Why Does B+ Cost More Than Std. C?

Cus it says Mercedes-Benz instead of Ford or Chevy.




navegator

not waging any battle, but i recall old ads where bornfree described how they carefully tested each new unit in a 'rain chamber.' this sure admits to a low certainty in a modern fiberglass advanced roof system.

IIRC, bornfree - long considered to be quality - used a fiberglass roof on rv.netter skidrowjoe's rig, which he often said leaked a lot and the factory couldn't fix it.

nexus says: "The seamless fiberglass sidewalls and fiberglass roof, plus molded front and end caps, reduce the possibility of leaks from water intrusion." no mention of unique sealant detailing at openings and along edges. note that just as BF showed uncertainty in their roofs thru rain tests, nexus is also aware of "the possibility of leaks from water intrusion."

burlmart wrote:

Desert Captain wrote:

All Nexus' have one piece fiberglass roof's with one piece fiberglass end caps. This is a far better design than any rubber roof.

Isn't it fair to say all roof systems fail (leak) in the same manner - at the caulk around openinga and at the membrane perimeter?

Hardly... Rubber roofs are inherently more failure prone, most antiquated technology tends to be that way. If you have a better design and clearly Nexus does, which includes the proper application of the correct sealants, the chances of any type of failure are greatly reduced. Rubber roofs cannot compete with fiberglass which is why any decent builder is going with fiberglass vs the 20+ year old technology that rubber roofs represent.

The question is not why does Nexus build a better product, they do. The question is why don't more builders get with the program and stop sacrificing quality for profit.

As always.... Opinions and YMMV.

:C

Burl, yes.

Desert Captain wrote:

All Nexus' have one piece fiberglass roof's with one piece fiberglass end caps. This is a far better design than any rubber roof.

Isn't it fair to say all roof systems fail (leak) in the same manner - at the caulk around openinga and at the membrane perimeter?

AreCF wrote:
Where can I locate the following info for Nexus RV's. I'm primarily interested in B+, but might consider a C.
OCCC
type of roof (fiberglass cap vs rubberized coating?)
typical mpg for the various chassis lengths.
I read all info I could find at the Nexus website and searched this Forum and could not locate any info on these subjects.

Nexus utilizes the Ford E-350/450 chassis' on their Class C (B+'s). I would just call them for the OCCC numbers on any specific model you are interested in. It can vary a lot depending on the options. Slides and auto levelers eat up (as in waste), a lot of payload on any RV. IMHO: Any Class C without at least 2,000# of payload is a joke.

All Nexus' have one piece fiberglass roof's with one piece fiberglass end caps. This is a far better design than any rubber roof.

As far as mpg the V-10 will generally get you 8 - 10 depending on how heavy you load, what if anything you tow and how heavy your right foot tends to be.

For the record we are enjoying our first night of a month long trip 425 miles from home at Jacob Lake (47 miles north of the North Rim of the Grand Canyon). Headed to Northern California across Nevada's highway 50 (the so called loneliest road in America), can't wait to roll out in the morning.

:C

Where can I locate the following info for Nexus RV's. I'm primarily interested in B+, but might consider a C.
OCCC
type of roof (fiberglass cap vs rubberized coating?)
typical mpg for the various chassis lengths.
I read all info I could find at the Nexus website and searched this Forum and could not locate any info on these subjects.

The short answer is that they should not but the reality is yes they do. B+'s are no more expensive to build and equip than any other coach. The industry has created the B+ niche with clever marketing, blue smoke and mirrors.

The prices of the so called "B+'s", {they are just Class C coaches}, are absurd but folks pay it. In a B+ you get less space, storage, payload and room in general vs a conventional C and of course you pay lot more for all that "less". Most are somewhat limited in their towing capabilities. Though some are rated to tow up to 5,000# many don't do it very well vs the V-10 and big block V-8's that are available in conventional Class C's.

The kitchens in particular are a joke. You get a tiny two burner stove that only holds one pan at a time. The microwave is the size of a shoebox and the frig not much bigger. Typically the hood over the burners is so low you have to bend down to even see what you are cooking.

Don't forget that in many B+'s you get to make up your bed every night before retiring {many only sleep 2}. Some are Murphy beds, some have rear slide outs and others you get to assemble like a big jigsaw puzzle. My personal favorites are the ones that drop down out of the overhead (again, before you make them up).

Yes, many of the B+'s are a bit fancier than the run of the mil C's but I have yet to see any that were any nicer than our Nexus - Born Free, Coachhouse, Phoenix Cruiser etc., are all fine Class C's but priced just like the B+'s we'll north of $100,000 with many approaching $200,000.

My 24' Phantom has 7' of interior head room throughout the coach, is 101" wide {simply does not need any slide(s), 3,363# of payload, 55 gallon fuel tank, heated tanks, electric awning, 35,000 BTU furnace, three burner stove with an oven + a full sized microwave.

It is framed in steel {72% stronger than conventional aluminum/wood framing} and contains no plywood or particle board whatsoever. One piece fiberglass roof with solid one piece fiberglass end caps. Power drivers seat, innerspring mattress, heated mirrors and it sleeps 4 adults without having to make up a bed at night, 6 if you utilize the dinette.

Nexus will sell you one {factory direct}, for around $64,000, nicely equipped and you can customize it to your hearts content. Pretty much twice the coach for half the money compared to much of the so called competition. After 3+ years and 31,000 trouble free miles from coast to coast... it works for me!

As always.... Opinions and YMMV

:)

The answer may be quite simple. An RV costs a certain amount to design, and manufacture. Manufacturing is a recurring cost. Design is non recurring....you do it once. Class Cs tend to be more popular and thus the design costs can be spread over more units sold, thus dropping the price (assuming similar manufacturing costs of labor+parts).

I'll take a chance and weigh in here. What I say is a pretty broad generalization based on what I observed when looking at used C's B+'s. The C's I saw were generally aimed at a more entry crowd and surely at a more kid/family crowd. Emphasis on # of sleeping spaces. Used C's showed much more wear and tear, scratches, torn fabrics etc. than did comparable year/mileage B+'s. Not always but pretty much consistent.

B+ with reduced sleeping quarters are marketed more at the older empty nest crowd with enough $ to pay for extras, better construction, higher end leather, etc. On the used market, the B+'s were consistently well kept/maintained. I think they are built for different markets. Most B+ will have full body paint - more rare in a C. Same goes for hydraulic jacks, larger TVs with good cabinetry, leather, and some glitz.