A vs C HELP

[fishhogg]

We are retired in good health and ready to make the plunge! Having a hard time deciding on the right Motorhome. We will use the Motorhome in the winter in the (Lower 48") snow birds and bring it home to Alaska in the summer. We have found the floor plan and make in both the A's and the C's. Time frame 2 months in the fall and 3-4 months in the winter before returning north. My question to you is will we be more comfortable in a class A or C? Driving is not a problem as I drove commercial 43 years. Thanks for your thoughts. :h

[robertbenita]

We liked the Class C and Class A types. The ride in our current Class A diesel pusher is awesome, but the annual expenses are to be considered, even if you do most of your own work. Once the kids are on their own, I would bet that we will downsize to a Class C. We loved our 24-25 Foot Tioga and there were 5 of us and a golden retriever inside. Storage...well that was an issue, but not with a basement. Good luck!

[roam1]

DW and I spend 3-5 months a year in our 32' A like OP plans to.
We've had an 18' C, 28' C, and now a 32' A (22000#)
What I noticed going from the C to A:
Cab space in A is usable so going from 28'C to 32'A we gained about 9-10' interior space, not just the additional 4'
A has pass through garage and holds so much more
22.5" tires are expensive but carry a LOT of stuff!
Front window is panorama on the A versus covered up and lower on C
If I were looking at 32' A vs C, would not consider C again.
hope that helps

we tow less than 5000# so super C is not necessary

[Bumpyroad]

yep, I always "assume" that any C either leaks in the overhead, has leaked in the overhead, or will leak in the overhead. just because you stick a "super" in front of it won't change that.
bumpy

[bsinmich]

I have had 2 Cs, 2 As and also now a B. I also have driven buses for 50 years. There is very little difference from 33-38' in driving. The smaller buses were yellow and the bigger ones were 45' Van Hool. A good Class A will not have the problem of a roof leak in the upper bunk. I would get one with hung walls rather than one with laminated walls. There is no chance of delamination if they weren't laminated in the first place.

[Desert_Captain]

Most folks tend to like what they have. Had this post originated in the C Forum the responses probably would be overwhelmingly in favor of C's vs what we are seeing here. Posted in General RV'ing would more likely get you a more balanced response. i have a small (24') C but have spent some time in and alongside a 40' DP.

The one issue the A folks simply do not talk about is safety as the C's win that one hands down. The A's do not have air bags and this for me at least, is a huge issue. That big windshield in the A's comes with several problems, it lets in a lot of heat and light that is not always easy to mitigate and god help you in a front end collision.

Serviceability gives a nod to the C's as well as virtually any Ford dealer can work on the E-350's/450's while A's require a higher level of specialization. It usually comes down to a floorpan you can best live with followed by storage and towing capabilities. C's are easier to drive and park, A's haul and stow more stuff.... the choices are endless. Good luck!

:C

[IMAGNLife_com]

Great topic! I've been in a heavy research phase for our 1st RV (we work from home & will be full-timing) and thought we had finally decided on a middle-end Class A (Entegra Cornerstone 45) until last week. On our way out of the Pomona, CA RV show (after spending 8 days & endless hours there!) to process all the info we'd been compiling, my girlfriend spotted a funny looking coach and suggested we look inside while we were there. I was blown away by what I found..

Welcome to the "Super C". Unlike every Class A we'd seen, because that big diesel engine (600hp, 2050ft/lbs...) resides under a hood instead of under the floor, I didn't have to slouch down to avoid my head hitting the ceiling (I'm 6'6") inside! Plus I understand the maintenance & repairs are way cheaper and faster. And unlike a Class A, you have some form of crash protection due to the engine and frame being in front of the coach. A 40,000 lb tow capacity VS. 15-20K lbs.! Steel roof & aluminum side walls VS. fiberglass. 3 entry doors instead of 1.

The overall build & construction felt worlds better & more solid than any A we'd seen under $2M million dollars. And based on the many floor plans offered (we can even create an individual one) the living room area can be every bit as open & continuous as a Class A within the same 45' footprint. It had an auto leveling air suspension, heated floors, washer/dryer 1.5 baths. And as a bonus, because of the ceiling height (93" VS. 84") ALL the cabinets were taller, resulting in bigger interior storage space. We also get BIGGER water tank capacity (150 gal fresh, 72 Blk AND 72 gray). The cherry on top was that this Super C was substantially less then the A's we were considering (although our custom build will be slightly more than the show unit).

The few downsides to us were the smaller basement storage & no pass thru (the drive shaft runs through the coach), you lose about 5ft of interior space due to the engine out front, and there's no "rock star bus" effect & big panoramic windshield (although I already dig the tough, beefy truck driver look & stance and we hear it drives better than a Class A when we're on the road with the big over the road guys)...

I've been studying these Super C's and love everything it offers. We're super excited about our change of plans & future home. Best of luck - JB

[cbigham]

Maybe it's me, and I like weird stuff...I would find an older safari or other 32 ft or so class a Cummins or Cat powered mechanical diesel, 90's technology. .no slide. You save money on depreciation, maintenance, and with those engines and your background, you may find it easy to deal with. Length and strength of chassis will be what you want..if for some reason isn't what you want to do anymore, you can get out of it closer to what you are in it.

[timmac]

Ivylog wrote:
Since there is not a C (not a super C) big enough you do not need diesel. The problem is in less than two years you will be buying a much much bigger A which will be less expensive than a divorce. You will be starting out with twice the husband on 1/2 the income in 1/20 th the space. Good luck.
Post above has some very good advice and I wonder if they wish they had gone bigger than. 33' for FT?

I am also a poster above with a 33ft, no my length is just fine for me and my wife, we don't fulltime just trips and camping, we don't hang in our RV we are more active, we boat, sightsee, shop, camp fires, etc, etc, also 33ft is so easy to get around in.

[bluwtr49]

We looked at class C's before purchasing our first Class A. At the time we had a 26' TT and thought moving to a 35" class C Diesel would be perfect. Nope, didn't work our that way.

The area over the cab was useless to use.

The interior quality was almost the same as the TT.

When we subtracted the over cab and driving area space we were left with no more room than our TT.

Ride and noise were OK but nothing to get exited about...kinda like driving the pickup. OK on the flats but really loud on hills.

Now that was just our opinion but going to a very nice 40' class A gave us everything we could have wanted for our 5 month summer trips. If our lifestyle was different, perhaps we would reconsider but for now it's DP all the way.

[RayChez]

Ivylog wrote:
Since there is not a C (not a super C) big enough you do not need diesel. The problem is in less than two years you will be buying a much much bigger A which will be less expensive than a divorce. You will be starting out with twice the husband on 1/2 the income in 1/20 th the space. Good luck.
Post above has some very good advice and I wonder if they wish they had gone bigger than. 33' for FT?

Well, I have seen some pretty big super C's. Dynamax sells a Super C that is 40'5" luxury coach which will sell for close to half a million dollars. And there are many other companies that manufacture Super class C coaches.

[RayChez]

Different strokes for different folks. If everybody liked the class A coaches, the class C manufacturers would go out of business. Yet you get a FMCA magazine and you see all kinds of new companies manufacturing Class C motorhomes. So it is all up to the individual on what he likes. Don't buy what we want, buy what you and your wife like and what falls within your budget.

I have had two brand new class A. One a gasoline and a diesel. I will say from my experience that the gasoline motorhome which was a 36' had leaf springs and rode like a big five ton truck, so six months later I was trading it in for a diesel pusher. We love our coach, but that does not mean I am trying to sell you to buy a class A. That was just what suited me and my wife.

But there are many nice class C's. Some are really expensive and nice. So it is all up to you.

[vjstangelo]

We also are looking to make the plunge into our 1st motorhome after having TT'ed for years.

Went to Hershey and looked at numerous motorhomes. Below are our conclusions.

Class C is easier to get into given the 2 front doors, is on the cutaway van chassis so maintenance is as simple as maintaining a E450/4500 van, some models of 31' are almost as large as a similar 31' A. Cost of new will be $10-20K less than an entry level A. Take a look at the Sunseeker 3010DS for example. It has fiberglass roof, composite sides, and airbags items normally associated with higher end A's.

Class A is bigger, period, than a similar C. If money is no object, then you can get a real monster 40', diesel. The only real comparison would be something like a Super C Seneca. An entry level 30 foot (ACE, Precept,FR3) or so would be as stated above $10-20K more than a C. Since it is likely an A will be on either an F53 or Freightliner chassis, it will take some looking for folks willing to perform maintenance. Finally, if a King bed is important, A is really the only choice.

Whew. Not easy when you are talking an investment of $70K+!! So many choices!

Unless we hit the lottery, our selection will likely be a 3010DS like described above. Check out RV Direct for prices of various models. They seem to offer 30% off MSRP no questions asked.

[xctraveler]

It seems counter intuitive, but C's are generally equipped for families with sleeping quarters for more than two for extended travel and A's are generally most comfortable for two people for extended travel.

WE have driven to and from Alaska only one time going up the Klondike Loop and over Top of the World Highway to Taylor highway into Tok and back the other way 🙂 with a stop in Haines and ferry to Skagway then down to Atlin for a side trip. This was all in a 36 foot 2 slide gasser towing a RAV4. The high vantage point and the broad windshield offer a great view and a lot of comfort. We never felt cramped and we made most of our stops in AK and YT on the side of the road or just off. The tank capacity for freshwater and sewage was very important as there are just not a lot places to dump and fill and there can be a charge for every time you need to dump (they do not measure volume)

When I get into the driving compartment of a C, I feel cramped and I don;t like that so much of the coach body extends well out to the side from where I am sitting. In the end this is all very personal and we each either like what we have or are looking to change.

[ncrowley]

We went though the choice between a Class A and a Class C. We decided to get the extra space that comes with the Class A. We wanted a residential queen bed (not a short one) and a walk around bed. We liked the storage under the Class A. We really like driving down the road in the Class A - better visibility.

[JFC]

Rent to try first. We decided not to buy until we retired, but rented a C for a two week vacation. After retirement we purchased a 6 year old 33' gas to be sure this was for us. A year later, we traded up to a 36' two year old DP. Three years later, up to a four month old 4o' DP. Try renting a C and an A to see how you like each. We found the increased space was great and the size didn't seem to make a lot of difference.