Thinking of getting a Class B RV

[Mikey]

Anybody have any experience with these?

Kind of like this.



or this



Anybody have any experience with these?

This company makes some pretty badass 4x4 conversions too. Prolly couldn't convince the wife to go for one of these.

[smackaholic]

The tie-dyed microbus with the droopy eye lids looks more mikey's speed.

[smackaholic]

These sprinter chassis based rigs are nice. And they can get close to 20mpg with the MB turbodiesel, possibly a bit more if not loaded up to much.

Anybody have any experience with these?

Nope. Too rich for my blood. I have owned 2 toyota pickup based C classes. They are getting elderly but still worth consideration. There are lots out in your neck of the woods. Check out toyotamotohomes.com if you are interested.

This company makes some pretty badass 4x4 conversions too. Prolly couldn't convince the wife to go for one of these.

Yeah, that thing is cool. It won't do 20mpg though. Hell, it might do 20mptank.

[smackaholic]

If the Toyotas are of any interest, check this out........

http://sfbay.craigslist.org/sfc/rvs/5654028884.html

Yeah, he's asking a lot for a vehicle damn near old enough to run for president, but, it sounds sweet and will go anywhere that 4x4 van will. And get way better mileage. You can even make your hippie friends proud and run it on fry grease.

[Wolfman]

make your hippie friends proud and run it on fry grease.

How do you fill up? Go to Mickey D's and ask for some of theirs?

[smackaholic]

make your hippie friends proud and run it on fry grease.

How do you fill up? Go to Mickey D's and ask for some of theirs?

That is the way it used to work.

Actually, in prehistoric times when they gave away fuel, restaurants would pay someone to haul away old grease. When it got expensive, industrious hippies started pestering restaurants for their old grease. When it got more expensive some hippies and evil greedy republicans started paying the restaurants for their old grease.

I suspect this may no longer be the case as they are once again giving away diesel.

Another thing to remember, modern direct injection diesels may get a case of indigestion on fry oil. If you want to go the DIY biodiesel route, you should do what the rest of the hippies are doing and use old MB turbodiesels, There are still lots of them around and they do last pretty much for ever.

[Goober McTuber]

make your hippie friends proud and run it on fry grease.

How do you fill up? Go to Mickey D's and ask for some of theirs?

That is the way it used to work.

Actually, in prehistoric times when they gave away fuel, restaurants would pay someone to haul away old grease. When it got expensive, industrious hippies started pestering restaurants for their old grease. When it got more expensive some hippies and evil greedy republicans started paying the restaurants for their old grease.

I suspect this may no longer be the case as they are once again giving away diesel.

As per usual, you are sorely misinformed.

http://www.gazettextra.com/20151007/oil ... fry_grease

https://www.justice.gov/usao-wdmo/pr/jo ... oil-scheme

[Mikey]

If the Toyotas are of any interest, check this out........

http://sfbay.craigslist.org/sfc/rvs/5654028884.html

Yeah, he's asking a lot for a vehicle damn near old enough to run for president, but, it sounds sweet and will go anywhere that 4x4 van will. And get way better mileage. You can even make your hippie friends proud and run it on fry grease.

Those POS are for PWT. Wouldn't be caught dead in one.

Though you can find some used Class B units for pretty cheap and make something nice with a little work.

This probably ain't happening anyway for at least a year, maybe two, when the kids are gone and I can dump 1.5 car payments, and two freeloaders from my auto policy and cell phone bills.

[smackaholic]

There were many thousands of toyota C Class rigs made. Most of them are now garbage, well past their useable service life. The link I gave was for a Sunrader. Sunraders are the creme de la creme of the toy C Classes and still command good money. This is due to their unique fiberglass 2 piece clamshell construction. They are not the PWT rigs you refer to. Take a look on cl. Decent ones generally bring 7 grand or more. Really nice "shorties" (the 18 ft model) are very sought after. The one I showed won't likely bring 39K, but I could easily see it bringing over 20.

The best part about these is that they are toyota trucks. You can get parts anywhere and any half decent mechanic knows them inside out.

[smackaholic]

make your hippie friends proud and run it on fry grease.

How do you fill up? Go to Mickey D's and ask for some of theirs?

That is the way it used to work.

Actually, in prehistoric times when they gave away fuel, restaurants would pay someone to haul away old grease. When it got expensive, industrious hippies started pestering restaurants for their old grease. When it got more expensive some hippies and evil greedy republicans started paying the restaurants for their old grease.

I suspect this may no longer be the case as they are once again giving away diesel.

As per usual, you are sorely misinformed.

http://www.gazettextra.com/20151007/oil ... fry_grease

https://www.justice.gov/usao-wdmo/pr/jo ... oil-scheme

Could you 'splain to me how these articles refute what I say? I said that this stuff used to be considered waste and restaurants paid folks to take it away. Now they sell it. The article notes that it's worth is tied to oil prices as I said.

My statement "I suspect this MAY no longer be the case" is probably what you are referring to. Apparently it still does have enough value for assholes to steal it.

[Goober McTuber]

My statement "I suspect this MAY no longer be the case" is probably what you are referring to.

Yeah, that would be why I cut off your quote at that point, and highlighted your dumbfuckery/uninformedness.

[Mikey]

There were many thousands of toyota C Class rigs made. Most of them are now garbage, well past their useable service life. The link I gave was for a Sunrader. Sunraders are the creme de la creme of the toy C Classes and still command good money. This is due to their unique fiberglass 2 piece clamshell construction. They are not the PWT rigs you refer to. Take a look on cl. Decent ones generally bring 7 grand or more. Really nice "shorties" (the 18 ft model) are very sought after. The one I showed won't likely bring 39K, but I could easily see it bringing over 20.

The best part about these is that they are toyota trucks. You can get parts anywhere and any half decent mechanic knows them inside out.

Unfortunately I'm not enough of a DIYer to take on somebody else's 35 year old $40,000 project, much less somebody else's $20,000 project. You can get a brand new Sprinter (pre-customized) for that much and it includes all the modern safety systems, plus warranty plus a the turbocharged diesel V6 that puts out 188 HP and 325 lb-ft of torque (the 4 banger is standard). Another $6500 and you get 4x4.

http://www.caranddriver.com/mercedes-benz/sprinter

[smackaholic]

And now you can throw entries from Ford and MoPar into the mix. The new Ford turbodiesel did quite well in a comparison between it and the MB and Dodge.

What I would like to see is something along the lines of the Rialta which is based on a VW fwd minivan, but done using a Honda/Toyota/Chrysler fwd Minivan. The latest gas V-6s have pretty impressive numbers especially with cylinder deactivation.

[Rooster]

Are you looking to use it as a weekender camping vehicle that remains somewhat local or as a full time RV lifestyle thing? My wife and I full timed it for two years pulling an 25' Airstream behind an SUV and enjoyed it, but something that small would be tough to make a go of it as an everyday rig unless you are going solo. The travel trailer option allows you to uncouple it and go see what there is to see in the area without taking everything with you. Obviously, you can go really big and get a full-on RV rig and tow a car behind, but that is a major commitment.

From our discussions with campers who owned a MB van style camper, they liked it for short trips, but the bench seat/bed was somewhat of a hassle because it takes up a considerable amount of real estate inside when deployed. The bathroom is tiny to the point where I wouldn't find it comfortable other than to pee because you'd shit with your legs together, making wiping your ass nearly impossible. On the plus side, the MB/Airstream van has done some pretty sano tricks with the limited space you've got. They make a TV that elevates out of the cabinet and then pivots to either the couch/bed or the two front seats which swivel to the rear for seating. That allows the TV to be stowed while driving and keeps stuff from blocking the view out the windows. The blackwater/graywater/freshwater tanks are small and would require frequent trips to flush and refill if you dry camped.

It all depends on what you want to do while camping.

[Goober McTuber]

It all depends on what you want to do while camping.

Stay in a nice motel.

[smackaholic]

Mikey, Listen to rooster, he's pre-med or on meds, or something.

The problems he mentions are solved by looking at the C class MB based rigs. You'll spend a little more and maybe loose a mpg or two, but, having the full sized bed over the cab frees up a lot of space and allows you are bathroom spacious enough for unfettered arse wiping.

[Felix]

Anybody have any experience with these?

my friends own a 2014 Navion J and it's really nice....
nice price too.....

[Mikey]

Yep, Rooster amazingly has some good information to offer.

We would not be living in the RV but using it on long (or short) road trips, up to two or three weeks at a time. And, we'd probably schedule a night in a hotel or motel every three or four days to avoid claustrophobia.

I like the Class B configuration because of its flexibility.

Easy to drive and easy to park. You can use it for side trips without either towing something smaller (like with a Class A) or having to unhitch a trailer. Easy to pull off the road and take a nap if you want. Park it at the beach for a cookout or whatever. You can actually get the Sprinter based models with pretty close to a king size bed.

Another thing we're considering is that it would be our "second" car once the kids are completely gone. I might trade in the hybrid Fusion on a plug-in hybrid with enough of a battery range to get me to work and back. Then the RV would be the wife's vehicle for her (infrequent) trips to the store or whatever. At around 22 mpg it would work OK for that. And I'll keep my F250 for hauling stuff.

[Rooster]

In truth, RV camping is an activity that you either enjoy because you take it hunting/fishing/sight seeing or don't want to pay for a motel for several days. The brochures all make it look wildly fun and romantic where you are isolated in a beautiful meadow filled with wildflowers and the Milky Way spread out overhead, nary a neighbor for miles. Or you have some lovely beach where there's nothing but a select group of happy fit people grilling outside watching the rollers come in.

Reality is something entirely different. Usually you are cheek-by-jowl with other RVers and are separated by your length of stay. If you are only there for the weekend, you get to be up front where the grass is mowed and the best views are to had (what few there are considering most RV campsites are located next to highways and railroad tracks). If you expect to be staying for longer than a week, you get placed back by the down and out, the pedophiles, and the habitually fighting couple who screams at each other over who forgot to empty the blackwater tank because it's overflowing right now. Oh, and their dog is chained to the only tree within 50 yards and has worn the grass down to dirt from going around and around barking at the neighbors.

RV "resorts" (they all call themselves that) are a mixed bag. Generally, the resorts along the coast are nice, as are casino RV campgrounds. 7 Feathers up in Roseburg, Oregon is especially nice. But expect to have trains going by at all hours no matter where you camp. It seems to be a rule.

Prices run from $2 a night (if you are an Airstreamer) to $75 a night for the "prime" spots at casino resorts. These include extra wide sites with pull through drives, multiple 50 amp slots, and shade trees or grass and a firepit. Some of the best camping is at Airstream only locations, like Helen, GA, where there is a river that runs directly next to the campground. It's open year around, but cell phone service is spotty. And for $2-$5 dollars a night, you can live there pretty cheap for a week or more. California sucks because you have to move campsites every two weeks to prevent people from squatting on the best sites on the coast or in the mountains. Usually they are pretty primitive as well, running water only.

Avoid Sturgis during the Harley thing.
Expect to be moved off your site frequently for large groups that lock in a whole bunch of sites a year in advance.
You will sweep out your RV/camper 3-4 times a day minimum.
Laundry is expensive.
People let their dogs shit everywhere.
Don't use the swimming pools and especially the hot tubs.
Weekends are the suck.
Avoid purchasing a "box" camper. They are basically made out of cardboard and balsa wood. You'll spend what you bought it for in repairs if you do any traveling in it.
It's nice to have a bathroom with you no matter where you go-- and the last person to use it wasn't some homeless man who bathed in the sink (unless that describes you).
Fuel costs are equal to a mortgage.
Getting stuck in one-way or dead end parking lots/streets is the suck.
Campers don't fit through drive-thru's (it didn't happen to me, but I had a neighbor whose camper had a 90* dent in the front of the cab. He forgot how tall it was and bashed it into the overhead roof of some McDonalds or something.
Campers are a pretty friendly sort. They'll invite you over for beer and BBQ just to talk to you about their rig.

[smackaholic]

Rooster,

Sounds like you have pretty good knowledge of the lifestyle.

When we had our, most trips were to Northern New England where there are many outstanding places to boondock. Boondocking, for the rest of you, is camping out in the sticks, away from hookups for power/plumbing. Our toyota C Class suited us well in this case. The only time we used RV parks was on a trip out west where if you do not have shore power or a generator for your AC, you were going to be miserable attempting to sleep. I guess mikey is too good for one of them as they are apparently only used by PWT. As you said, you can have a decent bed in a B Class. You may even have an arse wiping friendly crapper, but, you ain't having both. There simply isn't enough real estate. So, if your needs are a daily driver and a comfy road tripper which can be used to sleep in but don't need a spacious head, the B may be the way to go.

If you do get over your uppityness and might reconsider a toyota based one, there is one for sale up the road a bit. I can attest to its condition as my family and I drove it to Tahoe and through Yosemite a few years back. The owner and I connected on the toyotamotorhomes site I mentioned earlier. We agreed to loan out our rigs to one another. Sorta like wife swapping I guess, but more advisable to us elderly folks. Anyhoo, you'd like him. He's kinda of a commie hippy dude, brews his own beer and wine. Prolly a few years older than you. Lives in Watsonville. Shit, you might even know him as I suspect you travel in the same circles. We used his Sunrader about four years ago. The plan was for he and the OL to use ours the following summer for a New England road trip. Unfortunately his dad who is almost as old as Goobs fell ill the day before he was supposed to leave so he cancelled. And he never did get the chance to reschedule. We sold ours last year, so looks like he never will.

Anyway, here's the link.

http://sfbay.craigslist.org/scz/rvs/5667575893.html

It is, IMO, the layout to have. Rear dinette that seats four comfortably, makes into a semicomfy bed. I really like the bath in this model. It is a "wet bath" meaning the entire bath is the shower. This means you have a spacious shower and spacious shitter, all in one. Rear bath models have a separate shower which is tiny.

You should buy it so I can tell everyone I got laid in one of mikey's vehicles.

[smackaholic]

Since you intend to hang on to the F-250, have you considered a Slide-in?

Some are very nice and you don't have to register an extra vehicle. It comes down to the number of miles you plan on using it. Gas mileage with that pig would be horrible. Of course, you could sell it and but a diesel powered one.

[Mikey]

This one looks pretty nice to me. The van, doofus, not the supermodel.

http://sportsmobile.com/eb-110s/


Decent size bed and a fairly roomy crapper/shower.

And it's only about $90K out the door (well, in Fresno).



Now I just need to find that right lottery ticket.

Don't want a slide-in either. I'm probably gonna take the shell off my old F250 and turn it into a real pickup.

[smackaholic]

Taking the shell off is also helpful if you are going to use the slide-in.

If I had a decent 3/4 ton pick'em up already sitting around, I would give this some thought.

[Rooster]

I've always had a problem with how campers and RVs all took their design cues from the '70's with all that wood paneling. I suppose it makes it look rustic, but there were some we looked at that seemed for all the world like we had locked ourselves in a cedar chest. It was one of the many reasons we chose the Airstream with all that glass and aluminum. We often discussed trading ours in for an RV or a Sprinter, but ultimately, the thing that made us choose an Airstream travel trailer was the value it retained for when we sold it. After all was said and done, we lived in it for approximately $8000 over two years considering what we spent versus what we got for it 25 months later. It's something to consider if you aren't going to keep it forever.

Granted, fuel costs are another animal altogether, but if you don't get on the road much you can control those costs.

[Mikey]

Love the retro look of the Airstreams, and I know that they're of the highest quality as well. If I thought I would be hanging out for any extended periods in any place it would be high on the list.

I would have considered a slide-in for the F250, especially when it was a little younger. But the wife is a major part of this thing and nothing will be purchased without her final right of refusal. She wants to travel in style and comfort (or at least comfort), which includes being able to get from the front seats into the back without going outside. That's why the Class B is a major consideration.

She wants to sell the house and downsize into a 55 and older style trailer park mobile home community, then buy an RV and travel a lot. I'm not quite ready to give up on life and my yard to hang out with a bunch of old fuckers with walkers just yet. We could probably buy the Sportsmobile with cash if we sold the house but that's not happening while I still have two good legs.

[smackaholic]

Love the retro look of the Airstreams, and I know that they're of the highest quality as well. If I thought I would be hanging out for any extended periods in any place it would be high on the list.

I would have considered a slide-in for the F250, especially when it was a little younger. But the wife is a major part of this thing and nothing will be purchased without her final right of refusal. She wants to travel in style and comfort (or at least comfort), which includes being able to get from the front seats into the back without going outside. That's why the Class B is a major consideration.

She wants to sell the house and downsize into a 55 and older style trailer park mobile home community, then buy an RV and travel a lot. I'm not quite ready to give up on life and my yard to hang out with a bunch of old fuckers with walkers just yet. We could probably buy the Sportsmobile with cash if we sold the house but that's not happening until the warrantee on my bionic hip runs out.

The ability to enter/leave the cockpit is the one area that the A and B classes have it over the Cs. I used to work with a guy that rented a big A class which he claimed tracked nicely enough down the highway that you could get out of the drivers seat grab a beer out of the fridge and hop back in at 70 mph.

He really was a dumb fukk.

In my toyota I would just call back to one of the kids to grab one for me.

Another one to consider is the VW van based Rialtas. Not as roomy as the Sprinter chassis, but they drive just like a minivan and I believe they may fit in a garage if they don't have a rooftop AC. You can definitely get into one of these for considerably less than a Benz TD powered sled.

My hippy buddy in Watsonville just bought one. I suspect that whole ease of entering/leaving the cab may have played into the decision. He did say that he was concerned about going from a toyota pickup drivetrain which is just about the most bulletproof thing ever made to a fancy shmancy nazi rig that will likely force him to have to live it it if anything in the drivetrain breaks.