Minnie Winnie with a Walk Around Queen Bed, 27Q @ 28' is a possibility

[Steve Peeters]

DW and I are interested in getting a used class C and have established a budget of 50 to $60,000.  Of course we want the best quality for the money.  And we want something fairly new (2013 on up).  I know there are some quality units out there such as Lazy Daze, Born Free, the Phoenix Cruiser, Nexus, and, Country Coach.  Winnebago is not as upscale as these but my understanding is that they are better made than most other brands, such as Coachmen (a Forest River product).  Now the questions.

Am I right that a Minnie Winnie is a good bang for the buck? 

Are there other brands that are worth considering?

We like the queen walk around in the 28 footer, are there some of these walk around beds in shorter length C's too?

Should we avoid buying a rental unit?

We saw a 27' Coachmen, we liked it but I read they are not good quality; what's your opinion?

Though we'd have to give up a walk around Queen would a 24' Class C drive nicer than a 28.'?

There doesn't seem to be any twin bed floor plans out there, do you know of a good builder that has made them and that we could buy used to fit our budget?

        Thank you for reading this thread and I look forward to hearing from you.

 

[kdbgoat]

I'm on my second Coachmen. Here's a recent thread:

http://www.rvforum.net/SMF_forum/index.php/topic,15824.msg946624.html#msg946624

Don't count them out until you check them out for yourself.

 

[Gary RV_Wizard]

There are several different aspects to RV quality, plus numerous opinions based on widely differing perspectives. I'll opine that differences in quality are relative rather than a simple case that one is "good" and another "bad". Rvs that target the lower end price range (for any given size & equipment level) will always be somewhat less "quality" in that cheaper materials are used (e.g. flooring, upholstery, cabinetry) and the workmanship under-the-covers will be somewhat less.  The frequency of manufacturing defects, however, will be about the same, as will the major appliances and probably the van chassis as well. And one or another brand or floor plan will have likley some design shortcomings whether they are top end or entry level.

The MSRP for a given size & equipment level is a fair indicator of the quality of the materials and general workmanship. Better grade materials cost more, and better work takes time that translates directly to dollars.  Build process mistakes, though, can and do occur with any unit at any price level. Something like 10-15% of all RVs made will have significant issues that could have been avoided with better processes and quality control. One of the advantages of buying used is that those flaws have proably been found and fixed already. Buying new is a crap shoot.

So, vinyl-covered composite cabinets are lesser quality than hardwood cabinets, but maybe you don't care. If you only use the RV occasionally, maybe it makes little difference if the upholstery and flooring has a more limited service life, say 5 years instead of 10-15?  And all RVs are fairly noisy as you drive, so will you notice some extra rattles? How high are your standards?

 

[GaryA]

Floorplan that works for you.  Then a qualified, independent, inspector is priceless.  When we bought ours a walk-a-round bed was a requirement along with an overhead w/o electronics in that it allows for small humans (grandchildren) and storage when travelling w/o small humans. You can't get anything for 2 cents so this is my 10 cents worth.  BTW, we ended up with a 28z.