Short MH's

We downsized from a 39' diesel pusher to a 26' Winnebago Via which has a diesel engine and is considered a class A. The stopped manufacturing them in 2017, but there are some used ones available. It drives like a dream, can get into most parking lots or attractions, and gets 15 to 16mpg.

Sometimes the opinions expressed here about poor rides are from people that have never owned one or by people that had never driven a motor home at all and were expecting their motor home to drive like an automobile.
I had a 30' Monaco on the Workhorse W20 chassis and I had no problem with the ride or handling up to 75MPH. After 80,000 miles with that coach, I would not have any problem owning another short coach. I did put Koni FSD shocks on the coach, but I never added any trac bar or other suspension enhancement product.
I had owned and driven many types of vehicles prior to owning a Class A so I was expecting it to drive like a truck. Actually I was surprised and it handled and rode much better than I expected.
The point is, only you can determine if the behind the wheel experience of driving a Class A, no matter what length, is something that you enjoy or hate. Go to a large dealer and drive a few Class A's and Class C's and see which ones feel the best.
Of course there is always the simple fact that driving an empty coach at a dealer is not like driving that same coach when it is fully loaded and ready for travel. In my experience, a loaded coach handles better.
After owning one Class C, I personally didn't like the feeling of driving a pick-up truck with a wide load behind me and sitting so low. I preferred the Class A even tho it was wider. I preferred sitting high and being able to look out over the traffic in front of me.

Yes I have. Not only that, I studied physics, math and chassis dynamics.
I know what you need in order to have a soft, medium, or harsh ride. I know what you need in order to have good directional stability. I finally was able to afford the one that gave me what I wanted,.....except for the quality of the roof. My advice is to also learn all about roof design.

My advice to you is the less miles the rig has for it's age the more likely the ride/drive is tough. F53's in general will have less miles then same size/year Chevy's. Small Mercedes coaches will have more miles then gas less then 30 foot Class A's. Of course they never seem to have jacks so you fight with that issue.

If a coach is a joy to drive, they get driven. If they are white knuckle drivers then they see a lot of campground and/or driveway time.

Find the model that you like that always seems to have high miles, then look for the one that the owner had some life issue that forced them not to use that coach.

Keep in mind that for most of us, driving is a small percentage of the time we spend in our motorhomes, even if we're just weekenders. I suggest making sure the floorplan is one you like above all else. The rest is secondary. If buying used, then condition is also a prime consideration of course.

After owning a 26' Class A, where the dining area had to be rebuilt as a bedroom every night, we gave up on it and bought a 32' Class which had a permanent bedroom in the back.

Never again would I buy one without a permanent bedroom, whatever the minimum length is to get one.

We have owned 2 class B+ where there is no over the cab bed, a 35ft class A and now own a Winnebago Vista 27N at 28.8 feet. Based on this experience I was very sceptacle about how it would handle. Both class B+ handled fine but the 35 foot class A was a handful. So far I have found the Vista to handle just as well as the class B+. The Ford F53 chassis comes with a front track bar and front and rear sway bars as standard. I think this goes a long way to improve handling. I have found another component to handling is your speed. The faster you go the more out of control the feeling is. Keeping it between 60 and 62 is most comfortable for me.

Love these shorter Winno's. They ride pretty good.

John&Joey wrote:
My advice to you is the less miles the rig has for it's age the more likely the ride/drive is tough. F53's in general will have less miles then same size/year Chevy's. Small Mercedes coaches will have more miles then gas less then 30 foot Class A's. Of course they never seem to have jacks so you fight with that issue.

If a coach is a joy to drive, they get driven. If they are white knuckle drivers then they see a lot of campground and/or driveway time.

Find the model that you like that always seems to have high miles, then look for the one that the owner had some life issue that forced them not to use that coach.

Interesting observation I would not have associated lower miles with a poorer riding vehicle.

Gjac wrote:

John&Joey wrote:
My advice to you is the less miles the rig has for it's age the more likely the ride/drive is tough. F53's in general will have less miles then same size/year Chevy's. Small Mercedes coaches will have more miles then gas less then 30 foot Class A's. Of course they never seem to have jacks so you fight with that issue.

If a coach is a joy to drive, they get driven. If they are white knuckle drivers then they see a lot of campground and/or driveway time.

Find the model that you like that always seems to have high miles, then look for the one that the owner had some life issue that forced them not to use that coach.

Interesting observation I would not have associated lower miles with a poorer riding vehicle.

Or, they discovered it was more than they could drive, or handle, as they are more complicated to operate that a tow trailer, and more up-keep. There are many reasons that a MH will have low mileage other than poor ride/handling. Remember, if is a Ford chassis, parts and repair are available without being stranded for months, usually. Advice is worth exactly what you have paid for it here. If you find something you like, drive it. You own a MH now and know what to understand about driving/ride. What others have said, you are only driving to get where you want to go, then you are parked and enjoying life.