Class A rental Tampabay area
Anyone have any recommendations on renting a Class A motorhome in the Tampa/Sarasota area of Florida? I have found several in the area but wanted to know if anyone had any experience with rental from...
Forum Discussion
Hi,
Here's my $0.02.
You already rented a Class C so you know (or should know) the advantages of a motorhome for travelling. In my opinion, it is THE BEST way to travel. The Class A will be similar in those regards, just more room in the cab area with a MUCH larger view ahead, and (most likely) more counter space, more storage, larger holding tanks, larger refer, etc.
The actual camping experiences will be the same, although the class A's are usually easier to get setup because they will typically have hydraulic levelers (not sure the rentals will have those).
The real big difference is the driving experience between the C and the A. So, I'd just start showing up at various dealers and ask to take some models out for a test drive. Depending upon age and chassis, you may notice a marked difference between various Class A's. I'm assuming you're interested in gassers only. The general "rule of caution" around here is not to take a diesel pusher out for a test drive unless you really want it, as they usually are a better driving experience than the gassers.
In my opinion, driving a rig another 10' longer than the C's you rented isn't really a big adjustment except when backing and maneuvering. But again, if you're used to moving your 29' trailer with truck, the motorhome will be a piece of cake. Most will have a back-up camera to assist you.
Anyway, with most Class A's, the biggest driving adjustment is to drive closer to the centerline of the road than you're used to in your car. You can usually tell novice class A drivers as their passenger side wheels are riding on the shoulder-marker line in the road.
Four nights at $500/night is a good down payment, or a lot of gasoline, you can use on your camping expeditions.
We bought our class A after doing some extensive research (2+ years, most of it right here on the Open Roads Forums) . It was our first RV of any type. I test drove a few first. I had never camped in anything else before our purchase except for a couple of nights in a tent 2 decades earlier. Several people here suggested to rent first, but I just thought it was a huge waste of $$$ that could go toward the down payment. We're thrilled with our purchase and very glad we didn't "waste" the money renting. We still have the same rig.
I know others have their successful rental stories, but in your case, after already renting the class C, I'd think carefully about throwing more money into a rental.
Good Luck,
~Rick
Here's my $0.02.
You already rented a Class C so you know (or should know) the advantages of a motorhome for travelling. In my opinion, it is THE BEST way to travel. The Class A will be similar in those regards, just more room in the cab area with a MUCH larger view ahead, and (most likely) more counter space, more storage, larger holding tanks, larger refer, etc.
The actual camping experiences will be the same, although the class A's are usually easier to get setup because they will typically have hydraulic levelers (not sure the rentals will have those).
The real big difference is the driving experience between the C and the A. So, I'd just start showing up at various dealers and ask to take some models out for a test drive. Depending upon age and chassis, you may notice a marked difference between various Class A's. I'm assuming you're interested in gassers only. The general "rule of caution" around here is not to take a diesel pusher out for a test drive unless you really want it, as they usually are a better driving experience than the gassers.
In my opinion, driving a rig another 10' longer than the C's you rented isn't really a big adjustment except when backing and maneuvering. But again, if you're used to moving your 29' trailer with truck, the motorhome will be a piece of cake. Most will have a back-up camera to assist you.
Anyway, with most Class A's, the biggest driving adjustment is to drive closer to the centerline of the road than you're used to in your car. You can usually tell novice class A drivers as their passenger side wheels are riding on the shoulder-marker line in the road.
Four nights at $500/night is a good down payment, or a lot of gasoline, you can use on your camping expeditions.
We bought our class A after doing some extensive research (2+ years, most of it right here on the Open Roads Forums) . It was our first RV of any type. I test drove a few first. I had never camped in anything else before our purchase except for a couple of nights in a tent 2 decades earlier. Several people here suggested to rent first, but I just thought it was a huge waste of $$$ that could go toward the down payment. We're thrilled with our purchase and very glad we didn't "waste" the money renting. We still have the same rig.
I know others have their successful rental stories, but in your case, after already renting the class C, I'd think carefully about throwing more money into a rental.
Good Luck,
~Rick
