ford E450 or Chevy 4500 chassis. As a Ford guy, I have found the Chevy better. Hate to admit that.

Yea, they want a 60x80 bed. I'm looking at the Dynamax and it seems the top tier models are the ones that have that size bed.

They don't want a dinner table. A fold out table or something, fine. But a permanent table is not something they are looking for.

Iunno, I'm just getting feedback from them.

[bamaboy473]

I get that a kid likes doing things for his folks if his field of expertise seems to offer something of value to the process.

That said, buying an RV is like buying a home; it's pretty personal, and those that make the decision often use reasons and a logic that isn't known or understood by those that thought they knew them well

Ask your folks to make up a list of Needs/Wants, then post here themselves. There is no doubt that the first one will be an education, and because they're in it all the time, they'll get to know what they really like and don't like....so my suggestion is to buy one that's a bargain and plan to keep it a year, then sell and buy one that has what they really want/need.

[Everyone]

Originally Posted by bamaboy473

I get that a kid likes doing things for his folks if his field of expertise seems to offer something of value to the process.

That said, buying an RV is like buying a home; it's pretty personal, and those that make the decision often use reasons and a logic that isn't known or understood by those that thought they knew them well

Ask your folks to make up a list of Needs/Wants, then post here themselves. There is no doubt that the first one will be an education, and because they're in it all the time, they'll get to know what they really like and don't like....so my suggestion is to buy one that's a bargain and plan to keep it a year, then sell and buy one that has what they really want/need.

Heh, that bullet list I made in the first post was from a text they had sent me. So that was my starting point. I wasn't sure if there was a brand or model that was something to avoid. You know, like before someone were to look for a used diesel truck and they go to check out a Ford 6.0. That sort of thing.

The whole thing about buying new is they need fixing was a new one. Never would have guessed.

Learned a bit so far though.

[NRR]

Just an fyi…. Generally when towing a car. The Ford V10 & Chevy 6.0 get around 7 to 9 mpg. Some folks say higher. Both on my class Cs have been in the 28’ range and produced gas mileage in that range.

One other thing is if they like the RV life style. The first RV will not be their last one. Most of us get a second or fifth one before we really like what we have.