Camper van Class B motorhome Questions which is a good brand

[Mark Gregory]

My brother is thinking of buying a USED Camper home or Class B motorhome.

 

I have heard stories of certain engines that cost thousands to rebuild.

 

So what is a good brand of Camper or good motor Mercedes ?

 

Here is a description of what he is looking for.

 

Also called camper vans or conversion vans, Class B motorhomes are an engineering marvel! Kitchens, washrooms with showers and they sleep up to four people; all in a slightly stretched full-size van with a raised roof. A Class B Motorhome is easy to drive, fits in a normal parking space, is easy on fuel, and can be used as a second vehicle.

[ted sweet]

they are too small

[Jubilee]

  After 40 years of class A ‘s, both gas and diesel, towing small car/jeep, and the whole rv experience, we ended up with a Roadtrek 210 class B in our old age.

   Absolutely love it. Everything class A has just smaller. 21’ Chevy  1 ton van. 6’5 inside height. Toilet, shower, water heater, furnace, microwave, queen bed, 2 burner range,  generator, 8500 btu AC, refrigerator, amazing storage , and on and on.

  Over 2000 lbs cargo capacity. Fresh water, Gray, and black tanks.

   It’s older, (1993) may qualify for this forum, but pristine in and out.

   350 tbi with 4l80e. 12-14 mpg running west ( from CO.), 16-18 running east. Still marvel at mpg. Drive 65-70 mph. Park anywhere.

    Roadtrek workmanship very very good in this era. Think original Roadtrek was bought out a couple of years ago, and have heard there’s lots of problems.

     The older Roadtreks were only built on Chevy or Dodge 1 ton vans. Good ones are out there. Easy to work on and of course parts are easily available and priced right.

      Newer ones are built on Chevy, dodge, Ford, and Mercedes I think. Transit van types.

[Paul Dobbin]

As a 30 + year Class A owner, I agree with Ted Sweet  response #1.

We know 3 couples with the Mercedes powered Class B.   All have reported the same nightmare experience with them.

Mechanical problems on the road and being required to go to Mercedes Dealers to get parts/repairs and finding long waits for parts and service,

plus high costs of these parts and services.    

We/ can get our Cummins Diesel serviced /repaired at almost any truck stop.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

= 

 

 

 

= year

Edited May 8, 2020 by Paul Dobbin (see edit history)

[edinmass]

Unless you plan to drive the road full time.......rent one. I wanted a pusher very bad for a long time. Rented one for two weeks, and realized renting is a MUCH better option. 

[CarlLaFong]

I prefer a fifth wheel trailer. We've had two of them. They tow very well with none of the ball hitch trailer problems like swaying. When we're home I still have a truck to use for every day driving and hauling same when we are parked at a campground. To me, a motorhome is a useless lump that sits around deteriorating  90% of the time while you continue to pay insurance premiums. As to costs of rebuilding the engine it doesn't matter what brand it still is going to cost thousands

[Jim Bollman]

We went from small slide in campers to a B. We love both for the same reason you can park them most anywhere and are easy to maneuver in traffic. I only pull a trailer once in a while but a pull behind camper would be in the way. B owners tend to be travelers more than campers.

 

As far as brands pick a chassis you like then see what layouts and features fit your needs. If you want to tow be sure it can handle what you want to tow.

 

A lot of people love the Mercedes chassis but repairs can be expensive, after all it is a Mercedes.

Dodge seems to be the most popular chassis companies pick but there are plenty of Chevy and Ford based Bs around also, so pick the brand you feel most comfortable with.

 

Most RV forums suggest not spending to much money or time picking your first RV because after you own it a year or two you will probably know what you really want and then you will buy the one that fits your lifestyle the best. Your already have the right idea of looking used because you don't have to eat the early depreciation. On the flip side B campers hold their value the best of any RVs, that is why a lot of people end up buying a used A or C.

[padgett]

Had a Vixen class A. Drives like a car and could reach 100 mph & 30 mpg.Five speed manual trans. Turbo diesel. Even had a second bedroom.

 

 

[jeff_a]

I've read that Pleasureway motorhomes made in Saskatoon, SK are well-made.

[Ed Luddy]

15 hours ago, Jubilee said:

  After 40 years of class A ‘s, both gas and diesel, towing small car/jeep, and the whole rv experience, we ended up with a Roadtrek 210 class B in our old age.

   Absolutely love it. Everything class A has just smaller. 21’ Chevy  1 ton van. 6’5 inside height. Toilet, shower, water heater, furnace, microwave, queen bed, 2 burner range,  generator, 8500 btu AC, refrigerator, amazing storage , and on and on.

  Over 2000 lbs cargo capacity. Fresh water, Gray, and black tanks.

   It’s older, (1993) may qualify for this forum, but pristine in and out.

   350 tbi with 4l80e. 12-14 mpg running west ( from CO.), 16-18 running east. Still marvel at mpg. Drive 65-70 mph. Park anywhere.

    Roadtrek workmanship very very good in this era. Think original Roadtrek was bought out a couple of years ago, and have heard there’s lots of problems.

     The older Roadtreks were only built on Chevy or Dodge 1 ton vans. Good ones are out there. Easy to work on and of course parts are easily available and priced right.

      Newer ones are built on Chevy, dodge, Ford, and Mercedes I think. Transit van types.

Road Trek is now closed, bankrupt. I've had 2 of them. Older Dodge's, pretty decent quality. Great West Vans does a better job of outfitting. This is my current one.

[Trulyvintage]

Since you mention Mercedes - I am assuming your brother is considering a Sprinter Van type platform.

 

My brother currently has (2) later model Sprinter Vans.

 

Don’t buy one unless you can get a factory or extended warranty.

 

Major $$$ repair costs on common problems that should have ( but did not ) generate manufacturer recalls.

 

Jim

[JACK M]

I have a question.

A class B would make for a good size, but I tow heavy.

I have my 38 ft. Class A pusher outfitted to haul 12,000 or more on the ball.

Is there any class B that could do that and not run out of power?

[dictator27]

I would say no.

[Jim Bollman]

I don't know the tow ratings but there are/were some based on the E350 van with a diesel or V10.

[Trulyvintage]

7 hours ago, JACK M said:

I have a question.

A class B would make for a good size, but I tow heavy.

I have my 38 ft. Class A pusher outfitted to haul 12,000 or more on the ball.

Is there any class B that could do that and not run out of power?

Nope

 

Not unless you buy a newer model specifically custom engineered and designed for towing that weight.

 

Jim

[Joe in Canada]

Up here a friend told me Hostess sold off all their diesel Mercedes delivery trucks being too problematic in cold weather. 

Edited May 11, 2020 by Joe in Canada (see edit history)

[Paul Dobbin]

Mark,

Tell your brother to look a used motorhimes.  The rule of thumb is old motor homes are worthless when it comes time to sell.   Yes one that is 1 or 2 years old are still costly, but when 20 years old they are almost given away.   My two have both been garage kept and used mostly for going to AACA Tours, towing something.   When our GMC was 25 years old, I put it in a AACA Show, then sold it for $15,000.

It was 26" long, had a rebuilt Olds 455 motor,  and a 455 final drive, custom interrior, great on flat land but awfull in the mountains.

7 MPG with that final drive, but didn't lke 80 MPH anymore.

 

 

We moved up to a 35' Airsteam Land Yacht turbodiesel pusher, pulled a car on a trailer anywhere @ 11 MPG.  Probably have to give

it away too, after this years Glidden Tour..

[JACK M]

14 hours ago, Trulyvintage said:

Nope

 

Not unless you buy a newer model specifically custom engineered and designed for towing that weight.

 

Jim

 

That is what I am seeing.

Probably handy for what they are but are not trucks.

[digilubs]

what about this?

خرید روغن و لوازم مصرفی خودرو

[Robert G. Smits]

On 5/10/2020 at 8:32 PM, Paul Dobbin said:

,

Tell your brother to look a used motorhimes. 

I agree  You can find some great bargains out there.  Two years ago I gave away my 94 Monoco diesel pusher with the 8.3 Cummins and 6 speed Allison for 10K.  Towed a 24 ft enclosed trailer and classic cars all over the country to shows/tours effortlessly for years.  Don't forget the reduced braking capacity and safety of a class B.  

[TTR]

On 5/8/2020 at 1:43 PM, edinmass said:

Unless you plan to drive the road full time.......rent one. I wanted a pusher very bad for a long time. Rented one for two weeks, and realized renting is a MUCH better option. 

 

5 hours ago, digilubs said:

what about this?

خرید روغن و لوازم مصرفی خودرو

We prefer driving an old car for our leisure travels and stay in existing rental establishments (cabins, houses, hotels, motels, etc).

We’ve thought about renting once or twice, but RV travel seems like too much work and expensive, especially if buying/owning/maintaining/etc. a rig and we would still have to haul an old car around to enjoy driving pleasures in different scenic locales & sights, like these past excursions in Yellowstone, 2017 (We stayed at Lake Yellowstone Hotel + Roosevelt Lodge & Cabins, few nights in both)

 

Mendocino, CA in 2022 (try this in a motorhome):

 

Astoria, OR in 2022 (We stayed in a neat boutique hotel on the waterfront, actually on a pier, just couple of blocks from several nice cafes, restaurants, stores, etc): 

 

Joshua Tree, CA last week (My friends, a couple in their late-60s from Europe, enjoying a cruise through the park in my Roadster. They have several pre- & postwar vintage cars back home). We rented & shared a nice, nearby fully furnished house with a pool, jacuzzi, outdoor grill, fire pit, etc and a beautiful view overlooking Yucca Valley for three nights:

Edited May 13 by TTR (see edit history)

[60FlatTop]

It wasn't hard to stay in a nice hotel after I told my wife about flamingos and pineapples.

 

We took the car.

[Ben Bruce aka First Born]

LOL.  Different strokes.

 

  Ben

[arcticbuicks]

Class B camper vans are fantastic.......easy to drive and keep in most driveways.......The American/Canadian  brands in the late 1980s-to mid 2000s are very much in demand and going up in value mostly due to the cost of new Mercedes Sprinter type camper vans now costing well over $120K and van life clubs......You can get a low milage older north american one for in the $20 k range...... "Roadtrek" is one of the top well built brands....."Pleasureway" also...."Get A Way "......etc etc.....Vintage Camper vans 1980s-1990s are in huge demand and the increasing prices show....I have a 1995 Roadtrek widebody dodge camper van that even has a bathroom and shower and gets 16 mpg......simple cheap and rugged chassis and has been to Alaska and northern trips that would kill any Sprinter chassis or rip the bottom out of a big box RV.....no struts or anything costly for parts really.......I like working on mine as it feels very much like working on a 1970s vehicle for simplicity........good old fashioned 318 or 360 V8 rear wheel drive and new enough to be fuel injection and overdrive .....it is a little dated inside but is real oak and quite plushy like a 77 lincoln........the best part of a camper van i find is they are not a junky build like nearly all class A and C motorhomes and not prone to leak damage having a full fiberglass raised roof......on a sturdy rugged simple van.....some cool older ones are Telstar,Vanguard and Trans Van.......among 100s of other brands.......I have had a few in the last 6 or so years and made money on each one as they are increasing in value getting harder to find ......they make sense and the most economical for how well they are equipped.......Henry Ford Thomas Edison and Harvey Firestone ......had the right idea with a 1921 White...and others from 1916-1924 that they used on annual camping trips together.......the best one they had in my opinion was a 1920s Studebaker  {i do not have a pic handy} that had very similar features to modern ones inside 

Edited May 14 by arcticbuicks (see edit history)

[Larry Schramm]

Here is our "motor home".  A 1984 VW Westfalia camper.

 

[arcticbuicks]

On 5/8/2020 at 2:53 PM, ted sweet said:

they are too small

you do have a point....class B may not be good for "persons of size".......the last one i sold .....a guy came with his wife "of size"......he said to me as she was trying to get in the tiny bathroom.....while i worried about her blowing the bathroom walls out......."so...do you think that overhead bed will hold my wife ? "

[Farmallregular]

Older diesel pushers can be a real bargain in terms of capability per dollar, but they have their own set of issues, including finding service.  A lot of places don't want to work on them because the engines are difficult to access.

 

We have a 2004 Monaco with a Cummins 8.3, nice motorhome with lots of room, huge cargo capacity, and good towing capability.  I do all the routine maintenance myself, but we had an issue coming home from Texas last fall that required it to be towed.  First place we had it to (truck dealer) told me over the phone they'd work on it, but then called the next day after they got a look at it and said they wouldn't touch it because of the age.  After calling several other places finally found an RV dealer who would work on it, cost another tow, and I was a lot less than impressed with the mechanic, who missed a couple problems I ended up fixing myself.

 

We're debating about getting a little smaller and newer "Super C".  A lot of them have limited cargo capacity, a full tank of water, a few people, and their stuff gets pretty close to the GVWR, and limited towing capacity.  I'm looking at an International or Freightliner chassis with a cummins engine to solve those problems, but they're expensive.  Having the engine in front solves the access issues, and I'm assuming any truck repair place could work on them...access is no different than a large box truck.

 

Good luck with whatever you choose.

 

Keith

 

Edit, just realized the original post was from 2020, hopefully the question was solved a long time ago...

Edited May 14 by Farmallregular (see edit history)

[CHuDWah]

8 hours ago, arcticbuicks said:

...Henry Ford Thomas Edison and Harvey Firestone ......had the right idea...

 

 Yup.  This is one of their commissary trucks, built on a 1922 Lincoln.  They traveled with a gourmet chef - definitely "glampers" 🤣