Advice on purchasing a used class B

lucytravel12 wrote:
We're looking at the ERA, but have also looked at the Chinook, or another B+. Anyone have opinions on the pros and cons of those styles?

We just got our 2006 Chinook Concourse. It's the first we've ever owned of any class or type, so we don't have much to compare it to. Also, we've had it out just once because the Texas flooding precluded its use this weekend.

I don't know which features were standard but...

1) It has a small safe for valuables. Really!
2) Built in central vac...wow! Actually with such tight aisles, that's a very nice feature to have.
3) Build quality is really good IMO.
4) Has wet bath, fan, in back, behind closed door. Feels a lot like an airplane restroom but at least it's a fiberglass enclosure. And there's a sink and medicine cabinet in there.
5) Bed...eh, not optimal placement.
A) First night we slept on the futon-like couch together...it was ok but small. This couch is manual, not power, by the way.
B) Second night wife slept on the dinette side and I took the couch. Dinette side is hard, she said, and it's shorter.
C) Solution we'll combine the two, sleep sideways with legs on dinette side. We plan to leave dinette that way, not set up/take down constantly. But one of us will have to climb over the other to get to the toilet.

Seems to have adequate storage. V10 averaged a little better than 10 mpg. Has nice snap in curtains for privacy.

Overall I think it will be great for weekends. I don't think I'd want to live in it for six months at a time or anything, though.

Cons? Not easy getting from the front seats to the back, especially from the passenger side. Also, front seats don't swivel to face rear.

Pro/Con? I'm not sure...other entry is at back bumper. If you like to back in, maybe you'd block that exit. Also, it's a dually. I read somewhere that it gives a firmer grip on the road but then, you're replacing more tires and I imagine it increases rolling resistance, drops mpg.

We looked at a few Roadtreks and the Chinook feels bigger.

When we were still shopping I liked some of the Sprinter type units, thought the layouts were nice. The wife said she wouldn't drive one (though she will drive the Chinook), that they feel too top heavy and would be unstable in the wind.