Small used Class C--good idea or false economy?

[mkl654321]

I am currently shopping for a small (21-23) ft Class C to use as a fulltiming rig. (I live and work alone, and my job is online.) However, I've set a tight budget for myself--$10,000 maximum purchase price. This actually reflects my $15,000 budget for the RV itself plus a) the $2,000 worth of stuff that will need to be fixed immediately but that the seller doesn't tell me about b) a tow dolly (used) c) a solar panel and deep cycle battery setup.

The question I have is, can I find something for that price that isn't a complete about-to-disintegrate rattletrap? RVs in general are horribly built, and fulltiming puts demands on the equipment that were never intended by the manufacturer, so I don't want to dump ten grand into something that will die an inglorious death two months later, a smoking heap towed to the nearest junkyard.

Or should I forget it until I have more like thirty grand (whenever that might be!) to buy something that won't fly to pieces like the Blues Brothers' car? If it is possible to find something decent for that price, what are the particular pitfalls? (I know about things like water damage, the engine wheezing like a consumptive opera heroine, the owner being an unreconstructed hippie, etc.)

[ronfisherman]

OP question has been discussed and answered. Thread is closed.

[toedtoes]

What exactly was your question? I believe my first post addressed the cost issue and offered some feedback on whether it is a "good idea or false economy".

You have not indicated your ability to obtain funds to fix things that may go wrong while on the road, other than the $2,000 towards initial repairs. Again, if you need tires, that will take about half of that initial budget.

Yes, there are good RVs out there that have been maintained well and are in good condition. But, if something DOES go wrong with it, are you going to be able to fix it? Or are you going to be stuck somewhere you don't want to be because you have no funds to put into repairs?

I see that more often than not - folks spent all their available funding on the cost of the RV and then have no money to fix things when they go wrong. They think fixing the few issues that are there when they make the purchase is all they need to do. They quickly learn that some things just happen after they get out on the road. Being prepared for that potential is SMART. If nothing goes wrong, then you're ahead of the game and have your deposit for when you decide to move back into a stick & brick. If something does go wrong, then you're not stuck on the side of the road unable to fix the RV.

[Biggyniner]

pianotuna wrote:
Hi mk,

10 k will get you an old beater. Enjoy fixing it, and fixing it again.

Ummm.. Did you not see my post.. My 94 Minnie Winnie needed tires and a couple little things but it has been more solid and reliable than the brand new 2013 TT I had purchased ... Water tight, no delam and just under 60K miles.. (and before that a 02 Class A Holiday Rambler - Also had more issues than this 94 Minnie Winnie)

To automatically assume anything less than 10K will be a beater is pretty naive.. It's possible we have 2 very different definitions of what a beater is I suppose...

[Sam_Spade]

So....after 5 pages of well meaning (mostly) responses, the real answer to your first and according to you the ONLY question is:
IT DEPENDS.

It depends on a lot of the things that are being discussed on your behalf.
Since you choose to belittle and dismiss those who would try to help.....I suggest that you just go away.

[pianotuna]

Hi mk,

10 k will get you an old beater. Enjoy fixing it, and fixing it again.

[mkl654321]

pianotuna wrote:
You appear to not need the forum's help. Your mind is already made up on many issues. If you wish to live in a marginal manner go ahead and enjoy it.

Wow, you know the state of my mind. I wasn't really asking about the "many issues" you refer to. You might recall--if your memory is as powerful as your mind-reading abilities--that I was asking about one thing only.

As far as "marginal lifestyle" goes, for some people, that would be anything without a massaging Barcalounger, 700-channel cable TV, and a subservient wife providing cocktails and snacks. I have neither the need nor the inclination to buy a land-based version of the Queen Mary and tootle around the country getting 8 gallons to the mile while squashing smaller, insignificant vehicles like bugs.

I'm sorry, and I apologize to your prescience, but I think that it's not up to you whether or not I should seek the forum's help, or whether its members should offer it.

[pianotuna]

You appear to not need the forum's help. Your mind is already made up on many issues. If you wish to live in a marginal manner go ahead and enjoy it.

[mkl654321]

1. I fulltimed in a small Class C for a year. During that time, I attended college online, was employed as an editor, also online, and migrated between California, the Pacific Northwest, and Arizona. I stayed exactly one night in an RV park (and that was a mistake). I think people have been brainwashed into thinking that a RV is not a self-contained living unit and that you need to be plugged in and hooked up any time you are parked for longer than five minutes. Nothing could be further from the truth. (And BTW, there are plenty of ways to take showers in any setting--I took a Navy shower in the rig about one day in five, and used a separate water supply most of the time. A camp shower bag in the sun holds about a gallon and makes for a dandy shower.)
2. It's trivially easy to find a place to park for the night, even in Southern California. It's also easy to find a wifi signal almost anywhere there is cell phone reception--I have a Verizon Jetpack hotspot. The vast majority of such places are free, and forest service campgrounds are $10 a night.
3. The most valuable piece of advice I've gleaned (and if you know the literal meaning of "gleaned"...) from this thread is that it is quite possible to find a good mechanically sound chassis for $10K, and that that is what matters.
4. 21-23 feet works for me because I don't need any more interior room and maneuverability is important.
5. I may choose to tow four-down (meaning I get rid of my Mazda), but my understanding is that even vehicles that are "approved" for that can develop some serious problems, usually in the transmission. A tow dolly seems to be the most sensible solution (keeping the Mazda), but a trailer may be better. I've towed hundreds of vehicles on dollies and trailers--my late father and I owned a wrecking yard.
6. I am absolutely not constrained to a single location or area, and the sensible option would seem to be to spend winters in AZ or southern CA rather than expending a huge amount of effort and money trying to winterize the interior, which given the nonexistent insulation in most RVs, would seem to me to be only sort of effective anyway.

So I'm going to look for a mechanically sound rig within my stated budget. I like the idea of sticking with a later Ford (maybe the V-10) with electronic engine controls--there's just too much to go blooie otherwise. Obviously, at my price range, I'll be looking at something with higher mileage, but if it's been well maintained, I might be able to deal with that. The house will be a disintegrating death trap, but I'm fine with dealing with those issues as they arise. The important thing is to be able to keep rolling.

[Bordercollie]

The OP's OP didn't indicate that he had previously owned an RV and what type of living/camping he had done in it. If he had described his past experience, including any cold weather camping, it would have helped with advice given. The OP even became "snarky" with some responders apparently assuming that they wanted to rain on his parade. When posters, asking for advice, do not provide information about past experience, if any, responders may think that the poster has little or no past experience. Also, responders aren't necessarily qualified, by first hand experience, to give advice and all advice should be taken with a grain or two of salt.

[pianotuna]

One hour program on small rv, boondocking, and wobbly wide web access. The mobile internet starts at about 25 minutes in.

http://hwcdn.libsyn.com/p/8/7/1/871f08b76cb5292c/RT70.mp3?c_id=10682652&expiration=1452709264&hwt=a7...

[Gale_Hawkins]

jyrostng wrote:
I just sold my 1989 class A and 2 days later found a class C 28' 1999 Jayco with 30,000 miles on it. It's been stored inside, rubber roof looks like new and it has 4 new tires with a 2015 dot number, I'm replacing the other 3. other than that, the v10 runs perfect and I have a ford certified mechanic in my family if a plug strips out. It's just the wife and I and we're both retired. I bought a tailgater setup for it from dish networks but in hindsight, camping world has the same price and no waiting for truck delivery. We bought a unit with no slides on purpose. The v10 also gets better mileage than my carb 454 on the old class A but, it has less power also.

jyrostng that is a nice looking class C MH you picked up.

[Biggyniner]

I picked up a lovely 94 Minnie Winnie last year with just under 60K miles for just under $10,000

Needed new tires on the rear axle, fixed a charger solenoid for the house battery, replaced black water valve, propane detector, propane regulator and front brakes. NO DELAM!!

Prior owner flushed radiator and serviced transmission and rear-end! The only thing that sucks is one of the ABS tone gears is bent so my ABS does not work and they no longer make the part 😞

Been a rock solid rig and I would not hesitate to full time in it, if I was in your situation (single no kids and my giant Newfoundland dog).

Anyway your budget is reasonable and if you are ok with the space inside, do it! I went from a 31' Class A and the greatest thing I love is being able to fit in the 'off the beaten path' campgrounds. Even ones that say no RV's are no problem... I do miss the basement storage of the class A tho, can't have everything I guess 😉

[CharlesinGA]

jaycocreek wrote:
Well,the op has owned a 23 ft Class C in the past for almost a year so he already knows what he should be looking for.He did not mention here that he intended to tow his Mazda car with his $10K choice..My advice on that is..Make sure it has a transmission cooler...

This is part of another post in another section by the op.

1. A 21-23 foot Class C or Class A. No towed vehicle (I think the smaller RVs would be total slugs and get about 0.7 mpg when towing anything heavier than a helium balloon).
2. A larger C or A, possibly with a towed vehicle. Not ridiculous combined length, hopefully.
3. A really small Class C, like a Toyota (cheap), or a Class B (expensive, to me, ridiculously so for what you get)
4. A pickup truck like a Ford Mastodon or a Chevy Manhood, happily towing a fifth wheel until the day when a 60 mph crosswind hits and I die in a tangle of wreckage by the side of the interstate.
5. Smaller towing vehicle, like a RAV4, and a teardrop-style minimalist trailer (not nearly as cheap as I think they ought to be).

My budget is about 30K to spend, and I make about 4K a month. My existence tax (medical and other insurance, baksheesh to the gummint) is about 1K a month, so I could afford some version of all of the above options. I just can't decide on which is best.

The only thing I will say about a small Class C and power to pull is just common sense..A 460/454 will have more power in a 21ft than anything larger and heavier and 9 MPG is 9MPG,not really that bad for towing except for diesels maybe.

I'm done with this one.

Well I too decided to see what else the OP was posting, and found posts about his Mazda 3 and about how no one makes a hitch for it and it cannot tow anything. He needs to look around on the net some more, google is his friend. (this was in reference to towing the dolly short distances).

The basis of this thread is a good to ask question, but the OP is holding his cards too close to his chest. I too will give up on this one.

Charles

[toedtoes]

I took a look at the other post about various options. One that the OP didn't consider was dumping the Mazda and going for a small motorcycle/scooter. Would keep the overall length down if you could use a hitch carrier; would provide additional storage space if you used a small trailer to haul it.

One thing about older small Cs and towing - thoroughly check out the hitch and how it was installed. If it was added aftermarket, it's very possible that it was not properly connected to the frame but simply attached to the plywood.