Reliable Used Class A
- Thread starter Jack1776
- Start date
The friendliest place on the web for anyone with an RV or an interest in RVing!
If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.
If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.
Isaac-1
Well-known member
Any Class A that is below $50K will be old enough that maintenance history will play a big part in determining reliability, based on a quick rvtrader search it look like you will be looking at 2016 or older to get in below $50K on a short gas class A.
Laura & Charles
Well-known member
Welcome to the forums! Lots of friendly and knowledgeable folks here. But you’re going to have to give them a bit more info.
To clarify, you’re looking to keep the price to $50k, yes? If so, I presume you’re looking to buy used. Depending on how old you can tolerate, you can look at gassers maybe as young as 2016 or so. If you’re interested in a diesel pusher, you’ll have to go older (though you’ll be hard pressed to find many diesel class A’s in the 25-27 foot range).
Will you be looking to tow a car with it?
What kind of climate extremes (both hot and cold) do you anticipate using it in?
How many people will you normally have onboard?
That kind info will help give you more useful answers.
To clarify, you’re looking to keep the price to $50k, yes? If so, I presume you’re looking to buy used. Depending on how old you can tolerate, you can look at gassers maybe as young as 2016 or so. If you’re interested in a diesel pusher, you’ll have to go older (though you’ll be hard pressed to find many diesel class A’s in the 25-27 foot range).
Will you be looking to tow a car with it?
What kind of climate extremes (both hot and cold) do you anticipate using it in?
How many people will you normally have onboard?
That kind info will help give you more useful answers.
Reliable is relative. That will mostly depend on how the previous owners maintained the MH. I would be careful about anything built during the pandemic greed fest, but 50k is likely going to land you pre-covid.
Ohiosnowbird
Well-known member
Love this. So true.
Thank you for the Reponses. I may have to reconsider my price point. What I am most interested in is handling. Long time ago I bought a new 1990 or so Class A Winnebago 27ft with a wheelbase under 50%. It was extremely difficult to keep from swaying. Even with after market upgrades, it still was difficult to handle. I was told that anything with a wheelbase of less than 50% will have similar problems. I contacted Winnebago and they told me the same thing, but couldn't do anything about it. I am not a big Winnebago fan. I am not adverse to fixing something up, but would like to start with a solid handling and drive ability. Thanks
That's something else that's relative, what some may consider tolerable another may not. The only way you can know for yourself is take it out for a lengthy drive with you behind the wheel. Not just around the block, but on an expressway and see how it handles when being overtaken by big trucks.
Most f53 chassis's w/o aftermarket suspension upgrades are going to handle and ride like a school bus or a runaway stage coach regardless the brand or the sales smack in the sales brochure.
Laura & Charles
Well-known member
Our first coach was a 38’ gasser with a wheelbase ratio of just over 52’. It handled awful; squirrelly as all get out. After we got her weighed and adjusted the tire pressures in accordance to the tire manufacturer’s inflation chart, she handled like a dream. RV dealers and many shops will insist on inflating to the max psi on the tire side wall, which is almost always way over inflated.
Always get your tires aired up properly before investing in after market chassis gizmos.
I agree with the others about how it was maintained being the most critical factor when shopping used (both house and chassis). As they get older, things like hoses, belts, brakes, exhaust system are going to wear and ancillary parts like alternator, power steering pump, A/C compressor are going to fail. But if those things were addressed as needed and basic maintenance was faithfully performed, any rig can be a good buy. Same goes with house items. An entry level model that’s been well taken care of can be a better find than beautifully appointed rig that was let go.
Always get your tires aired up properly before investing in after market chassis gizmos.
I agree with the others about how it was maintained being the most critical factor when shopping used (both house and chassis). As they get older, things like hoses, belts, brakes, exhaust system are going to wear and ancillary parts like alternator, power steering pump, A/C compressor are going to fail. But if those things were addressed as needed and basic maintenance was faithfully performed, any rig can be a good buy. Same goes with house items. An entry level model that’s been well taken care of can be a better find than beautifully appointed rig that was let go.
Gary RV_Wizard
Site Team
Agree that a sub-50% wheelbase is not a good thing, but 50% is a rule of thumb rather than a magic number. The handling difference between a 49.9% and a 50.0% wheelbase will be negligible. And other factors besides wheel base are going to apply, e.g. use & strength of anti-roll bars, use of a panhard rod, the condition of bushings, and condition the steering bell crank. So by all means figure out the wheelbase ratio, but the 50% number isn't an automatic passing grade. The good news is you won't find many coaches in your 50K price range that have unusually short wheelbases - most all will be in the 50.0%-51.5% range.
Condition is far more important than brand in a used motorhome, but you can usually re-condition the chassis if the rig is otherwise ideal. Just adjust the price you are willing to pay to allow for replacement or upgrade of the suspension and steering.
Condition is far more important than brand in a used motorhome, but you can usually re-condition the chassis if the rig is otherwise ideal. Just adjust the price you are willing to pay to allow for replacement or upgrade of the suspension and steering.
Kirk
Well-known member
Interesting to me that you don't like Winnebago since it is usually listed as one of the top 3 or 4 class A RVs by reputation. There is no brand of RV that is so well built that it can't be made into a rolling disaster by use and neglect for the length of time that you will be shopping. There are few if any that are so bad that years of modifications, repairs, and maintenance cannot make them a find after years of use. As others point out, with each passing year of an RV's life, the brand name means less and less.
Isaac-1
Well-known member
While Kirk has a point, I am of the opinion that initial build quality puts an upper end on potential condition, as a general rule Filon, Fiberglass or Aluminum roofs are better than membrane roofs like TPO, PVC and EPDM. Fully body paint is better than gel coated fiberglass with vinyl graphics, real wood cabinetwork held together with screws is better than particle board held together with staples, solid surface countertops beats laminate, ceramic, solid surface, stainless or fiberglass plumbing fixtures is better than plastic. (plastic gets brittle with age)
Kirk
Well-known member
The life of any RV roof depends on what they are subjected to and the maintenance they get. My EDPM roof was little affected by hail of a size that required major repair of an aluminum roof. Things like a sprayed-on roof, full body paint, and many other things can be added to an RV that did not have them available when new. Appliances are pretty much the same with fit & finish is a major difference and much of that can be improved.
As a general rule, few RVs get better with age but it does happen. I too tend to point beginning RV shoppers to the better rated RVs exceptions can be found.
Gary RV_Wizard
Site Team
It's what is termed an "entry level" model. The small Ford chassis is reliable enough but the RV body & furnishings are consistent with being lower priced. Ditto for ride quality and handling. I know it's hard to think of anything in this price range as "entry level", but a premium grade coach of similar size would be 2x or 3x the price of a Vegas.
Isaac-1
Well-known member
To second what Gary said, I feel the Thor Vegas / Axis model line has some interesting designs / ergonomic choices in a small coach. Just be aware they are built on a Ford E series chassis, not the Ford F53 that all other newer class A's are built on in the last 15 years. This means they have a lower GVWR, and that they are basically a Ford class C with the cab removed and a Class A style body built on the chassis. In addition to this Thor's entry level coaches are not known for having good build quality or materials.
Go through and look at how things are built, not just at the bling, bells and whistles, etc. Look at the cabinetwork, wood trim, etc. how are the drawers constructed, are these held together with staples or screw, is the wood real wood, or particle board, what about the fixtures are they plastic which will tend to get brittle with age, or something more solid. (don't confuse plastic with fiberglass, fiberglass is much better than plastic), how are the furnishings, what about the roof, is it a membrane roof, if so which material from worst to best roofs will generally go Membrane (rubber) roofs in the order of EPDM, TPO, other new membranes (Brite Tek, PVC, etc.), with the best roofs being, Filon, Fiberglass or Aluminum.
Also make sure to check out the CCC (cargo carrying capacity) of any coach you consider, there is a federally mandated yellow sticker near the drivers seat with this information printed on it (2009+ model years), just because a coach has big cargo compartments does not mean you can actually fill them with stuff without going over weight for your axle ratings.
Go through and look at how things are built, not just at the bling, bells and whistles, etc. Look at the cabinetwork, wood trim, etc. how are the drawers constructed, are these held together with staples or screw, is the wood real wood, or particle board, what about the fixtures are they plastic which will tend to get brittle with age, or something more solid. (don't confuse plastic with fiberglass, fiberglass is much better than plastic), how are the furnishings, what about the roof, is it a membrane roof, if so which material from worst to best roofs will generally go Membrane (rubber) roofs in the order of EPDM, TPO, other new membranes (Brite Tek, PVC, etc.), with the best roofs being, Filon, Fiberglass or Aluminum.
Also make sure to check out the CCC (cargo carrying capacity) of any coach you consider, there is a federally mandated yellow sticker near the drivers seat with this information printed on it (2009+ model years), just because a coach has big cargo compartments does not mean you can actually fill them with stuff without going over weight for your axle ratings.
I wouldn't pay much attention to anything but, what condition is the coach in now. A $200,000 coach on an f53 chassis isn't going to ride any better than a $100,000 coach on an f53 chassis. They're both going to rattle your teeth out and sway until the after market fixes are in place, regardless what kind of furniture and cabinets they feature.
Ohiosnowbird
Well-known member
We bought a brand new 2023 Thor. It has been nothing but trouble. It’s not a class A. The Ford part is reliable, everything else Gary said is correct. I don’t know where Vegas stands in price range, but I can tell you Thor does things on the cheap throughout. The couch and the kitchen counters may be very pretty, but the stuff that matters was not reliable or even put together correctly with our Thor. We have spent a great deal of time and money repairing, upgrading and replacing what came with our Thor.
Which Thor model do you have. I made a mistake; we're looking at the 24.1 not the 27.7. The 24.1 is approximately 25ft long. Will it rattle and sway as much as the longer models. Thank You
There are a lot of Thor Vegas and Axis RV's out there for sure. We looked at these when we wanted a Class A. In my opinion they are a fancy Class C. Someone mentioned the lesser chassis (less payload) and we thought they were cheaply made. They cost $100K when we looked at them in 2016.
You might be ahead to buy and older Class A. that is well built in the 30 foot range. I doubt you will be able to tell the difference between a 27 foot compared to a 30 foot one. We settled on a 33 footer. Be sure to go through the RV and make sure everything runs on it. Have an expert inspect it, you might be thousand of dollars ahead of the game.
You might be ahead to buy and older Class A. that is well built in the 30 foot range. I doubt you will be able to tell the difference between a 27 foot compared to a 30 foot one. We settled on a 33 footer. Be sure to go through the RV and make sure everything runs on it. Have an expert inspect it, you might be thousand of dollars ahead of the game.
Ohiosnowbird
Well-known member
Thor Quantum KW29, it’s a class C.
