We're loosely thinking about our next major purchase being a motor home of some type. I know nothing about them, but by looking through eBay for ideas, it seems that a "Class C" is probably what we'd want (and could afford). I guess our reasons for wanting one might help guide your opinions a little... 1- We need a way to haul cars (I'll need to buy a trailer too) 2- We borrowed one once for a weekend at the track and it was AWESOME! 3- Our son just turned 4, and some long weekends camping or traveling would be fun for him / us. I guess I'm just looking for general opinions about a few things, and I bet many members here have them so I thought this would be a good place to find help in deciding what we want. I'd love to hear your opinions on: Different makes (Chevy / Ford / Dodge / Winni / etc....) (Why doesn't Buick make a motorhome?) :gt: Size - Will a "Class C" haul a car good? Size - Do you need a CDL for a Class A? Pros and Cons of Gas vs. Diesel? Those of you that have them.... if you could trade yours up on a better one.. what options do you wish yours had that it doesn't? Also, what "goes bad" in them? What should we always be sure to look closely at? Keep in mind, we'll be looking in the $4K-$6K range, and may even consider up around $8K for "the perfect one". I know it'll have to be an older one, and maybe even somewhat of a "fixerupper". But we'd like to at least get a good solid base to start with. I'd appreciate any and all comments! Thanks :beer
motorhomes hi rick..here's just some of my input on motorhomes..i have found that some dont have a good frame behind the rear wheels..you really have to look under the back if your going to be towing.. most have a mickey mouse rear frame extension..thats not great to weld a hitch to..i had a class c that i found out the hard way..took it to have a hitch put on and they had to add all kinds bracing back there and i was never comfortable towing my car.. i also had a older class a motorhome..towed great..just always fixing somthing..took tools all the time..had to put a fan clutch on along side road..alternator..hoses..just mostly little stuff but seemed like always somthing.. hope that helps, chris lee:beer
I towed trailers for the last few years but last fall sold the trailer and bought a Class C motorhome. Put about 1800 miles on it this summer and here is what I have found.:Smarty: 1978 Dodge 21 Ft, 360 engine, 52,000 miles showing. Bought as "fixer upper" knowing it needed some work. Paid 5K (Canadian) and have about another 2500.00 in it now. - Fuel economy averages 10 MPG ( Imperial gallons- 8-9 US gal?) - Lots of road and wind noise- no dash A/C so not much fun on hot days. - parts and labour costs are higher than for a lighter vehicle, some parts require some serious looking around for so I wouldn't want to break down in the middle of nowhere if I was in a hurry to get going. - older 'fixer uppers' are just that, don't buy cheap unless you can do most of the work yourself - If you are into camping and want to park for a week or two in the same place without moving then plan on hauling a car behind or make sure you're close to a store. Putting everything away and breaking camp every couple of days just to go buy a quart of milk is a real pain, not to mention the fuel economy. Positives include: - If you're making a long trip the beds, kitchen etc is always ready. -you probably won't put a lot of miles on it year to year so once its in good shape regular maintenence will keep it up nicely. -fuel economy probably isn't all that different than trailer towing with a truck.( I've heard some Class A units can average 5 or 6 mpg so be careful if fuel is a factor.) Some things I would consider important when buying used: - DON"T buy a unit with single rear wheels- duals ONLY. - roof leaks- DON"T buy if the roof shows any signs of water damage. Check around window frames too. Most older units are a wood frame construction and if the wood has been continually wet it will rot out. VERY expensive and difficult repairs. - Basic chassis and mechanical should be easy for a car guy to check out. Pay close attention to the tires, they don't usually wear out but they rot out. Check for cracked sidewalls and also the tread area. My rear tires had lots of tread showing but also had cracks. I replaced one tire the first day we were on the road, by the time we got home I had put on my spare and a 3rd was separating. It now has 4 new tires on the rear. ( 800.00) - If you're not sure about the fridge, stove, water system etc., have a good RV dealer check everything out before you buy. You won't be too happy if you are on vacation and find out your fridge doesn't keep you beer cold.:ball: This post seems to be getting kind of long so if you have any specific questions just PM me and I'll try to answer them. By the way, we are enjoying our motorhome.........now if I could just double the gas mileage............:error:
Hi Rick, The other guys have hit the nail on the head when it comes to motorhomes. Heres what's in your future at the price range you seek: Rotten wood, broken pipes, fixtures that don't work, leaks galore. Drivetrain underpowered, and unmaintained. Barely able to keep itself on the highway. Forget about a diesel. It's sad how poorly motorhomes are built. Manufactures must figure that the older customers are their main client base. With this they figure that they will be in a nursing home or dead before the big issues come up. Yeah, yeah I know the new stuff is aimed at us "younger" buyers, but who can afford a new one and still maintain a decent quality of life. Maybe if you sold your house and lived in it... Oh well, camping is camping. Ment to be fun and adventurous. The right motorhome will probably suit you just fine. Just keep the thing up engine wise. If you want to get one at the right price, just look for the guy broke down on the side of the road in his motorhome. You might even like the color, especially if it's green.
Motor home Hi Rick, I just traded my 1998 27 ft travel trailer on a $40,000 cnd 24ft c class Ford with a V 10 and 30,000 miles and a full load. Make sure you check with the manufacture of the motorhome for maximum towing capabilities, don't take the salesman's word for it. Chris
I could not possibly add anything to what's already been said here. I still have nightmares about the rotten wood:shock: ...That's no joke! My last motor-home was a 1984 Winnebago Brave, 28 foot with the bathroom in the back, and one large "common room" that "converted" from living room to sleeping area. Absolutely loved it. Bought it in 1989, and put a grand total of 88k miles on it, when disaster struck...... Up on top of a mountain in the middle of Virginia, 100 miles from any city of any size, the 454 Chevy engine blew the crank out of the bottom of the block. That ended up costing me almost $5k by the time you factor in the airplane trips home for the wife and kids, 2 weeks of lost work, a rental car, etc, etc, etc....:af: A couple years ago, bought a new one.... Well, actually used, but new to me:grin: 36 foot Diesel pusher, bedroon in the rear, extremely nice. Bounder brand with a Cat Diesel. MPG with gas was about 8, Diesel is about 10. Much more power with the diesel, also maintenence free:laugh: And I'v got a friend with an incredible 600k miles on his diesel RV Bottom line is that, all things being equal, if you can find a diesel in your price range, go diesel.. As an interesting side note, I have a friend who bought a used Diesel School Bus for $1500, and converted it to a very nice RV for about $5k more... And when I say very nice, I mean it! Washer, dryer, tile floors, top quality, full sized acessories, big screen TV.... Worth considering...
Wow Lots of great info here everyone. Thanks! Keep 'em coming! :TU: It's funny you mentioned a school bus... We were just talking at the track last weekend, and a friend of mine has a line on about 3 or 4 old school buses that his county is getting ready to trade in on newer ones. He thought he could get a great deal on one. His brother plans to get one to rob the motor and turbo for his big rig. We all joked about pitching in and converting one. Maybe we shouldn't have been joking. You wouldn't happen to have any pictures if your friends conversion would you? :Brow:
motorhome My two cents: something else to think about...you have a 4 year old...think about the booster seat. You need a shoulder belt qualified seat that can hold the child. I had a class A on a chevy frame with a 454. It was a lot of fun, but also a lot of work. The motor was shot at 60K. It is not easy pulling a motor in a class A! Join the Good Sam club - great services/insurance/road side service. Its expensive to have a rig towed..... Spend time at a USED RV dealer. Talk to the peolpe there. Each brand has its quirks (454 exhust manifolds, rotten wood, etc) that you need to understand. Think about repairs. The rigs are TRUCKS. you can't get repairs at the local Midas shop. You have to go to real Truck repair place. Also, these can weigh 10,000 lbs, don't think you can lift it up and change a tire with your car jack! The chassis is seperate from the home. By that I mean the chassis/drivetrain is a standard truck, you get parts and repairs from the truck manufacture (GM, Ford, Deere). The box/home part is from an RV manufacturer. You need the stove fixed or the toilet replaced, you go to an RV dealer. Most places don't do both. Generator. You never have enough electricity! You see those big homes with two AC units??? Typically the generator will run ONE at a time! And the gas for the generator comes from the same tank as the engine. (There are propane generators, don't know much about them.) Be ready when you fill the gas tank with 50-60 gals. Most rigs run on reguar, but at $1.40+ per gal its still expensive! Its a strange feeling when the gas pump hits $100.00! But they are fun, as you have already found out! Just go in with your eyes open! - Bill
We borrowed a 1985 454 powered 36' motor home to go to the Year One Bristol Bash. It was a tandem axle single air tag with dual drive wheels. 29,000 miles and most everything needed work. It was nice when we were at the track, BUT getting there and home was alot of work. It was really working hauling my 24' Featherlite enclosed. IT DRAGS THE TAIL OF THE CAMPER AND THE TONGUE OF THE TRAILER AND THEN THE TAIL OF THE TRAILER whenever you leave a parking lot. The extreem rear overhang of this camper caused the trailer to swing way out whenever you tried to pull away from gas pumps ect. And trust me at 5-6MPG you spend alot of time at the gas pump. On the plus side we did haul my wife and 2 kids, a Buick guy, a Pontiac guy and his Firebird in the trailer, a golf cart and myself with room to spare. Having the fridge was nice. As well the bathroom kept the pottie stops to a minimum. But really the toilet is kinda small to do any serious work if ya know what I mean. and the shower was pretty crampt. Most newer tracks have nice showers now. I plan on adding a quiet generator and A/C unit to my trailer alond with an awning and a couple windows. A cooler and a BBQ grill and I'll be good to go at the races.
Here's my 2 or maybe 5 cents.. I've owned three of them. '78 21' Class C Chevy (Itasca/Winnebago) '85 24' Class A Chevy (Itasca/Winnebago) '96 32' Class A Ford (Pace Arrow/Fleetwood) I think you can still find a good deal in your price range. Just like everyone has said the way they extend the frames on the back of some of them is really weak. If you go to a class A take a look at the Sportscoach units. A friend just bought one for $6000 and it is very well built! A great place to browse info (they have a great message board) is www.rv.net Just go to the forum and start asking questions. Ps. You can score a great deal in Yuma Arizona! Year after year they end up with a glut of use motorhomes. Retiree's drive their motorhomes there to visit, and end up selling them...no sure why. We bought our 21' Itasca there from a dealer (gasp) and got a great deal. We drove that thing for 3 years, and sold it for $1000 more than we paid...so it must have been a good deal. By the wat, expect to spend "hundreds" each year to maintain it. Good luck!
I've got a few things to add. I had a 27' class C first. That chassis is really not up to pulling a decent trailer. Check the wieght ratings, I bet you are over with a car trailer for sure. I did use it that way myself but it wasn't any fun, especially when windy out. The ones you are talking about are going to be three speed auto's, that means TOP speed towing is going to be 60-65. Mine started to run hot beyond that. Three years ago we moved up to a Winnebago/Itasca, 34' class A. Man is that a world of difference. It tows great, and tracks nicely. It is a Ford 460 with a 4 sp OD tranny. I can pull my boxy truck on an open trailer at 85+ mph across Nebraska. I did buy a "Banks power pack" which is pretty much a sweet set of headers. This cures the problem virtually ALL motorhomes have, leaking exhaust manifolds. The class C units are worse as the heat really builds up in the cramped engine bay. Now try changing those in a van body:Brow: I have also found that Winnebagos are probably some of the best built. The frame is extended properly, the front structure is steel not wood, in fact the newer ones do not use hardly any wood in construction. They are MUCH safer, which I like because I haul my family in it too. Class A is a way better drive IMO, you do not need a special license to drive one. Find an old Winne class A. Look for the freshest engine possible, they are worked hard and don't last forever. Check the tires, inside and out! Look for watr leaks in the roof, a little less prevalent on class A's, and water system leaks. Check for propane gas leaks too, the lines will be getting old on a rig in that price range. There are decent ones out there, Good Luck
