Someone correct me if I'm wrong....I thought class A motorhomes where not regulated by the federal government.....ie no air bags, crash data or tests, no crumple zones, etc.....
Where as Class C motorhomes being a van cut away chassis require regulating.....
Yes, No?
If yes, it would seem to me that a chassis that is regulated with safety features would be safer than a chassis without regardless of the weight. Frankly, with little or no oversight, Class A manufactures can make very unsafe products and the consumer has no protection. I believe Class C's are safer not only for the RV'ers but also for occupants in other vehicles.
The original point of the thread was concerning price, and I believe there is large difference in price. A class C in the 80-100+K range has higher quality materials and workmanship compared to entry level class A's.....at least the ones I have seen. I went to see the new Damon Daybreak 3276 because of the bunk beds and my wife could not get out of the unit fast enough. She couldn't stand the quality compared to what we have now. I believe you will end up paying about 20% more for units of comparable quality.
Also, Ayden did a fabulous job summing up why people choose Class C motorhomes...
You are, of course, correct. I, too, only feel safe when the government tells me I'm safe! They DO know best. LOL
However, your second point about "quality" is valid. Your Winnie 31C is above the "entry level" mark for Class C's, whereas the Damon Daybreak is an entry level A. The difference may be apparent in the quality of the components put inside. However, as one concerned with safety, you should realize that the Damon 3276 is put on a chassis with a good amount of ccc available, whereas your 31C is most likely over its rear GAWR when you travel down the road. (Have you ever weighed it loaded to travel?) So...which is safer? See...it's not so simple. Even IF your cab is "safer", your probability of a mechanical failure (blowout, etc) is greater because you're overloaded on that axle.
I hashed through all these weight/safety issues several years ago when we were looking for our motorhome. In my opinion, I feel more comfortable and safer IF I'm driving a vehicle that is operated within the constraints specified by the chassis manufacturer. Since I knew the E-450 based C's of interest to us (basically, the same floorplan as your 31C) would be overloaded, I looked for a chassis built with ability to handle the weight, and found it in a Class A. (The Kodiak's were just coming on the scene at the time.) It's all probability and statistics. We takes our chances and hope we don't become statistics! We chose what we're comfortable with. You did the same.
The actual decision needs to be made by the buyer according to their comfort level. I'm a big advocate of people knowing all the FACTS BEFORE they buy, not after. Too many people purchase these things based upon glitz and glitter with no regard to these more substantive concerns.
Be safe,
~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.
I went from a 33' class A (the Beast) to a 23.5' class C (Baby). the latter name is a "term of endearment", the first name was not! This about sums it up!
as for safety, i'm less worrried about what's out front and more worried about all those pots, pans, clothes etc. behind me as well as that oh so rock solid house. All of the latter will come forward if I hit that bridge. Either way I'd say RV's that are well maintained, appropriately loaded and reasonably driven are far likely to be a safer mode of travel than a car/truck/suv. I drive way more defensively in my C then in my car or SUV. For some dumb reason I'm more aware of my surroundings etc even though there are risks in the cars too.
2008 Itasca Sunova 35J Class A
1997 TJ Sahara, hard and soft tops and AC
Held together via Roadmaster Falcon 2 tow bar and stopped by US Gear Unified Brake system.
Because in all of our research, we were almost set to buy a Class C. We spent almost 2 years researching our purchase, and a good part of that was Class C's. Once we abandoned the stereo-type and realized that a Class A could be a viable option for us, that's what we ended up pursuing, and ultimately buying. If I can relay some of my opinion and facts obtained in my research, I like to do that. Sort of repayment for all the great advice I received here while researching for ourselves.
As I've stated before, I just like people to see all their options before they buy.
I wanted to get into smaller campgrounds (to me RVing was still camping) so thought about a 25 ft C over the 35 ft. A-types I first started looking at. Turns out we bought a 31 ft. C so not much gained there. So far we haven't been limited as to the campgrounds we can get into (vs. where we want to go) and have had no problems with the vehicle. I'd agree with the previous post regarding your comfort level.
I do know that the E-450 vehicle can be serviced by almost any shop for costs that not unlike auto repairs/service and parts are widly available. I don't know if the price goes up for a class A-type chasis or if repair parts are readily available on the road. Maybe someone can relate their experience here.
Just out of curiosity, I visited the Class A forum. They have more interesting problems than we Class C'ers have or maybe it's just seems that way because they're different. Good story about a guy that bought a rig that had been sitting in a driveway for two years without moving. The front brake calipers locked on the way home, the flat bed towing fee to the RV place bed was $200 and they couldn't find anything wrong. Brakes locked up again down the road and buyer found some new calipers at Auto Zone and installed them( amazing). The trip home with the new/used rig cost him $320 total. There were some newbie questions about problems with their Damon entry level rigs that reminded me about the "demonstrator" Damon we looked at. Cabinets had two colors of wood, slide wouldn't due to bent linkage, dining table tubes were bent up. Why do dealers try to sell stuff that obviously needs rework?
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They DO know best. LOL
