My first suggestion is to start visiting as many dealers as possible and check out actual floorplans for both A's and C's. Don't rule out anything for now. Give everything a fair shake, and keep posting here if you have any follow up questions or concerns.
Early in our research, we had mistakenly followed the "Class A's are for couples, Class C's are for families" stereotype. While that can be true in some cases, we're a family of 6 that absolutely LOVES our dual sofa layout class A. We have seatbelts for 12 people and about 3,000 lbs. ccc for people, food, water & stuff. Granted, our A is a little above the "entry level" models, but it's not up in the DP range. I consider it a "mid-level" coach.
Driving the A might be intimidating for the first 15 minutes or so. After that, it's really no different than a C. And the view is SO MUCH BETTER, not only for the driver and passenger, but for everyone riding in the coach.
Plus, you'll find many A's come equipped with hydraulic levelers, more storage, better ccc numbers (but don't take that for granted, check ccc on ALL units you look at), larger holding tanks, the driver/passenger seats usually rotate to become part of the living area when parked, etc.
Truth is, though, you have to find what works best for YOUR requirements. But it's often difficult to do that until you actually visit a couple of floorplans and visualize what it will be like to live in that space for several days, weeks or months, depending upon your intentions.
Good Luck,
~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.
We worked our way up from a VW Westphalia, a Bubble Top Dodge Maxi Van, a 23 foot Class C and currently a 27 foot Tioga 26Q Class C over a 45 year period. Last time around we looked at and drove a few Class A's. Just my viewpoint but I wouldn't take a Class A to local events like airshows, days in the park, kids events and other non-touring/camping activites. Another big item, most class A's couldn't fit in our driveway and would have to be stored on a remote lot. We use our C as a guest apartment and club house. I don't like sun and heat pouring in a huge front window while driving or parked. Truck bodies are supposed to be safer in crash situations and easier to get service, etc., etc. Herding a 27' Class C on 70mph urban freeways is stressful enough, I wouldn't want anything bigger or even more unwieldy. A large class A is at home on interstates and parked in luxury "RV resorts", they can be hard to park in restaurant parking lots, outside of antique shops, etc., making "toads" almost a necessity.
My wife and I bought a new C and immediately went away for a weekend.Upon our return we turned it in for a class A. (Didn't lose $ on the sale back to the dealer). It was simply a matter of room. The 36' A gives us more space in all respects. The driving is actually more enjoyable. Yes, we were initially somewhat intimidated by the thought of driving it!
We bought our 24' Class C because of the size and because there are windows in the rear bedroom. It is the smallest rig that we could find with a permanent bed, even though it's a corner one. It's a compromise between my DW who wanted a permanent bed and me who wants a small rig for maneuverability, parking, and being able to go to state parks and not worry about length restrictions.
There are threads on this available in search as well as in the Class C FAQ. Parts for C's are readily available. On my old Class A, just one obsolete brake rotor was $600-$800 and had to be shipped from Arizona.
2002 Gulfstream Conquest Class C
Rolling wired and wireless network
Bordercollie wrote: We worked our way up from a VW Westphalia, a Bubble Top Dodge Maxi Van, a 23 foot Class C and currently a 27 foot Tioga 26Q Class C over a 45 year period. Last time around we looked at and drove a few Class A's. Just my viewpoint but I wouldn't take a Class A to local events like airshows, days in the park, kids events and other non-touring/camping activites. Another big item, most class A's couldn't fit in our driveway and would have to be stored on a remote lot. We use our C as a guest apartment and club house. I don't like sun and heat pouring in a huge front window while driving or parked. Truck bodies are supposed to be safer in crash situations and easier to get service, etc., etc. Herding a 27' Class C on 70mph urban freeways is stressful enough, I wouldn't want anything bigger or even more unwieldy. A large class A is at home on interstates and parked in luxury "RV resorts", they can be hard to park in restaurant parking lots, outside of antique shops, etc., making "toads" almost a necessity.
This makes no sense to me. The difference in size between a 27' Class C and a 27' Class A is ZERO. Ok, an extra 2' of width in the driver's area. Maybe a little more height. What I've noticed most is that sitting in the driver's seat of a Class A it feels bigger. That's because you have more rooom at the front. That's it. A little more personal space doesn't make for a bigger footprint going down the road. It's just an illusion. The way you're packed into a Class C makes it FEEL smaller but it's not.
I have to echo OldDodgeJohn's comments. The difference between driving the two is mostly psychological. No, if you're talking about a 22' or a small "B+" model, there'll be a difference.
And we use our Class A for day trips all the time. No problems. Our 36' Class A fits into two parking spaces (lengthwise). You just choose your spot(s) so you won't get boxed in. Not really an issue for us.
Cab over bed & rear bedroom in C
Kodiak chassis is more common than the workhorse chassis (+ for C)
GCWR and capacities available for towing/cargo on my C far exceeded any A in a comparable price range.
It is not until you've lost everything, that you can truly gain anything.
2005 Gulfstream Endura 6316 Duramax
23' Pace American hauling my race bikes
http://www.cbr600rr.com
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