New here ..... could use some advice on a 1st purchase.

I would suggest that you go to Beginning Rving .

There is a "sticky" at the top and it has many frequently asked questions that have been asked and answered. The rest of that section is great, too.

I have been RVing since 1986 and I still like to go there and read because I usually find something there that I did not already know.

You will probably find some answers there. There are many, many great people on this forum who will like to help.

Here is a review from back in the day on it. What I gleaned from it is the Vista has very small tanks (15 gallon water) and not much payload capacity (800 lbs).

You didn't say how many people were going in it but each person eats into that 800 lbs.

That's about as small as C's have been, since they stopped building them on Toyota chassis, length, width, height, weight, and capacities. It is built on a 7275 pound Eurovan (T4, globally). The chassis is good to carry what it is rated to carry, but the house uses up almost all of that rating. It is reliable as a VW, which is considered pretty good in most of the world.

The main issue one may have with the VW part of the package is finding a dealer to service it. The Eurovan was imported to the U.S. only briefly, into a dealer network not equipped to service trucks. Many VW dealers would not service the van, and didn't have the space or equipment to work with a house built on top of the van. Of course, there is a similar issue with other platforms, not all Ford or Chevy dealers will service larger trucks or motorhomes, but there is a network of truck servicing dealers, has been for at least 80 years.

Next size up, from that time, would be a small C built on 10,700 pound Ford E-350, 12,300 pound Chevy 3500. Most manufacturers were making a model or two on those platforms 22 to 23 foot long, similar floorplans to the Vista, but roomier, and a whole lot more capacity left for you to use. Examples would be Winnebago's Minnie 22E and 22R. Only a foot longer than the Vista on a Ford (Chevy need yet another foot for the longer cab), about a foot taller, more than a foot wider, and even empty a ton to a ton and a half heavier. Some manufacturers were building their 22 footers on the 14,050 pound E-450, those could have a whole lot of spare carrying capacity. There were similar 22-23 foot models from Fleetwood, FourWinds, Gulfstream, Coachmen, and Forest River, in the "entry level" lines.

Later in the decade, RV manufacturers tried to "downsize" again, Winnebago first, building the View on a 11,030 pound Sprinter chassis. This was 23 1/2 to 24 1/2 foot long, about the same height but a foot narrower than the large C's being built on Ford and Chevy chassis. But not really as small as the earlier small Cs, which were starting to disappear from retail lines, while still made for rental.

The Sprinter C's tended to be furnished as premium models, much more expensive than Ford or Chevy, because the higher cost of the M-B Sprinter chassis made it impossible to get to entry level prices, so there was no point in trying to build a low cost house. Just letting you know, if you find Sprinters they will cost more.

If you are looking for something small, and relatively inexpensive, you might consider the two smallest rental models being built for, and sold used by, CruiseAmerica. There is a "sleeps four" Majestic 19G built on E-350, actually shorter (but substantially heavier) than the old Vista. I've seen nothing quite like this retail, for many years, it is something built to rental fleet needs.

Next size up (represented by something in every manufacturers model lines) would be the "sleeps six"rear corner bed C (about 24 foot) which may be on either E-350 or E-450, and some on Chevy Express 3500. At CruiseAmerica this is the Majestic 23A, but you don't have to go there, because 1990-2006 before the industry collapse, everybody was making one of these in their entry level and rental lines. It was almost as popular as the "sleeps 7" rear-queen 28-foot everybody made.

itsjustmeee: You might want to join the yahoo group called Vistars. (Vistas and Sunstars) 2002-2004 Winnebago Vista and their sister unit Itasca Sunstar number less than a thousand manufactured. Most of their owners love them dearly and the size is right for driving, parking and easy setup. The storage inside and out is fab. I too am searching for one and was lucky enough to see one in person thru a forum member. He let me tour his rig and explained how everything worked, and described his mods. The vehicle is perfect for a solo traveler, and equally as nice for 2 adults and the occasional grandkids. I hope to find mine this summer. Good luck... I think they are very special units!

Excellent reply from "Tatest" I learned a lot from that!
Thanks, Brian

Thanks to everyone for the replies. And to answer the question of the number of people that will be using it, it will basically just be me and my wife (and a dog or two). I do have a good mechanic that is close by who fixes all types of cars from my Jeep to my wife's Mercedes. I guess another question would be is there anything mechanical about an RV (other than the interior appliances, generator, etc) that can't be be fixed by a reputable car repair mechanic? Would I have to go to a Volkswagen dealer? The thought of taking anything to a dealer just doesn't sit well with me. They seem to charge way more than the friendly neighborhood shop.

Are you planing on taking your mechanic with you? Problems don't usually arise while sitting parked but when you are out on the road, far from home.

bsinmich wrote:
Are you planing on taking your mechanic with you? Problems don't usually arise while sitting parked but when you are out on the road, far from home.

We're not planning on taking long trips but more local overnight campsites in our area and I'm asking because if an RV is anything like a car, often times it starts making sounds that lets you know something (like a fuel pump, etc) is going out and gives you enough time to take it to a mechanic which comes back to my original question about going to a local shop as opposed to a dealer.

But I will remember your advice that problems don't usually arise while sitting parked.

I am a fairly new owner who bought an older 1983 Jamboree, but I will relay what I learned when I was researching a purchase and also the painful realities of older RV ownership.:h

Just about any mechanic can confirm the running gear is solid on the Ford and Chevy platform RV's. The VW and Sprinter M-B chassis need to go to specialized shops and as pointed out earlier are more expensive. For those reasons, I chose to stick with Ford/Chevy based class C rigs. Appliances for RV's are EXPENSIVE!!! :E Test everything and if it doesn't work, assume replacement costs come into play when negotiating the purchase. If you buy newer than 2000 model year, I would expect the appliances will not be an issue. You should also learn to read the date codes on tires. True MH tires have 7 year life spans, L/T tires have 5 year life spans. If the tires are older than recommended, assume replacement cost and factor into purchase. You don't want an old tire to blow out on you. That often causes damage that must be repaired, along with the expense of the new tire.

My experience is that every repair is very doable for a competent mechanic and DIY'er. I have rewired and rebuilt my charging system, replaced manifold gaskets and rebuilt the carb., replaced the toilet, replaced the fridge and installed new faucets. However, the pass through cab is a pain in the neck when it comes to working on the engine .... and did I mention that RV appliances are EXPENSIVE!!!! :E

Shop time is high cost at an RV specialist. While I did a bunch of engine clean up and gasket refresh, I had a local auto shop do the final tune and smog. They charged for work like a van and labor cost was very reasonable. A good local auto shop to back you up is a big plus.

The one thing that is a GIANT pain is water leakage. That is a HUGE issue for class C's, particularly as they age. If you are looking at ANY class C (even something only 5 years old), you need to go through the cabover with a fine toothed comb. If there is ANY water leakage, you MUST repair immediately. If there is ANY rot, assume you will tear out panels and deal with it or walk away. I am going to have to do some major repair work on the cabover of ours. I bought very cheap and this is our "learning" RV, so I understood there was potential for big "gotcha's", but wood rot is very bad as it means a problem was ignored for years.

If you are looking for something truly nice and ready to use, then spend the money for a PPI and have a really trustworthy local shop give their seal of approval before you buy. I highly recommend the pressurized leak tests others have already mentioned. You must find your leaks ASAP and check yearly. Repair cost will FAR outweigh yearly inspection and upkeep costs, so do things "right" from the start or prepare to suffah, suffah, suffah the consequences. :S

I don't regret the purchase of our used (older) class C, but it has definitely been a learning experience.

Jose