Is Class B the easiest to use?

Hi.
A class B is your best answer. Roadtrek makes a Versitile model in both a 20 foot and an 18 foot. (20 foots are no longer being made) called 170 and 190V. The 190 has two back seats so can ride four people in comfort. The HOA problem is one you have to address before buying a moble home. I ran into the HOA problem and trying to work something out. My reason for moving into was my wife's problems. Some moble home parks have an area to store RVs. If you can buy a home near the storage area, it will work. Do your homework and get it in writing. Good luck.
Heapie

we have a leisure travel van the freedom II serenity ,its just a little bigger than a B and love it. lot more room.and you can park,drive it any where.

One thing that has not been mentioned is the very limited cargo carrying capacity of many class B's and some class C's. Take a look at some of those 24 ft Sprinter based Unity series units from Leisure Travel vans that have been mentioned above and check out the OCCC sticker and you will see some have less than 500 pounds of cargo carrying capacity, and most have less than 700. By comparison my 15 year old 28 ft class A has nearly 3,000 pounds of cargo carrying capacity using the current OCCC calculation method.

I have two large dogs and a parrot. The parrot and cage live on the dinette table. The dogs spend a lot of time in the cab seats watching everything that is going on. That helps a lot as I don't have them underfoot constantly in the small space. I have a 21ft Class C. I use the cabover bed for sleeping and the dogs sleep up there also (they love the view).

With a bad back, you will probably want a corner bed for you. Do your cats prefer high places? With a Class C that has the cabover, you could use that space for storage and leave room for the cats to have a high safe spot in the RV. You could even take out the mattress up there, put a couple cat beds and the litter box in its place (lay linoleum over the plywood), and make a "tailgate" that you can lock upright to keep the cats secured if you worry about them escaping out the door.

A small B often does not have a dedicated bed, so you would have to convert a sofa or dinette. A 24ft class C, should have a corner bed. Making the bed can be a problem with a corner bed, but if you have casual bedding you can usually make it work.

As others indicate, the height can be an issue if you're using it as a daily driver and need to use parking garages, etc. With your bad back, are you unable to walk distances? Do you need to use the handicap parking spots? If so, you may find it difficult to park anything longer than 21ft in the handicap spots - many will be right up against the sidewalk so you can't back in and let the rear end hang over and beyond the dedicated space. Widthwise, you may be OK if you park where there is the extra space for wheelchairs.

If you don't need to use handicap parking, then you should be OK with up to a 24ft rig without much issue. Just park further out where you can fit in 2 spots side by side and back the rear so it overhangs a planter, etc.

For maintenance, you may end up needing to adjust your grey/black tank valves. My black valve was under the chassis (the grey was just at the edge). I ended up moving the black valve out to the same level as the grey so I wouldn't have to bend down under the vehicle. Checking for water leaks should be easy, but you may need to have any leaks repaired professionally due to your back. Washing can be done at a truck wash for usually a reasonable fee.

A macerator might be a good investment. If you don't get a rig with one already built in, you can buy one for a couple hundred and find someone to install it.

As for parking the rig "at home", that will all depend upon where you buy. Many places that cater to a specific clientele (55 or over, golfers, etc.) are likely to have rules about what can and cannot be parked. Even though your rig would be your daily driver, the association will still see it as an RV. Get the rules before you buy. If you really want the RV, then plan on going through multiple places before finding one that will let you park the RV at home.

If you're just looking at the RV for the time you will be shopping for a home, then you might be able to sell it when you get your home and buy a car for your new daily driver.

Keep in mind that B's are complex vehicles, with a lot of systems crammed into very little space. If you are not mechanically inclined, I would aim for one on the Chevy or Dodge chassis, rather than the Mercedes Sprinters.

Gig3000 wrote:
I like the Leisure Travel, B+. The class B definitely would create litter box issues.

I missed this post of yours. The small Class C Leisure Travel rigs are wonderful. If I needed something this big I would buy a Wonder... in a heartbeat. I love the floorplan.

I owned a Libero, and Leisure is a great company to deal with. They are definitely top of the line.

Just for your information, they are not Class B... and there is really so such thing as a B+. That is a salesman term to make a small Class C sound sexier. :C

LTV rigs are very difficult to find used and they are still very expensive. But if you can afford it, go for it!!

Gig3000 wrote:
Un-mechanical female here. I'm considering a class B for me, 2 cats and a dog. I plan to live in it for 2-3 months while exploring places to purchase a small home in the south. I would then use it as a camper and it would be my only vehicle. I would be looking for 24' and plan to use it as my primary vehicle as trading my car in for the class B.

Another un-mechanical female here. Are you planning to buy new or used? Gas vehicles are probably simpler than diesel and easier to find someone who can work on them. If you can buy new, you might look at the Winnebago Paseo on the Ford Transit. It is 22 feet long. Not too bad as a daily vehicle. (I only have my Roadtrek 170, which is only 18' but I only have one small dog) And it isn't as hard to find a Ford truck dealer who can deal with the size as it may be to find someone to work on a Sprinter.

Another option might be the Roadtrek 210, which is just over 21' and on a Chevy which is another dependable option. There are plenty of Chevy dealers everywhere.

Gig3000 wrote:
1) Some of these 55 plus mobile home parks(ex:the villages), would i be able to keep my "vehicle" at my residence? Most residential areas?

I spend my winters in one of those over 55 RV parks in AZ, and my vehicle fits under the awning of my park model with no problems. This is, of course, not true of all of them. I shopped with that in mind. Of course, you would also have to check out the rules of the HOA.

Gig3000 wrote:
2) Are Class B's easier to maintain than class C? I have a bad back.

It all depends... on which B and/or which C. Some brands are more dependable than others, of course.

You need to start shopping. Go and see as many as you can... and think about dealing with the dog and cats... deciding where you could put the cat box is a serious question.

RVs are all pretty labor intensive. I've always owned new vehicles so I didn't have to deal with too many repairs once everything was working. The older the vehicle, the more things could go wrong. The key is knowing where to go to get things fixed. It is also not cheap.

B are expensive compared to C.

“I figured a Class B would have way fewer problems.”

Never read a study supporting your figured conclusion. Could be true.

Thanks for the information all. I was considering a class C but i need a newer model and i keep hearing horror stories about how fast they are assembled and all the subsequent problems. I figured a Class B would have way fewer problems. I like the Leisure Travel, B+. The class B definitely would create litter box issues.