Pros and Cons of owning a class A RV

[scottyballs]

Owned a truck and 5th wheel for 5 years and loved it. Unfortunately circumstances caused me to sell both last fall. Thinking now about buying another when I saw a 1999 Class A with less than 100,000 miles and very clean inside. Price was very reasonable. To my surprise I have seen a few others that appeal to me also. (older, clean models with low mileage).

Any suggestions as to pros and cons of Class A vs 5ers. Anything special I should be looking for in a used one? Vehicle would be used for one trip annually from southern Ontario to Florida, plus a few summer camping excursions nearby.

[way2roll]

DallasSteve wrote:
Class A is maybe the most comfortable for traveling and surely the most expensive to buy..

I have to disagree. Lots of Mh's on the market much cheaper than a comparable Fiver and the truck to pull it. I've seen just the trucks big enough to pull a fiver with a higher sticker price than some brand new entry level Class A's. That's not counting the price of the trailer. Trucks have become insanely expensive.

[Ivylog]

For a 5 month snowbirding trip to Fla it’s hard to justify a Class A (the nicest and most expensive way to travel). BUT a 20 year old trailer is often junk with multiple water leaks while a mid to upper level DP will usually be in better shape...not true of most gassers where the house is more like a trailer.

[Jayco-noslide]

We have a C we like a lot. But an A would provide better outside storage with the openings not so low. My son doesn't like the cramped front foot space on a C but it doesn't bother me at all. My C uses pick-up size tires and the A's seem larger; more cost. Generally, both can handle and drive poorly unless you upgrade. Mostly a matter of preference.

[DallasSteve]

Class A is maybe the most comfortable for traveling and surely the most expensive to buy.

There are your pros and cons in a nutshell. I've bought 20 year old houses before. They needed a lot of work. A 20 year old house on wheels will need even more work. If you can tolerate that pain point then it can be a way to save money, but repairs will cost money, too.

[ncrowley]

Driving in a class A with air bags is very comfortable. The passenger can get up and get a drink, make a sandwich, use the restroom, etc.

Also, we like the choice of what toad to bring. We have a fuel efficient toad and we have a Jeep Rubicon. We tow the Jeep to places like Moab and have a great time. That would not work with a fifth wheel.

[msturtz]

Another issue that I forgot to mention was the purchase cost. Higher end towable units with equivalent space and integrated features such as onboard generators, inverter, residential refrigerator etc. tend to be on the very high end of towable and very heavy. I made the initial mistake of purchasing a truck that really didn't have the capability to adequately tow everything we needed. Keep in mind that I had a 29' stick and tin trailer with a GVWR of 7500#. I know people will tow very heavy trailers dramatically over the GCWR of their trucks but I won’t do that. The problem is we had to carry so much additional equipment we were very heavy. Our first truck simply didn't have the capability even when I spent thousands of dollars upgrading it. We ended up trading it in for a 1 ton long box crew cab truck with a 100 gallon in bed fuel tank and a tall canopy to cover stuff in the truck bed. This added thousands of dollars to the base cost. So, in the end the cost was quite high. A higher end towable can cost well over $50K fully outfitted and add a $80K truck and additional equipment the cost difference is not nearly as much as one would think. Our setup was nearly 10 years old when we traded it in for a motorhome. We were looking at replacing at least the trailer if not the truck as well.

[Matt_Colie]

We have done some of everything. I won't go down the list but, when you are going to a place to stay a while, the disconnectable wins. That can be just about anything. If you are traveling more than stopping, the motorhome wins.

You don't really have to decide right away, if you buy good used and take care of it, you can probably turn it over even. If you buy new, get ready for the drive-off depreciation.

We now have a very small A. Yes, if we need to go to the store, we have to break camp. That usually involves disconnecting shore power. Then again, if you take any kind of care it is pretty easy to take of all of that during the day's run. If you have a monster A, a towed is pretty much required.

Matt

[way2roll]

For us, the convenience of a Class A and everything a rolling apartment offers while travelling down the road was the most critical. Your passengers can eat, sleep, use the restroom, watch TV, make meals, heck my wife has even taken a shower - all while going down the road. You have access to everything, electricity, all appliances, HVAC, beds, etc - all the time - not just while camped. It is such a joy to me to watch my family play a game of cards, eating meals, or relaxing on the bed or couch watching a movie - while travelling. No stops for restroom beaks (except for the driver). Traffic jams no longer bother me - I could sit in traffic all day. I mean, MH travel really is the most luxurious way to travel there is. It's a bit like having a private boat or jet. I've broken camp while the fam is still sleeping and been on the road for an hour before they get up and start their day. I think a fiver offers more space, but the inability to use any of the amenities while travelling was a deal breaker plus all the setup and breakdown. Not to mention the cost of a truck to pull it plus the fiver was more than a decent motorhome towing our existing car. And there is nothing like pulling into a campground in the pouring rain, knowing you don't have to do a thing until it stops. In a motorhome, wherever you go, there you are. There is very little setup to do and you are fully self contained without leaving the MH. *Disclaimer - not all the activities above while travelling are recommended. We do require seat belts while moving, and we are pretty safe in regards to what you can do and when. Didn't want the safety police flaming my post.

All that said, it really depends on what type of travelling and camping you do and what suits your needs.

[scottyballs]

When we sold the truck and 5er, we put the money into a newer model small car, which is great. Getting another trailer means I have to buy another truck. That's another reason I'm leaning towards a motorhome.

[howdy35]

I own an "older" Motorhome with less than 100,000 miles and I would not be afraid to purchase one that had been properly maintained. It sounds as though you are not planning to use it extensively, so why put a lot of money into the RV?

Having only owned a class A, I can't speak about a TT but we really like the convenience of traveling in a Motorhome. Many here will give good advice as to what to look for in shopping but you should consider that with a Motorhome, you will most likely need something to tow so you can get around once you reach your destination. If you don't already have that vehicle, it could be an added expense. Something to think about.

Let us know what you decide. We are always interested.

Safe travels. Arnold

[scottyballs]

A lot of great feedback. The positive comments are what's making me very interested.

[rgatijnet1]

The way we travel is that we very seldom spend more than a day in a location. When we reach a place that we like then we may spend a few days there seeing the sights and then we move on. We travel mostly the back roads and prefer to keep off of the interstates as much as possible. IN our early years we did travel the interstates and experienced most of the usual sights. What we like about the Class A is that we can pull in to an RV park and if it is pouring down rain, we can take care of most everything from the driver's seat. We do not have to go outside to level the rig, have running water, have satellite TV, extend the slides, and have electricity. We can wait until the storm moves on to hook up to the shore power and turn off the generator. By running the generator before we stop we can also have the entire rig as warm or as cool as we need before we stop for the night and not have to worry about having to wait for a trailer to cool off or warm up before we can finally relax for the evening. We also have a toad for any sightseeing or other duties.
If we were the type of people that travel to a destination and sit there for an extended period of time, then I feel that a 5th has a lot of advantages.

[Roger_in_VERMON]

Pro the convenience when driving down the road. You need or want something you got it no stopping to get outside to get it. Bad storm no worries you're already in the camper. My wife has several health issues and she can sleep as needed while I keep driving to our destination. Con If it breaks down it is much more of an issue getting it repaired and while it's being fixed you have no place to stay. Much easier to find a place to get a tow vehicle repaired and much much less expensive. Even with the higher cost of expense of maintaining and running a motorhome we feel it's the only way to go.

[DFord]

The reason they make so many different types of RVs is one size doesn't fit everyone. There's a lot of personal preference that factors into the decision on which style to own and fits your desires best.

For me, it's always been motorhomes. I tried a beautiful 36ft 5th wheel once but when it came to backing in a site, I lacked the skill necessary and my assistant was worse. To save the marriage, we traded it off for another motorhome.

We like them for the all the reasons mentioned here and the ability of the wife (who won't drive) to get up and fill my glass occasionally. It's nice to be able to stop and use the restroom where I have soap and plenty of water without waving my hands around from the faucet and a towel to dry my hands afterwards.

[2bzy2c]

Pros - You can go anywhere and not come back

Cons - You can go anywhere and not come back.