Since the fiasco of the meth cookers burning our 5th wheel to the ground, we are looking at Class C RV's to buy.

We have found one and would like any input on pros/cons of owning them.

Thanks.

A good friend of mine went from a class C back to a 5th wheel in one season.

He wasn't a fan of the set up time for the class C, or flat towing a small car, he preferred setting up the trailer, and having the truck ready for town trips.

He loved the ride of the class C, but his usage didn't do as much driving (usually staying within a 3 State radius) to justify the size.

Having owned RV's since 1971 and within the last 12 years a Fifth Wheel and two Class C's, the Class C's were a piece of shit. These were all new RV's. Shoddy workmanship, and they leak and rot themselves to death. The Fifth Wheel was great. No problems with it as were the Travel Trailers before that.

If you must get a "C", get a high end one. Look at how the front cap meets the side body panels. You want one that has a complete one piece cap where the cap meets the sides behind the cab, not one where the sides are part of the cap. If you don't understand what I was trying to describe, look at how a JAYCO cap is attached vs. some others. Just keep in mind, they all, no matter the manufacturer, leak somewhere.

We rented one once that was personally owned by a local couple. It was a larger Jayco Redhawk. It had a Triton V-10 and about 5,000 miles on it. We camped at St. Andrews State Park and drove through Panama City Beach to get there.

Once was enough for us to come to the following conclusions:
1. You are going to wind up towing something. While driving through Panama City Beach, I noted the lack of parking spaces that would accommodate the motorhome. There was no way we’d be driving it to a restaurant.

2. Somewhat related to #1 was you had to break camp to go anywhere. The beach a mile away from the campground and the kids where young. We walked to the beach, but on the way one I wound up with one on my back. We figured we’d drive over, which was great because we could have lunch or take a little break without walking back and forth. But it did require breaking camp when we left and resetting everything up when we got back. Our spot wasn’t level, so we had the giant LEGO like blocks we drove onto to get it level.

3. It was an 8 hour drive to get there and 8 hours back. It handled awfully and was under powered. Florida is not known for its hills, but that thing struggled to hold 70 on overpasses. It wandered all over. My nerves where shot by the time we got there. Same on the return. It took me a day to recover after each drive. What’s funny is I see other Class Cs doing the same thing as I pass them while towing my fifth wheel.

We bought a truck and travel trailer and a few years later traded the travel trailer in on a 5th wheel. For us, family of five and the dog, it works well. Getting a Class C that could tow something that fits five and the dog would have required a lot more money.

We traded a luxury (DRV Elite Suite) 5th wheel and MDT (International) for a Class C. We had to get a tow dolly to pull our car.

The Class C was on a Ford 450 van chassis with the V10. The Class C was loaded with options. Onan generator, King Dome auto satellite dish, auto self leveling jack's.

I hated it compared to the 5th Wheel. We sold it and gave up the RV lifestyle. After the 5th wheel, using the Class C was like moving from a house to a small apartment. No comparison between the two. Lack of storage and comfort were my two biggest issues.

There will only be two of us and no dogs.

We are downsizing and that means house and vehicles. I will no longer need an F250 for the farm and I'd like to get away from it.

Quality is a big concern of any RV. Walking around them you can see the lack of pride in workmanship. Ill fitted panels, missing trim, etc. A friend of ours used to work for Thor and said he'd inspect any for us.

Thanks for the info.

We had a 23' B+ for a few years, after decades in 14 to 24' travel trailers.
Very much like a Clsss C.

Pros: handled like a pick up, could park in regular spaces. Chev 360 V8, decent mpg.

Cons : it really needed a slide out for better bed space. Unexpectedly
revealed major differences in camp set up we'd developed over time.

No leaks, mostly adequate design & fabrication. A bit odd adapting to driving
It everywhere without a towed.

Sold it after a few years for nearly our purchase cost.

After 40,+ years on the motor camping trail, it was our last rig, as over crowded camp sites &
year ahead reservations no longer fit our needs.

We drove a Class B. Didn't care for the size. We rented a Thor 28Z and liked the size.

From what we get from insurance for the trailer and selling the truck, we think we can get into a Class C with a towable car and break even.

Ulsterman, here is something else to consider about Class C's.

The fixed rear corner berth, which is part of the floor plans in many smaller Class ‘C’ motorhomes, is an abomination. I could describe it in more simpler terms but I would be banned from the forum for the use of so many strung together expletive adjectives fitting such a wonder of floor planning and forethought.

First off, it’s neither a Queen nor a Double. It takes Double Long sheets, that is if you are fool enough to try to use fitted sheets on the monster, and even at that with the corner chopped off, it’s a real disaster. Waking up in the middle of the night with the bottom fitted sheet wrapped up around the back of your neck is not conducive to a pleasant morning. You’re probable still suffering from the many contortions, aching muscles, and ripped fingernails you had to endure to put the sheets on the night before. I’ve even thought of standing on a step ladder and going through the emergency exit from the outside as a plausible idea for reaching the top of the mattress, something you can’t do while kneeling on it and trying to secure the sheet.

Moving right along, you have to get in and out of the thing without adding to your injuries or expelling the person next to you on to the floor during that inevitable trip to the bathroom in the middle of the night. Drawing straws to see who gets the inside and outside wall is another fine but not elaborated feature of this monstrosity. The inside wall winner gets trampled during the nighttime run and the outside wall winner gets to be crammed up against the outside wall, not a problem until the cold weather sets in. Both winners get to scoot in and out on the back of their head, butt, and ankles using their arms like a set of oars, something that once mastered will make getting settled a little more palatable.

Next up, storage. Don’t even think about putting anything you ever want to see or use again in the rear overhead compartments. It takes a different kind of maneuver to retrieve the item. Unless you want to get the sheets and blankets full of whatever your shoes drug in from the surrounding campground, you’ll need to remove them. Then you either crawl in on your hands and knees or use a long broom handle with a hook on the end to fetch the item. If you choose to go in on your hands and knees, you still have to get back out, only with one less hand to help you. If you put an item requiring both hands to retrieve, then you’ll need to roll over on your back and toss it out. Now since you are on your back, refer to the entry exit method described earlier.

Finally, we get to the mattress itself. It’s the best mattress $39.95 can buy. A Sleep Number replacement is out of the question if you ever want to open the bathroom door. A custom is an option, but an expensive one, so you decide to make the mistake of all mistakes with this corner bunk. You buy a 3” or 4” foam mattress topper and cut off the corner to make it fit. If you think making up the bed was difficult enough, you have just made the leap into impossible. Now you sink in and are captured like being in thick mud, able to barely move or crawl forward. It’s even more fun to get in and out of as not only do you use the back of your head, butt, and ankles, but now you’ll need to thrash up and down like you were being electrocuted to move in any direction.

Well, there you have it. Everything you wanted to know and then some about the corner berth.

This was a personal experience. I traded that 22'C' for a 29 'C' with two slides. Still too cramped after being spoiled by a fifth wheel. Give some thought to a class 'A'.

Thanks for the input. We were looking at RV's and wondered into a $500K Class A. Stunning.

$500k? In the RV business, that's just about 1/3rd of the way to "nice"

quote:

Originally posted by Johnny 3eagles:
$500k? In the RV business, that's just about 1/3rd of the way to "nice"

If used at $500,000 your in the "nice" area.

Start here: https://www.monacocoach.com/build-your-own

Then go here: https://www.prevostcar.com/motorhome/h3-45-vip

And, in all seriousness, check Tiffin Motorhomes, RedBay Alabama.

Nice but more than what we are looking for.

JAYCO makes a beautiful Class C on a Medium Duty TRUCK chassis.

Also check Forest River for both Class A and C.

I was in a very nice 25' MB diesel model based on their commercial vans. Rear bed had a rear-extending slide out, which gave amazing huge space advantage. Quick check up bath & kitchen rated high marks. Under 15000 miles on it, looked really unused.

It would have been a 'go-back' to see more, but the quoated price for this 2012 model was over $90k.

I bought my first RV 2 years ago, a Class C 2019 Wayfarer TW (Tiffin). It is diesel on MB Sprinter chassis.
I find it easy to drive, comfortable and plenty of room since I travel solo. I find no need to tow a car but I do carry E-bike on rear rack.
Tiffin has absolutely the best customer service there is and I hope it stays that way as they are a family business but sold to Thor a few months ago.
Mine as two single beds in rear so easy to get out of bed and to use rear cabinets.
I get 15-16 mpg and it has 3 TV's including one outside. I really enjoy trips seeing the USA.

I know you are thinking "C", but you might consider a "B+" Airstream.
Atlas or one of their others: https://www.airstream.com/touring-coaches/atlas/

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We have a 2019 Tiffin Allegro Bus and love it!

It has a smooth ride, has plenty of power and storage and serves our needs well.