Aden949,
If you told us a bit more about your family dynamics and your intended use for the motorhome, we could give you some more targeted advice.
We were a family of 6 and our Class A gasser was a perfect fit for our needs...still is after almost 14 years of ownership. But we did our research for 2 years before purchasing. We started looking at small hybrids to tow behind our Honda Odyssey and ended up with a 36' Class A towing our Honda Odyssey. But the research paid off. We bought the right rig the first time.
As for costs, the first thing I'll ask is "How handy are you?" Can you do simple maintenance to your vehicles and around the house? Do you call a repairman to hang a picture on the wall? RV repair costs are generally pretty expensive. They see an RV pull in and the $$$ signs light up in their eyes just like in the cartoons. But if you can do basic things yourself, then you're WAY ahead of the game.
Doing a tune-up on our gas Class A is not really anymore difficult than on our cars. Or more expensive, for that matter. But I do almost all of my own work.
I will say that for passengers, our Class A has great views out the front and the sides compared to the Class C's. From a driving perspective, the Class A might seem to be a bit more intimidating, but you get used to that pretty quickly. The view & visibility out that windshield is pretty nice.
A few people made some tire comments earlier. Take those with a grain of salt. You'll find folks saying you have to replace the tires after 5 years regardless of mileage. Well, if you take care of them, you should be able to get 10 years out of a quality tire. Know your weights and proper pressures and don't roll down the road without checking your pressures. I got 12 years out of our first set without an issue and they looked fine when they came off. The 6 new tires (on 22.5" rims) were about $2,400 including taxes and any other fees they tack on. More than an E-450? Sure, but I have over 3,000 lbs. cargo carrying capacity on a 2 slide, 36' motorhome. So, you sometimes have to pay a bit more for the needs of your family.
The traditional wisdom is that Class C's are better for families and Class A's are better for couples. While that might have been true a couple of decades ago, there are many floorplans available on all platforms nowadays which blurs the distinction and advantages/disadvantages are not so clear cut.
Tell us a bit more about your family (number & ages of children, pets) and the type of travel you expect to do (short term (a week or two) trips or long term (2 weeks or more)), do you plan to always have hookups (holding tank size not too important in that case) or occasionally be in campgrounds which don't have water or sewer connections (holding tank size is VERY important).
Lastly, check out various floorplans. When you get right down to it, the floorplan is probably the most important consideration. Make sure it is functional for your needs. Make sure there is plenty of storage. If the unit has slides (which it probably does) make sure that access to key areas such as sink, stove, kitchen drawers, etc. in not hampered by the slide being in. If you stop at a rest stop, you most likely cannot put the slide out to gain access. Just something to think about.
Good Luck in your search. Keep asking questions!
๐~Rick
2005 Georgie Boy Cruise Master 3625 DS on a Workhorse W-22
Rick, Gail, 1 girl (27-Angel since 2008), 1 girl (22), 2 boys (23 & 20).
2001 Honda Odyssey, Demco Aluminator tow bar & tow plate, SMI Silent Partner brake controller.
