Class B for 3?

Effy wrote:
.... I would actually spend more than our Class A for less space. I can keep paying for storing it and actually save money. Why are Class B's so expensive?....

B's main advantages are:
MPG
Parking
easy to drive, esp tight areas.

If these 3 factors are low on your list, go for a bigger RV.





B's are more likely to have crumple zones and airbags etc.

safety standards for commercial chassis are not the same as a passenger vehicle- most RV's are on a commercial chassis- as are many SUV's and light trucks.





mike

Effy wrote:
Why are Class B's so expensive?

Because they are so good. :)

Actually it's more complicated than that, although the fact that you can go anywhere an automobile can go is part of it probably. But I've heard it explained as the higher cost of building the RV components within the body of a van as opposed to in a box that is part of the conversion. And the cost of the van chassis is higher than the cost of building the fiberglass box.

Personally I like being totally enclosed in the steel body of a Sprinter van although not all class Bs retain the steel body, especially prior to the larger Sprinter vans and their newer competitors.

This may not work out. Everything I look at that might work is way over our budget. I would actually spend more than our Class A for less space. I can keep paying for storing it and actually save money. Why are Class B's so expensive?

Look into used Sportsmobiles with poptop. Nice bed upstairs and below and usually very stealth. Many can be stored in a garage nullifying any HOA grief.

Our model Class B (Leisure Travel 210B 3S) sleeps three, two on fold out sofa in the back and one using the passenger seat rotated with a folded down 3rd seat behind it. I have slept in the front seat for two separate 6-week trips with teenage grandsons on the back sofa. But I am 5' 6", any taller would be tight.

But you would probably be hard pressed to find one used.

Our overall mileage for 135K miles is 20.3 MPG which includes all kind of terrain including many mountains and my heavy foot. It's the 5-cyl Mercedes turbo diesel.

I don't think diarz2's mileage is typical of Class B RVs. I consistently get 15 MPG with the Roadtrek (gas); diesel models are said to do better.

Not that many options for 3 in a Class B. Is a small Class C a possibility - one of the Sprinter-based models? Just from the floorplan, the Leisure Travel Vans Unity model, with twin/king beds in back and a dinette/bed up front seems pretty good for 3. It's over what the OP wanted to spend, but perhaps there's something similar in the used market.

Older, 90s, Airstream , Great West Vans, Coachmen Bs and many others have an "upstairs bedroom" in a size big enough for 2 adults, as well as a bed in the living area. Of coarse with that 10 foot height you won't be parking it at home. Not at all stealthy.
john 'I am Canadian'

diazr2 wrote:
I switched from a C to a B many years ago.

2000 is kinda the tipping point for motor efficiency- as much as we harp on regulations, CAFE required higher mpg and the better designs and efi made it from passenger cars to commercial chassis ( RV's, vans and pick up trucks) by about 2000

and although mostly exempt from safety standards- crush zones and airbags- those factors are more available now- market demand


MPG on our gas 2006 PleasureWay Lexor is a dependable 16 MPG at 65 MPH, 6.0 Liter vortec.

There are all kinds of threads on MPG and the big factors will always be wind resistance and weight.

Running with full tanks will affect mpg and the higher the speed, the more air needs to be pushed and the more power needed.


3 people:
A class B is a constant dance of "where do you need me NOT to be" or climbing past each other.
In general I stay up front in the turned around pass seat and she is in the rear or galley- we make as much use of the outdoors as we can.

A 3rd may be more possible in a Roadtrek or an old winnebago rialta (VW) depending on which interior lay out you get.

B's main advantages are:
MPG
Parking
easy to drive, esp tight areas.

If these 3 factors are low on your list, go for a bigger RV.

as far as a HOA, that's between you and the HOA- you have an agreement and legal obligation....which is why you live there to keep your neighbor from opening a tire recycling facility next door...
depending on your location, HOA's may have the right to assess fines,legal and or administrative fees and foreclose on a property

so check with them.

1 of the factors in my previous owner selling the RV was that he was paying $150 a month for storage and the storage facility was closing down- another master planned community.

I live in an older neighborhood with work trucks, RV's and purple trim on the house up the street.

Mike

Effy, I have an 05/04 Roadtrek 190P which is an extended bed Chevrolet Express Van.

When I visualize that space with Nothing in it, I don't think that there is any configuration, floorplan that would be satisfactory for 3 adults, for me. Maybe on a limited basis, but then I would be stuck with what I would not want for myself or 2 folks.

Additionally, this topic of HOA comes up regularly over the years. If you can not have an 'RV' parked in your drive, it only takes one complaint. It is either an RV or not. B's are an RV. Unless you 'know' that there will not be a problem with a B vs a C or C-, there is a risk you probably need to factor in.

Hope you are able to sort it out.

Bud

I suspect a new B that will fit your family needs may very well be more expensive than your current ACE. For the most part IMO bathrooms/showers in B's just plain sux. But as a short trip, unit to migrate back and forth between two states, a B or better yet a B+ (actually a streamlined C) could work.

Mileage on the Sprinter based units are much better than gassers, maintenance costs could be higher as they are proud of those little diesels.

As far as HOA, order one in a plain brown ( Or white, blue, red...) wrapper.