Why the Dearth of Mini-Class C RVs???

[Van Vliet]

There are a ton of importers in the U.S. ..I'm not sure if that was the case back when the OP started this thread in 2017. Personally, I lean more towards the Japanese imports since most of them are very clean, have very few miles and no rust.

 

[MGfromBC]

Most of the Japanese manufacturers have camper vans and motor homes in a variety of sizes.  We usually think of Japan as a country of high population density.  The cities are.  Most of the country is wilderness, mountains and coastline.  Here is a page showing the variety of campers and the variety of manufacturers being offered by a Japanese rental company.  

The vehicles already exist.  We simply need to convince them that there is sufficient North American demand to make the appropriate changes to them to export them or manufacture them here.  Here's the link.

Our Camper Fleet | Campervan Rental - Japan Campers | RV • Motorhome • Campervan Rental

MG

 

[Spaceman Spiff]

 . . . The vehicles already exist.  We simply need to convince them that there is sufficient North American demand to make the appropriate changes to them to export them or manufacture them here . . .  

If there were sufficient demand someone would already be doing it.
Go look at an RV seller.  Most of their inventory is huge palaces with fireplaces and entertainment centers.  Used to park in a campground for a few weeks a year with all the comforts of home.

 

[maki2]

Too cramped for more than one person's gear is why there are not more of them made.

 

[Ian McK]

It may be that there are still alot of second-hand Class Cs around, and that satisfies the demand. Here in western Canada you see the 1980s Class Cs everywhere and you can pick one up for around $5k. The engines are old (obviously) and not super efficient but if you are not a hi-mile user then they can do it for you. We have a 1974 Barth 19 footer which only cost $4k plus a bit to fix up.

As far as being too cramped, that is true and you have to be organized. Hopefully some RV owners spend most of their time outdoors and only cook and sleep inside...

 

[kklowell]

Most of the Japanese manufacturers have camper vans and motor homes in a variety of sizes.  We usually think of Japan as a country of high population density.  The cities are.  Most of the country is wilderness, mountains and coastline.  Here is a page showing the variety of campers and the variety of manufacturers being offered by a Japanese rental company.  

The vehicles already exist.  We simply need to convince them that there is sufficient North American demand to make the appropriate changes to them to export them or manufacture them here.  Here's the link.

Our Camper Fleet | Campervan Rental - Japan Campers | RV • Motorhome • Campervan Rental

MG

I'd like to have one of these https://www.japancampers.com/motorhome-new.html

 

[Koyote]

So, I just passed up a lesharo to get a 95 roadtrek. The lesharo isn't quite a C (no cabinet) but fits the "mini c" or "maxi b" category.

I passed it up and got the one tin Dodge chassis simply because I need to do more. I can't imagine the lesharo going with me on a 40k/mi year. (Yeah, used is part of it. Part of it is it is a tiny 4 cylinder mini truck chassis)

(I also passed up an 97 falcon, with is a cabinet class B with a top queen(!) - but no matter how good the condition is, I don't want to deal with a 1987 Ford 460 carburetor engine.

Anyway- I actually see the appeal. The cabinet part is great from a space design standpoint, even if it is cabinets instead of a bed.

But I don't think the market would agree with the micro c concept- even the tiny home people in the US seem focused in way more space. And, honestly, the B and super B models fill the niche very well.

 

[maki2]

The motorhome posted in the first posting on this thread is a Sunrader that is powered by a toyota truck. They took off the box, extended the trucks frame, cat a pass- through into the cab and put a custom 2 picece molded fiberglass shell on it. They has two models 18' and 21'. Early ones had an axle recall, hopefully it got done. Of course the newer the better. They quit making them some years ago but the are still much sought after for reliability of both the truck and the shell. . All the usual RV appliances inside but they used particle board cabinets. A few different layouts in them. The center aisle of the floors tends to some internasl delamination of the layers and gets bouncy feeling so that needs some adressing. There were a few 4 x 4 models on the road that have always sold for high $$.