RE: Pronunciation of "Berkshire"
I believe it's pronounced as "berk sure".
X2
or, rather, "berk sher"
Correct!
In Omaha, NE., we pronounce it Berkshire-Hathaway, Inc. The namesake of the Berkshire-Hathaway subsidiary; Forest River, from whence the name 'Berkshire' came.
RE: insurance claim
My insurance company paid for one window that fogged on the Dynasty I had. The rule of thumb they used, (AAA) was whether the fogged window posed a safety hazard or not. Since it was in the line of sight of the mirror, they replaced it under comprehensive.....YMMV..oh, and it was much much less than $1900 bucks....Dennis
THX for the tip. Got one fogged now - in the line of sight of the rear view mirror.
RE: Extended living/travel "diesel" class C? Best quality?
there was no overwhelming advantage in performance over the gas version.Not true.....
There is a long list of overwhelming advantages in "performance over the gas version," with the Ford turbodiesel. I've listed all of them in previous posts. Hands down, the Ford turbodiesel outperforms the gas versions. It's not even close in how the turbodiesel beats the gasser.
RE: Buying a used Class A - How much discount off asking price
"Looking at PPL only tells you what they were asking. Not the final price, which I would assume was lower."
Not entirely correct. PPL does list their sold prices for the last year or so.
That is correct. PPL does everything above board. PPL are the easiest people I've ver dealt with in RVs - and I've dealt with some lu-lus!!!
There's not an RV firm like them in the lower 48 that I'm aware of. Out of 57 states - that says a lot!
RE: Buying a used Class A - How much discount off asking price
I will put my class A up for sale after we get to Texas, I will put a very reasonable price on it, after that, not much more discount, certainly not 20 or 25%...I would strongly suggest that you consider the PPL company in Houston, Texas when selling your coach. They have a large consignment sales lot and excellent Internet website, and are known to be a great company to deal with. I have nothing but praise for their business ethics that I have experienced firsthand as a very satisfied repeat customer.
RE: Extended living/travel "diesel" class C? Best quality?
A Class C diesel, with a dog house, (except for the Sprinter) will be very loud. You have the engine sitting right next to you, with very little noise dampening. That's why there are very few diesel Class C's.
While that may be one reason, I believe the main reason to be the greater cost of the diesel engine option in the Ford E450. For that reason, Ford manufactures a lot more gas versions of the Econoline, and some years, I understand that Ford doesn't even make the diesel option available.
At least one manufacturer, does not use the diesel E450, unless they receive a bonafide order with a deposit for the diesel engine.
The engine compartment surround can very easily and quickly be fitted with sound dampening material to lessen the sound reaching the interior of the cab. That is one of the first things I did after purchasing my turbodiesel E450.
RE: Extended living/travel "diesel" class C? Best quality?
rjstractor,
I would have to disagree with your opinions of diesel-powered Class Cs. I have owned a 2002 Ford E450 Super Duty with the 7.3 liter Powerstroke turbodiesel engine since 2003, and it exceeds all my expectations in every department including "performance," with the exception of perhaps noise in the cab under power/accelleration. The diesel-engined Cs are just not prevalent to the extent that they are widely available in many brands and C models, new or used.
Didn't say that there was anything wrong with the diesel version of the E450, just that there was no overwhelming advantage in performance over the gas version. I based this on driving E450s with both engines and following a couple of diesel versions up the pass and realizing I could stay right with them. FWIW, the gas is almost as noisy as the diesel during acceleration. The only real noise difference is at idle.
I didn't state that you said there was anything wrong with the diesel version of the E450.
I specifically addressed your claim that their "performance" was not that of a gas E450. In fact, the turbodiesel E450 outperforms the gas version in almost every category that matters; miles per gallon, torque, and power at altitude. Strictly speaking, if the guy can find the turbodiesel version of almost any Class C, I believe for reasons of "performance," he will be far ahead of the game versus a gas model.
RE: Extended living/travel "diesel" class C? Best quality?
Take a look at Dynamax.......Dynaquest. Superior quality, great drivability and good mileage.What is the price of a new Dynamax these days, JT? Last I checked they were close to $300K.:E
RE: Extended living/travel "diesel" class C? Best quality?
Here is the Conquest Super Nova on an International chassis -
http://www.conquestmotorhomes.com/products/supernova/images/08-SuperNova-ext-Lux-Redwru.jpg width=450There is little in the way of RVing amenities that come with the purchase of the "big rig" Class of Super Cs, in my opinion. If price and size, with little improvement in RV amenities is what one is looking for, then by all means the big rig driving experience should be considered. I've never understood their appeal, outside the driving experience of the semi trucklike RV.
RE: Extended living/travel "diesel" class C? Best quality?
Wow! Everyone seems to be suggesting a 5ver. I don't know? We did look at a few yesterday, used Montana's. They were okay, but were so huge! They do seem to have lots of room. My wife is an Air Force nurse. I'm retired Army. We love to camp, love to travel in our own RV. We had a Sprinter Class B, it was way too small, though the MPG was absolutely incredible at 21 plus mpg! But again, way too small. Aside from moving it from assignement to assignment, we do like to go camping, a lot; it's our favorite passtime.
I guess we need to seriously look in to this. Thanks for the advise!
I just was thinking about you folks:
a) Living in it full time
b) Already having a vehicle that is capable of towing.
We have a Sprinter based C and We find it to have ample room inside for the two of us but we aren't living in it full time (I know of people that do however).
I think once you figure out all the stuff you want to have in your "house" you will want something a bit larger, but you know yourselves best. Maybe something smaller than a 5er is the answer, or just a smaller 5er. Some of them aren't so huge...a friend of mine has a smaller one with no slides.
DW and I went inside a few FW this past weekend, they are nice, lots of room, looks comfortable, but, and there's always a butt, I mean but...
they still look intimidating in size, for towing and getting into camp ground spaces. They seem to be a bit better built in quality over TT's too.
Well, I hope to find some higher end ones around here, to see them first hand and get the feel for one.
Thanks!
I came out of a Class A diesel for the downsizing of a Class C turbodiesel 9-years ago. I cannot see lugging around the size of some rigs whether TT/5er/Class A. Just too easy and convenient to travel and tour in a Class C, but that's been my experience. Too much to deal with in pulling a trailer of any kind to me. If you need a car while RVing, pull one behind your Class C, is my advice to you.
RE: Extended living/travel "diesel" class C? Best quality?
Now, we want something with more room, but it's got to be a diesel (more HP, and a tad bit better MPG).
If you are looking for a diesel C with a lot of room and more HP than a gas model your options are going to be limited unless you go with a "Super C" like a Kodiak based chassis. Sprinter chassis models are very nice and get great mileage but tend to be smaller and less powerful than the E450 Ford or 4500 series Chevy. There are a few Ford Cs with the 6.0 diesel, but this engine is derated from pickup specs to 235 HP/440 torque. The gas V10 has 305 HP/425 torque so performance is similar, with a mileage penalty of about 2-4. The Chevy gas V8 has slightly more HP and less torque but is said to have better performance and MPG than Ford. The Chevy is available with a Duramax with I think 250 HP/525 torque but I don't know if any motorhome builders use that diesel chassis.
Bottom line, the overwhelming performance advantages that diesels hold in the pickup truck world just aren't there when it comes to class Cs.
rjstractor,
I would have to disagree with your opinions of diesel-powered Class Cs. I have owned a 2002 Ford E450 Super Duty with the 7.3 liter Powerstroke turbodiesel engine since 2003, and it exceeds all my expectations in every department including "performance," with the exception of perhaps noise in the cab under power/accelleration. The diesel-engined Cs are just not prevalent to the extent that they are widely available in many brands and C models, new or used.
I would never consider owning a rig this heavy without turbodiesel power. In fact, I have driven a turbodiesel powered automobile for over twenty year running. There's just too many advantages to be derived from driving and owning a turbodiesel engined vehicle.
RE: Buying a used Class A - How much discount off asking price
I am on my first Class A, an older 1995 HR Endeavor that I bought used at a Great price. I have learned a lot from just owning it, and the help on here for the issues with it that I have developed over the last few years has saved me thousands of dollars by allowing me to fix things myself. I am now ready to upgrade. I do not want to buy new so I am looking at used RV's. Most likely it will be a used diesel pusher in the $50K plus range. I could afford more, but don't want to finance, so it will be a cash purchase with no trade. I will sell the older HR myself or just give it to my brother to use. I know from reading dozens of posts on here, that with a new RV, I can expect to offer between 20-40% off of MSRP. I further have learned on here that cash is king, and I have no problem walking away from a deal and keep on looking. My specific question is, if I am shopping at RV lots, what discount off of "asking price" is reasonable - is it the same 20-40%? That is, if the used price is for example, $69,000 should I be offering in the $41 -55,000 range. Finally, is the NADA guide of any value at all in the used RV market?
Thanks
Ron SDepending on the brand and model, you can expect to get up to 40% +/- off MSRP Retail price. A good feeler may be to offer 50%, and negotiate from there. That's what I did when shopping Class As to get to their lowest price without delay, and song and dancing with 'em to get there. Good luck!
RE: McClain's RV.. Stay Away From Them
Thanks for the tip....and since the subject is now up, are there any other dealers in Texas that I need to know of, good or bad. DW & I will be shopping soon.If you're looking for a dealer in Texas that I have had a good experience with, as well as being a place I'd take my coach for service to, that would be PPL in Houston, Texas. They do business totally above board, by handling 100s of pre-owned RVs of all descriptions, and selling thousands a year. They are an excellent source to buy parts from, and are willing to do RV repairs and let you hook up overnight before your service appointment. My money would go to PPL before any indy RV dealer in the entire state of Texas for all those reasons.
An excellent reputation PPL has!
RE: McClain's RV.. Stay Away From Them
Thanks for the tip....and since the subject is now up, are there any other dealers in Texas that I need to know of, good or bad. DW & I will be shopping soon. Motorhomes of TX and Stahmann's, both good.Not necessarily. I read on these forums that "Stahmann's was to be avoided," many years ago. As far as Motorhomes of Texas in Nacogdoches, Texas goes? They were unable to even give an estimate of what the labor charge would be for changing out shocks on my E450. The service manager was literally clueless, when I enquired what the job would cost. He sounded like a magpie repeating; "straight time," louder each time I asked what the cost would be. I hung up on him and put an "X" on MOT at that very moment.
RE: Setting up homebase hook-ups thread/equipment sources?
My project is in the planning stages. I'm gathering a materials needed list, then decide on materials to procure, then compare pricing among the vendors list. It will be constructed on the property of a private school within the city limits of a small town in Missouri. I have not learned the size of the lot. I understand that there exists city sewer connection(s) and water/electricity is readily available to the lot. My concern is deciding on the right housing boxes of electricals on each island that will then serve (2) RVs. My plan is to have the metal boxes ensconced in newly poured concrete islands, along with the fresh water and sewer receptacles. I also envision perhaps (4) 6" diameter countersunk barrier pipes around the perimeters of each island to protect the utility site from accidental damage from RV/vehicle movements. Crushed rock will compose the parking lot and RV sites areas. I am anticipating constructing up to (6) islands to accommodate (12) RVs. Perhaps more.
I like the idea of all three 20/30/50 amps receptacles built into each site. Topside metal box lighting to illuminate each island area is in the plan. I am going to start shooting pictures of various RV hook up stations during my travels in the next several months to get more styles of island construction/layout, and vendors to choose from.
RE: who's responsible?
I have just one question: how many of you members graduated from law school and passed your state's bar exam?
Ray
I don't think it is a qualifier here to state one's experiences or opinions, with a license to practice law.
RE: who's responsible?
I'm in a RV park now with lots of nice big oak trees and it clearly states they are not responsible for tree damage on the contract. First time I've been under trees and will never do it again. Every week I have to get on my ladder and water blast the leaves and debris out of the clogged gutters and slide toppers. I got some serious black streaks I've been fighting too. I think they believe they were doing me a favor because it does provide nice shade in this hot weather. Not worth moving because I'm leaving soon anyway.
Master Chief,
I don't care what their sign-in contract states. You, nor anyone can sign their rights away. I would view their 'held-harmless' sign-in sheet as a deterent to people filing claims against them - whether or not they're at fault. Never forget, you cannot sign away your legal rights under law.
