BVan Options (Class B)

[user 13531]

So, thought I'd start a thread on full timing in a Class B Van and what full upfitted production models are available for those interested in a non build, non custom finished option. I full time in a 1st Gen 2021 Coachmen Nova which rides on a Promaster 3500 extended frame chassis with 159" wheel base. https://www.coachmenrv.com/class-b-motorhomes/nova

 

[user 13531]

#1 in Class B sales is the Thor family of Class B's which include the Dazzle and Twist https://www.thormotorcoach.com/dazzle

 

[user 13531]

Thor also offers Scope and Rize on the 18' Promaster 1500 chassis https://www.thormotorcoach.com/scope

 

[user 13531]

Then there's the Thor Sequence and Tellaro https://www.thormotorcoach.com/sequence

 

[user 13531]

Thor also builds Class B's on the Ford Transit and MB chassis line ups Sanctuary and Tranquility https://www.thormotorcoach.com/sanctuary-transit
https://www.thormotorcoach.com/sanctuary

 

[user 13531]

We all know how well built the Pleasureway vans are and they back them with an industry leading 5 year warranty https://pleasureway.com/

 

[user 13531]

And... let's don't forget #2 in sales Class B trailblazer Winnebago who pretty much started the modern Class B build design with the Travato using the big box Promaster 159" WB 3500 chassis. This design has been a game changer in the industry and followed by all the other RV OEM's. https://www.winnebago.com/

 

[user 13531]

Is affordability a issue on modern production Class B's? I'm guessing it might be for many but we can still use all these model options as a template for our individual van builds or at least some of their system features. For me, a single gasoline fuel source rig is my ultimate goal. I'd like to have a rig with no generator or propane. I'd like it to be all electric except for a Timberline gasoline heating source. I'd like it to have Lithium with either an engine mounted UHG or DC/DC charging system. I'm in a Promaster 3500 chassis currently but would love to switch to the Promaster 17' 11" 1500 chassis for my next rig.. https://pleasureway.com/models/tofino/

 

[abnorm]

Do remember........................this is the CHEAP RV Forum !

 

[Seajatt]

I think the topic is worth having, especially for those with a similar wants in a rig, but I'm not sure how much interest you'll find here in brand new class b's.

 

[WanderingRose]

I have an older BVan, which I love and would have nothing else.

If I could afford a new one, which I can’t, I wouldn’t have one.

I like the simplicity of the older, all manual rigs, with a frig that runs off propane or electricity.

All the bells and whistles leave me cold, and are technologically beyond my abilities.

 

[mpruet]

I’m fortunate in that I could afford to get my Travato (59k) several years ago. I was car-camping quite a bit at the time and considered doing a DIY van build-out, but knew that my wife would never agree to go anywhere with me If I didn’t have a traditional toilet. A compost or cassette would have not been acceptable. Still I’m amazed at the current costs for a new class-B which is now more than double what I paid.

 

[savana1957]

I’m fortunate in that I could afford to get my Travato (59k) several years ago. I was car-camping quite a bit at the time and considered doing a DIY van build-out, but knew that my wife would never agree to go anywhere with me If I didn’t have a traditional toilet. A compost or cassette would have not been acceptable. Still I’m amazed at the current costs for a new class-B which is now more than double what I paid.

Makes you feel good when you purchase something and a couple years later it goes up in value like $10k or more! I bought my 2017 GMC Savana cargo van a couple years ago with very low mileage and now they are (alot) more. I drove it to the Long Beach area and had a lovely 24" bubbletop, fiberglass hightop installed and now well they are like double I think. I my van. Have gotten an offer for it in the parking lot of Home Depot! Will never sell it. I am 65.

 

[wayne49]

Do remember........................this is the CHEAP RV Forum !

It was the CheapRVliving forum.

Currently, it's the vanlivingforum.

 

[VanFan]

At some point, I will have to replace our van. So far, I have not seen anything I like better--at any price. Still, I think this thread is valuable and appreciate the "round up."

One advantage to a Class B is that it would be considered a "real" RV, acceptable in places that currently stipulate "no self-made RV's, SUV's, vans, school buses or similar camping vehicles." Most places like that are of little interest to us, but occasionally it does come up.

 

[afblangley]

Here's a pretty through list of class B manufacturers:
https://weretherussos.com/class-b-rv-manufacturers-list-camper-vans/

 

[dustytrailhead]

I’ve owned a popup truck camper, travel trailer, class A, class C, 9.5 foot truck camper, and 2 B-vans, in that order. They all have their problems, but…
Vans are cool. I’ll never go back.

 

[RearViewMirror]

Do remember........................this is the CHEAP RV Forum !

When I joined this forum I joined because it said Van Living Forum. Since joining, I have a "few" responses that seem take a major issue with the Class B Mercedes Benz 4WD we chose. And although I realize what we have is expensive and it is not "cheap" by any stretch of the imagination. That wasn't the point of me joining the forum.

One of the reasons I joined the forum was for community. Yes... I completely realize that there are people out there doing this for so much less money than we are doing it for and I applaud anyone that does that. But that isn't the point for us. The point is, I love people that share the same passions (no matter how you chose to do them) and learning something that maybe I didn't know. Maybe, just maybe, "I" might have a suggestion or advice that might be of some value to others. I suppose at one time this "was" a CHEAP RV forum. But that isn't what the title of the forum says now. And at certain points I have felt ostracized because we purchased a rig that fits "us". And it fits "us" for a specific reason. It is expensive but we will be living in it full time and there is a reason we chose what we chose. Not saying that it can't be done cheaper because I most certainly know that it can be.

I feel like I have information that might be valuable to others and it "shouldn't" matter what rig we have or how much money we spent on it. If any tips I might be able to give might be useful to someone else... Then that should be all it is. I've gotten to the point that I'm actually reluctant to even mention what we have because of comments like this. Just as a few comments have been made towards me in the past, comments like this actually put me off as if "I" don't belong here even though we all share the same passion. Almost like "I'm" doing something wrong just for being here. I would say that I'm sorry for the rig that we have but I won't because I worked hard for it. And if it seems to bother people, and those people can't get past the price and look further into what I might be able to provide that might be valuable to others (no matter what rig they are in). Then maybe it's time for me to move on and find a different forum.

It's comments like this that make me rethink my decision of joining this forum. Again... All I was looking for was a community of people with a shared interest of living on the road. But I've been met by a few with comments such as this. That basically make me feel that I essentially don't belong here.

 

[dhuff]

It's comments like this that make me rethink my decision of joining this forum. Again... All I was looking for was a community of people with a shared interest of living on the road. But I've been met by a few with comments such as this. That basically make me feel that I essentially don't belong here.

I really hope we as a forum community can get past this. I also had the idea that the "Van Living Forum" was for full- or part-time nomads and wannabes of all sorts. In my mind, communities are better if they are not needlessly exclusive...

 

[WanderingRose]

I wouldn’t let a comment deter you from participating.

Everyone here is not impoverished, tho many are, and while I think it is important to remember that, it should not deter you from sharing your experiences and what you know.