Used motorhome, interested in A or C
Back again with more questions. Actually I've changed my mind again. Originally rented a 2014 Axis a couple of years back and liked it, but out of my price range. I thought a small TT would be good,...
Forum Discussion
You have not told us much about how you plan to use your RV, so it is hard to give specific advise. Overall I understand the appeal of the Sprinter based class B's at about 25 feet they are small enough to get in and out of places without necessarily needing a second vehicle, my one big issue with them as well as most similar offerings (Promaster, etc) is the very limited cargo carrying capacity. The Sprinters have an 11,030 GVWR, and once you build a motorhome on top of this chassis you are left with very little cargo carrying capacity, often less than 750 pounds reserve left for you and all your stuff. Compare this to a small class A, like my 2002 Safari Trek, which is not much bigger than a Sprinter at 29'5" bumper to bumper built on a 17,000 GVWR Workhorse P32 chassis (later 28 ft Trek's were built on the even heavier W18 and optionally W20 chassis), in my case what this means is a cargo carrying capacity of right at 3,000 pounds for me and all my stuff. With fully loaded water tanks, luggage, BBQ grill, camp chairs, kitchen ware, basic tools, and other junk for a long trip I am typically within 500-600 pounds of my GVWR, and there is a surprising amount of empty space in the cargo bins. To put it another way Sprinter based RV travel is sort of like traveling by airlines be being limited to 1 carry on bag.
As to the rest, I too am pro-private seller when it comes to buying a used coach, not only can you get more information about the maintenance history of the coach, you can get a feel for the person that maintained it. Buying a used motorhome should not be like buying a used car, there is a lot more to inspect than kicking the tires and driving away, having the owner / seller there to go over things can give you a good feel for their knowledge and skill set as well as reason for selling. Motorhomes are sold for many reasons, people find they don't have time to use them, are moving up to something bigger, or often are selling due to health reasons, this last one is very common given the age of so many rv buyers.
In my case I bought my coach from a retired industrial electrician who had no intention of selling it until shortly before he put it up for sale, so he had done a number of upgrades, some of which were only partly installed, like the new pure sine wave inverter. (He was selling due to finding a great deal on a vacation cabin) While he had done a great job on general maintenance there were gaps that needed my attention, some were little things, like non-functioning side marker lights, as he never drove it at night, he never noticed the failed bulbs / light sockets.
As to the rest, I too am pro-private seller when it comes to buying a used coach, not only can you get more information about the maintenance history of the coach, you can get a feel for the person that maintained it. Buying a used motorhome should not be like buying a used car, there is a lot more to inspect than kicking the tires and driving away, having the owner / seller there to go over things can give you a good feel for their knowledge and skill set as well as reason for selling. Motorhomes are sold for many reasons, people find they don't have time to use them, are moving up to something bigger, or often are selling due to health reasons, this last one is very common given the age of so many rv buyers.
In my case I bought my coach from a retired industrial electrician who had no intention of selling it until shortly before he put it up for sale, so he had done a number of upgrades, some of which were only partly installed, like the new pure sine wave inverter. (He was selling due to finding a great deal on a vacation cabin) While he had done a great job on general maintenance there were gaps that needed my attention, some were little things, like non-functioning side marker lights, as he never drove it at night, he never noticed the failed bulbs / light sockets.
