Looking for advice/feedback on a purchase
My wife and I are really wanting to get a class c rv. We are contemplating the below choices. 2010 Winnebago Chalet 224VR, $22k, 80k miles 2015 Four Winds, $33k, 117k miles 2013 Thor Chateau, $35...
Forum Discussion
Be patient and look hard, hard, very hard. Consider this. A gas engine at 6/8 mpg or diesel at 14/16 mpg (my average is 15.) How much more likely are you to get out and explore when your fuel bill is more affordable?
I’ve owned a gas class B and a C, and I’ve owned both in diesel, one Dodge and one Ford, respectively. I now own a diesel, a 2009 Navion (’08 chassis) class C, and a custom class b diesel. I’ve owned the class C now ten (10!) years, with 125k miles on the clock and I use it for extended RVing, cross country traveling and day trips, even to go to dinner or shopping, to the doc. It’s convenient and comfortable and easy to drive, much easier than the previous gas units I’ve driven. My class B is a daily driver, gets 25/30 mpg. I’ve had it six years with 64k on the clock.
Consider this, as an example for my miles driven on the class c @ 125,000 miles. At 7 mpg (avg of gas units) it's 17,857.14 gallons of fuel over the course of 125k driving. At 15 mpg it’s 8,333.33, less than half! At an average of $4.5/gallon (gas around $4, diesel $4.5, on average but NOT Cali!), the gas cost $80,357.14 where the diesel cost $37,500.00. Which bill would you have rather paid? Sure, that’s over ten years, but that’s a difference of $42,857.00 over ten years savings, which helped pay for my rig.
The MB Sprinter chassis’ are easy to drive, much easier than the big truck Ford/Chevy/Dodge chassis RV’s. That said, Ford makes the Transit with RV platform’s and Dodge makes the Promaster platform for RV’s, in the van like frames; check these out before you jump right into a purchase. I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised at what you find. All three manufacturers have their pros and cons, as in most things. The big difference is in gas Vs diesel, respecting class B’s & C’s. Class A’s are best run by a diesel, IMHO.
Just my thoughts, experience. As many have stated, be thorough and be patient in your research. Once you pull the trigger, you’ll be committed for a while so make sure you cover all bases. Have fun looking and testing!
I’ve owned a gas class B and a C, and I’ve owned both in diesel, one Dodge and one Ford, respectively. I now own a diesel, a 2009 Navion (’08 chassis) class C, and a custom class b diesel. I’ve owned the class C now ten (10!) years, with 125k miles on the clock and I use it for extended RVing, cross country traveling and day trips, even to go to dinner or shopping, to the doc. It’s convenient and comfortable and easy to drive, much easier than the previous gas units I’ve driven. My class B is a daily driver, gets 25/30 mpg. I’ve had it six years with 64k on the clock.
Consider this, as an example for my miles driven on the class c @ 125,000 miles. At 7 mpg (avg of gas units) it's 17,857.14 gallons of fuel over the course of 125k driving. At 15 mpg it’s 8,333.33, less than half! At an average of $4.5/gallon (gas around $4, diesel $4.5, on average but NOT Cali!), the gas cost $80,357.14 where the diesel cost $37,500.00. Which bill would you have rather paid? Sure, that’s over ten years, but that’s a difference of $42,857.00 over ten years savings, which helped pay for my rig.
The MB Sprinter chassis’ are easy to drive, much easier than the big truck Ford/Chevy/Dodge chassis RV’s. That said, Ford makes the Transit with RV platform’s and Dodge makes the Promaster platform for RV’s, in the van like frames; check these out before you jump right into a purchase. I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised at what you find. All three manufacturers have their pros and cons, as in most things. The big difference is in gas Vs diesel, respecting class B’s & C’s. Class A’s are best run by a diesel, IMHO.
Just my thoughts, experience. As many have stated, be thorough and be patient in your research. Once you pull the trigger, you’ll be committed for a while so make sure you cover all bases. Have fun looking and testing!
