Mom & Child travels..Looking at a Class C Need advice Please and Thank you

Hello! I grew up Rv'ing, but haven't been in about 20 years since my father passed. I am looking for a manageable probably class C motorhome. I've looked at a Thor and a Minnie Winnie 24-26 ft. We will mostly be parking in Rv resort type facilities and Camp grounds in Tahoe and Oregon. Because of my sons health (he's 10) I need to be close to towns. Mostly it will be the two of us (mom and son), my husband and friends may join once and awhile. I want something very maneuverable and easy to park. I don't want a class B they feel to confining to me.
So I've narrowed it down do the Thor which is pretty but not sure of the quality and the Minnie Winnie. I feel the Minnie Winnie may be a better quality but not as visually appealing. I also don't care for corner beds so It may need a slide out in the back. I'm looking doe price range 65,000 to 75,000.

Any advice, thoughts suggestions?

Thank you!

If you buy a class C that small you will be trading it in after a year. It will be way too small for two of you much less four. It is just as easy to drive a 35 footer class A as it is to drive a 25 footer class C. Personally I think it is easier. RVMommato6 recently bought a 30 footer and was very worried about driving it. Took her a few hundred miles to fall in love with driving it.

http://www.rvforum.net/SMF_forum/index.php/topic,116170.0.html

Hi FarrNMomTravels, and welcome to the RVForum. There's nothing wrong with a Class C, but I wouldn't overlook Class As, simply because the driver's seat of a Class C is more familiar to you. Most people have no problem getting comfortable driving a Class A. Your budget will allow you to get into some new units, but also into some gently used units that could very well be of higher quality. That's because RVs depreciate quickly, especially new RVs.

Used RVs that are only a couple years old will often have most of the bugs worked out of them. New RVs, even high-end RVs, can have have significant problems. In the last year, two of our friends, both long-time RVers, bought brand new motorhomes, and both had serious problems with them. One was bought back by the factory, because it had so many major problems that the dealer couldn't fix them all, and the other, a half-million dollar coach, has to go back to the factory to diagnose and repair a signifant problem.

I would suggest studying floor plans that suit your needs - not just online, but in person. Go to some dealers and RV shows (leave your wallet at home) and go inside different RVs and envision which floor plan would best suit your needs. Try not to be concerned about whether it's a Class C or Class A. As I said, the vast majority of people adapt to driving a Class A very quickly. You're going to be spending a lot more time living in it than driving it, and you'll want to be comfortable.

Keep this in mind... little problems that you find, that you think you could live with, often end up being a real PITA over time. (Trust me) Good luck, and keep asking questions.

Kev

Thank You! I was wondering if I was missing out not considering a  Class A.  My parents last motorhome was a large Class A. I like the drivers seating of the class A and the over head bunks of a Class A. We've been going to dealerships for awhile, tomorrow I plan on going again. Because of the warranty we would like new. I totally understand about getting the problems fixed. I told my husband expect for the RV to be in and out of the shop when you first get it. Too much to decide on

Motorhome warranties are mainly worthless in my opinion. The problem is you have to return the RV to the dealership and leave it there until it is repaired. I have read many horror stories of people not being able to use their RV for the first few months they owned it due to it sitting in the shop. The amount of money you will save buying a gently used RV will more than cover the cost of the repairs you need to make. And you can hire a mobile mechanic who will come to your location and fix it right then and there if possible. Also spending a lot of money on your first RV is a bad idea since just about everyone gets it wrong the first time. You only really know what you want after you have been RVing for a year or so. RVs depreciate like a rock. I suggest starting with something like this so you won't lose too much money when you trade it in:

https://www.pplmotorhomes.com/used-rvs-for-sale/class-a/1999-monaco-la-palma_rv-39801

Don't forget,a ten year old will hit his growth spurt in a few years.  He will likely want more privacy as well. 

I would not purchase new just to get the warranty.  Even if the warranty does cover a repair, there is the down time while the repair shop gets around to fixing it.  A factory warranty may require that you go to only "approved" repair shops to get the work covered.  You may have booked a park but can't get there because your rig is sitting at the repair shop.  Something to think about.

Class C motorhomes were invented for the exact purpose you described.

The overhead bunk becomes your son's bedroom and private place to hang out  It's where his clothes, books, games, and other belongings live. No need to argue about picking up his "stuff" so you have a place to sit or serve a meal. Close the curtains at his bedtime, and you don't need to retreat to your bedroom.

Of the two brands you mentioned, the Winnie is definitely better quality than a Thor product.

SeilerBird said:

If you buy a class C that small you will be trading it in after a year. It will be way too small for two of you much less four. It is just as easy to drive a 35 footer class A as it is to drive a 25 footer class C. Personally I think it is easier. RVMommato6 recently bought a 30 footer and was very worried about driving it. Took her a few hundred miles to fall in love with driving it.

http://www.rvforum.net/SMF_forum/index.php/topic,116170.0.html

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Class As look intimidating, but with some great advice and some time reading and watching videos, it isn't much more "difficult" than driving a car. I was terrified to get behind the wheel, three days later I wanted to go full time lol, so although idk of a class A is what's best for you, don't avoid them out of fear.

FWIW, we LOVE our Minnie Winnie 26A. 

We wound up going with Winnebago mainly for layout of the coach, which is PERFECT for us, and also for Winnebago quality.  We haven't regretted it for one minute. 

We had exactly one Winnebago warranty issue, loose paneling on the bedroom wall.  Our dealer (General RV, Huntley, IL) had it fixed nicely in 2 days.  I've been quite happy with them.  Our other service venture was a failed Coleman AC, which was 100% covered by Coleman's warranty.  General classified it as a "camping critical" repair, since it was the beginning of the season and we had a trip scheduled.  Got it replaced in just a few days, including receiving the replacement from Coleman. 

I do understand that many new rigs spend some time in the shop.  In our case, it didn't interfere with a single trip, and our total shop time in the first two years of ownership was less than one week.  I can't complain!

If you'd like to know more about our unit and our experiences, feel free to message me.

I would avoid the corner bed if you can - I learned to hate it after a while.  Really tough to get in and out and make.

Good to hear a positive story like that, cause there are some solid performing dealer shops even though we seldom hear about them.  I've mostly had decent (and occasionally excellent) shop experiences, but it still usually took a week to get even simple jobs done. Even with an advance appointment.  I was usually able to save up repair work and make one major shop trip per year, figuring it was a week each time. Chassis work I did at the Freightliner Factory Center, where appointments are sacred and you always get serviced on the appointed day. Love that!

Thank you all for your replies! My laptop has been getting repaired so I haven't been able to reply. All your advice is great and I am thinking about all of it while we are still looking. I've been going to a lot of dealerships looking and talking to salesman, while keeping in mind they really are only there to sell to me and may not have all the knowledge or care about what I end up purchasing as long as they get the sale. I weed out their information and use it as a little education. I am in California and the one RV we keep comparing everything to is located in Florida. They have a dealership there and here but I would have to either pay 9000. to have them transport it or fly there and drive it back.  Not sure how I feel about purchasing it without seeing it. I'll keep you posted as I will have many more questions. Thank you!

We don't recommend buying an RV without seeing it first.  People do it and some are happy but others are not.  Flying somewhere to look at it first is far better and less expensive than buying it and then wishing you hadn't.

ArdraF

I'm from NY and bought my class A from Florida. I was nervous buying it without seeing it but what I did was fly down to buy it but kept in my head not to settle and if it wasn't what I wanted, to just fly home. I ask a TON of questions before hand and did it all over text so that I had a hard copy of those answers in case there was a "discrepancy" once I arrived. I would have rather have gotten one closer, but this was the one I wanted for the right price and worth going 1,300 miles away for it.

Thank You! We are going again this weekend to look. The one dealership in Florida and we have the same dealership here that has the same one we want just lowered their price again. We are going to look at some class A's also.

FarrNMomTravels said:

Thank You! We are going again this weekend to look. The one dealership in Florida and we have the same dealership here that has the same one we want just lowered their price again. We are going to look at some class A's also.

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Don't just look at the class As, take a few out for test drives. This will show you they are not the monster to drive like you are assuming, they are fun to drive.  ;D