Class B RV advice

[bushmaster1313]

So the wife and I are thinking of getting a class B RV after this season. What has the Forum liked and what is a reasonable price.

We would want:

AC
Toilet
Shower
Stove
Microwave
Sleep 2
I stand 5' 10" barefoot

We are very new to this idea and have no information

 

[bigwheelzip]

Only experience I know about B's is that a friend bought a Roadtrek years ago and said she loved it, then recently replaced it with another Roadtrek.
Enjoy.

Sent from my Moto G (5) Plus using Tapatalk

 

[Bugkiller99]

So, let’s start with this. You want an RV. Why class B? Lots of different RV out there, not just Class B.

 

[bushmaster1313]

So, let’s start with this. You want an RV. Why class B? Lots of different RV out there, not just Class B.

Our friends have a Class B and like it.

Just the two of us and we want:

AC
Toilet
Shower
Stove
Microwave
Sleep 2
I stand 5' 10" barefoot

We do not have unlimited funds
We do not have a vehicle that could tow a trailer

 

[Kanewpadle]

Stay away from the class B on the Dodge Sprinter chassis. Nothing but problems. The Mercedes Sprinter is entirely different and much more reliable with excellent fuel mileage.

I would highly recommend a class C on the Mercedes chassis. Expensive yes. But these days the financing and monthly payments aren’t too bad.

 

[Bugkiller99]

I tend to agree with Kanewpadle. I think as a general rule, you get less bang for you buck with Class B. Same amount spent on a Class C will give you more. I Really can’t offer much on Class B.

Regardless, good luck, and happy trails with what you get.

 

[rubiranch]

Can you find one to rent and take a weeks vacation in it?

 

[Tom Beavert]

You get alot more RV per dollar in a class C than a B. BUT, traveling, a B will park downtown/at restaurants/parks/at home/ect. We spend 6 months each year in a 34' class A, and tow a Jeep. We would many times like to get off the highway and explore. So it all depends what your goals are.
Enjoy
TB

 

[Old Arkansawyer]

A class B will work fine for short trips, days. But if you are planning long
stays in it I will say our 40 footer gets cramped at times. Just depends
on your planned use.

 

[loknload]

Have a class A 38’ with 3 slides that can get cramped sometimes?
Traveling by RV is a nice way to travel but I don’t think I’d want anything less then a class C.

 

[LCC]

Only thing to offer is about the driver seat in either B or C. Ford chassis has less driver legroom, the Chevy chassis has more. And if taller, make sure the cabinets behind the driver seat doesn't prevent you from tilting back as much as you would like.

 

[pawngal]

First, Rent!!
A nice Class B can run around $100,000.
For that amount of money you could buy a good pickup and a tow behind or 5th wheel.

 

[Doug M.]

And if you do that, there is no such thing as too much truck, no matter what a dealer says. Go 5th wheel - there is a reason that semis do their trailers that way. Better pivot point and less likely to get whippy on you.

 

[cfplinker]

We've had our class B for 15 years now. We knew the previous owners who called us up one summer and said that they had not used it for 2 years and asked us to take it on our next vacation. We did and returned it 2 weeks and 1200 miles later. Two years later we bought it from them. Try to borrow or rent (they are expensive to rent) one especially if you haven't done much camping before. Also try to find a used one if you can. When we bought ours it was 10 years old and we got it for about 25% of the price of a new one.

Remember that you will have to license and insure it even if you don't use it. At 8'-6" or so they won't fit in a normal garage. You will need to park it in your driveway or alongside your house since many cities will not allow them to be parked on city streets for very long.

They are smaller than you think inside. Both people cannot be doing different things at the same time if both involve standing. One or both will be sitting on the bed/couch while the other is cooking or doing whatever. We can get enough food stored to last over a week without repeating a dinner. Add a propane/AC refrigerator to your list along with a generator that is big enough to start and run the air conditioner. The commercial campgrounds generally have electric hookups. Forest Service and National Park campgrounds often do not. If you have a hookup you can run the microwave, without it you will be using the stove for your cooking. (Our generator is 2800 watts and will trip due to the inrush when turning the microwave on. )

Forget the shower. The water heater is only 6 gallons and won't last for a shower. The fresh water tank is about 20 gallons and you will want to save it for cooking and flushing duties. If you are at a campground that has water hookups just use their shower. It will be much nicer and you won't run out of hot water. If you need a shower every day stay in motels.

We have run the costs out several times. For many trips taking the RV and staying in park campgrounds with an occasional commercial campground stay costs about the same as taking the Toyota Echo at 40 mpg and staying at the cheap motels and eating at cheap restaurants.

The class B's and C's come with two blessings and a curse. The curse is that you have to take it with you wherever you go, even if it is just to the ice cream parlor. The first blessing is that you don't have to go back and get it when you leave for the next destination. The second blessing is that there is always a nice potty 6' behind the navigators chair.

Think of how you vacation. We normally spend a day or two driving to our destination 350-450 miles per day and then drive 150-200 miles a day exploring. Unless we were at a rendezvous we very seldom spent two nights in the same campground. If you want to set up as a base camp and then make loop trips from there a trailer may make more sense for you. If you go that route don't skimp on the towing vehicle. It's no fun to blow a transmission going up a steep hill in Idaho when the nearest town is over 70 mile away.

That's enough rambling for now.

 

[bushmaster1313]

This is all very useful
Please keep it coming

 

[Rodan]

You really need to consider the kind of traveling you want to do and where you want to stay.

As noted above, if you don't have a 'dinghy' or 'tow'd', you're stuck driving the RV anywhere you want to go, which is less than ideal. Class B's are smaller, but can still be a pain due to height and maneuverability... and the're usually on the short end of towing capability. They also have very limited interior space.

For what you would pay for a nice Class B, you can probably get a lot more for your money in Class A or C.

One issue with all of the above is that it's a separate vehicle that must be registered, insured, maintained and stored. And it's not very useful for anything but being an RV.

A truck/ 5th wheel trailer IMHO makes a more versatile platform. The 5'er is going to be as roomy as any Class A, and you also have a truck that can be used for getting around once camp is set up, and it's still a truck when the RV trailer isn't in use.

There's also truck campers, which is what we have. For us, it met a specific need (we need to pull a car trailer), and it's pretty versatile, though not as roomy as a Class A or C.

For most people, the truck/5th wheel combo presents the best value.

As noted, get enough truck. You can never have too much truck.

 

[Old Arkansawyer]

If buying used, go to some place like Quartzsite, Arizona in the early
spring and buy from someone who does not want to or can't drive it
home. A friend of mine has made some good money buying these
and bringing them home and reselling.
If you are over 62 you can buy a golden age pass from the Feds. which
will get you into and Federal camp ground for 1/2 price. A good amount
of savings and if like me these camp grounds are not located in the
major population areas, that is to my liking.
Also join some organization like Good Sams for any roadside assistance
needed. I had one of my fuel filters stop up and was 15 miles away
from any place to buy one. No cell service, and just by luck another
RV'er came by and hauled us to a phone. 3 hours later guy shows
up with a fuel filter and 5 gal. of diesel and we were on our way. I
only paid for the filter and diesel. That brings up another thing, carry
a set of tools with you. I carry tools and spare parts, fan belts, plastic
pipe, etc.