Just Grandma and Me---Does C make Sense?

Older Class Cs on a Ford E450 chassis have a GVWR of 14050 pounds, while newer E450 chassis have a GVWR of 14500 pounds. I think the GVWR improvement came around 2008 model year. There is a correlation between length of the Class C to Occupant and Cargo Carrying Capacity (OCCC), i.e., the amount of weight the chassis can carry without exceeding the GVWR. A longer C generally means heavier weight, thereby reducing the OCCC. In other words, the longer the C, the less people, food, water, and stuff you can safely carry. Additionally, the more options on the C like slide outs and leveling systems further reduce the OCCC. So a big question for you to answer is, "how will you use the RV most of the time?". If only going to the camp grounds on the weekend, and you don't need to carry much stuff, a longer C with slides may work fine. If going on cross-country trips or full-timing, you might need to find a C with a larger OCCC so you have the capacity to carry everything you might need.

Is a 30 harder to drive around than a 25? I don't thinks so. But, a 30 will be harder to park around town. Further, a 30 may be harder to park in campgrounds, especially some of the national and state parks.

Can't help with the insurance question.

The risk of buying a rig 10 years or older depends a great deal on how the rig was maintained. Carefully review the service records. Some on the forum advocate buying an older rig from a rental company who generally take good care of their property. But, in any case, a good first-hand examination of a potential rig is in order. The first rule is to check very carefully for water intrusion, especially around windows and the cab-over.

Good luck finding your new to you rig.

I think a C is less physical labor.
Smaller than 30' would be nice.
Insurance is more than a TT, but if it replaced the truck then no.
A 3/4 ton truck would be a better tow rig.
Your choice, I like the C, and don't need a truck.

Cobra21 wrote:
I think a C is less physical labor.
Smaller than 30' would be nice.
Insurance is more than a TT, but if it replaced the truck then no.
A 3/4 ton truck would be a better tow rig.
Your choice, I like the C, and don't need a truck.

X10 on all of the above!

The C is like driving a van. If you can drive and park a car you can easily park/backup a Class C at any CG.

If you have any type of physical limitations, the Class C is the way to go. For me the 'captains chairs' in a C is the only way I can drive without experiencing back pain.

IMHO, JMHO Whole lot easier than a TT. No hooking up, unhooking, set up, etc etc. Pull in, park, and open a cold one!

We're getting ready to go from a Class C to class A (2018 Jayco Alante 31V) because of our creaky knees and backs. The Class C is just to painful to clamber in and out of, and with the class A, we can just walk on the flat floor from the house to the cab area, and flop down in the captains chairs.

JMHO

Good luck and safe camping.

I didn't think much about a C until after we found the TT I mentioned. Rockhill and C21's post pretty much sum up why I started thinking in that direction. I know my 1/2T is marginal with a tow rating of 7100, but should be sufficient for the light weight TT we found. Replacing the truck AND buying the TT is not in the cards at our age and amount of use it will see.

I favor Ford and the V10 with a cost under $20M if we go the C route. Not too concerned about load capacities as it's just us and enough toys to keep us happy on a trip, but will definitely consider CCC. I like the idea of conveniently towing a 3200# pontoon once a year for a vacation. Need to check this out. Don't see us towing a toad. Don't see us driving an additional car except for convenience on short trips.

We like CofE and state campgrounds and don't remember being told "too big" when we had the fifth wheel, but will look again if we decide on a 30' C. I'm pretty sure we can manage in a 25-27' (preferably w/slide). Problem is we aren't seeing many and prices seem to be at a premium when we do. Looks like I need to research insurance costs as well.

Thanks for the feed back. The search continues.

(HOW THE HECK DO I PREVIEW MY RESPONSE BEFORE POSTING? "PREVIEW MESSAGE" DOESN'T SEEM TO WORK.

It will depend in part on where you live as well but the other and possibly harder to find option would be a B+. Something like the BT Cruiser in a 26' length would be the easiest to drive and there are some that have the rear queen bed and a slide.

Granny and Me purchased a 2005 BT Cruiser 28' with slide last Fall and love it. Ours is a model 5270 with dinette (took couch out and added dinette) and it is very roomy for the 2 of us. Granny drives it with no fears. Some of the bad press it gets have not materialized with ours.
We did add air shocks and that helped the ride.

Just to add, wee don't tow a vehicle, wanted to travel rather than set up long term camp. Going to Mt Rushmore and will went a car once there. We get 10 mpg with the E450 V10 and plenty of power.
Good luck with your search.

Adguy wrote:
Granny and Me purchased a 2005 BT Cruiser 28' with slide last Fall and love it. Ours is a model 5270 with dinette (took couch out and added dinette) and it is very roomy for the 2 of us. Granny drives it with no fears. Some of the bad press it gets have not materialized with ours.
We did add air shocks and that helped the ride.

Just to add, wee don't tow a vehicle, wanted to travel rather than set up long term camp. Going to Mt Rushmore and will went a car once there. We get 10 mpg with the E450 V10 and plenty of power.
Good luck with your search.

Exactly what I was thinking, I was impressed with how it drove.
Thank you.

kerrlakeroo wrote:
It will depend in part on where you live as well but the other and possibly harder to find option would be a B+. Something like the BT Cruiser in a 26' length would be the easiest to drive and there are some that have the rear queen bed and a slide.

Interesting thought. Was not aware of this segment. Will try to find one to look at.

You can scratch off the towing a pontoon boat on a trailer. It will be too heavy.