It is standardized but dealers and manufacturers choose to ignore it because when people are looking for small RVs a Class B appeals more than a Class C in the minds of a lot of shoppers. Some manufacturers have the gall to call their 30 foot long Class Cs as Bs. It is the naive that buy something greater than 24 foot long, 8 foot wide and higher than 10 feet and find they have limitations. There are some Class Cs and Class As smaller than those dimensions but they are getting rarer and rarer. Width, BTW, is the biggest killer in parking lots along with turning radius. You can cheat a bit on length by overhanging especially at edge stalls and in the center of a lot you can kill two spaces but the extra width will kill up to 6 parking spaces and make you have to park on the periphery.
Davydd
2011 Great West Van Legend Sprinter B Camper Van
Visited states in an RV
Sondra and Everyone - I have decided to go to Houston and test-drive the American Cruiser at PPL Motorhomes.
I did talk to the sales-manager about the salesman I talked to the last time. I also found out that the vehicle did not start when I spoke to him 4/18. That salesman had given me an excuse why he had not taken the vehicle for a test drive.
Today, I dealt with a different salesman. He told me the vehicle started right up.
I asked about taking it to a Dodge dealership for them to check out the vehicle part of the unit and was told I could not do that because it was a consignment vehicle. I called Dodge and they are willing to provide me with a mechanic to do the test-drive with me.
The generator does not work. They are telling me that it needs a carburetor and would cost me about $500 to repair.
The vehicle has been on the lot for a while.
Two and a half months ago, the owner put $6000 or $7000 into it -- which included a new transmission.
It reportedly had no leaks when the owner first put it on the lot but has had some leaking since then as evidenced by a stain on the ceiling near some kind of fan vent.
I called a mechanic here that I trust, he told me if I needed to replace the engine, it would cost me about $5000. I also checked on the price of a new Onan generator. It appears to be about $3000.
From the photos, the interior seems to be in good shape.
If the generator doesn't work, will I still be able to see if the other things in the unit work?
The owner is not willing to put any more money into the vehicle so if something else does not work, it would be my problem.
The deal is contingent on a satisfactory test drive.
PPL Motorhomes has an A+ BBB rating and has only had 5 complaints, all of which were resolved with BBB assistance.
ruwth wrote: Somewhere, I read that the difference between a B+ and a C was that the C has a bed over the cab and a B+ does not.
B's are built on van chassis with a van body. C's are built on van chassis with a cutaway van cab. B+ vans are widebody B's - they can be identified by having a portion of the van body present and quite often have the rear cargo door present as well.
This is just so wrong. B+ is a marketing term, for a Class C, which usually has no over the cab bed. B+'s and Class C's are both built on the same cut-a-way chassis.
I apologize for sounding harsh BUT you are flailing around seeking half baked opinions from all over. PPL has an excellent reputation. They have graded this unit "excellent". You are permitted to test drive this coach. You may have a mechanic of your choice insoect the RV carefully without PPL rushing you. As to a possible leak...so what...it happens and you fix it. Get the vin # they will supply it to you...order a CarFax report ..read it then go to Houston with an excited and happy heart and look forward to enjoying your purchase for many miles. If you feel that it doesn't measure up...so what...that is the nature and experience of many of us who have sought a used coach. Try, try again.
* This post was
edited 04/25/12 10:35pm by an administrator/moderator *
ruwth wrote: Somewhere, I read that the difference between a B+ and a C was that the C has a bed over the cab and a B+ does not.
B's are built on van chassis with a van body. C's are built on van chassis with a cutaway van cab. B+ vans are widebody B's - they can be identified by having a portion of the van body present and quite often have the rear cargo door present as well.
Generator repair is iffy... a $500 carb may or may not fix it. Neglect can lead to other issues on top of a gummed up carb. $3k is about right for a replacement, plus whatever you spend on trying the carb, less whatever the shop will give you for the dead Onan.
An in-person test drive among fast-passing big trucks is absolutely essential!!! Ask them to be sure the tires are properly inflated before you get there, but take your own gauge to check them (digital is good, reads to at least 100-120 psi; you'll need one anyway).
Find out if there's any warranty on the new transmission, and how you'd collect. If it's a Jasper re-manned, that's probably good, they have a nationwide warranty.
I'm a good bit put off by being unable to take to the Dodge dealer for inspection. I'd be asking why not, and not accepting BS answers.
Learn to find and read the date code on tire sidewalls. That's another ~$8-900 if they're 5-6 years old.
You can still test the 12V stuff, the 120V stuff (A/C, microwave, & ??) just requires plugging in to shore power. That should be doable there.
Do not succumb to the "gottahaveit's". Be prepared to walk away. There are others, be prepared to keep looking. Good luck.
Jim, "I don't think, therefore I am not."
'06 Tiger CX 'C Minus' on a Silverado 2500HD 4x4, 8.1 & Allison (aka 'Loafer's Glory') www.tigervehicles.com
I think somehow I missed seeing your post about going to PPL to test drive the American Cruiser. Their website now shows the vehicle as 'Sale Pending'. Is that you? Please let us know how it went and your impression of PPL after the visit. Thanks!
This is just so wrong. B+ is a marketing term, for a Class C, which usually has no over the cab bed. B+'s and Class C's are both built on the same cut-a-way chassis.
Sorry you disagree - but I see plenty of C's with no over cab bed.
In virtually every case B+'s have more body than a cut away. Do you honestly think they buy the cutaway body (which *only* has front doors) and then buy rear doors and/or side cargo doors separately?!?!? I can tell you've never working in manufacturing...
It may be a marketing term - but B+'s are far closer to B's than C's...
Rob, you're expressing so much ignorance here that I don't know where to start. Look at Rodger's join date, and be aware that he was this forum's well-respected moderator for years. You're very wrong, and that's an end to it if you're smart. Make up your own system of classification if you wish, but leave the RVIA's alone.
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