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C's less trouble than A's ?

GHOST1750
Explorer
Explorer
I have and still own a class A diesel and upkeep is driving me crazy. I checked the forum for class C and the subjects are mostly simple stuff. Just curious.
Just Don and a Chiuahua called Dulce
2003 39' Tradewinds LE
2002 Cavalier tow
Korean Veteran, USAF
FMCA F357981
CC4C
GOOD SAM

Life is a journey, not a destination !
39 REPLIES 39

ron_dittmer
Explorer II
Explorer II
Bea PA wrote:
We even opted for a non slide so we don't have to maintain seals and motors. lol
There are a few of us non-sliders here, and I am with you, for a multitude of reasons.

TippleUnduly
Explorer
Explorer
We've owned 4 A's and 2 C's and find many advantages to a C, including one that nobody's mentioned ...2 more entrance doors! I also like the solidity and quiet of the Chevy chassis and V8 plus its roomier cab.

The A's were always an expensive pain when needing repair. Too many odd parts cobbled together to make a coach. Nothing seemed easy to obtain. And don't get me started on the braking systems!

I am now a true convert to C's. They offer the same space as smaller A's with an overall safer feel on the road. Slides help.

Enjoy your choice. Nobody else can make it for you!
Bill K

Bea_PA
Explorer
Explorer
We had a pusher and hubby was tired of the upkeep. Upkeep on a gasser is a lot less work. As far as expense, smaller tires, get oil changed anywhere, no air dryers, filters don't cost a fortune. There were times we wished we had kept our last gas MH before we got the diesel but all the bells and whistles were nice but lots of upkeep. We even opted for a non slide so we don't have to maintain seals and motors. lol
Bea PA
Down sized Winnebago 2012 24V Class C
2003 Gold Wing 1800 recently triked (Big Red)

Bumpyroad
Explorer
Explorer
Bordercollie wrote:
It is interesting that the "Go RV" cable TV series pushes large expensive class A's and large expensive 5'ers, seldom mentioning class B's and C's. Young starry-eyed buyers (actors?) seem to be able to swing financing for new $500,000+ diesel pusher Class A's apparently without knowledge or concern for total cost an complexity of ownership.


I think that was the program that I thought was extremely "stupid". a couple stated their budget was xxxx dollars. the salesman showed them units that "listed" MSRP at xxxx dollars. whoa, they are going to pay retail????????
the only part of the program that made sense to me was the couple that saw the J sofa and said they would rip that out, and the other couple that saw a fake fireplace and sort of laughed at that.
bumpy

Racine96
Explorer
Explorer
By the way, our Leprechaun has front swivel seats, so we use them almost every day. Many newer Class C are offering them as an option. Worth the investment.

Bordercollie
Explorer
Explorer
It is interesting that the "Go RV" cable TV series pushes large expensive class A's and large expensive 5'ers, seldom mentioning class B's and C's. Young starry-eyed buyers (actors?) seem to be able to swing financing for new $500,000+ diesel pusher Class A's apparently without knowledge or concern for total cost an complexity of ownership. Smaller, less expensive Class A's are not even shown.It seems to me that long/large Class A's are out of place parked for a days outing at a public park, hobby or kid's sport activities, airshows and theme parks, etc., where modest sized Class C's seem to fit right in. I would not want to "camp" with our 2004 27-foot Class C amongst huge Class A status symbols in an "RV Resort" but that's me. Takes all kinds!

ron_dittmer
Explorer II
Explorer II
All class C's are conventional vans with everything in familiar places for a mechanic to follow "By The Book" with very few exceptions. Class C's also have all the safety standards of a van until the RV company cuts the structural roof for easy entry into the cab area from the house area which compromises roll-over protection for the driver & passenger in the two front seats. The chassis is made per NTSB standards with additional consideration to repairs, corrosion, warranty, and long term reliability.

Class A's are a different story. Though much starts out in the same place, there is much that is custom made, and even some standard things are relocated by the RV manufacture. They are NOT made to the same safety standards for frontal collision or roll-over, and they are often not made with consideration to mechanical repairs.

I volunteer HERE at our church where vehicles are repaired for people who are financially challenged. The charity is funded through the donation of vehicles, much the same as Cars-For-Kids and Cars-For-Vets. We get all kinds of vehicles donated including class C and class A motor homes. Donated vehicles almost always have problems. One of the jobs of the volunteer mechanics is to get such donated vehicles back into road-worthy condition so they can be sold to fund the repairs for people in-need.

The class C's are well understood. The class A's require a lot of time to figure out with odd issues that are most often caused by poor wiring practices by the RV manufacture. Another serious challenge with class A's is that they are assembled with untreated steel. Brackets are often rusted to the point of bending or breaking. Another matter is that many class A's are assembled with minimal consideration to mechanical repair. Some repairs require removing fiberglass body panels held together with severely rusted steel that falls apart when disassembled. The bottom line is that they are dang hard to work on, and dang hard to fix right. You practically need a small metal fabrication shop to work on older class A's.

I completely understand why many auto shops refuse to work on class A motor homes. If I owned an auto repair business, I too would kindly wave them off. It also explains why Camping World charges so much for certain repairs.

In my opinion, the way to own a class A is to buy it new or almost new, and get rid of it before the real problems surface. Buying an old used one runs a high risk of buying a heap of trouble. Of coarse there are exceptions. Admittedly the few class A's we've worked on were not high-end units. Maybe high-end ones are different.

OLYLEN
Explorer
Explorer
Diesel verses gas:
Both coach's use much the same house components, luck of the draw to repairs and servicing unless we talk aquahot or a few high end amenities.
Now get to the chassis
air cleaner gas $20 diesel $200 every two years
Fuel filter gas every few years $20, diesel $80 every year
air dryer gas non diesel $200 every three years
Oil change with Gen gas $200 diesel $450 once a year
Tires 6 years gas $1400 diesel $3000
These are round #s but you get the idea. If you do it your self
you can save money but the gas will be much cheaper, more frugal to feed.
Based on OP's post gas A and gas C about the same size should be close
to the same.

LEN

ctilsie242
Explorer II
Explorer II
Here is my take... it depends on what you want to do with it.

A class "A" gives you more room up front and a nice view. When parked, you have the full use of the vehicle, and the cab part is definitely usable. However, repairs and service are more expensive and may not be possible once the RV maker stops making parts. Especially things like headlights and windshields.

A class "C", has more commonly available parts, and has some automotive grade safety put in. Some class "C"s like Lazy Daze models are built as tough as any vehicle out there, with a steel frame. A class "C" is also easier to repair and because it has more parts from the car maker, can be argued to be more reliable. Downside is that the cab can wind up being useless when parked.

To each his own, but I prefer a class "C". When parked, the driver and passenger chars become storage for clothes and such, and with a windshield shade and a heavy curtain between the cab and the rest of the rig, it is decently insulated. The cabover provides decent storage for lighter items as well.

PghBob
Explorer
Explorer
Regarding the DP vs Gasser question. We went to many RV shows before buying our Class C. The one thing that struck me hardest when we were looking at some Class A gassers, is that they would have been overweight (OCCC) with just the four adult members of our family on board, not counting clothes, food, and stuff. Yes, these rigs were "well equipped", but dangerous in my view. So Class A gassers generally have a lower OCCC than the DPs. One positive for the gassers, at least in PA, is that if the GVWR is lower than 25,000 pounds, no CDL is required. Generally, in PA, a CDL is required for most DPs registered in the state because the GVWR is over 25000 pounds. Good luck searching for your rig.

falconbrother
Explorer II
Explorer II
I had a gasser class A. It was cheap (relatively speaking) to own compared to a diesel. We had some great times in the motorhome. I suspect that a diesel would feel a little better in the mountains. We have gone to a travel trailer because I wanted even less maintenance than a motorhome. I spent about two hours getting the TT ready for our big December trip (annual). That same job would take me two days on the motorhome (two oil and filter changes, lube job, flush radiator, scrub the exterior down, touch up this and that and all the house related checks and maintenance). Granted the TT is 7 months old but, there's just a lot less to do. Until such time as I can really start taking a lot of long road trips I'll stay with the travel trailer.

If the time comes for me to trade to a motorhome I'll strongly consider a class C.

sullivanclan
Explorer
Explorer
Class C equals Truck and Van

Class A equals Bus, Motorhome, Coach. and $$$. Just seems everything in a Class A costs much, much more, from engine maintenance to tires.

When it comes to repairs, must any mechanic can tackle a Class C, but when it comes to a Class A, they need to be specialized, so they say.
2003 Ford 450 Jayco Greyhawk 25D
1986 Jeep Renegade
2011 Jeep Unlimited Rubicon JK

DrewE
Explorer II
Explorer II
Chainwright wrote:
Lots of good stuff about class Cs. So why do so many swear by Class A DP over a Class A gasser?


Mostly it's due to their greater comfort, for several reasons. The engine noise in the driver's area is much lower (in no small part because the engine is a lot further away). The suspension system generally is based on air bags, rather than leaf springs, which makes for a softer, smoother ride in general. Usually the chassis is heavier duty overall, allowing at least the possibility of more solid construction, larger tanks, more cargo carrying capacity, etc. Many also find the comparatively low engine speed of a diesel far more agreeable than the pretty high-speed operation of the Ford V10.

In a lot of ways, it's like comparing a school bus to a city transit bus (or even a Greyhound bus).

Bumpyroad
Explorer
Explorer
I haven't bothered to check whether anybody has mentioned it yet, but driving/sitting in a captains chair in a class a with open space around you is much nicer/relaxing/etc. than crammed into what is basically a pickup truck cab.
bumpy