Costs of things

pnichols wrote:

Gjac wrote:

ron.dittmer wrote:

jjrbus wrote:

ron.dittmer wrote:

jjrbus wrote:

docsouce wrote:
...this years average was 8.0 mpg as usual...Oh,we have a smaller class C. Thor Freedom Elite 22e E350 Triton V10 and there are just 2 of us.

I have been looking at newer small Class B+ with the V10. But 8 mpg, ouch!

We own a 2007 E350-V10 Phoenix Cruiser 2350 SEEN HERE. When not towing our Jeep Liberty, our "truely accurate" trip average is 10.5 mpg. That is significantly better than 8 mpg.

Aerodynamics and cruising-speed seem to be most influential. The difference in fuel economy between Phoenix Cruisers, the shortest 21 foot model to the longest 31 foot model is different, but less dramatic than taller boxy conventional class_c's. With our rig traveling across the country, our practiced top speed hovers around 67-68 mph. A tall boxy "C" would go through gas a lot faster at those speeds.

Towing our Jeep Liberty, our fuel economy drops by 1.3 mpg. But the fuel loss is more than recovered by driving the Liberty around at our destinations, and leaving the motor home at the camp site. So it's a win-win.

Nice camper and thanks for the response! I try not to pay attention to my mpg, if I actually knew what it is I would probably not drive it. That cheap thing. But left Florida and noticed that I was filling up far too often even with a small tank. Something was definitely off, so I checked my MPG.

I was getting 10mpg, did a few things and now the little Toyota is back up in the 13+ area. Most toy owners report avg between 12 and 14.

Thank You!

We owned THIS TOYOTA MIRAGE for 24 years. It had the 2.4L-L4 carbureted engine rated at 96hp (with CA emissions) with a close ratio 4-speed manual transmission. Oh my what a slug it was, but we loved it anyway. We special ordered it new in 1983 with no a/c of either kind and a frill-free chassis that did not even have power steering. We paid $12,255 for it back then. 57 mph was the sweet spot for optimal fuel economy. On one extended trip out west we actually broke 20 mpg averaged across the entire 6000 mile trip. We must have experienced more tail winds on that trip. It had a very small fuel tank. We quickly learned that we did not make time going faster because the fuel economy would drop by more than 25% when we pushed it. The time we made in speed, we lost in stopping more frequently.

We sold that rig in 2007, replacing it with our special ordered 2007 Phoenix Cruiser. We wanted (and needed) a fully self contained and much more comfortable motor home in our later years.

Ron,that Toyota Mirage is an interesting MH, looks like more room than a small TC but much better MPG. Is there anything equivalent today?

I know you asked Ron, but FWIW I thought I'd jump in with my opinion on the closest today - a new small Tiger motorhome ... in which you specify to them that it be built on the smallest standard cab (for the short length) PU possible with the smallest engine (for the best fuel mileage) available in that pickup.

Here's the Tiger website: http://www.tigervehicles.com/

The Tiger is small, but our old Mirage was smaller yet. I measured the over-all length at 17.5 feet, front bumper to the end of the rear step bumper. It really was tiny. Lengthwise, it easily fit into any automobile parking space. The Toyota pick-up truck chassis made it easy to get in and out from because it was skinny there, providing good door swing clearance to adjacent parked cars. The entire rig weighed only 3600 pounds, 2500 for the C&C, and 1100 for the seamless RV body. The shell walls had a honey-comb core with a thicker outer layer fiberglass, and a thinner inner layer fiberglass. The front cab-over bucket was of the outer layer alone.

Mirage was in business from 1978 to 1986. In 1984, they introduced a fully self contained model. The swing-up rear door/wall was replaced with a protruding bucket that was the bathroom. The entry door was moved to the side. I don't know what the cost of that deluxe model was, but our frill-free appliance-free model was right for us for a very long time. We had an ice box for a fridge, and a camp stove for cooking. Though a port-a-potty was offered for our model, we opted-out and built in it's place, an additional cabinet with more counter space. We considered it "luxury tent camping".

As great as it was for so long a time, in our later years it wasn't meeting the minimum any longer. We wanted a real motor home. Our Mirage replacement had to meet these minimum requirements.
1) No Compromise, it must fit inside our garage
2) No Compromise, it must have a full-time dinette
3) No Compromise, it must have a full-time double bed on the main floor
4) No Compromise, it must have all the basic features of a typical motor home with a fully functional kitchen and bath, and with heat and a/c.

Early in our search, we considered a Winnebago Rialta with the 22FD (standard) floorplan but they had been recently discontinued and the few like-new used ones we found were a lot of money. We added $12,000 more and bought something a whole lot better for us.

Our Phoenix Cruiser 2350 HERE greatly exceeded all our expectations. Again, it was the smallest rig we could find, yet meet our adjusted requirements.