Any Class C RV owners here?

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Jim

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:LOL2:

My [strike]boss[/strike] wife decided that she thinks it will be a good idea to buy one of these and travel the world. :lol:

Im thinking not so much. Anyone have any Pro's and cons or any stories?
 
Never owned one. Never been in one. Have passed them many times on the highway and in the mountains.

Cons?
$
MPG
Storage
Need to tow another vehicle or at least take bikes along

Pros?
Your wife wants one
It was your wife's idea
Although "when" to travel the world wasn't stated, it implies you can quit your job. The world's a big place. It's going to take a while.
If you like spending time with your wife this is a good way to do it.
Many don't have rear windows. Maybe she won't notice the boat hitched behind!

I'd jump on it before she realizes what she may have unleashed...
 
Jim,

ImVho, having owned (over the last 3+ decades);
1. a 34 foot travel trailer pulled with a diesel PU,
2. a 28 foot Class A with a 454 Chevy,
3. a diesel Bluebird school bus converted to a camper,
4. a 24 foot Grumann Step-van, with Cummins engine/manual transmission, converted to a camper
and
5. a 23 foot Class C with a 350CI GMC gas,
Of all of those the "least troublesome", easiest maintained & easiest to drive on secondary roads was the Class C motorhome.
(MOST of the small-medium sized C drive like a big station-wagon or passenger van.)

Otoh, when considering LONG, cross-country trips, that are mostly on main highways, NONE of the other RV compare favorably in luxury/space/convenience to a MODERN, "top of the line" Class A coach, especially a diesel luxury coach on a bus chassis.
(I was married, was on Army active duty & spent a great deal of time on TDY, when we had a Class A in the 1990s and my lady LIKED driving the coach out on the Interstates & HATED driving it "in suburbia", on city streets and on country roads. - Otoh, she fixed a LOT of "complete" & tasty meals, in the full galley, while I drove from our post to the TDY location & return.)

In my 7th decade of life, I'm now looking for a QUALITY-built, older, large Class C with a Cummins diesel to remodel to suit my tastes, primarily to vacation/hunt/fish from.
(There are a LOT of older, low-mileage, perfectly suitable used Class C coaches out there for 2,000-5,000 dollars, that are eminently suitable for customization/remodeling.)

Finally, a "piece of unsolicited advice": RENT at least 3-4 different sorts of RVs before you buy & SEE how you like each one.
(In point of fact, if you don't plan to spend a LOT of time on the road, renting MAY be both cheaper & SMARTER than buying an RV.)

Note: When you get your RV, look for a Class C coach next summer & in the years to follow, which has a playful OTTER painted on the rear, should you visit: AR, LA, NM, OK & TX.

just my OPINION, satx
 
I just bought a '08 Jayco Greyhawk 31ss 10 days ago, and have already been on one long weekend trip. Left the day after we brought home for a short shake down cruise. All went well and enjoyed the trip. Next one planned is Labor Day weekend. I am NOT an experienced camper , I think Boy Scouts was the last time I camped.
So far, the pros are:
Makes the wife happy as she wanted one, I was not all that interested in the idea, but we all know several old sayings' about making the wife/boss happy. I have two boats as toys, so..... It is enjoyable, at least from my POV, but it is a LOT of work/effort in owning one so far. If you enjoy camping, and I snicker whenever I think of someone "camping" in a fully contained house on wheels with AC/electricity and a full, but small bath in the RV, this is the way to go imo. First trip met some really nice people in the same CG, everybody was nice and friendly, and everybody loved Roxy the boxer.

The downsides are more right now for me:
$$$$$ WILL be spent
MPG, can't say for sure but expect about 7-8 mpg from everything I've read and been told. RV's are NOT aerodynamic.
At the start this endeavor will be very time consuming, learning how to stock the RV, set it up, make the connections (electrical, sewer, water), set the awning out, set up "camp", what to take, what not to take, will I need this, do I want this, do I have room for this?
You will need to be a decent shade tree mechanic, with some knowledge of AC/DC current (RV's have both), a DIY attitude is helpful/beneficial as you can do a lot of maint stuff yourself, as it's about $100/hr shop labor rates around here + parts, etc. If you can maintain your house, car and boats DIY style, then you'll be ok.
Storage is an issue right now as ours is parked in our backyard, and storage spots are more $$, depending on if you want covered/with electricity, etc. I plan on building a parking spot, in our yard in the future, but have not decided on a exact spot yet. My wife even said I could park it in the front yard :LOL2:. I'm sure if the RV had been my idea instead of hers, the front yard would be the LAST place a 31' RV would be parked. It's amazing how attitudes change when it's their idea, and not the male species.

Any RV will be a money pit, just like a boat, some cars, some houses, etc., it all depends on if you are willing to spend the $$ to have some good times. GL
 
TNtroller,

AGREED 100%, especially when you talk about "conforming to" the opinions of "she who MUST be obeyed".
(CHUCKLE.)

yours, satx
 
Jim,

Fyi, I just found a VERY NICE 1980 LAZY DAZE M-18 for 1,000.oo cash that has 60,000 actual miles on the 360CI Dodge engine. = I just couldn't resist buying it & using it till I find a larger Class C motorhome.
(At least the M-18 will get us through deer season & the fall/winter fishing the Gulf Coast.)

yours, satx
 
One day I brought home a poo-green 1976 Monarch class c (or classless, if we're to be brutally honest) RV. The Commodore wasn't very impressed, to say the least.

Anyway, it was awesome in the winter, but vaper-locked like mad under two conditions: 1) if it was warmer than 90 degrees outside and 2) you were driving it in rush hour traffic. Our kids called it the Cousin Eddy Mobile, as it looked almost as bad as the RV Cousin Eddy had in the movie Christmas Vacation. Back then I had an old 14' Valco that I'd rebuilt, and we towed that boat everywhere with the RV.

You inquired about downsides - it was quite difficult to back a small boat down a ramp behind the RV because it was so wide and had such poor visibility when backing up. My redneck fix was to hang fishing poles off the back of the boat; I could at least see the tips of the rods in Cousin Eddy's mirrors when backing down a ramp.

For the time it was parked in our driveway my buddies would come over and we'd play cards in it. Ended up trading it to a homeless lady for an older BMW that had quite literally been seized in a drug bust and had its interior removed during the search.

Another time the Commodore and I took Cousin Eddy and our boat down near Swan Falls on the Snake River. I got the RV stuck and high centered. That was an adventure!

Scott
 
[url=https://www.tinboats.net/forum/viewtopic.php?p=364195#p364195 said:
scottphillips208 » Today, 00:10[/url]"]One day I brought home a poo-green 1976 Monarch class c (or classless, if we're to be brutally honest) RV. The Commodore wasn't very impressed, to say the least.

Anyway, it was awesome in the winter, but vaper-locked like mad under two conditions: 1) if it was warmer than 90 degrees outside and 2) you were driving it in rush hour traffic. Our kids called it the Cousin Eddy Mobile, as it looked almost as bad as the RV Cousin Eddy had in the movie Christmas Vacation. Back then I had an old 14' Valco that I'd rebuilt, and we towed that boat everywhere with the RV.

You inquired about downsides - it was quite difficult to back a small boat down a ramp behind the RV because it was so wide and had such poor visibility when backing up. My redneck fix was to hang fishing poles off the back of the boat; I could at least see the tips of the rods in Cousin Eddy's mirrors when backing down a ramp.

For the time it was parked in our driveway my buddies would come over and we'd play cards in it. Ended up trading it to a homeless lady for an older BMW that had quite literally been seized in a drug bust and had its interior removed during the search.

Another time the Commodore and I took Cousin Eddy and our boat down near Swan Falls on the Snake River. I got the RV stuck and high centered. That was an adventure!

Scott

Sounds like you really know how to live. :mrgreen: As an outside observer I'd have to say the Commodore is a pretty good humored person. Not everyone would be ok with any comparison to Cousin Eddy & Co.
 
Bobberboy, she's a very patient woman, and what any smart fisherman would call a Keeper! This Cousin Eddy element has been a pretty consistent them is our marriage...the first time I met her mom, my now-mother-in-law proclaimed that I looked just like "that actor who had the crappy RV in the the Chevy Chase movie."

Cheers,

Scott
 

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