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Thanks anyway, Mr. Stealth, but I don't love the smell of napalm -- er, diesel -- in the morning! I'll stick with coffee (another reason to have an RV: brew my own cups of great coffee and not have to pay Starbucks. That means that it would only take about 50 years to pay off the darn thing, of course. )
You really haven't been around modern diesel, have you? Even my wife, a Pharmacist, drove a diesel car (and filled it herself without complaint or issue) for the past 17 years. They don't smell bad, diesel is available at 99% of stations (though Sometimes not at the same pumps as the gas), they aren't any more noisy than gassers, etc... Lots of bad perception based on second-hand information. Not saying that the Sprinter is the end all, be all (I had one, sooooo glad it's gone and I bought a gas Transit), but you shouldn't let it color your decision.
I didn't read most of the other posts, but have you considered going the DIY route? $30k for a brand new cargo van leaves a whole lot of money to get to the same $100k. And then there are custom upfitters, doing one-off conversions. They're somewhere in the middle cost-wise, but you get all the benefit of having a conversion that suits you.
My wife and I don't need an indoor shower (have a $25 garden sprayer with hand wand, fill with water warmed on stove), or bathroom (bucket for emergencies). No running water/holding tanks either ~ they add complication and are freaking hard to keep clean AND tasting ok (first-hand experience, mold took less than a month to form in the plumbing). No A/C when stopped, which is only an issue in July and early August here in GA ~ fans and a damp wash-cloth along with showers right before bed address all the comfort needed. All told, we have about $2,600 into our conversion and can easily live out of the van ~ and will do so for about 6 weeks here soon as we take a road-trip. Ready-made wasn't an option for me as I'm 6'4" and NO ONE makes a bed long enough for me. While I was working to a budget, I don't know that even having a $20k budget would have made a difference outside of fit and finish (my DIY is good but has room for improvement) and maybe additional toys that aren't Strictly needed.
Whole lot of range in the small camper-van segment, just have to know what's important and what you're willing to work around. Oh, and the only time I have campground space issues is when looking same-day, on a Friday/Saturday in a small area. Look ahead a little and give yourself flexibility in direction and day, no issues. Most times we're alone except for the campground host on Sunday and Monday nights...
My RV has a $85,000 price tag yet I purchase it for $50,000 (tax included) off the lot. So, use the price the manufacture states more as a guide, not at what anyone actually would ever pay for it.
Oh yeah, I know better than to pay MSRP, but if $130K is the base price, I figure that by the time I add in the bells & whistles I want, even if I get 1/3 off I'll still be paying over $100K for a new one.
There's a big RV dealer in Gilroy CA -- they want $170K MSRP for new loaded Class Bs. If I could get 1/3 off that would still be $112K! They have a couple low mileage used ones on Ford and Chevy chassis for $85 - $90K. Still too much IMHO, but luckily I'm not in a hurry to buy.
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I highly recommend that the next RV show (open or dealer initiated) that is anywhere near you is on you must visit list. Pay attention to actual living in each vehicle.
Don't feel pressure to buy right this second because you have the urge to hit the road.
Excellent idea re the RV shows! I'll keep my eyes open. I'm not in a raging hurry to buy -- it's at least a year away. What's the best time of year to shop to get the best deal?
I kind of got a deal. I saw it online and Manteca was only about 70 miles away. The van had been sitting on their lot for 10 months.
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The hardest thing for me was trying to figure out how to power various features of the van. If the coach batts are fully charged, I can run the microwave for up to five minutes. But in reality what I usually do is turn on the engine, then run the microwave. I'm still using coach battery power but not as much.
It sounds like you did very well! What month did you buy it?
Thank you for the power use insights. I think buying the max solar rig I can find may be a good idea.
Some objective analysis of just how many nights you'll be away from home?
How many of these will be 'in transit' vs set up at some destination?
Over what sort of time frame and the mileage involved?
Not pipe dream 'wouldn't it be great if..." but something based in an actual plan?
Oh yeah, I know better than to pay MSRP, but if $130K is the base price, I figure that by the time I add in the bells & whistles I want, even if I get 1/3 off I'll still be paying over $100K for a new one.
There's a big RV dealer in Gilroy CA -- they want $170K MSRP for new loaded Class Bs. If I could get 1/3 off that would still be $112K! They have a couple low mileage used ones on Ford and Chevy chassis for $85 - $90K. Still too much IMHO, but luckily I'm not in a hurry to buy.
Excellent idea re the RV shows! I'll keep my eyes open. I'm not in a raging hurry to buy -- it's at least a year away. What's the best time of year to shop to get the best deal?
Unfortunately, the cost of those smallish "van" campers is the highest for what you get. You are paying a large premium for the luxury of being smallish. I say smallish because in reality, they are not that much smaller than some other Class B's, B+ and some C's. But if the priority for you is to have what looks like a van, and maybe find one small enough to be able to park in a normal parking spot without getting the sides dinged up, you just have to bite the bullet and spend the extra money.
However, before you get too engaged in the "van" campers, I want you do a bit of a comparison. You can start with a paper look, comparing sizes and features to any "van" camper you're interested in and see how they stack up against each other. It will also help to get you started if you can find a new one to actually stand in and walk around to get a real feel for each. So, look at the Coachman Freelander 20CB on the Ford Transit Chassis and the Gulfstream BT Cruiser 5210 with the dinette option. I say new because these are all sub $70,000 brand new RV's with pretty much all options. If you want, you can also take sale tours on YouTube for many of the models.
The only thing I ask you not to do is assume one is a size based on its visual appearance as you may be surprised how little difference these have with a small "van" camper like the Roadtrek 210 with a near $120,000 price tag.
Let em know what you think, pro or con, on those two compared to what you have been looking at.
Rabrrita, StealthRabbit: Yeah, it's amazing the difference in price between Class B & C -- but the market decides, right? If Class Cs really were so attractive, they would command higher prices. I'm waiting for one of those RV "Expos" that seem to occur every now & then in Sacramento. I'll go & scope out the selection.
Class C's and their Class B+ cousins are lower in costs because the manufacturing process is straight forward and cross line and lines comparable. A cabinet designed for a Coachman Class C is pretty much the same as designed for a Jayco Class C and they can be used in their Class A's as well. Many of the van items are more custom or are not quantity price compatible. Additionally, they sell 50 C's to every one of those B's. B's have high resale prices because they cost so much to start with and because that are not as common as all others.
But before price shopping, walk through a few of the smaller RV's B's and C's to see how they feel. Is it going to meet your "living" needs as you travel or will it just be a vehicle to get to the next motel? And, how will that feel FEEL after 2 weeks inside? Let me tell you that I fell in love with the Roadtrek 210 with all the fancy options and despite the price, it was a heck of a nice fantasy RV. But when I started actually stand inside and asked myself how will I be cooking in it, or sleeping, or storing items... well it suddenly wasn't that appealing anymore. I also found myself questioning the middle alley that seemed to create little cocoons in the front and rear with no feel of connection. So I kept looking with living in mind until I found something that enabled me to reasonable feel "at home" when away from home while still being small enough to take to the grocery store. Just my two-cents.
Not to overload you with data, OP, but while I'm thinking about it here's another thing to consider about the Class Bs.
Some of them don't have clear sight lines from front to back. On my Roadtrek SS Agile I can look in the rearview mirror and see out the back windows. Some makers, though, put the bathroom in the back of the coach.
One problem I'm seeing is that an awful lot of Class Bs use the Ram Promaster as the base vehicle and these vans get terrible reviews on Edmunds. Anyone with any experience owning one?
Last February we traded in our 2007 Pleasureway Plateau (diesel) at 125,000 miles for a used 2017 Pleasure way Lexor which uses the Ram Promaster. We loved our Plateau but could not afford a newer one. The Mercedes engine is great, but we could not justify the higher cost. The Lexor is a foot shorter than the Plateau so we have less storage which we have adjusted to. That being said we have learned to love our Lexor and it does have advantages over the Plateau. The Lexor is front wheel drive and handles better. My husband does most of the driving, but I am much more comfortable driving the Lexor. The engine is quieter and we can actually hear the radio when driving. We bought the Lexor in Phoenix and drove cross country to Delaware with no major issues or problems. We have not yet had to have the Ram Promaster serviced, but I imagine it will be much easier than getting the Plateau (diesel) serviced.
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