Liesure Way vs Rialta class B

If I am not mistaken, the Rialta is on a Volkswagen chassis. I would not consider one because you will have a very difficult if not impossible time finding anyone to work on it. Volkswagen dealers almost without exception will not because they don't have a lift to raise it. Independent dealers have the same problem. And due to age and very few in the States to begin with, parts availability can be problematic.

The Rialta is a nice looking unit, but as stated above, parts and service would be a reason I would not buy one. Would definitely go with the Leisure Way

I had a 1998 Rialta and had trouble getting it worked on by a VW dealer but did find a local foreign car service center who would. Bathroom is the pits especially the shower. At the time finding tires was a pain may be different now.

But to pick a nit, it is NOT a class B it is a C class motorhome.

We rented a Rialta for a week in California. We loved it. The bathroom was great. We're little people so maybe that made it easier. Would love to have one here in Mexico

Viajera1 wrote:
I'm new and shopping.. I am looking at 65-90k mileage, 22k$ range. Why would you pick one over the other. The ones I am looking at are late 90s. I won't need the extra chairs.. but will use the space. I'm trying to stay under 26k$.. will be traveling in Mex/Central America as well as USA.
Viajera1

In that price range, you could get a much newer coach, if you look at B+'s and small C's.

A good choice might be a 2004 BT Cruiser 5210. Built on a Ford Chassis with a V10, 21 feet in length, full-size fridge and bath, with dual rear tires. Several of these in the 20k to 22k price range with 50k miles.

Other similar B+'s in this range include Trail-lite, Phoenix Cruiser, Concord, and Yellowstone Cruiser.

These are just slightly larger than a B on the outside, but have a lot more room inside.

Bill

Another suggestion would be buying a Majestic 19G from the CruiseAmerica rental fleet over in Phoenix. They refurbish them there, so you can go over and see how they do it. The rigs will have 100K+ miles on them, though. There is a LONG thread on ex-rentals in the Class C forum here. The owners are very satisfied. The negative comments come from people who haven't owned one.

Here is the thread link

I am sure you can find a youtube video on the 19G to see if it is something you'd want to go look at.

Before buying any BT Cruiser make sure you do some research on build quality.

Moisheh

moisheh wrote:
Before buying any BT Cruiser make sure you do some research on build quality.

Moisheh

The 2004 BT Cruiser 5210 I had was extremely well built, had solid wood cabinets, fiberglass nose and rear, even an oven. I put lots of miles on it, backroads and highways, and it was a pleasure to drive and never let me down.

If I hadn't found such a great deal on a Coachhouse Platinum 232XL, I would still be happily driving the BT Cruiser.

That said, the one I had was the 21 foot, no slide model. Not sure about the quality of the larger ones.

Bill

Oh, gracias! So much to learn... I'm so new, I couldn't find my post for a long while. You have given me much to think about and yes, I will check out Phoenix and CrAm. Feliz Navidad!