Forum Discussion

Sandy_Feet's avatar
Sandy_Feet
Explorer
May 05, 2013

Class A under 30 ft.?

1. I am sure this question has been posted a bazillion times and I apologize beforehand for posting it once again.

2. I absolutely love our 30-ft Newmar Bay Star.

3. Brother is in the market for a used SMALL Class A. He wants gasser, under 30 feet, and be able to tow his Jeep Wrangler. I would love to see him buy the same thing we have, but -- butthead that he is -- he wants to research the subject to death. He insists he can find something to serve the purpose other than a Newmar. Also, what year did flat screen TVs become standard?

Could I get some suggestions from the peanut gallery? Thank you all.

Sandy Feet
Class A
  • phoneguy1212's avatar
    phoneguy1212
    Explorer
    May 11, 2013
    hertfordnc wrote:
    This will be considered a radical idea by many but he should really consider a restored Classic GMC Motorhome. Made from 1973 to 1978 THey are cheap, plentiful and contrary to what you might read elsewhere, very practical to support and maintain.

    THere are still several thousand on the road and a huge, well organized user base and solid vendors on both coasts.




    I would love to have one on these. I think they show alot of class.
  • Mrs_Gryphon's avatar
    Mrs_Gryphon
    Explorer
    May 09, 2013
    We have a 2002 Rexhall Vision 26. It's quite comfortable for the two of us, and it has a small but functional kitchen -three burners, an oven and a microwave (We like to cook, so kitchen space was important). We've taken it boondocking with no problem, but only for weekends. We replaced the old CRT with a flat screen with minimal effort.

    One thing your brother should keep an eye out for is the size of the bed, many of the smaller RVs have "RV Queen" beds, which are shorter than conventional Queen beds.
  • tatest's avatar
    tatest
    Explorer II
    May 07, 2013
    Winnebago is currently making the Via at 25 1/2 feet. Thor is making the ACE at 28 feet.

    Shopping new or used?

    Safari used to make type A motorhomes as short as 24 feet. The 24 to 30 range was pretty popular with several manufacturers, like Coachmen and Georgie Boy, in the 1980s.

    If you want to go back to the '70s, 22-28 foot A's were common, anything over 30 foot was pretty rare, needed a special chassis to carry the weight. In the late '60s, you could buy as short as 17 feet.
  • tatest's avatar
    tatest
    Explorer II
    May 07, 2013
    Winnebago is currently making the Via at 25 1/2 feet. Thor is making the ACE at 28 feet.

    Shopping new or used?

    Safari used to make type A motorhomes as short as 24 feet. The 24 to 30 range was pretty popular with several manufacturers, like Coachmen and Georgie Boy, in the 1980s.

    If you want to go back to the '70s, 22-28 foot A's were common, anything over 30 foot was pretty rare, needed a special chassis to carry the weight. In the late '60s, you could buy as short as 17 feet.
  • zman-az's avatar
    zman-az
    Explorer
    May 06, 2013
    I got a 2011 Vista and we do alot of boondocking. The short wheelbase allows for a great turn radias as well as some extra power for towing as it does not have all the extra weight. He probably will not like the bed as its a short queen vs the standard full lenght queen. For him that is something I would watch out for.
  • mena661's avatar
    mena661
    Explorer
    May 06, 2013
    Smaller A's don't have room for stuff so expect some tradeoffs.
  • Sandy_Feet's avatar
    Sandy_Feet
    Explorer
    May 06, 2013
    Thank you everyone for your great suggestions and information. I will pass them along.

    A few considerations I failed to mention is that my brother is 6-ft 4-in, so interior height is important. Also, almost 100% of our "family camping" is dry and in the boondocks, so fresh water capacity is important. I also noticed that many of the smaller Class A's have tiny kitchen areas with two-burner stove tops and a dinky sink. We cook like crazy when we camp and that just ain't gonna cut it.

    But you have given us plenty to research and I appreciate, as always, this forum's generous assistance.

    Sandy
  • Doc_Eagle's avatar
    Doc_Eagle
    Explorer
    May 06, 2013
    Ours is a 1993 Fleetwood Flair 22D, really short but has plenty of power to pull a toad. We removed the television over the driver and added a LED TV plus one back in main bunk area. You didn't state if he was looking for new or used. Of course felt like the Beverly Hillbillies on our first trip pulling into a really nice RV Resort in Florida between two beautiful rigs in the $350-400K range. Will have to say those folks were first rate and made us feel welcome.
  • gormleys's avatar
    gormleys
    Explorer
    May 05, 2013
    Another one to consider is the Thor ACE line. They offer four different models that are considered entry level Class A's and all are at or under 30' in length and usually retail new for under $100K. They are called "ACE" because they are a combination "A plus C" and have a bed that lowers over the driver's head. They get pretty decent mileage and can tow up to 5K. And they have all of the amenities that you would expect in a class A.
  • Monaco_Montclai's avatar
    Monaco_Montclai
    Explorer
    May 05, 2013
    well tell bro to take a look at what we have. 29ft, three slides, can whear a cowboy hat inside, can visit wally-world,and it has a v-10, 12.6 not towing, 10-towing,and drives like dream for us.and only 10.8tall--exterior. Monaco--Montclair---and its a b+. I-m a 6ft guy. for us its just rite. love driving it. finaly got 16k on the clock. ours is bout 4yrs old now. be glad to talk more bout it. from now on its happy-camping

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