Looking for our first RV and suggestions ...
Hello All, We are looking to purchase our first RV here in the next few months, well next spring sometime. We are going to start out with just driving short distances within a 4 state area in ...
Forum Discussion
My opinions (and only mine)...
I don't consider slides to be essential, and indeed looked for a motorhome without slides when I was shopping. Particularly in a not new used unit, it seemed like me as though they were one more thing to maintain, fix if and when it breaks down, and potentially leak. They also add a not insignificant amount of weight. On the other hand, slides do have one big advantage (more interior space) which some value quite highly.
On average, class C's may be a little less expensive to maintain, but I doubt there's a vast difference between gas class C's and A's. The smaller tires on class C's are less expensive when it's time to replace them, and likely the same for brakes. The engine and transmissions are pretty much the same. Diesel pushers are somewhat of a different story, but I don't get the feeling you're considering them.
I don't know that class C's or A's are really easier to drive, but they are somewhat different. In either case you do have to be aware of the width and height and tail swing of the unit. Most class A's can turn more tightly than similarly sized class C's, which generally have pretty abysmal turning radii. That can make getting around parking lots and gas stations and tight campgrounds less difficult.
I would not automatically discount all RVs over 30' long out of concerns for public campgrounds. It is of course true that the larger the RV, the fewer sites you can fit in (you can fit a little RV is a big space, but not vice-versa), but it's not as though there's a sudden drop where 31' RVs don't fit in most campgrounds. With a 32' long class C, I've yet to be unable to camp in a park due to its length.
I don't consider slides to be essential, and indeed looked for a motorhome without slides when I was shopping. Particularly in a not new used unit, it seemed like me as though they were one more thing to maintain, fix if and when it breaks down, and potentially leak. They also add a not insignificant amount of weight. On the other hand, slides do have one big advantage (more interior space) which some value quite highly.
On average, class C's may be a little less expensive to maintain, but I doubt there's a vast difference between gas class C's and A's. The smaller tires on class C's are less expensive when it's time to replace them, and likely the same for brakes. The engine and transmissions are pretty much the same. Diesel pushers are somewhat of a different story, but I don't get the feeling you're considering them.
I don't know that class C's or A's are really easier to drive, but they are somewhat different. In either case you do have to be aware of the width and height and tail swing of the unit. Most class A's can turn more tightly than similarly sized class C's, which generally have pretty abysmal turning radii. That can make getting around parking lots and gas stations and tight campgrounds less difficult.
I would not automatically discount all RVs over 30' long out of concerns for public campgrounds. It is of course true that the larger the RV, the fewer sites you can fit in (you can fit a little RV is a big space, but not vice-versa), but it's not as though there's a sudden drop where 31' RVs don't fit in most campgrounds. With a 32' long class C, I've yet to be unable to camp in a park due to its length.
