Apples and Oranges. A or C

[rvhappy2010]

Hey all.
This might be long. My brother is a big bus coach conversion guy who thinks he know everything, but since he has lots of money to make mistakes he's ahead of the pack.
We are looking to enter the motorhome group and we have always been looking at a class c, however smart a.. Suggested we look at older class A motorhome s because they have better suspension, towing, and overall features.
I know this is like comparing apples and oranges, but feel free to throw in your two grapes worth and we can make a fruit salad.

[Mr_Mark1]

wny_pat wrote:

Don McL wrote:

I've seen convential Class 8's look every bit as bad as that diesel pusher on top. Saw one where the windshield dropped down and slipped backwards right across where the drivers neck should have been and it went right into the sleeper and cut thru the back of it. It was a good thing he dropped sideways across to the other seat, or he would not be be talking about it today.

Looks like a very convenient picture of two totally different crashes. Just saying.

MM.

[tropical36]

After it's all said and done, do ya like the bus look or the, ahhhhhhhhhhhhh.....?

[wny_pat1]

Don McL wrote:

I've seen convential Class 8's look every bit as bad as that diesel pusher on top. Saw one where the windshield dropped down and slipped backwards right across where the drivers neck should have been and it went right into the sleeper and cut thru the back of it. It was a good thing he dropped sideways across to the other seat, or he would not be be talking about it today.

[GENECOP]

Rick Jay wrote:
GENECOP, you're drinking the government Kool-Aid in believing that just because they (NHTSA) says something, it must be true.

My class A has steel C beams which are just about head-level for anyone riding in a car or van. I'll take those beams and an extra 10,000 lbs. of weight travelling in my direction over airbags & crumple zones. 🙂 You don't have to be a rocket scientist, but having a fundamental understanding of physics helps. 🙂

Crashing into a wall, maybe the C would be better, maybe not. But the majority of those collisions are due to driver in-attentiveness. I know my abilities and will take my chances there. But in a collision with another vehicle of which I have no control over, mass is your friend. You want as much mass heading in your direction as possible. Simple conservation of momentum. But shhhhhhhhh! Don't tell NHTSA we know that. 🙂 Their tests are fine, as long as you run into a wall or a smaller vehicle. By the way, does NHTSA test how well the cab of that class C holds up when 10,000 lbs. of RV pushes forward into it from the back? Just wondering? And I'm not sure if those crumple zones up front are also designed to perform optimally under that extra weight. I thought the tests were done on the standard van chassis, which is much lighter than the majority of RVs on the road.

But if they're so much better, in your opinion, why is it that no crash data exists to substantiate that claim? I can't say for certain my A is safer either because no data is available to substantiate that. So, until such data is available, you have your opinion, and I have mine. Just don't state it as "fact". It's not.

As for service, I still don't see what would be easier for me to service on a C than my A. My A is as easy to work on as our cars for routine stuff. In fact, because it's higher off the ground, it's actually easier to do a lot of things underneath 'cause I can just crawl under without even jacking it up.

~Rick

Okee Dokee......

[wny_pat1]

rvhappy2010 wrote:
Hey all.
however smart a.. Suggested we look at older class A motorhome s because they have better suspension, towing, and overall features.
I know this is like comparing apples and oranges, but feel free to throw in your two grapes worth and we can make a fruit salad.

Exactly why we went from a Class C to a Class A. Smart A** must have something up stairs! When your ready to move from Class A gas to DP, please come back and ask why Smart A** is wrong again. After we went to Class A gas, we went to a Diesel Pusher. No reason to look back, best move we ever made.

[Don_McL]

[kalynzoo]

What floor plan do you want? For a family with teens and pre-teens a C gives you that great semi-private bedroom above the cab. Many Cs have a lower clearance/profile, is that important? Even now there are times I would like a 28 or 30ft C to allow access to smaller venues. For long trips, with just my wife and myself, resort camping for a couple of three weeks, I like the room of a 38ft A. Does the suspension really matter? How far are your driving?
Your right, Apples and Oranges.
Happy Trails.

[Rick_Jay]

GENECOP, you're drinking the government Kool-Aid in believing that just because they (NHTSA) says something, it must be true.

My class A has steel C beams which are just about head-level for anyone riding in a car or van. I'll take those beams and an extra 10,000 lbs. of weight travelling in my direction over airbags & crumple zones. 🙂 You don't have to be a rocket scientist, but having a fundamental understanding of physics helps. 🙂

Crashing into a wall, maybe the C would be better, maybe not. But the majority of those collisions are due to driver in-attentiveness. I know my abilities and will take my chances there. But in a collision with another vehicle of which I have no control over, mass is your friend. You want as much mass heading in your direction as possible. Simple conservation of momentum. But shhhhhhhhh! Don't tell NHTSA we know that. 🙂 Their tests are fine, as long as you run into a wall or a smaller vehicle. By the way, does NHTSA test how well the cab of that class C holds up when 10,000 lbs. of RV pushes forward into it from the back? Just wondering? And I'm not sure if those crumple zones up front are also designed to perform optimally under that extra weight. I thought the tests were done on the standard van chassis, which is much lighter than the majority of RVs on the road.

But if they're so much better, in your opinion, why is it that no crash data exists to substantiate that claim? I can't say for certain my A is safer either because no data is available to substantiate that. So, until such data is available, you have your opinion, and I have mine. Just don't state it as "fact". It's not.

As for service, I still don't see what would be easier for me to service on a C than my A. My A is as easy to work on as our cars for routine stuff. In fact, because it's higher off the ground, it's actually easier to do a lot of things underneath 'cause I can just crawl under without even jacking it up.

~Rick

[J-Rooster]

IMHO with a Class A you can see better when driving and turn better! I've owned both and prefer a Class A.

[Mr_Mark1]

Before we jumped in, we rented a 31 ft. class C, then two 38 ft. class A's. I read about motorhomes for 7 yrs. before we finally got serious.

In January of 2007, we ordered our 2008 coach just the way that we wanted. I always heard to buy your 3rd motorhome first. With that thought in mind, it helped us make a better decision and to think seriously how we would use the coach. We just passed 6 yrs. of ownership and still very happy with our choice.

MM.

[GENECOP]

Rick Jay wrote:

GENECOP wrote:
Class C safer to drive and easier to service...

Do you have any statistics to support the "safer to drive" comment? I see it posted here a lot, but I personally differ with that opinion.

Easier to service...depends. It's probably easier to get others to service a C than an A, but I do my own service and so far routine service has been pretty straightforward on my gasser A.

rvhappy2010, don't rule out anything. Take your time and do your research. It took us about 2+ years of research to realize that our best solution was the class A gasser in our signature. We started out looking at small hybrids to tow behind our minivan and ended up with the class A and tow our minivan behind it! 🙂 Nine years later we're still very happy with our purchase. Floor plan is probably one of the key factors. We had 4 children and the "conventional wisdom" was that "A's are for couples, C's are for families". We decided not to follow stereotypes and are very glad we didn't. For us, our dual slide, dual sofa layout is perfect. It gives us plenty of living space and the storage space and capacity to carry want we need for extended trips.

Don't rush, and feel free to ask many questions here. It's the comments and experience of the members here which allowed us to make the right decision the first time.

Good Luck,

~Rick

You don't have to be a rocket scientist to get this one.......something in front of you during a crash = good........nothing in front of you during crash = bad. Would you rather crash into a wall riding a motorcycle or driving a car? Same principle....as far a service, if you did your own service on a C you would find it easier to access, this easier access = better....

The Safety Advantages Of The
Class C Motorhome Are


They are crash tested by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). This is because they are built in an automotive assembly line with all the other cars and trucks that Ford, Chevy, and Chrysler make. Class A Motorhomes are not even tested by the NHTSA...

[BillMFl]

There are some very nice high end Class C's but they cost the same as a similar sized A and IMHO the A is far nicer in so many ways. A small C makes sense in the same way a B does as far as being easier to visit state parks and small rv parks that aren't suitable for an A. As far as ease of driving, comfort, roominess, panoramic view and not having much head room, and lots of storage. the typical A wins hands down compared to a C. I can drive my 38' A on most any road a C can travel on. It may intimidate some folks at first, but an A isn't all that different than driving a big SUV once you are used to it. If you plan to spend a lot of time in your RV get an A and get one with slides. I used to tent camp for many years and if you want small, cheap and goes any where a nice tent works just fine. If you want to travel in style get an A. There's plenty of folks who prefer a B or C for reasons that suit them. But I personally prefer a 5th wheel over either a B or C. This is just my personal opinion intended for the OP and I really don't care what the B and C owners might prefer.

[Rick_Jay]

GENECOP wrote:
Class C safer to drive and easier to service...

Do you have any statistics to support the "safer to drive" comment? I see it posted here a lot, but I personally differ with that opinion.

Easier to service...depends. It's probably easier to get others to service a C than an A, but I do my own service and so far routine service has been pretty straightforward on my gasser A.

rvhappy2010, don't rule out anything. Take your time and do your research. It took us about 2+ years of research to realize that our best solution was the class A gasser in our signature. We started out looking at small hybrids to tow behind our minivan and ended up with the class A and tow our minivan behind it! 🙂 Nine years later we're still very happy with our purchase. Floor plan is probably one of the key factors. We had 4 children and the "conventional wisdom" was that "A's are for couples, C's are for families". We decided not to follow stereotypes and are very glad we didn't. For us, our dual slide, dual sofa layout is perfect. It gives us plenty of living space and the storage space and capacity to carry want we need for extended trips.

Don't rush, and feel free to ask many questions here. It's the comments and experience of the members here which allowed us to make the right decision the first time.

Good Luck,

~Rick

[tropical36]

rvhappy2010 wrote:
Hey all.
This might be long. My brother is a big bus coach conversion guy who thinks he know everything, but since he has lots of money to make mistakes he's ahead of the pack.
We are looking to enter the motorhome group and we have always been looking at a class c, however smart a.. Suggested we look at older class A motorhome s because they have better suspension, towing, and overall features.
I know this is like comparing apples and oranges, but feel free to throw in your two grapes worth and we can make a fruit salad.

He must know something that many don't if he's got more than his share of the money.
The class A is the way to go IMO for so many reasons, I'll let the rest do the listing, but will say that America and beyond looks a lot better from a big windshield.

[GENECOP]

Class C safer to drive and easier to service, Class A roomier more storage, you decide what's best for you, everyone is different, Smart A should know that.