Which Class C Should we buy and why?

[Linda_VA2]

Hi Everyone.
We have a fifth wheel and pull it with a long bed crew cab. This was fine until we really got old. We've had our trailer since 2000 and love every inch of it, but we realize it is harder now to level the jacks and the thing is just so long now and makes us nervous. We still want to travel and camp and are going to sell our present system and maybe look into a Class C. The prices vary from $55,000 to over $120,000. We can probably afford to spend around $65,000 on either an excellent used or a not so great new one. We want to pull a car on a trailer behind for getting around.
Would any of you please put in your two cents or maybe 3 cents worth of knowledge as to what are good brands and what are not. If it is new, we are concerned with getting the kinks out and if it is used, what was wrong with it. Help please and many thanks.
Linda

[OLYLEN]

Adding the leveling jacks on the 5th wheel sounds like the best option dollar wise as well. I would guess that adding to your coach would not me more than to a MH. Plus you are comfortable in your rig. Good wheelin!

LEN

[Linda_VA2]

You know, after all of these posts, my fifth wheel looks pretty darn good. Maybe the auto leveling jacks would help. I washed the diesel and took pictures of it for advertising and looking at it, I almost wanted to cry. I think we will just do it for another year with what we have. The weight, towing, etc. is just too much to digest since we have had such great luck with our system. Thanks everyone though.
Linda

[toedtoes]

I would look at the length of a C you need at minimum plus the length of the toad - you may find the total length isn't any shorter than what you have now. And towing a small car behind a big RV may not be an easier task than towing a big RV behind a truck.

Have you looked into options for simplifying the leveling process? Replace manual leveling jacks with auto-leveling jacks?

[PghBob]

Linda: given your "must-haves" noted above, you may have a hard time finding a Class C that has a reasonable ability to carry people, supplies, and things without running the risk of being over weight. Slideouts, leveling jacks, all eat-up the Cargo Carrying Capacity of any motorhome.

This is not to say you won't find a rig with the options you want, but rather to point out the weight limitations you might encounter. This issue decreases in importance if you don't expect to carry much in the way of water, clothes, food, and camping gear like portable grills, chairs, tents/shelters on your trips.

Buyer Beware - when we visited the Hershey RV show a couple of years ago, we considered moving to a small Class A gasser. We went in one that would have been overweight with the 4 adult members of our family on board, no water, food, clothes, stuff. And, I hasten to add, we are not "big" people. The sales rep would have been happy to sell it to us even knowing the weight issue. Check the weight stickers yourself and do not depend on the sales rep to know or volunteer the OCCC.

Good luck on the search.

[garmp]

We are in a similar situation and looking for something in that range. The difference is we are van campers (Sportsmobile actually) and dearly love it, but as you said, age is taking it's tole. We want to upgrade to a Phoenix Cruiser, which has gotten the best reviews of many if not all of the competition. Our Sportsmobile is only 4 years old with about 30K miles and really hate to get rid of it, but the last two years either one or the other of us has had health issues and we need a few more conveniences. Might be slower, but not given up. May be making the switch from camping to Rving, but still getting out.
But I degress. My suggestion to the OP is to check out Phoenix Cruiser for a quality unit. Built on a Ford cutaway.

[Linda_VA2]

We pretty much know what features we need. Automatic leveling jacks, entertainment center cab over, queen bed and storage in the bedroom area. We lack that in the fifth wheel. So used to slides that is a must for being spacious. We also have a new Escape and want to haul it on a trailer that is open and not enclosed. A generator would be great, but not that important.
We are just wary of brands that may cause problems due to cruddy workmanship and cutting corners. We have been so lucky with our Jayco, which was 3 years old when we bought it and still had the plastic covers on the sofa mattress. Thanks again everyone.
Linda

[_en_Plain_Air_]

We love our 27' Lazy Daze mid-bath, feeling that it is PERFECT for two people. After researching EVERY unit on the market, the Lazy Daze met most of our criteria:

1) A house that didn't need to be 're-configured' for sleeping. Didn't want to make and un-make beds every day. The corner bed set-up was completely out of the question.
2) Two separate places to 'be' so that one of us could sleep in, the other rise early. Or, one watch TV, the other play cards etc. The LD has a door that separates the two areas.
3) Single beds with easy path to bathroom for numerous middle of the night trips.
4) A dinette - we like to set the table and face each other for meals.
5) Lots of windows for great visibility when we are inside
6) No slides - something else that can go wrong and they take away from CCC.
7) Quality construction

This unit has tons of storage, and we use the over cab area for golf clubs, art and music supplies. At 27' total length, it's easy to drive, including most all parking lots, visitor centers and tourist sites. We haven't towed a car, preferring to rent for a few days on just a couple of occasions. We have traveled extensively in ours, up to 5 months for one trip.

Happy hunting. I hope you find a unit that suits you.

[OLYLEN]

Last year we down sized from a DP to a C. With you going from a 5ver if I were you I would look for something in the 30' range with 2 slides and leveling jacks. I don't have the 2nd slide or the leveling jacks and have the cab over entertainment and in the first year with 12000 miles we have not really missed either except for clothing storage. I tow an older 4-runner because I like the rig and can't tow a newer one. With your budget if you take your time you will find what you want and need. At our age a corner bed would be a pain and with the 30' area you have a bedroom so we can (get away from each other) is we wish as we have a living room also. We spend 3-4 months out in the winter as snowbirds and do several 4 days to a week in our off season. I just did a search and found several later model coachs with these requirements for under $55000 asking so one would think $50000 would get the job done and leave funds to upgrade a towed if needed.
Good luck.

LEN

[pattaway1]

Hi Linda, In 2014, we purchased a 2012 Winnebago Access 31C for $49K. It had sold new 15 months earlier and had 10K miles. It was like new. We pull a 2013 Honda Fit four down. It weighs only 2600 lbs. Our Access has a CCC of 2500 lbs which we find adequate. We were looking for something almost new and the best bang for the buck. I think if you don't get in a hurry, you can find what you are looking for.

We have stayed in ours about 350 days since we bought it and it's fine for us.

[Dusty_R]

akrv wrote:
The biggest problem is your wanting to pull a car on a trailer. Almost all of the smaller class C's have a tong weight of 500lbs. or less. You may need a super C.

We haul our car on a trailer because we have the trailer that we also use for other things.
Used it on winter to take car to Florida and back. Had a friend talk me into going to a weight distribution hitch. that worked much better.

Also after that first year I started using straps around the car tires. That works much better than trying to lash car down by hooking into the slots in the frame.


Dusty

[Pops]

Had a 1996 Winnebago 35'A for years, decided to down size to a 2007 Winnebago Aspect 26A. Loved the space, size, drivability, DW could drive, couldn't the A. Corner bed was okay, she crossed over me. Bath was small & getting smaller. After 8 years in A & 6 years in the small C and getting older (like ya'll), we decided what we wanted, got very specific and looked for that model and floor plan. Which was a Winnebago Aspect or Cambria 2011 to 2013 (fit pocketbook) and floor plan we were after. Checked all around, found some, kept looking, found one on internet by an individual only 2 hours from home. Immaculate condition, kept inside, low miles, health gone bad (so sorry). $5000 more than I wanted to spend, but in better condition that every hoped for. So decide what you want that fits in you budget, and kept looking, it will show up one day, Did for me on the 2007 and years later on the 2012 this year.

[Bordercollie]

Can't believe I forgot to mention length, floor plan and rear bedroom with RV queen bed with access on both sides or separated twin beds. You need a rig at least 27 feet long to have a rear bedroom. Sleeping in the overhead bed is not fun after a few nights when you have to levitate over sleeping partner and climb down a ladder barefoot in the dark and back up again without waking your partner. Convertible sofas and dinette cushions are not comfortable and making up and taking down are a pain. Don't buy a 22-24 footer without thinking this over. Knee injuries and onset of arthritis can change your physical abilities.

[rbreak]

For probably less than the cost of a trailer to haul your car behind you, you can get a base plate and tow bar setup installed, electrical for lights, and a supplemental braking system. You just have to make sure the vehicle to be towed can be towed with all wheels on the road. Then you don't have to worry about tongue weight limitations with the motorhome, or what to do with an extra trailer when you get to your destination. A car dolly that carries only two of the towed vehicles wheels and lets the other two roll might also keep things under the tongue weight limits, but you still have to put the dolly somewhere when your camping.

(Drew beat me to this, can't figure out how to delete mine lol)

[DrewE]

akrv wrote:
The biggest problem is your wanting to pull a car on a trailer. Almost all of the smaller class C's have a tong weight of 500lbs. or less. You may need a super C.

A smallish car on a trailer should be well within 500 pounds tongue weight (and 5000 pounds trailer weight). Larger vehicles will indeed run into these limitations.

If you just want to pull a car, a dolly or flat towing allows for much less tongue weight. Not all cars can be towed in these ways, though many can. In particular, essentially all front wheel drive cars can be towed with a dolly.