Need advice moving from trailer to motorhome

[skinnyguy76]

After 3 different travel trailers over the years, we've decided to make the jump to a motorhome in time for a big western trip next year. I'm looking for advice on finding the right rig and evaluating it.

Quick background. I'm handy and would welcome a fixer upper. Have done a lot of work to used trailers over the years and so I'm totally comfortable with evaluating the 'trailer' familiar issues with rigs (water leaks, systems, etc.).

What I need help with is I'm totally unfamiliar with motorhomes. We're wanting a rig that can handle our familiy (I'm eying layouts that have the huge closets on the back side of the kitchenette with hopes of reconfiguring it to squeeze in a couple kid bunks).

Our criteria is:
- Big enough to handle our family (one slide would be ideal)
- Powerful enough to tow a vehicle that can seat five and still do mountain roads
- Class C would be good because of the front bunk, but A is fine too
- Outdated interior is fine, we want to remodel
- Minor damaged rig for a good deal is fine too, I can fix to say several thousand
- Hoping to find something under $15,000 with a bit more in the budget for upgrade/remodeling costs, which would probably mean a 20 year +/- old model

So here are my questions:
- What's your advice on what to look for or avoid in terms of manufacturers, models, types, etc.?
- What advice do you have on ensuring towing ability? Once again engines, manufacturers, models, etc.
- I can handle evaluating the familiar 'trailer' components (roof, floor, waterheater, etc.) but what advice do you have on evaluating engine, transmission, drivetrain and those sorts of things when looking at a used rig?

 

[Henry J Fate]

Class A would be my suggestion. A good winnebago on a workhorse chassis 32-35ft GM 454 would be fine. The front ends on those are the biggest issue. If you can find something with 20k on it, check the front end out real well and grease everything regardless of what things look like. Tires are important and in most cases with something 20+ years old you will need new tires. Age will trump tread condition and for an extended cross country trip with family I would suggest to have no more than 5 years on the tires and no cheapies on the front.

Sleeping will accommodate 5 people in most 32-35ft units but it may not be a good set up for young kids. Generally the master bed is in the back. Pull out couches and convertable dinettes are usually up front in the travel area which has most of the controls, drivers area and entry doors. That presents a problem with young kids up front without any supervision and if you want to use the front area while the kids are up front in bed, it dosent work well. You may want to think that through some to be sure you will be ok with that. Another child issue will be seating and restraints which are not that great for travel safety. Most seating beyond the drivers area have side facing seats which isn't good for a frontal impact.

Lots of choices out there and many different chassis. Be patient and you will find something good. Good Luck.

 

[Tom55555]

Picking a class C with a Ford or Chevy chassis is a safe bet. You can pay a mechanic to inspect it if you are not a mechanic. The chassis gets you there and back. If you break down, you will most likely find a Ford or Chevy dealer or a local mechanic within AAA towing range. If you want to tow go with a bigger engine like a Ford V10 or Chevy 8.1L. Don't worry about gas mileage. Parts are readily available at auto part stores and a huge after market of used parts as well.

Newer high end brands like Winnebago will be more expensive with less problems most likely. Older and lesser known brands like R-Vision will be less expensive and will probably have more issues like broken drawers, water leaks, ceiling carpet falling down, etc. but it sounds like you don't mind fixing stuff and the prices will be much lower.

I probably shouldn't go here but what the heck. You mentioned seating five. I've traveled for years in our motor home with the family and the only people that wore a seat belt was the driver and the person in the front passenger seat. I'll probably get a lot of negative feedback on this but I think that's why people buy motor homes. Being able to get something to eat, go to the bathroom or watch TV makes a long trip more pleasant. I can't be the only one.

 

[SLOweather]

On the one hand, our 2014 Sunstar 31 KE Class A has seating and belts for 7, and "sleeping" for 7 with the StudioLoft over the front seats. ("Sleeping" because the "2 person" couch/bed is only 5' long.)

OTOH, I don't know where 7 people would put all their stuff. Body count is only 1 part of it. You have to consider if the rig can handle everyone's "stuff" as well as food, supplies, and the toad that you say you need,

 

[Timmy_B]

The only suggestion I would make based on your criteria is based upon where you plan to camp.  Please realize that many, many campgrounds are becoming more and more exclusive with regard to age of rig.  You might have a beauty, but when you call or go on-line to make reservations and you tell them it's 20 years old, you might be told no. 

Either way, good luck with your search.  I hope you find the perfect rig for your family! 

 

[Lou Schneider]

Be careful when looking at a Class C (and some Class As).  In the vintage you're looking for there were some motorhomes made with short wheelbases and very long rear overhangs.  Salesmen loved them because the short wheelbase made them "handle like a car" on a typical low speed test drive around town, but all that wall area behind the rear axle made them a bear to handle on a highway with any kind of a crosswind.

That's why school buses have short wheelbases and a long rear overhang for better around-town maneuverability while over the road Greyhound buses have longer wheelbases  for highway stability.

If a side view looks like the house is balancing on the rear axle, beware.

 

[Gary RV_Wizard]

I too am skeptical that a class C would work for you.  A larger c, say 30 ft, is going to be at its limits a far as weight is concerned and will have the longish rear overhang that Lou warns about.  Even a coach built on the Ford E450 van chassis is limited to 14,050 lbs and about 30-31 ft.  Most c's also do not get much use of the cab area when parked at the campsite, whereas an A makes it part of the lounge.  But that's a decision you have to make for yourself.  Just pay close attention to the GVWR and how much of it remains as cargo capacity, and how usable the cab area is. In addition to ll the other layout considerations, of course.

 

[kenb1023]

Another thing is you need to look at what the A Or C class is rated to tow and the GVWR and GCWR.  Many gas if not all powered motorhomes are only rated to tow 5,000 lbs or less.  This will dictate the towed vehicle you can have.  Even some diesels will only be rated to 5,000 lbs were as others will go to 10K or more but they get pricey.  With a 5 passengers you need to take in account their weight and the weight of all the gear and supplies you need to bring and then add in the weight of the towed.  As for using a 20 year old rig they are right as some RV parks will not let you in.  Even if the rig is a totally restored to look factory new there are those snobbish RV parks that will refuse entry.  Personally I don't think that is right but it is the property owners right to discriminate in that fashion.  The type of RVing I think you will be doing I don't think you will have much of a problem as those snobbish parks are also high dollar parks that are more like luxury hotels than a camp ground.  I tend to avoid those snob parks  because I don't want to be with people that think they are better than the rest of us because they have the $$$$ to buy new all the time.

Good luck on your search and I hope I was some help.

 

[UTTransplant]

How old are the kids? There isn?t a motorhome in existence that is as safe for passengers as a newer car or pickup. No air bags, no crumple zone for rear passengers, no shoulder belts for rear passengers, interior furnishings not designed for crash safety. I do believe that motorhomes get into fewer accidents because they are so big they are easily visible, mostly drive at slower speeds, and give the driver good visibility to see problems in time to react, especially a Class A. You need to make a decision you are comfortable with. I wouldn?t want my grandkids in a motorhome until they are out of car seats and boosters. Maybe yours are teens and older, but crash safety is an issue with a family vehicle. There definitely are some good reasons for travel trailers and pickups.

 

[skinnyguy76]

Thanks for the responses so far. These have been great.

A few points of clarification the ?family of 5? issue was more a concern with the size of the tow vehicle, not seating for the RV. Want to make sure it has sufficient towing capacity as we can?t get away with a Mini Cooper

I?m well aware of the sleep issues and layouts. This would likely be a complete remodel and I?ve thought through how to make it work. Kids are 15, 12 and 7. Hoping to squeeze in some bunks for the 12 and 7. I?ve seen it done, with the right existing layout, which is pretty common.

Every old rig is going to require a lot of fixing and maintenance, I?m just wondering if there are some general brands to avoid and general brands that tend to hold up better as older units. For instance, I?ve been told older Safari Diesels are great.

I guess my biggest concern is engine/drive train power and reliability. That?s the sort of thing I?d have a lot of trouble evaluating.

I do have a good lead on a 1995 Gulf Stream tour master that someone started a remodel on and didn?t finish. It?s got a 8.3 L Cummins / Allison transmission, which I hear nothing but good about. But I?ve also been told old Gulf Streams tend to be priced so well because their known to be poorly constructed and problematic.

 

[kenb1023]

If you stay with Gas the light weight toad is going to be the thing.  You want to stay below 4K lbs even if it is rated is 5K, just want a buffer.  An old VW bus or a Thing would work.  Things are hard to find and when you do find one it is rather trash or top dollar. I have tried.  Now there are plenty light  weight vehicles out there it's just finding one that can be flat towed.  Most front wheel drives can be towed with a dolly but you are adding more weight with the dolly so take that into consideration.

 

[garyb1st]

We bought a 15 year old 1999 Rexhall Aerbus in 2014.  Over a 3 year period, we added more than 30,000 miles to the odo which was just over 70,000 miles when we purchased it.  It had the 2 valve Ford V10 which had 275 HP and maybe 400+ Torque.  It never failed us and ran as well the day we sold it as when we purchased it.  It struggled on the long uphill grades and we needed to start a long down hill grade in 2nd to get down safely.  But otherwise would cruise at 70 and never miss a beat.  It had a fiberglass roof and while we had some minor leaks, didn't have any water damage.  We liked Aerbus so well, we looked at others when we replaced it in 2017.  They're hard to find, but a quality motorhome and well worth a look. 

At the time, we paid $22,000.  It came with a 2008 Chevy HHR and all the RV stuff the owner owned.  The key to finding a good used motorhome is the owner.  Look for someone who for one reason or another is no longer RVing.  In our case, the owner was 75 and his wife had health issues.  Also look for one where the owner is a DIYer and has maintained the motorhome.  Ours looked as good as any 15 year old motorhome at the time.  The paint was good and the decals were a bit faded but otherwise in good shape compared to those on our 6 year old trailer we purchased in 2008. 

It might take some time, but there are good units out there.