Thinking of a Class C

[Greytraveler]

Checking a couple of class A and looking at the motor placement it appears I might be a chore to do any maintenance. Also wondered about the height. We get some very strong winds at times and especially when crossing Nevada. Yet I have seen some older class A like the Rexhall which seem to have a lower profile. Although I have looked at so many I am getting confused.

[tomwalt]

A's and C's both have engine access limitations.
Most have small access hoods (6/ X 2') outside and large removable cowls inside (dog house). There is more clearance to get under the A's without jacking them up.
So, Class C = Van chassis with a box on top, A = utility truck chassis with box on top.
P.S. I let the Garage do the hard stuff - in my area the garage usually charges an extra $10/hour to work on Class A or C due to these access and size/weight issues. I can do all my annual maintenance myself (I'm 60), but tire rotation and hard to access maintenance I just let them do.

[taigarazz]

We have a 2005 Aspect 26 that we bought used. Has been good for us and our 3 dogs, but would caution you about the corner bed. Not the easiest thing at age 56. Pretty sure that a smaller Class A is in our future. Or at least a C/ B+ with a walk around bed.

[puttin]

Just an FYI, In both my Class A and C I never had the dog house cover off. Most serviceable items are at the front. Even when I had them smogged, the guy never took the engine covers off. Choose the best floorplan first, then go by brand. I would spend a little more and get the newest unit you can afford. If I were you, I would then consider either Winnebago or Fleetwood models in either "A" or "C" configurations. Winnebago has some of the best customer support in the industry- no matter what year your rig is.

[Davinger]

When looking at an RV you will find that the designers for the most part lack imagination. You will more than likely find your exact floorplan on nearly every brand of RV out there. This begs the question which one is best for you? The answer really isn’t that hard. There are different levels of quality for each manufacturer. The price really isn’t that much of a factor since some have a great deal more markup than others do.

If quality is your issue then you should look at the warranty of the coach. Remember that a motor home will have 3 different warranties and 3 different places of service. You have your chassis warranty in a new Class C this will in most cases be Ford or Mercedes. When you have a problem with the chassis you have to take it to a Ford dealer that can fit it into a bay. If you have a generator problem you will have to take it to the generator manufacturer and that will likely be Onan Cummins. Finally there is the house portion of the warranty you take it to the RV dealership for service that is where you want to look. You are looking for length of factory warranty and most importantly what isn’t covered.

Generally speaking if it isn’t covered they have problems with that issue. I highly recommend you purchase the 7 year extended warranty with the coach so you don’t have to worry about most problems. Remember that they will generally take a great deal off the price of the coach before you start negotiations. There are a few advantages to getting new over used but you will have to weigh them for yourself. The main advantage is that you are the first owner and you retain lemon law rights. If you buy a used coach even if it only has 20 miles on it you can’t lemon law it. There are other laws that protect you but they generally don’t pay as well. (Lemon law only applies to problems with the chassis. Problems with the house part or generator aren’t covered by lemon law in most states.)

Another factor is what upgrades do you want to add to your coach and can you get the dealership to throw them in. The main 2 upgrades I recommend for any RV are Max Air vent covers which means if you leave your vent open and it rains you won’t find huge puddles in your coach and slide out awnings. These prevent sticks from falling into the space between your slide out and the very expensive gasket that surrounds it. They also act as a small heat deflector. There are tons of other upgrades available and the prices to match them. A coach surge protector is also a sound investment.

In short look at all of the brands that offer your floorplan and decide which one you like best and may the best coach win.

[Greytraveler]

Just back from a ten day road trip. Stayed in several campgrounds and on the last day saw a ton of class A rigs. Some were really impressive in design and size. One person I talked to said he had just spent over five thousand on tires. An Aspect was parked next to us and the owner said she loved it, nice looking rig too. Would be at the top of my list when the time comes.

But, bottom line, we (the wife) has decided we are keeping our fifth wheel. Her big concern was traveling with two medium sized dogs. As it turned out, it was not a problem having them ride on a platform behind the first row of seats (crew cab truck). The just curled up and napped or looked out the window.

Appreciate all the feedback on MH's and will keep what was said in mind because someday we may migrate to a MH. One never knows.

[wildtoad]

We have a 2000 31ft Class A, no slides. It is a good size for us for how we use it. I have had other Class A's ('94 33ft Airstream Land Yacht MH, and a '88 Winnebago Super Chief), and a 1999 Winnebago Rialta. All had good points and bad. We looked at a couple of C's but felt cramped while driving, so check that out.

But where I'm going with this is regardless of what class or floor plan you like, there are a couple of things to consider. Tank sizes and external storage capacities. Many Class C's (and my A) have smallish holding tanks resulting in frequent trips to the dump site if you don't have full hookups.

What types of things (tools, toy's, etc) will you want to take with you. Many units I've looked at have inadequate external storage. They may have several bays, but the bays may be odd sized (as in nothing fits in them). So just keep these in mind.