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

[tcmaybee]

Had a couple truck slide-in's and a 30 ft. fifth wheel. Then got old with arthritis and stopped camping for awhile. Now got the urge to take some 'casual' road trips again, staying at campgrounds as opposed to RV parks.
We looked at TT's and found a 25' with a slide and floor plan we liked. TV is a F150 with 80K and 10 years old, but took it on a 6000 mile trip to Alaska last summer and it ran flawless. TT is $20M new.

Then I got wondering if I could find a Class C, used, for the same price as the TT, might that work out better. Without dragging this further, answers to several questions might get me started down the right path:

1. Is it much harder driving a 30' Class C around town than a 25'?
2. Will insurance for a used "C" be much greater than a new TT assuming street values are similar?
3. Is the risk of buying a 10 y.o. "C" (assuming value ~ $20M) worth the gamble?

Reasons for questions are, already I have discovered there are very few used 25' C's (with a slide) available compared to 30+ ft. C's and I have read on this site a lot of disappointment from those buying older Class C's having costly maintenance issues.

[Campinfan]

TT is $20M new? 20 Million, wow, must be a nice TT. lol

[sullivanclan]

Once the kids were grown, and the wife got burned out on the Truck/Northstar Camper, we jumped into the Class C world. To be honest, I miss the TT and the off road ability to get away from the crowd. But, I got to admit I love the comfort of the class C, both for driving as well as camping, which extends the season for us. I specifically looked for a 25ft class C, and found a Jayco 25DS, with the slide. It's just right for us. But I looked for some time. It was a 2003, with only 42,000 miles. The 450 Ford gave us the ability to still pull the ATV trailer for jeep when needed.

Maybe a slight savings on the insurance, as both units were the same year. Our focus was to avoid the 30 ft units as we do a lot of traveling out west here to National and State Parks. Adding solar helped a great deal in me still being able to stay away from the crowds.

[tcmaybee]

Thanks Donna. Looks like we're headed in the same direction but still doing some research. Off to look at a Monaco 26' today. They are very proud of it but we'll see!

[ReadyToGo]

We lived in a 25 ft C for 6 months at a time for 5 years. For extra storage, we layered some areas with shelving. Outside storage with a sheet of cut plywood and 2x4 for support. Inside hanging closet, we used a one of those cloth shoe hangers that most women have, which holds a lot of undies, socks etc. Metal stacks from Target in housewares doubles the space for dishes. If you need hanging space, use the shower rod.
Above all, learn to ignore inconveniencies.

[dcason]

We bought a used class C 25 foot (we really like that length) and resealed all roof seams.
After purchase we could tell that there was a small leak in one of those roof seams and had to do some fixing. NO WINDOW in front bunk/not sure why they still have those....
It was $25,000 and maybe 6 years old but very little use and only 18,000 miles.

We now have an rv shed for it.

We towed before van/20 foot travel trailer. Like the class c much better...can run to back to get a snack, use bathroom. Safer when we boondock which we do as much as possible.
Donna

[tcmaybee]

One Dodge, rest Fords so far. I have always thought Chevy's rode more comfortably than Fords, BUT REAL MEN DRIVE FORDS 🙂 But I hear ya and some mfg's offer both in certain models. Might be tough finding a dealer w/both to test drive.

[IAMICHABOD]

If you are looking for a quiet rig with more Leg Room in the cockpit I would look for one on a Chevy Chassis. I drove a lot of Ford based RVs while looking for mine and just one ride in a Chevy Based RV sold me.

It was a Former Rental so it didn't an easy life and with 90000 miles on it was quieter and smoother than any Ford Based RV with less than 1/3 the mileage.

There are still some MFG that offer them on a Chevy Chassis them such as
Thor and Coachman

[tcmaybee]

Much good advice received and appreciated. Due to the limited availability of smaller C's in our price range around here we decided to forget price and simply check out 25-27' floor plans. After walk thru's of 8 vehicles we are starting to define some needs:

Permanent bed (ideally rear twins or walk around queen)
More available daylight inside the better
No wet bath
Slides nice but might not be required.
Storage may be more important than we thought.

Aside from that we discovered 2 completely unexpected results:

A Ford E450/E350 chassis does not mean driver and passenger seats are always the same. One C was completely ruled out due to extreme lack of legroom for the driver due to "house" design. Crawling into the cockpit from both inside and outside became a routine check.

There is such a thing as a mini-class A. 25-27'.
https://www.thormotorcoach.com/axis/
Soon as it hits my $20M price point I'm all set to try it! The HUGE glass cockpit is something else! Anyone make an extendable rotating bug brush?

[Bordercollie]

I think that a 27 foot class C with rear bedroom, RV queen bed, and adequate storage in cargo hold and cabinetry storage, without slides, are the best size for all around camping and touring for a mature couple or young family. Occasional kid guests can sleep happily in the overhead and/or convertible dinette/sofa, not so good for adults especially with arthritis problems.
A 27 footer with rear bedroom is probably the most common Class C setup. Beds usually have access on one side and at the foot(not ideal) . A few have access on both sides with a bedroom slide. Some have twin rear beds. 24-25 foot class C's drive and handle much the same and most camp sites are large enough for 27-28 footers. Most Class C's are the same height and width. 24-25 footers have minor advantages in maneuvering , parking and camping in towns, and in primitive camping spots. Don't buy a short rig with poor sleeping and storage setup and regret it. That said, some love their short rigs.

[Easytime]

My wife and I are in a similar situation. It's just the two of us, but we bought an older 28 foot Class C. It's easy to drive and since it was inexpensive, we only purchased the required amount of insurance, so that wasn't too bad either. Based on our first year of use, here are a few other things to consider:

1.) Make sure the engine and transmission of the Class C are in good to excellent condition. Have it looked at by a professional before you buy it.

2.) Make sure the important systems work. The electrical system, the plumbing system, the roof and the heater and air conditioner. If one or more of these systems is iffy, you can bet you'll be forking out some unexpected cash in the near future.

3.) We have a toad. While our Class C can tow it easily on flat ground, towing it up a mountain brings us to a crawl. In this case, the bigger the engine the better.

[Adguy]

We found and bought at 2005 BT Cruiser last fall with 29,000 miles. Had to kiss a lot of frogs before we found our prince

[stripit]

We really enjoy our 29 ft Class C. It is comfortable to drive/ride in and so much easier to just pull over somewhere and stop. For just two people I would think you could get along quite well. Finding low mileage older units are out there and if you look at all of them in your area you will know when you find the nicest one. Would be worth the money to hire a mobile tech or some knowledgeable company to run an inspection before purchasing.

[tcmaybee]

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

Yeah saw the 2k hitch on one of them.

[rockhillmanor]

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