Which class C?

[Wandering]

Which of the class C offerings have y'all had good luck with? Any and all feedback welcome.

 

[SoulRaven]

I've had several over the years, and the mid to late 70's ones seem to be the best built and the least problems.

 

[Almost There]

I've had several over the years, and the mid to late 70's ones seem to be the best built and the least problems.

Except that by now all the appliances and interior have more than reached their life expectancy so if you buy one check to make sure that they've already been replaced fairly recently or budget for them sooner rather than later.

 

[highdesertranger]

do you want to go off road? how much appox. do you want to spend? highdesertranger

 

[Canine]

We need a lot more info in order to help you. Budget, age, style (flat sidewall look vs ribbed), drivetrain, miles, size (length), will you tow a car (dinghy) or a boat, your level of comfort with mechanical and "house" repairs, that sort of thing.

 

[blars]

Of the class C's I've seen, Lazy Daze seem to be amoung the best made. Other than the ocasional demo, all are custom built in east LA county.

 

[Wandering]

HHmmmmm , powerplant and running gear I'm pretty flexible on , I'm better than average mechanically but would prefer to have to do as little wrenching as possible beyond maintenance. 
 
  Style? It's just a word to me , reliable , comfortable , practical are more important. I do tend to get off onto a lot of gravel/dirt roads , but I don't expect a class C to do what my current F250/camper rig does. I intend to tow a Suzuki Samurai for a runabout and my 4 x 4 /exploration/hunting/fishing fix.
 
  I'm getting up there and a bit more comfort and space might be nice , thinking towards a max size of 26 foot which should be plenty of room.
 
  Budget? As little as I can reasonably get away with , but then everyone says that ,  best say 20 grand at the VERY outside and that's gotta cover everything.
 
   Some folks keep telling me class A , but they're just too big for what I like to do.

 

[SoulRaven]

After reading what you want, I believe I would go with an old Cortez or Superior Class A.

Both are no bigger than a Class C, but the have either all steel, or all aluminum bodies.  Should be good for rougher road usage.

 

[Wandering]

Thanks for the input y'all , and the Class As mentioned look right up my alley ,frankly speaking.
 
  'Course now the search for some examples to go look at remains , but hey ancient though I may be I'm never too old for an adventure.

 

[Canine]

A's often have more storage and fewer rot problems. Look for the smallest Bounder with a basement. Maybe 30'. Early 90's. You should be able to find them under $8K.

Jesse on this forum has one and likes it.

 

[offroad]

Good point about a small Bounder or other smallish Class A. bet they can be interesting and designed well. speculation on my part.

 

[Canine]

A real quick RV Trader.com search with the following parameters gave 14 example units:

Class A
Fleetwood (makes Bounder)
Length 26-30'
Price: under $10,000
Nationwide

Several (mostly Cali) under 90,000 mile rigs popped up, a nice 30 footer (Bounder) for $9900 with like 60K and very clean looking inside and out with some "basement" storage... Had the 4kw Onan gen set too. 20 pics. So obviously lots to choose from. Run your own search.

 

[blars]

I have a 28' Rexhall Class A -- steel frame and fiberglass roof, unlike the fleetwood wood frame and rubber roof that has more wear and rot problems.
(In my 10 month search, I did not find a fleetwood in my price range without roof problems.)

 

[offroad]

Have been watching YouTube where one van dweller is shopping for a $10k solution. He is looking at some vintage GMC class A recreation vehicles; that need a lot of TLC. guess you have to trade time & materials for the best quality you can get with your dime. If you can't spend time on a rebuild or long term shopping, you spend a lot extra bucks.

 

[BamaDuke]

Look at the Cs offered by Cruise America. They rent them for 3 to 5 years, then recondition them and sell them for around $20- $25k. They will have 100 to 125k miles on them, but that ain't too many. They choose No Slide, Vinyl flooring, and LED lighting. Least maintenance. When my Tioga 24D gets too old, I may pick up the 28 from Cruise America.

Bama Duke

 

[ZoNiE]

Have been watching YouTube where one van dweller is shopping for a $10k solution. He is looking at some vintage GMC class A  recreation vehicles; that need a lot of TLC.  guess you have to trade time & materials for the best quality you can get with your dime. If you can't spend time on a rebuild or long term shopping, you spend a lot extra bucks.

I Had a GMC. You can find a good one, and you can find crap. Mostly crap. Regardless what you pay for one, you will be $30K into it when it is finally "right", and that's with you doing all the labor. They were ahead of their time, but made with 1970's technology, so are truly unique.

They are more of a hobbyist classic hot rod with plumbing.
They are also narrow bodies as RV's go, and most have a wet bath.
There is only one (very good) transmission as they are front wheel drive, and only 3 speeds.
They either have a 403 or 455 Olds engine. Thirsty.
They are very well supported parts-wise and have a support list that is second to none if you break down somewhere.

You are better off with a Class C or a Class A on a Chevy P-30 chassis (Bread truck) if you want low cost and ease of maintenance.

 

[ZoNiE]

Look at the Cs offered by Cruise America.  They rent them for 3 to 5 years, then recondition them and sell them for around $20- $25k.  They will have 100 to 125k miles on them, but that ain't too many.  They choose No Slide, Vinyl flooring, and LED lighting.  Least maintenance.  When my Tioga 24D gets too old, I may pick up the 28 from Cruise America.  

Bama Duke

Used Cruise America units are usually a pretty good buy. Plan on buying new batteries right off the bat.

They are resold as "Four Winns Majestic" models.