Owned a truck and 5th wheel for 5 years and loved it. Unfortunately circumstances caused me to sell both last fall. Thinking now about buying another when I saw a 1999 Class A with less than 100,000 miles and very clean inside. Price was very reasonable. To my surprise I have seen a few others that appeal to me also. (older, clean models with low mileage).Any suggestions as to pros and cons of Class A vs 5ers. Anything special I should be looking for in a used one? Vehicle would be used for one trip annually from southern Ontario to Florida, plus a few summer camping excursions nearby.

Con....21 years old. Maintenance records? Tire age?

Each RV type has it's own unique features and plusses and each one has it's setbacks. About the only thing I can think of with a CLASS A (B, or C) is the fact, every time you want to go somewhere you have to break camp. If the motor home is adequate to tow a toad, then this is not an issue. The only other thing I can think of is, if you have mechanical engine, failure and need a repair, your camper goes to the repair shop with the engine. You have to find alternative transportation and a place to sleep.Other than that, I think motor homes fabulous.

never had anything other than class a motor homes...3 of them since 1986. i've always felt that a 5'er gives the best bang for the buck in terms of space but we chose a class a for visibility while driving. it's a good thing to be sitting above traffic. IMO a class a is more convenient especially in bad weather whether when driving or pulling into a campground during a rainstorm. completely self-contained i don't have to get out to hook up...water, heat, cooking and 12v/120v electricity. in 30+ years i've only met one 5'er owner who had a genny installed in his rig. on the downside owners with TTs or 5''ers don't need to tow a dinghy..you've already got one. and you really should have a dinghy with a motor home. we didn't tow a car for 17-years and while we got around well enough when we finally woke up and decided to tow we realized just how much better life was wihen we didn't need to break camp to go sightseeing or to the store, laundry, etc.IMO everything else is pretty much a wash. i'm probably overlooking something but i think it boils down to personal preference. suggest you consider what you liked most about your 5'er and think about if you can get that satisfaction from a class a. good luck.

We went from towable RVs to motorized. We have never looked back. The convenience of being able to jump in turn the key and go is simply much less work. We use the RV much much more than we ever used the towable units. With our towable we had to hitch up, including the bars, chains, breakaway cable and so on, load the generator into the truck, load all the blocks gas cans and other required stuff into the truck. It routinely took well over an hour to get hooked up to leave including loading everyting we needed into the truck. Keep in mind this did not include loading the trailer with clothes, food and other items. When we park for the night or at a location, we had to back in, fiddle with the blocks to get the trailer level from side to side, unhook and level front to back, then manually drop the landing jacks to stablize the trailer. This is in addition to the normal items such as connecting the water, power, sewer etc. and putting out the slides. Overnight dry camping was also a hassle becausing finding a place to put boards down to level side to side and then level front to back without unhitching is hard. If we want power other than the very limited available from the inverter we have to connect the generator in the bed of the truck to the power cord in the back of the trailer. I did eventually install a generator on the rear bumper but that had the negative effect of leaving the generator out in the rain and we couldn't cover it until it cooled down. With a motorhome I back in, park, push a button to level the coach, all while being completely dry. Then I do the normal stuff of connecting the external connections and putting the slides out. Overnight parking is also very simple, park and push a button to level. If we need more power than is available from the batteries the generator automatically starts with the AGS system available on many motorized units. If the coach you are looking at doesn't have an AGS system it can easily be added. Yes, the cost to maintain is more expensive but since we use it more often it balances out.

Pros - You can go anywhere and not come backCons - You can go anywhere and not come back.

Pros and Cons of owning a class A RV | Good Sam Community

63 Replies

rk911
Explorer
Aug 21, 2019
never had anything other than class a motor homes...3 of them since 1986. i've always felt that a 5'er gives the best bang for the buck in terms of space but we chose a class a for visibility while driving. it's a good thing to be sitting above traffic. IMO a class a is more convenient especially in bad weather whether when driving or pulling into a campground during a rainstorm. completely self-contained i don't have to get out to hook up...water, heat, cooking and 12v/120v electricity. in 30+ years i've only met one 5'er owner who had a genny installed in his rig.

on the downside owners with TTs or 5''ers don't need to tow a dinghy..you've already got one. and you really should have a dinghy with a motor home. we didn't tow a car for 17-years and while we got around well enough when we finally woke up and decided to tow we realized just how much better life was wihen we didn't need to break camp to go sightseeing or to the store, laundry, etc.

IMO everything else is pretty much a wash. i'm probably overlooking something but i think it boils down to personal preference. suggest you consider what you liked most about your 5'er and think about if you can get that satisfaction from a class a.

good luck.
DutchmenSport
Explorer
Aug 21, 2019
Each RV type has it's own unique features and plusses and each one has it's setbacks. About the only thing I can think of with a CLASS A (B, or C) is the fact, every time you want to go somewhere you have to break camp. If the motor home is adequate to tow a toad, then this is not an issue.

The only other thing I can think of is, if you have mechanical engine, failure and need a repair, your camper goes to the repair shop with the engine. You have to find alternative transportation and a place to sleep.

Other than that, I think motor homes fabulous.
Lwiddis
Explorer II
Aug 20, 2019
Con....21 years old. Maintenance records? Tire age?

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Pros and Cons of owning a class A RV

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