Hi, we are new to RVing and need some advice, we are planning to tour the West of the US and looking to buy a used 5th wheel or C Class motorhome. I have been looking on line on Craig's List and RVonline and have seen a 2006 Jazz by Thor 2780BH which sounds really nice and we were wondering if this is a good example of a 5th wheel. We would appreciate any info regarding makes and qualities of both 5th Wheels and C Class motorhomes. Are there makes to steer clear of? We look forward to your help, Thanks Joyce
Opinions on Jazz by Thor
- Thread starter Joyce
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scottydl
Site Team
Hi Joyce - asking "who makes the best RV" around here is kinda like asking "who makes the best cheesesteak" while in Philadelphia. 
There are hundreds of options and everyone will have an opinion. What's MORE important is how you plan to use the RV, and what kind of budget you have as far as spending goes. Why are you only considering Class C's and 5th Wheels? Do you already have a truck for towing, or a car for being towed? All those questions & answers will impact the type of RV that will work best in your situation.
There are hundreds of options and everyone will have an opinion. What's MORE important is how you plan to use the RV, and what kind of budget you have as far as spending goes. Why are you only considering Class C's and 5th Wheels? Do you already have a truck for towing, or a car for being towed? All those questions & answers will impact the type of RV that will work best in your situation.
Gary RV_Wizard
Site Team
Jazz is one of Thor's upscale lines and comes fairly nicely equipped. It's not a brand we hear much about, which could mean they have few problems or could mean that not many are sold. Since I'm an easterner, it is not too surprising I don't see any Jazz on the road (it is a Thor of California product), but I haven't noticed them when we head west either (and we spent 2006 & 2007 summers in Oregon). I will say that the Thor brands are not the ones that come up first when fulltimers talk about buying a new fifth wheel. And not the second either. The top quality brands (some of whom have gone out of business in the past year due to the economy) are brands like Travel Supreme, Holiday Presidential, Teton, Carriage & Carri-Lite, Mobile Suites, NuWa, Alpenlite, New Horizons, just to name a few. [Yeah, I'm sure I missed more than a few brands - these are just examples].
The problem is that most of the manufactures make at least one decent model and there are literally hundreds of model names out there. I couldn't give a definitive list if I tried and it would be out of date when I finished it anyway. Better that you find brands you think you like and ask here about them, just as you did with Jazz.
You also need to pay attention to trailer weight and what your tow vehicle can handle. If you are thinking of buying tow vehicle too, then you need to consider how much truck you are willing to drive.
The problem is that most of the manufactures make at least one decent model and there are literally hundreds of model names out there. I couldn't give a definitive list if I tried and it would be out of date when I finished it anyway. Better that you find brands you think you like and ask here about them, just as you did with Jazz.
You also need to pay attention to trailer weight and what your tow vehicle can handle. If you are thinking of buying tow vehicle too, then you need to consider how much truck you are willing to drive.
Joyce-
Welcome to the forum. As you are deciding what kind of RV to get, think about whether or not you want to be able to set up camp and go some place. If you have a pickup and a 5th wheel, you can unhook and go. If you get a class C, you will need to tow a car if you want to set up and head out.
Welcome to the forum. As you are deciding what kind of RV to get, think about whether or not you want to be able to set up camp and go some place. If you have a pickup and a 5th wheel, you can unhook and go. If you get a class C, you will need to tow a car if you want to set up and head out.
Hi, thanks for your advice, we are planning to spend 7 months touring. We haven't decided weather to go for a 5th wheel or a motorhome yet.
We arrive in Nevada on the 17th March and will look at both. If we go motorhome route we would need to tow a car. We were thinking c class as they have a second bed over the cab and as we have an 8 year old we wanted her to have her own space, also they seem more within our price range. We were looking at around $45,000.
The space in the 5th wheel is more appealing and this was what we were first considering but after following a discussion here motorhome v 5th wheel it got us thinking, most peoples preference for the motorhome was the ability to be able to just drive away if they didn't like what was going on out side, this was very disturbing as here in England it would not be one of the things we would think about when making a choice between the 2.
Thanks Roamer for the list of makes I will check them out, we have always sailed and there are boats with good reports and those that are not so good and I was just wondering if this is the case with RVs? Here we have magazines on Caravans, motorhomes etc that give info on makes, models etc, is there similar there?
Sorry for all the questions but we want to get the best we can within our budget.
We arrive in Nevada on the 17th March and will look at both. If we go motorhome route we would need to tow a car. We were thinking c class as they have a second bed over the cab and as we have an 8 year old we wanted her to have her own space, also they seem more within our price range. We were looking at around $45,000.
The space in the 5th wheel is more appealing and this was what we were first considering but after following a discussion here motorhome v 5th wheel it got us thinking, most peoples preference for the motorhome was the ability to be able to just drive away if they didn't like what was going on out side, this was very disturbing as here in England it would not be one of the things we would think about when making a choice between the 2.
Thanks Roamer for the list of makes I will check them out, we have always sailed and there are boats with good reports and those that are not so good and I was just wondering if this is the case with RVs? Here we have magazines on Caravans, motorhomes etc that give info on makes, models etc, is there similar there?
Sorry for all the questions but we want to get the best we can within our budget.
edjunior
Well-known member
Joyce said:
I think your logic may be a little flawed here, or at least the way you're thinking about it. If you were at a place set up for the night, and decided you didn't like it, with a Class C (or A) and your towed car, you would still have to hook up the car to leave, same as you would have to hook up the trailer for a 5th wheel. The bigger advantage of a C/A over the 5er comes in stops at rest areas (or the side of the road). You don't have to leave the confines of the rig to take a break, fire up the generator and pop a quick lunch in the microwave, etc. However, the "less than desireable" places you are likely to stop to really make that situation happen are very few and very far between. You normally have an itinerary that you are following, or at least a somewhat thought out plan. I'm not saying it doesn't or won't happen, but in the 5 years I've had my trailer, I've never stopped at any place that got me (or more importantly...my wife) nervous. If something didn't look right, we just kept on driving.
Tom
Administrator
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I'm one of the folks who warns visitors to the US about the potential dangers of staying overnight in places like rest areas. Many folks feel I have a heightened paranoia because we don't/won't 'camp' in store parking lots. But I have to agree with Ed that you shouldn't base your purchasing decision on the ability to get away in a hurry. If you're conscious of your surroundings and don't get tempted to overnight in places that we warn about, I'd think it highly unlikely you'd feel the need to move on.
We've RV'd here for 25 years, including trips across the US and eastern Canada, and we've moved on exactly three times:
My wife and I still have large families in the UK and, based on the stories we hear about youth gangs and crime there, you shouldn't have any concerns here - provided you do a little planning and trust your instincts. You'll also get lots of advice from folks in this forum on places to stay or avoid.
We've RV'd here for 25 years, including trips across the US and eastern Canada, and we've moved on exactly three times:
- We were camped somewhere illegally (I didn't pay attention to the signs), and awoke to local law enforcement banging on the door and asking us to leave.
- We felt uncomfortable driving through an unfamiliar run-down area, and made a U-turn before we reached the campground. Several folks subsequently told me we should have kept going.
- We arrived at one place on a holiday without reservations, paid our money and, on driving around the campground, decided it was like a zoo; Way too many people crammed into a field rather than a campground with assigned sites. We left and collected a refund on the way out, although many others were clearly enjoying the place.
My wife and I still have large families in the UK and, based on the stories we hear about youth gangs and crime there, you shouldn't have any concerns here - provided you do a little planning and trust your instincts. You'll also get lots of advice from folks in this forum on places to stay or avoid.
