As others have said, it's a function of what you want to do with it. We have a 24-ft Minnie without slide-outs and we chose this size because we can go and stay most anywhere. Many of the state parks in the mountains have severe size restrictions. We went to a campground in Big Sur last week that had an 8-ton weight restriction (bridge across the river) and anything much bigger than ours wouldn't fit in most of the sites. We can go into town, taking the furkids, and park with them in air conditioned comfort, without having to walk miles from the RV only lot. The disadvantage of a large MH with a towed (toad) vehicle is that, if it's warm enough for AC, the furkids have to stay in the MH because you can't park the toad and leave the AC running. We can with our C.
I guess we can keep adding to this thread, but please note that the original poster, Fcodanti, joined here on 7/10/2005, made one post on that day (this thread) and has not posted since. It was accidentally revived with an off-topic post on page 2.
We can't even be sure if the original poster ever got the chance to take in all our words of wisdom. Hopefully they'll help out someone.
~Rick
2005 Georgie Boy 3625 DS on a Workhorse W-22 (Class A)
Rick, Gail, 1 girl (12-Angel, Lexi96.org), 1 girl (8), 2 boys (9 & 6).
2001 Honda Odyssey, Demco Aluminator tow bar & tow plate, SMI Silent Partner brake controller.
Hi y'all. I know everyone has opinions, this is just our observations-no flaming needed.
We too have been researching the Class A & Class C coaches. No one has yet mentioned the current market conditions (fall 2007). It seems that Class C coaches are selling for $5000 - $6000 above high book and Class A coaches for $5000 below low book. The old buyer's/seller's market, eh?
We have been in the "ok, I'll buy it for . . ." twice, once for a 26' & then a 30', 1996-1998 Class C and have found that we could have moved to a 1995, 35' Sahara Safari diesel for $7000 - $10000 more. The class C's were around 17,500 (12,450 book)& 22,000 (16,500 book)respectively. The Safari's have been going for around $25 - $30k.
I'm of the old school, I guess. I just can't pay more than appraised value for this big of a purchase. Wholesale (or below) is just fine with me, although we were prepared to pay high book for one of the coaches, but as buyers, we were not sufficiently motivated--high book wasn't high enough.
Our comparisons:
Class C: Positive. Smaller exterior; short wheelbase; goes most anywhere; drives like a van; sleeps as many as 8; safer, well maybe; not as tall, but it still will not fit in a parking garage; probably do not need to tow a toad; front doors; wife can likely drive without extensive training, but if we go for the 30 footer, she'll need to learn how to manage the mirrors & tail swing for sure.
Negative. Smaller interior; short wheelbase; cramped living space; Oh, no, it is a van(small)and Ford vans are not all that comfortable; needs b.u. camera, but where do you put the monitor? It's a gasser; Motor up front; Speaking of repairs, 90k miles plus or minus and you're out a whole lot of money for engine/transmission; 13" TV (did I mention living space?); If you want a queen size rear bed, plan on a 27' - 30' coach; won't tow much; limited storage; small or no inverter; no leveling jacks. Did I mention current market conditions?
Equals:
Fuel mileage, but the larger diesel will probably do a little better even when towing a toad. Little else is comparable.
Class A Positives(at least the class A we're looking at):
Larger interior; ice maker; washer/dryer(yes, we're aware it's a toy); full body paint; aluminum & SS exterior, air ride chassis; hydraulic levelers; storage; engine in the rear; unbeatable Cummins & Allison transmission combos available; pusher; 22.5" tires; easier to move around in on the road; full-size shower; it will tow a tank, well, at least, our Expedition; road steady; 4 batteries & inverter allows you to make your coffee w/o starting the generator.
Class A Negatives:
Larger exterior; only sleeps 4 (maybe only 3 realistically); class A's are a generally more maintenance intensive; wife would require more extensive training to become comfortable driving unit, but it is doable; we like the front entry the best, but would settle for mid; cannot get into all the State parks, but many are adding pull-through spaces; if a front tire blows, it's serious; 4 batteries; longer always means harder to navigate, good planning required.
Right now, it's just hard for us to justify the extra $7,000, plus or minus, for the Class C and that's just what it would take to bring the coach down to fair market value. One can do a whole lot of upgrading, personalizing; repairs, etc. for $7,000.
We're having the same debate right now, C vs. A. Rick Jay's posts have been very helpful as we weren't even considering a Class A to start with. We have two young ones (5 and 4) and, who knows, maybe more in the future.
My research agrees with the info already posted. However, the traditional "C's are for families" advice isn't as strong as it used to be with the new bunkhouse Class A floorplans. The bunkhouse A's have the same or more sleeping capacity as the traditional C and don't require as much prep time to make/unmake the beds. I also see an advantage with towing capacity and definitely tank sizes. There also seem to be more options available for the A's, likely due to the extra payload capacity. Leveling jacks, second A/C units, bigger inverters, etc. can be hard to find (or not available at all) on the C's.
The overall length of the smaller A's isn't much different than the bigger C's, which are more likely to be used by families. Most of the bunkhouse models are in the 34-35 ft range and the are roughly the same height and width as the comparable C. The A may be harder to fit into a small, rustic campsite but the larger C's wouldn't be much better. A smaller C is much more flexible but is limited if you need a lot of family space.
This is a long post, but in the end it comes down to how you will use the rig. We enjoy long, touring vacations where we get to see hills and trees. So, we spend long days on the road and use the RV more like a mobile hotel room. During the days on-site we'd like to use a toad for exploring or visiting state/national parks, etc. Our two biggest criteria are comfort on the road and ease of setup once we stop. We enjoy traveling to the Rockies and, while it's a minor point, visibility from the front of the rig is important to me. I like the picture window view from an A, as the overhead bunk on a C blocks the upward view from a C.
For us, it'll ultimately come down to cost. I've had a couple of dealers lately comment that the market for A's was down (these were dealers that have stopped stocking A's) so, as posted before, it's likely a good time to make a deal. If we can't swing the bunkhouse A we'll probably go with a Four Winds 28A on the Chevy chassis for a couple of years and save the extra money for a future upgrade. Either one is a big jump from the popup.
Cris, Carol, Robbie, Cathy, and Reeses the Wonder Dog
2005 Four Winds Chateau Sport 28A
It really isn't an A versus C issue, it comes down to where you want to go, with or without shore power, and what you want in a floor plan.
We are seriously considering going to a Class A after 29 years/six Class Cs (all purchased new).
My current Class C has been the best ever and I've added many upgrades that I always wanted, and I really am concerned about taking on more problems with a Class A (just read the Class A forum for a while and see what I mean).
* This post was
edited 08/21/07 08:42am by an administrator/moderator *
The bunkhouse Class A's are sure to take some of the class C business. But A's are much more expensive. My C, which has a rear queen, massive cab over bed, and can sleep some on the dinette and sofa was 46k new. What is the cheapest A with bunkhouse option?.. 80k?
This I think is just as important (for me anyway). I don't know that I can get 80k worth of use out of a class A, but we sure can get 46k use out of our C.
Now, in a few months when we have the twins with us, we may wish for a 50' bus conversion with a slide 'up' second floor.
Don't take your organs to heaven. Heaven knows we need them here.
----------------
2007 National Surf Side 34DE. Full timing since 1/06/08
2007 Toyota Matrix Da Toad
I found the C to sleep more people and the A to hold more junk. Either one holds enough junk for me but I chose the A so we would have fewer "friends" inviting themselves along. My wife wanted one that slept 8 or more. I said you will only need one that sleeps 7 because I will be staying home! You see there is just my wife, my son and I. Our A sleeps 4. Perfect.
I also have to admit I like the way the A looks more so than the C. But that’s just a personal preference and not the reason for choosing the MH we have.
Also its not that I mind company, I just don’t want them sleeping in the same box as I am. The more the merrier .. . as long as they have their own RV.
[/b]Magilla
Note: Due to invalid formatting, all formatting has been ignored.
Cost is definitely an issue, with the bunkhouse A's starting in the $80k range. What I've found is that the larger/nicer C's will run around $60k. There isn't a huge difference per month on a 15-year $60k loan vs. a 20-year $80k loan, so if we're close to that market we'll likely go with the A.
That's also why we have the Four Winds 28A on the list. It's obviously much smaller than the A, but runs about half the price. I think it would be fine for us with the exception of those rainy days when you're stuck inside all day with a 4- and 5-year old...space becomes almost priceless!
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Hopefully they'll help out someone.
