Should Class A Motorhomes be Avoided?

[Redtp]

I love my class A. If I were buying again I would look for a 32ft. with a big slide. I went to 36 from 32 to get more room. I love the slide, it made more room.

The 32 was easier to maneuver in tight places. I'm 74 and tow a Ford Feista every where I go.

I drove it from Ohio to Texas twice. I would for sure do a shake-down trip.

I did and learned a lot and found few things I needed.

Jim J.

[medico]

There are so many discussions on different brands of any type RV and which is best that getting into that in this thread would duplicating other threads. Just do some searches on motorhome brands in this forum. For TT and 5ers, go to another of the many RV Forums (Escapees, GS Club, iRV2, etc.)

[CWorthy]

Shopper, You aren't going to find any class A where creature comforts take a back seat to reliability--these are all about the ride, the latest floor plan, the number of TVs, and the like.

The closest thing to a "manual window" you are going to find in big units are the Super Cs and the Freightliner cab & chassis is about as bulletproof as they come. Some class As use the Freightliner bare chassis, but they have their own staff build the hoods, the doors, the windshields, the dash, etc, etc and they just haven't been able to match Freightliner in these areas.

[elkhartjim]

Shopper, maybe you've answered your own question - buy a Lance tuck camper or a Lazy Daze class C. It seems you've now veered from your original question regarding should you avoid a Class A motohome.

[vickyr]

We travel in an 08 Lexington (B+). The issue of the overhang is a non issue and the space over the cab is the entertainment center. With 3 slides the 28' unit is plenty large for the two of us and 2 parrots. When we are parked the wasted front space is the storage area and bird room. The beauty of the size is that we have been able to park almost anywhere. The unit only takes up 2 parking spots front to back. We have driven though some narrow New Engladnd town streets with no problems. To date we have had no problems..note to date. The extra room with the 3 slides is the difference between plenty of room and a crowd.

[huffypuff]

Shopper, for the least bells and whistles why not consider a Roadtrek?

[Shopper]

Shopper, for the least bells and whistles why not consider a Roadtrek?

We travel in an 08 Lexington (B+).

Buy a Lance tuck camper or a Lazy Daze class C.

The Freightliner cab & chassis is about as bulletproof as they come.

I'm grateful for these suggestions and they are exactly what we're looking for--each of them seems to be the leader in their field for trouble free RVing.

The sizing was interesting with Roadtrek maxing @23' and no slides, the Lexington @ 28' with 3 slides, the Lance @21' and two slidse ,the Lazy Daze @ 31' with no slides, and the Freightliner @ 32' with one slide.

Our original thought was that 31-32' was the optimum size, but we hadn't thought much about slides which obviously would compensate for reduced length.

I hope this thread did not cause ruffled feathers amongst the class A owners. We certainly appreciate the prestige that must come from owning one of these units but even their most ardent supporters concede that these come with lots of "bugs" or "kinks" to work out and frankly we would much rather RV like Carrol and their companions where they are not on a first name basis with their RV mechanic.

Best, Shopper

[BillAdams]

Shopper, you may be misunderstanding what some are saying. You are going to have just as many problems with the units you are considering. It's simply NOT a Class issue. Some coaches will have less problems than others (again, not based upon their Class) and some will have more. If you get a "Friday" coach you may have a ton of issues whereas the exact same model built on Wednesday will have very few. It's really a crap shoot. That's why I like buying used. Someone else took care of those issues!

[elkhartjim]

Shopper, you may be misunderstanding what some are saying. You are going to have just as many problems with the units you are considering. It's simply NOT a Class issue. Some coaches will have less problems than others (again, not based upon their Class) and some will have more. If you get a "Friday" coach you may have a ton of issues whereas the exact same model built on Wednesday will have very few. It's really a crap shoot. That's why I like buying used. Someone else took care of those issues!

Well said, Bill.

Whether its a $250,000+ Class A or a slide in truck camper they both have very similar components with the same problems.

[Shopper]

Bill

I appreciate your input ,but for the benefit of any other would-be RV buyer reading this I need to say that nothing in my research supports the contention that buying an RV is just a "crap shoot" for which ones will be reliable and which will be troublesome. All indications are that the purchaser of the 5 models recommended, particularly the Lance and Lazy Daze will likely never see the interior of a repair facility, but that the purchaser of a Fleetwood or similar Class A should invest in an extended warranty, become good friends with his local RV mechanic, and consider buying a tow truck.

Elk,

I appreciate your comments also:

"Whether its a $250,000+ Class A or a slide in truck camper they both have very similar components with the same problems."

I agree the camper setup does perform the same task as the 250K unit but the evidence is the camper does this with no problems and the high dollar unit has lots of problems.

[huffypuff]

Shopper, It's not that Class A have more problems, it has more bells and whistles not usually found on class C. Electric sun shades, basement heat, dual zone heat and a/c electric flip down TV, air suspension, triple camera, electric awning just to name a few. I don't recommend a slide if you don't want any trouble.

[CWorthy]

Shopper,

Huffy Puff knows what he's talking about when it comes to options--Class A s have lots of them and it makes perfect sense that all of these are going to break. He's right about slideouts too--if you're only paying 250K for the RV you shouldn't expect that the slide won't give you problems, so just don't order that option. If you can keep the list of options to a minimum the only other things that will give you difficulty are the standard features.

When you think about it this is a really pretty comforting--you can assure your parents that except for the standard features and the options that a class A will be trouble free.

[BillAdams]

One RVer I talked with said if we eliminated the A class from consideration, we would virtually eliminate the possibility of a ending up with a total lemon -- that we could expect minor difficulties with the C classes, but not the catastrophic failures associated with the A's.

Shopper, this was the gist of your original post and I can tell you that your friend is simply wrong. What do you suppose would be considered a catastrophic failure that could happen to a Class A that could not happen to a Class C? Engine failure? Could happen to either. Transmission, A/C, tires? Could happen to either. What is it that you consider a catastrophic failure? My '88 Class A with 350,000 miles is still going strong.

[Shopper]

What is it that you consider a catastrophic failure?

I believe this is best defined by the lemon laws and so far I've found 44 class As that the manufacturers had to repurchase and none in the other classes. Obviously I wouldn't want my parents exposed to this major ordeal, but also wouldn't then in the lesser ordeal of two years of working out "bugs" which even the fan's of class As concede is part of that program--I would much rather buy something where the manufacturer makes sure that there aren't bugs for us to wrestle with.

[kingfr]

I think that this is a classic "Mountain out of a mole hill" arguement. I assume that we should all stop flying because of the Malasia Airline incident?

[CWorthy]

Thank you for visiting the FMCA Forums, where motorhome owners -- from novice to veteran -- can discuss everything about motorhoming.

Shopper, The above line is the intro to this Forum, but you need to understand that "everything" in this sentence means everything except lemons--you can't even mention that someone talked to a lawyer about an RV, much less that they had to file a lawsuit over defects.

Posts on matters in which legal counsel is/has been involved, including posts related to future, current or past lawsuits, are not allowed.

I believe you posed a valid question here, but to avoid getting banned you are going to have to use some kind of euphemism rather than saying lemon.

[wolfe10]

CWorthy,

Please tell us what coach you have and exactly what issues you have had with it.

What other "toys" have you had and how was their reliability compared with your motorhome-- boat? airplane? other?

[BillAdams]

While I know there are some crazy threads out there, I have never seen so much nonsense posted to one topic in any forum I can remember. I can only speculate that Shopper is mad at somebody about something (maybe he thinks he owns a lemon) and it just looking to stir the pot hoping to get some revenge. Otherwise, the question has been posted and answered (no they should not be avoided).

[lmsooter]

Shopper,
You should be aware that no RV is going to be absolutely, positively immune to need for repair. Just as things fail on cars all the time.

We toured Canada and Alaska in 2012 with a caravan which included 5th wheelers, travel trailers and Class A,B & C. One class C had an overheating problem due to water pump failure. A 5th wheeler had a problem with the electric brakes not releasing on one wheel. A Roadtrek (class had a water system pump failure and leveling jack problem with broken retract springs. One class A had an electrical problem due to a loose wire getting caught in the engine fan. Another class A had a problem with a ruptured turbo hose. One travel trailer had a propane furnace failure.

What I am saying is that all types of RVs will have problems at sometime. There is no way I am going to believe that any RV has traveled over 100,000 miles without some type of repair. I have never had that experience with any car or truck I have ever owned and I am a preventive maintenance fanatic.

Just go into this with your eyes open to the fact that some type of failure is always a possibility.

[CWorthy]

Please tell us what coach you have and exactly what issues you have had with it.

Wolfe10, first let me say you do a really nice job with this forum and I appreciate your light touch and diplomacy.

As you might guess from my user name I don't really have a coach, I have a 22' Sunseeker classC which cost me $42,000 in 2003 and just turned 90,000 miles of which probably 30,000 were on gravel.

I have stored it under roof and religiously change the oil every 40,000 miles even though my engineer friends say this is more often than necessary with a modern V-10.

I just did a walk thru and with God as my witness could not identify or recall any issues other than the floor covering is at the end of its life.

As far as it's comparison with other "toys" I tow a 23' Seaswirl with 2 Yamahas and have never had occasion to visit a boat mechanic.

I have to say that it's interesting that this topic has become so contentious--the rub as I see it is that most RV owners drink the Kool Aid that RVs just can't possibly be reliable and they seem really angry at those of us who don't swallow that beverage.

[BillAdams]

Please tell us what coach you have and exactly what issues you have had with it.

Wolfe10, first let me say you do a really nice job with this forum and I appreciate your light touch and diplomacy.

As you might guess from my user name I don't really have a coach, I have a 22' Sunseeker classC which cost me $42,000 in 2003 and just turned 90,000 miles of which probably 30,000 were on gravel.

I have stored it under roof and religiously change the oil every 40,000 miles even though my engineer friends say this is more often than necessary with a modern V-10.

I just did a walk thru and with God as my witness could not identify or recall any issues other than the floor covering is at the end of its life.

As far as it's comparison with other "toys" I tow a 23' Seaswirl with 2 Yamahas and have never had occasion to visit a boat mechanic.

I have to say that it's interesting that this topic has become so contentious--the rub as I see it is that most RV owners drink the Kool Aid that RVs just can't possibly be reliable and they seem really angry at those of us who don't swallow that beverage.

First, a Class C "is" a coach and if you only change your oil every 40,000 miles you are a miracle worker! Your engineer friend says that's too often? One of you is off your nut! I know....typo!

[elkhartjim]

Wow! Two oil changes in 90,000 miles. Now thats saving dollars.

That statement along with some of the other ludicrous comments being made make me wonder if some of the posters are spoofers.

Good night folks, I'll have a nice glass of Koolaide before bed.

BTW, We all know the definition of a boat is a hole in the water you throw money into.

[aphotowizard]

I just finished researching this topic. As I just purchased my third unit.

It seems over the last few years, there has been a massive consolidation in the industry. First you must understand there are several parts to a motorhome. First is the chassis. This is the frame of the unit. It includes the wheels, brakes, suspension, engine, transmission, etc. At present you can choose from Mercedes (Damler-Benz) Sprinter (Small Diesel), Ford (V-10 gas), a few that use Chevy (V8 gas). That about covers the front engine units. Then you have a diesel pusher on one of 3 or 4 brands of custom chassis. I LIke Freightliner (A division of Damler-Benz). Before any one blasts me with their favorite "Other" chassis, I am only describing the majority of the current market, I know there are some others in the market but they are hard to find.

The Sprinter is a great little unit with great fuel economy, but only a 13,500 lb load capacity. Once the body is added the carrying capacity is limited to about 1000 lbs for most models. 5 Full size people with a pack of gum and you are overloaded. There are lighter models of the Sprinter and some are perfect for two people traveling alone. If you want a small unit these are well worth a look. The fuel economy can not be beat.

Next up in size are the Fords and Chevys. The Ford V-10 I rented with a 32 foot body got 6 miles per gallon, rode rough, was hard to keep on the road when passing other vehicles and the engine cover got so hot it was impossible to put your leg against it. Other models might be better, but I was not impressed with the 2014 Thor Bunk house model. There a not many unit with a Chev. In fact I only found one in all those I researched.

The class A models are somewhat larger and a little more imposing to drive, but once I was trained, I found the class A the easiest to drive. There are a few front engine units left in the smaller class a units. These are generally the smaller units mostly with the Ford V10 engine and suffer from some of the same problems as the class C Fords. The diesel pusher moves the engine away from the front so you can carry on a conversation while you drive. With all class A's You sit up higher and can see better. With the mirrors adjusted properly there are no blind spots like on a class C. With the rear view camera you can see from about 1 foot in front of the front bumper to the trailer hitch on the back and from the side out about 5 feet on both sides. The diesel has more torque so you have no problems on steep hills and the exhaust brakes eliminate the need for the service brakes when going down steep inclines.

My choice was an older diesel pusher. It has air ride shocks so there is no rattling of glassware as you drive. Air brakes so you can stop if needed and the freightliner cassis with a Cuming Diesel engine known to be good for 1/2 million miles or more. (Mine had 80,000) The one I picked was a 2001 so there was some deferred maintenance issues. New tires, new hoses and belts, etc. Newer models will not have those problems.

Once the chassis is selected, next comes the body. The body is constructed by the coach builders. Even then, they purchase parts like stoves, ovens, tanks, etc from another source and assemble the coach. None of the motorhomes are constructed on what I would call an assembly line. The chassis is brought in and the coach is hand built on the top. For that reason a worker with a headache can forget to cut an opening for the furnace return, or miss the connection of the light wire in the cabinet. So if you go purchase a new unit no mater who builds it, plan on taking a week at least at the factory working out all the problems and understanding how it works before you take off on a long trip.

While a used unit will have all all the major problems worked out, there are small problems that crop up each and every year you own the unit and those problem will exist in the used unit you purchase. The bottom of the drawer in the kitchen comes lose. The snap on the bedroom curtain comes off, the oil need changing, the muffler comes lose on the generator. You must put antifreeze in the plumbing when you park it for the winter, etc, etc.

In short no motorhome is care free any more than your car or home are care free. At home your drains stop up, the dishwasher fails, the car won't start, etc. The motor home is the same way. It is both a house on wheels and a car with an extended body. It has all the problems of both.

There are good class A's, Class B's and Class C's and conversely there are lemons in all groups, but the class A's are customarily more reliable and trouble free than the others because they are constructed on a custom chassis that are (For most units) an overkill for the load they are carrying. My unit has almost 3 tons of spare carrying capacity.

My recommendation is to rent a unit similar to the one you like and take it out for a few days. It will only take a few hundred miles and a couple of nights to discover your likes and dislikes. The rental price will be a cheep investment compared to the cost of any motorhome and it could keep you from making a multi-thousand dollar mistake. It sure did me and this was the third unit. For the record I was planning on purchasing the Thor Bunkhouse like I rented.

One final thought. If you purchase an older unit, they hold their value fairly well so if you change your mind, you can sell and repurchase without a major loss of money. For that reason I always recommend a used unit for the initial purchase.

These are thoughts from my personal experience of many years owning a Class A, a Class C and now a Class A Diesel Pusher. As you read here, others have other ideas and they may be right. The question is what is right for you. There are many people who are insanely happy with a pup tent and a lamp when they get out in the woods. My first wife's idea of roughing it however, was when the microwave was broken.

I hope your family finds the perfect unit and it never has a problem they can not fix with duct tape and a can of WD-40

[Shopper]

I believe you posed a valid question here, but to avoid getting banned you are going to have to use some kind of euphemism rather than saying lemon.

I appreciate the heads up CWorthy but don't anticipate having the occasion to say the L word again--

-My question here has been answered and thanks to some great recommendations have booked a flight to Lazy Daze to make a purchase

Just for fun you should visit their forum--

https://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/lifewithalazydazerv/info

Everything is relative and on the LD site a "major" problem is a squeaky windshield wiper.

Incidentally that site has no restrictions concerning the L-word law and apparently they don't have to worry about that--sort of tells you something doesn't it?

[CWorthy]

if you only change your oil every 40,000 miles you are a miracle worker! Your engineer friend says that's too often? One of you is off your nut! I know....typo!

I knew the oil change @ 40K remark would cause some panties to wad up, but I sort of wanted to flush out what I call the Model A mentality. Back then the oil was terrible, and the engines were terrible so @ 3000 miles the oil was breaking down and accumulating metal particles so it was very wise to dump it at that interval.

Now that we're in the 21st century it's a different game. The oil & the engines are light years ahead of their predecessors and we also have the ability to test oil to see if it should be changed--most modern engines will go 1000 hours (50,000 miles) before the oil is out of spec.

The larger point here is that with all due respect to Mr. Ford the Model As were an unreliable piece of junk and the public's expectations of them were very low. Many in the RV world have these same low expectations and the shoddy manufacturers are quite happy to fulfill these expectations.