Anybody have a Class A Motorhome ?

if those are the ones were you require a special liscense for....my uncle has one. it is very nice. i'll try and find out the name of the comapny. he likes them alot.

thad

 

I do not know what "type a" means, but we had several 40' Holiday Ramblers over about ten years.

 

You might wanna look into this :
http://www.becksmarine.com/Toterhomes/RedTtrhm-TrlrCombo6-14-02.htm
http://truckconversion.net/photopost/showphoto.php?photo=464
http://showhauler.com/photopost/showgallery.php?cat=535&password=
Or this
http://www.actionmobil.at/eng/produkte/ueber7-5/casa-rodante-6x6.html
http://www.unicat.net/en/info/VXL16HD.html
Respectively from www.actionmobil.at and www.unicat.net

 

William,
I own a 25' Class C motorhome, and keep at a resort outside San Antonio, Texas. When I park at the campgrounds, I pull up, set up and in about 20 minutes I'm done. Class A's take a bit longer. One thing about the bigger rigs is the loss of maneuverability. Owners who have the big Class A RVs have the same problem as 5th wheels. Working 40-50 feet of vehicle into a tight spot can be tough, and sometimes you may have to give up. I don't have that problem, having been able to get anywhere I want to go.
What you have to assess is what are you going to do with it? Travel? How many people? These things suck worse than anything else on the road on gas, and a smaller RV will get a bit better gas mileage. I tend to use mine more as a hotel room, not spending long periods of time in it, but going places and seeing things, while sleeping and having meals there.
One last thing, RV's are also built like crap. I have finally fixed some water leaks in the front end of mine, and was talking to another RVer about it this past weekend. His $40K 5th wheel and the $200K Class A's that other people I've talked to own all leak from the moment they left the dealership. Unlike a Ferrari, these things will NOT appreciate any in value, so they become quite a money pit.

Contact me offline if you want to know more.

CER

 

Actually its not me that had one, but my grandparents. It was very cool, like a small house. I could live in one, quite comfortably. Im sorry I dont remember the maker...started with an "S" I think.

 

Everywhere.

Seriously, he was refering to roof leaks. When the rain gets into the walls it breeds mildew and rot. Baaaaaad juju.

The other thing to consider is a Bus conversion. These use the same body/chassis as an over the road coach aka a Greyhound.
They are hell for stout and seriously nice. It depends on your budget, but the sky is the limit. Marathon coach is one company that makes them.

The other RV to check out is a Newell. They are built like a commercial bus but they have only been used as an RV

How do you plan to use it? Where would you like to go? The answers to these questions will help narrow down the best choice for you.
For example, If you want to camp in Forest service campgrounds up in the mountains a 45 foot Bus conversion is the WRONG answer.
If you want to live in it full time and go to places like racetracks, then the bus conversion is the hot ticket.
Enjoy the search

Erich

 

You said it. We would take ours eventually from Ritz to Ritz!!!

(Seriously tacky seat cover there at the table, on the one pictured though.)


But yea, we had some like that one. The type you have pictured IMO has a too short a wheel base. Back will scrap on steep inclines.


This is one that we had;
Image Unavailable, Please Login

 

"Everywhere." LOL yes, that pretty much says it! If it has windows, they will leak. If it has seams, they will leak. And most likely for a few years before you find out, and a lot of damage is done. Unlike any other street vehicle, RV's need to be taken to the dealer, (unless you can handle a caulk gun yourself, RTV $5.50 tube) and recaulked every couple of years. If you buy new, get the best you can afford, if you buy used, same goes, but try to find a qualified inspector to check it out. Brand-new RV's that aren't maintained can be a lot of trouble in just a couple years.

 

My friend always tells me that motorhomes combine all the aggravation of a car and a house in one convenient package. Unless you're planning on living in one for long stretches, you'll be miles ahead renting.

 

We had some trouble with leaking around windows and doors, but nothing was ever serious or substantial at all.

 

A former coworker of mine had one of the bus-based homes. It was amazing, nicer than many condo's I've seen. It was also broken ALL THE TIME. My Ferrari looked reliable next to it. It was in the shop about 10 of the first 12 months he owned it. He finally sold it, said it was too much trouble to keep.

 

If you are thinking about one maybe you should check out Century Custom Coach. This is Tim G.'s place (or used to be, not sure if he still owns it or not) and was a sponsor of FC for a while.

 

My father has a 48ft Monaco, and has been nothing but problems, before this one he had a 45 and 40 ft. In the shop more than F-cars ;-)

Plus I fiqured up that at the 235,000 he spent on it he could fly first class and stay in Ritzs for the rest of his life and still have money left over.

But he loves it, says its only way to travel. But It's too much hassel for me.

 

In many ways they are philosophically like Ferraris, only have limited use, cost a lot, and if any little thing is broke, it takes away a lot from the enjoyment. Now I bought my 1989 Tioga Arrow class C two years ago, with 6500 (no typo) on it and now have just over 12000 miles. I have done a lot of work on it myself, recaulking is tedious work, but I do it myself to save the $50+/hour labor charges. As soon as I get the new fridge, I’ll be set!

The big thing I see about RV's is that people get them and just don't use them! Like the Ferrari garage queens, they sit and sit, then the owner expects them to function perfectly. I've had to do a lot of little things on mine, 16 year old plastic sometimes just crumbles because it can! If you buy one, new or used, expect to have to maintain it, just like anything else you have.

 

We have a 40' Newmar London Aire (their top of the line). We will be selling it as soon as it is finished being detailed. I would be happy to give you more details about the motorhome itself, or about the motorhome ownership experience over the past 5 years. BTW it is stored inside of a garage (a very BIG garage) when not in use, which really cuts down on the deterioration that so many are talking about. We found that we had to do much more repair work on it when it was sitting outside before we built the garage. However, it has been inside the past 4 years now when it is not on the road, and we have had fewer problems.

Reply or PM me for more info if you want to talk motorhomes.