Looking to purchase Class C bunkhouse

[foglght]

Hello all,

My wife and I have been searching for over a year now and haven't found anything that really fits. Everything we look at seems to come pretty close, but none of them really fit the bill.

The only one that seems to come the closest is the Thor Quantum LF31. It has the residential fridge (nice and large), 1.8kW inverter, 8k hitch and decent counter top space. We looked at the Greyhawk and really liked it, but it comes with the tiny 8 cubic foot RV fridge and the counter space is lacking. The Thor model has the single super slide which makes the awning on the passenger side MUCH bigger and was something I didn't really love about the Winnebago Minnie Winnie 31H we rented last year. It wasn't terrible by any stretch, just seemed like it would be nicer.

All of the options are starting to have me a bit frazzled. Example:

Fiberglass or TPO roof?

Do I really need an inverter or can I add it later?

Do I want Azdel walls or standard (if there is such a thing)?

Are two smaller slides better than one super slide?

Full body paint or just the gel coat?

Do I need slide awnings?

Do different manufacturers have different slide excursions (some go out further than others)?

Given that I have to watch the GVWR and GCWR, I see how much I may be able to tow. The plan, at the end of the day, is to be able to tow about 6,000lbs. That puts the coach at close to its GCWR. Do these things not tow well when loaded up? I remember my Nissan Titan was nowhere near as stable and capable as my Silverado.

We like the idea of an inverter so we don't have to run the generator while driving. I have found the Cummins generators are pretty noisy, though I'm not sure I would notice while driving.

We have 3 kids and 2 dogs that travel with us, so bunkhouse model it shall be. Some of the bunkhouse models like the Sunseeker have the firestone air bags. I haven't gotten under there to see if they are the same as the ones I have used in the past, which were a manual inflation type bladder. I'm also unsure how that compares with the suspension type that Jayco uses with the Hellwig helper springs.

Most of our camping will be with hookups, but when I get back into racing; most of the tracks would be boondocking.

[CVD]

You didn't say what you will tow. Unless it is a flat towed car (virtually no tongue weight), you may be limited by rear axle capacity.

[rockhillmanor]

I think the one big thing many people overlook when buying a Class C is whether to buy a E350 or a E450 chassis. Salespeople seem to never point that option out, most likely cause they want you buy the one you are looking at I guess!

My advice is the E450. :C

[foglght]

Greydennyhawk wrote:
Maybe a smaller class a gasser like the Jayco precept or something like that , might fit your bill better?

We did look at the 35UP. The rig is significantly more expensive than the class C like the Greyhawk 31FS. The other thing with the 35UP is the rear bedroom has basically no closet space. The bunk beds take the place of the closets.

Other than that, I did really like the layout. The coach I believe only weighed like 17,400lbs. on a 22k GVWR and a 26k GCWR which is plenty of room for towing.

A Greyhawk 31FS is $80k with incentives and the Precept is over $100k.

The Greyhawk has a 14.5k GVRW with UVW approaching 12k on a 22k GCWR, which still leaves me plenty of room for towing.

Coachman has the 310BH, which has some really nice features. The price is really good as well, but they seem to have a lot of issues and lots of comments from dealers about them being the cheapo entry model. Then again, each place I go to has their own bashing session for each manufacturer. General RV was bashing Jayco and the other place was having words for Fleetwood/Holiday.

I'm just not sure whether it is worthwhile to buy a used one for $20k less and spend $3-4k having an inverter system installed with solar.

[Greydennyhawk]

Maybe a smaller class a gasser like the Jayco precept or something like that , might fit your bill better?

[Gonzo42]

I'm sure i can't answer all your questions, but here goes...

We've been looking at RV shows for our relatives and have not seen a bunkhouse C yet.

I would think you need an inverter for boondocking.

Your intended GVWR and GCWR might be very hard to find in a C and probably only the newest models might approach that. We are towing less than our max of 3500 lb and so far, so good but if you want to push the limit you might consider some suspension upgrades.

Good luck and I hope you find your ideal rig.