Advice on buying used Class C camper...

[Cindy F]

.....(with a REAL bed.....

Just an idea, we had a futon sofa that we weren't using so we tried putting the mattress part on top of the bunk mattress...OMG! Heaven, absolute heaven! Much better than any blow up or mattress pad thing we had tried. Don't get me wrong, the bunk mattresses are nice but like you said...it's not a REAL bed...but with that futon mattress....man oh man is it nice!

Then for the other bunk end, we replaced the bunk end cushion with a sleep sofa mattress we had-perfect fit and again-heaven!

Anyway just an idea that might make your RV bed more comfy.

 

[69RoadRunner]

Most RV mattresses are bottom of the line junk! They'll sometimes have an upgrade option, but we just put one of those memory foam mattress toppers on ours, and it was much nicer.

What really ticks me off is the "RV Queen" size beds. THESE ARE NOT QUEEN SIZE BEDS!!! I'm 6'3", and my feet hang over the edge of these beds.

 

[Tigger1966]

The Winnebago Journey has the sleep number air matress THEY ARE NICE.

 

[Shan-man]

What really ticks me off is the "RV Queen" size beds. THESE ARE NOT QUEEN SIZE BEDS!!! I'm 6'3", and my feet hang over the edge of these beds.

Yeah, that's my problem in our current RV... and I LONG for an RV Queen! We have a clipped-corner RV-Full and I'm 6'2", and there is a cabinet at the foot of the bed! I'm 4" too tall for the bed and am forced to sleep on my side in a semi-fetal position. We have added enough foam that the bed is comfy enough, it's just the size! We have gotten to the point that DW just sleeps on the jackknife sofa so I can lay diagonally in the bed, which makes for a better night's sleep but diminishes one of the main attractions of camping... togetherness! I'd LOVE to have an almost-Queen where my feet could dangle off the end! LOL

 

[Shan-man]

No that was a used Class A. I've seen many Class As listed for >$75K. Crazy to me.

Oh, no I'm not a bit surprised that you could find more expensive used class A's (keep looking, you can find used ones for a half mil!), I was surprised you said $35K was the cheapest you could find. I have seen new class A's around $40k, which in this economy might be slashed to $35k so I thought you might have been looking at new. You should be able to find plenty of 10 year old smaller motorhomes, even with a slide, for about $20k. If your husband is really handy, you can find some very serviceable 13-15 year olds for about $10k (though not likely to find a slide). I just did a quick search on eBay and there are scads of them.

Oh, just thought of something else you might want to look into. Look for an insurer who will let you easily suspend your coverage if you will not use the RV for long stretches (i.e. mothballed over the winter)... it can add up!

 

[stacktester]

I doubt the Winnebago 35J is in your price range, but there is a member on this board who had one with the bunkbed slideout. Just thought I'd tell you that there are Class A's with the bunks.

 

[69RoadRunner]

I'll bet this one could be had for around $20,000.

http://www.rvt.com/rvdetail1832169.htm

 

[TnTWalter]

You guys are awesome!!

Find me a good deal for <$10K now ! Please.

 

[Tigger1966]

That's why I like the cabover bunk on my C it is as wide as the camper. Plenty of room to strech out.

 

[beagles7278]

We have a Damon Daybreak Class A with bunks, with the kids it is definitely the way to go. Our first motorhome was a class C that we bought in 2006, it was a 2005 with 3,000 miles. When we first started looking we wanted to stay under $20,000. Then we started looking at what we could get for a few more thousand, then a few more thousand, and so on, until we had a practically new one. After 2 years of camping with the Class C and another addition to the family we ended up buying a 2008 Class A with bunks last January.

Here are a few links, if you look hard enough and do your homework you can get what you want for what you want to pay. Don't be afraid to offer people less, there are desperate people out there. Good luck.

http://detroit.craigslist.org/rvs/1036045279.html

http://detroit.craigslist.org/rvs/1036914288.html

http://detroit.craigslist.org/rvs/1037038354.html

 

[69RoadRunner]

This site sells bank repos and has a good reputation on rv.net.

http://www.crankyape.com/default.asp?pg=DisItems&Cat=6

 

[Shan-man]

WOW! That is an awesome site! ROG, check out this righteous popup!

 

[69RoadRunner]

Just remember, the prices you see are the current bids, and they set a reserve price.

Still, at the bottom of the page, you can see some units where the auction ended (and if it met the reserve).

Check out the 1980 limo bus.

 

[BigDaddyRog]

How'd you find the popup, Shan...I searched around the site but that add didnt show up???

 

[Shan-man]

I just scrolled down the RV page. The search only works using inventory numbers, BTW... I tried several text searches before I realized what was going on!

 

[BigDaddyRog]

I cant believe how low some of these have closed at...I had to bookmark that site...it may come in very handy one day.

 

[yoopermom]

I don't know if you're still looking, but p.m. me, and I'll send pix/info on our Class C that is *very* reasonably priced. I have family in SE WI, so could meet you partway!

Thanks!
Terri

 

[des1954]

The Winnebago Journey has the sleep number air matress THEY ARE NICE.

My Itasca Meridian has the sleep number - and we HATE it! We have the bed posted on craigslist & once it's sold - we're getting a Serta for the MH. Our Vectra also had the sleep number and yep....we hated it, too. DH likes his side on the firm setting & I like my side on the soft setting. DH ends up rolling off his side on to my side - which is okay in some circumstances - but not when you're trying to actually sleep. Maybe a king S.N. is better - but the queen size sux.

As to the OP's question - I agree with Shanta. Class C's are very family friendly and IMHO are easier to drive than a Class A. Just be cautious on the length. Some C's are too heavy for the engine and tranny to handle without straining. Keep searching & look at places that handle consignments. There are some good deals out there.

One big problem you are seeing with some of the pricing is this: the owners are upside-down on their financing & have to sell high so they can get their pay-off amount. Another casualty of this economy.

 

[Shan-man]

We have a SleepNumber bed at home, and my biggest complaint is if you don't have it set to a high number then when getting into bed your knee can go right through the mattress to the hard plastic platform! Once you are laying down it's fine, everything evens out, but that can be quite a shock when first crawling in. We have added a foam topper to ours, which helps substantially. I do like the fact that I can alternate between a moderately firm mattress most of the time, and a rock hard setting when my back is acting up.

 

[dtum]

That Repo site is great. We'd definitely consider it if we were in the market (which we aren't). We found our Ti e-bay. It was listed by an actual dealer and I checked them out before we went any further. Great experience, great dealer! Friends also found their 5r on e-bay with a different dealer. Don't know that I would do it with just a person that I couldn't check out and make sure about--it's a lot of $$ to get scammed.