MDKMDK wrote:
pnichols wrote:
MDKMDK wrote:
I have a 2018 Winnebago Navion 24V, purchased brand new, and we like it, at the price we paid for it. Winnebago has been making the class C on the Sprinter chassis for over a decade and they've pretty much got the bugs worked out in what works and what doesn't. True, that everyone is starting to offer the Sprinter based chassis, but not all have been doing it long enough to make it work like Winnie.
One thing to do before you look at price, and fit and finish, and other options, make sure the unit you decide on can haul all the stuff you plan on taking with you, including you and your family members. The Achilles heel of the Sprinter based class/type C motorhomes is their OCCC. Coming from a 5th wheel, you will notice the difference. I think the ones with the full wall slides, and any that come with electric/hydraulic levelling systems are the most "OCCC challenged" makes/models.
If the OP hadn't specified the Sprinter chassis, of course the Coach House models built on the Ford E450 chassis solve the OCCC problem. What you get is a superbly built leak-proof-for-life motorhome that you can load up, weight-wise, with no concerns.
I guess the downside for the OP would be a Class B instead of a Class C ... and one has to be able to figure out how to pay for it.
What you really get with an E350/E450 chassis unit is a gas guzzling, high revs for HP and torque, very loud V10 engine, 3 feet away from you, under a usually poorly insulated doghouse, that may be more af(Ford)able than the Mercedes chassis models. I know whereof I speak, because I drank the Ford V10 koolaid 3 years ago, and bought one. Then I actually took it on the road. Traded it in when we got back from the maiden voyage. Bought the Navion and haven't looked back.
"leak-proof-for-life"? Uh huh, sure.
So, here we are again, the Ford lovers invade a Mercedes thread, and we're descending into the bottomless pit of the Ford versus Mercedes death match. It never ends, I guess. :R
Huuuuuhhhh??
From my viewpoint, Mercedes needs to offer a 4500 Sprinter dually chassis to solve the problem of Class C weight limitations. Even if one doesn't need more weight carrying capacity, they might desire the additional margin a 4500 Sprinter chassis would provide in such areas as braking power and longevity, frame strength, drive system components' ruggedness, less rocking when walking inside the coach at campsites, etc., etc..
For what it's worth to some, an E450 under a small to moderate size Class C provides the above.
Maybe Ford has cheapened their E-Series chassis? Anyway, our several years old 24 foot E450 based MH is not "loud in the cab" when loafing along the highway 2200 RPM, gets ~10 MPG on cheap regular gas, doesn't have a hot cab area in the summer, feeds the built-in coach generator from the same tank it's V10 is using, pulls our boat everywhere as if it wasn't there, can heat or cool the entire coach from it's cab systems on the road or when parked, and best of all ... can be repaired and/or maintained all over the U.S. for a reasonable amount of money without the repair mechanic having to wait on parts delivery.
I guess part of the issue may hinge on how stress-free and simple does one want their RV life to be.
