Dear All, thanks in advance to all the help you guys will be providing. My wife and I are looking at getting a used Class C to travel with our 3 dogs to dog shows in the summer months starting next year. We have been looking at ones from 24 ft to 30 ft, and after test driving a 24 and a 30Ft, we are quite comfortable to go with the 30ft for the extra room . We are looking at a used 2000 Itasca Sundancer 30V , has quite low mileage ( 32000 miles ) and one owner since new and in great clean condition. they are asking for $35000. any suggestions? and particular things to watch out for with that model.
Thanks again.
Frank
IMO do not get Good Sam emergency road service. They state they do NOT cover RV with show dogs in it.
Chuck
Wonderful Wife
Lovely German Shepherd.
1999 Mercedes ML320 TV
2003 Wanderer 187TB Toybox (3620# UVW, 4800# loaded) Not yet camped in Hawaii, 2 Canada Provinces, & 2 Territories. I can't be lost because I don't care where this lovely road is going
thanks for the info about the show dog. I guess I am asking for advice on the 2000 Itasca Sundancer 30V that we are considering to buy. any particular problem with this model of Class C?
Why locked into a Class C? With just 2 people + dogs, the overhead bed is just wasted space. We don't have show dogs, just two Labs - a 12-year old chocolate female with Addison's disease and a 6-year old yellow male rescued from our local Humane Society. Whererever we go, they go! The female is RV qualified, but the male joined the family during our "RV-less" phase. Learning curve is still to come for the male, I guess.
I'm sorta locked in to a Class C because DW doesn't want anything bigger than our previous 26' rig and there aren't many Class A's that short. I wouldn't consider anything with a corner bed or pedestal tables, but other folks have different criteria. Whatever we end up with, the overhead bed is out immediately, to be replaced by storage and a TV. Neither of us is agile enough to get up there every night and we're claustrophobic enough not to want to sleep up there anyway!
My input is, don't limit yourself with preconceived opinions. We've done enough to know what we want, but it might not suit others. The first rig was a "let's see if we like the life-style" purchase, with no knowledge of the pitfalls (we weren't aware of this remarkable fount of knowledge). We love the lifestyle and can't wait to get our finances in order so we can return to it.
Can't help you on the MH info but we showed dogs using RV's for almost 25 yrs. and had Good Sam coverage. There is nowhere on the form that asks if you are going to a dog show. You only have 3 dogs as many pet owners have so what is the difference. Only a couple of times a year did we have all our dogs in the RV and thank goodness never had a problem. I did have a couple of flats and the repairman never came inside the RV. I think their rule is geared more to handlers who travel with more dogs than the average person and I believe they would be considered commercial.
Good luck on your search for a RV to use for dogs shows, it's the only way to go!
Oh, one other thing. I don't know what size dogs you have but we used size 300 airline crates. The RV we have now, a Coachmen Freelander, has a narrow door so we had to take the crate apart to get it in the door. You might want to measure to make sure any large item you are planning on getting in your RV will fit in your door.
I have no suggestions on your particular choice, but a question for you. Have you considered a "toy hauler" Class C? They have a garage in the back that I have seen some folks use as a great place for dog crates.
Of course, I don't know how large your dogs are or how they travel, so I have no idea if that would be a good option for you or not.
thanks again for all the advice.
We thought about Class A but thought it was too big and long for us beginners to drive. Our experience with RV are zero, we drive a Toyota 4 runner and a GM Safari van, so moving up to a Class A seems more difficult than a Class B/C. During our search , we did appreciate the more open feel in a Class A than a Class B/C.
And about the suggestion with the toy hauler too, a friend of our has that and they usually travel with about 6 dogs with them and that was nice to get all the dog crates set up at the back. But again it is a Class A sort of driving experience.
This Itasca/ Winnebago Sundancer 30 ft we are looking at ,has quite a good layout, the above cab bed is only a single pull out with the TV and cabinets there too, yes we probably wont need the bed there anyway. The sofa at the slider is where we will set up the dog crates, hopefully it is not a big job to take the sofa out. We love the rear bedroom with the queen bed, at first when we were looking at the 24ft ones with the corner bed, we thought we will have to take that out to put the 3 dog crates in, and we will be sleeping at the above cab bed.
Oh, our dogs are samoyeds , they range from 45-65lb pounds
We recently purchased a C and other than driving it almost 500 miles from where we acquired it, have not taken but one short trip for a couple of days - more of a shake down. I am not much help on C's.
Winnebago - we have had two of them (both A's). I guess they were mid-range models - not upper end. Both were satisfactory and we had few problems. However, the first, about an 89 model with a Chevy chassis, would run hot if left to idle more than a couple of minutes and when climbing hills. Overheating was not uncommon for older GM models. The Monaco we had with the Workhorse chassis (GM motor, transmission, etc.) never indicated a rise in temperature.
The 30' Winnebago Brave was probably the MH is to this day perhaps the one we liked the most. We have had bigger and more frills (things to go wrong) but the brave was just right. Unfortunately, it caught fire and burned parked at the house. Belatedly, we learned that the Ford chassis of that era had a problem with fires from the ignition switch (it started under the dash - almost for sure from the ignition switch or the blower switch which was acting up). We and the fire marshal feel sure the fire started under the dash but do not know why it took an hour to do so.
The bottom line is that we would not hesitate to purchase another Winnebago product.
Someone mentioned looking at an A. I suggest you drive both C's and A's. I have driven fast (cars), driven larger trucks, flown planes, and jumped out of planes but I never felt fully comfortable driving an A. We know a number of couples that have very large A's and both husband and wife comfortably drive them. Just some problem I have.
I lost my hearing in one ear and decided that tipped it to no go with the A. We later got a B. It felt almost like a car but just "too" small. We are hopeful relative to the C. I share all of this to emphasize the importance of selecting something that "fits".
One other thing about small A's. Our first MH was 22" Winnebago Chieftain. It was like an amusement park ride - all over the place and unstable in winds and when passed by or meeting trucks. Thou no one could find a problem with the unit, perhaps it just needed something. Also, I think it can be taken as a given that all of today's motorhomes drive and ride better than those of 20 years ago. However, I would drive it under all conditions before I purchased a "short" A (or C for that matter). We were told that our problems had to do with the short wheelbase. Since then, we have tried to maximize the wheelbase for a given size unit - that or something has worked.
Good luck on finding something that fits. Just know that there is not a perfect answer - even for a single individual. Trailers, fifth wheels, B's, C's, and A's all have desirable qualities, capabilities, and/or combinations not available to the other options - one must just select the one that best fits their needs. Within a category, there are more choices to make. Few would chose the C we have but, while not perfect,we think it best fits what we want given our needs, tastes, and preferences. Also remember that you can modify a unit to fit your needs (another battery and inverter in my case). You and your wife are the only ones who can determine what is best for you. However, if you are new to RV's and have a friend who is knowledgeable or has some RV experience, get them to go with you to check over the choice YOU have made.
One final thing. Research very closely the options you have for RV service. You perhaps will not have a warranty to worry about but a good, reputable RV service center will have a lot to with your happiness with the RV experience. Talk to a LOT of other RVer's. They will share their service center experiences and you can narrow it down from there.
I apologize for writing a book. The good members on the forums tend to be concise and then there is me.
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