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Class C (new rver)


WayneP117

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Hello everyone....
Hope you guys had a great Christmas, and a Happy New year.smile.gif
Just to give a little update on where I am with our RV. We're looking to purchase our new RV- motorhome around early March- May of 019. With all the home work I have done, I thought I was pretty much pre-pared with our first RV ever. Until the other day!
When I found out some motorhomes, especially new? Don't come fully set up with auto leveling. For example, it looks like Jayco in paticualar only come PREPED on the lot, and you have to have the JACKS added. which will add around $4000 to the total price. IS this normal with most companies? And does that price sound accurate?
Please take the time to talk about that (anyone)-
And anything else I should know to make the unit ready for camping "besides" electrical connections/water hoses/ Sewer hoses, etc...

We're also considering, Winnebago, Coachman and Thor along with Jayco.

Thanks!thumb.gif

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Autolevelers many times are an option. Depends on what the dealer ordered for their inventory. We lived for many years without levelers, just used boards so it is not really a critical option, We lived in many units with autolevelers over our 45 years of RVing and appreciate the luxury of the autolevelers we have now.

I think the price seems about right but you might want to check around. If you have your dealer do the install rather than go to the leveler factory or have an independent RV repair place, the price will probably be higher. Dealers have a higher per hour cost than anyone else.

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We also lived without levelers when we had a Class C. We used those Lego-type blocks on the occasions when we needed leveling. When we had our Class A it had automatic levelers and in a rig that size we appreciated them. Then when I bought my Class B it did not have levelers but I didn't need them where I was traveling by then. If you plan to stay a lot in wild places like state parks, forests, CoE campgrounds, etc. you will appreciate having spent the money for the levelers. One of the first things you learn in the RV lifestyle is that life is full of tradeoffs. Deciding which things are worth spending money for to YOU is critical.

Linda Sand

Blog: http://sandcastle.sandsys.org/

Former Rigs: Liesure Travel van, Winnebago View 24H, Winnebago Journey 34Y, Sportsmobile Sprinter conversion van

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Wayne, when you look at an entry-level RV you will have a lot of options because some people want the lowest price possible. If you go to the high end you will find fewer options and more things standard. Consider the difference between a Ford and a Lincoln. You can spec the Ford to have the same amenities as the Lincoln, and it will cost the same.

Now think about it from the dealer's point of view. He buys the RV with the auto leveling jacks, and the price reflects that. A buyer comes along but doesn't want to spend that much money. He might be willing to take the jacks off and knock the price down some, hoping that someone else will like another RV that doesn't have the auto leveling, so he can add it (and the cost).

Some years ago I talked to the service manager of a dealership while we were both at an RV show. He mentioned that they have a good supply of empty drawers, ovens, and dishwashers because no matter how they ordered the MH the buyer wanted something a little different. One would look at a coach that had the dishwasher and want the oven. Someone else would look at the one with an oven and want the drawer. A third person would look at the one with the drawer and want the dishwasher.

David Lininger, kb0zke
1993 Foretravel U300 40' (sold)
2022 Grand Design Reflection 315RLTS

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When I bought my Fleetwood Class C in 2012, it did not come with levelers, and they told me adding them during the warranty period would void the warranty.  But, I can't remember if the dealer told me that or if it was the factory.  (I had a lot of warranty work done by the factory because the dealer refused and was positively rude.  Said things were my fault and they would only fix things once.  If they broke again, it was my fault!  Never went back for obvious reasons.) 

Anyway, I stay in mostly state and COE campgrounds and I only have to level my rig maybe 30% of the time.  And when I do, I use 2x10 boards cut into two-foot lengths--easier and cheaper than trying to put a bunch of lego blocks on my rear dual wheels. 

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18 hours ago, WayneP117 said:

When I found out some motorhomes, especially new? Don't come fully set up with auto leveling. 

Having owned a class A with leveling jacks and one without, I would definitely want jacks but automatic ones is not that important. It takes only a minute or two to level up from the driver's seat if you have a good set of jacks that are not automatic. I"d probably look at the difference in price to choose but have never owned auto so............   As to the cost of adding them on, check other dealers to make sure but that sounds about the right range.  If you are shopping new it shouldn't cost any extra to order it from the factory the way that you want things configured, which is what we did for the motorhome that we lived in for 12 years. I would also suggest that you at least consider a class A as the gas powered ones are little higher in cost than are class C's. 

18 hours ago, WayneP117 said:

We're also considering, Winnebago, Coachman and Thor along with Jayco.

If I were shopping for a new motorhome today with the budget we have I would consider  brands in this order:

Tiffin/Allegro, Newmar, Winnebago. While I might look at some other brands, those three have had the best reputations for many years and it has been my observation that they have the reputation with very good reason. Keep in mind that no RV company is so good that they have no brand supporters nor is any company so bad that they have none. Having owned RVs since 1972, those are the names in motorhomes that always seem to rise to the top for quality & factory support in the price ranges that I could consider.

Good travelin !...............Kirk

Full-time 11+ years...... Now seasonal travelers.
Kirk & Pam's Great RV Adventure

            images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQqFswi_bvvojaMvanTWAI

 

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Some good advice has been given hear.  If you are looking for a class C RV only I do not believe Tiffin/Allergo or Newmar are making a class C, could be incorrect (not wrong). LOL When Newmar made 5th wheels they were one of the best on the market owned two of them.  If You are looking for class A both are highly recommended.  You get what you pay for.  Winnebago is a stand alone company.  I other words they make a sell their brand.  

After that Forest River makes about 90% of the other brands.  Thor owns and make Jayco.  It take a lot of research to get through all the brands and who makes what.

That being said someone mentioned the RV world is about trade offs.  I now have a class C W/O jacks and have not felt that I should have them.  But again I tend to stop in level campgrounds or don't stop.  I do use the 2x10 trick if required.  This subject is just wide open you could go on and on, so take my advice and do as it please you and your budget. 

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4 hours ago, gyadon4 said:

Winnebago is a stand alone company.  I other words they make a sell their brand.  

Winnebago sells through dealers. You cannot buy directly from the factory but there is a dealer in the same town as the factory so you can buy there. But they all charge the same shipping cost wherever you buy because Winnebago didn't want to appear to be playing favorites. If you are having one built to your specifications, of course, delivery is faster to the one in town.

Linda Sand

Blog: http://sandcastle.sandsys.org/

Former Rigs: Liesure Travel van, Winnebago View 24H, Winnebago Journey 34Y, Sportsmobile Sprinter conversion van

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A couple of points.

First Tiffin does in fact make a class c called the wayfarer https://tiffinmotorhomes.com/class-c/wayfarer  and well worth the look.

As to auto level. We had a class C  (Dynamax Isata 3) for 18 months of so and it did not have a leveling system.  We used the "leggo" blocks and in the 10 months we traveled in it there was only one time we could not get level with the blocks.  They are pretty easy to use and not too much of a hassle.  We thought about adding a system but decided not to secondary to the cost.

Our new Class A has the auto system and I must say it is nice to have on the much larger rig.

Good luck

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On 12/31/2018 at 2:25 PM, WayneP117 said:

We're looking to purchase our new RV- motorhome around early March- May of 019.

Just checking back to see if you are still following this and if we have helped you any? 

Just to try and narrow things down a little bit, Thor Ind. is the largest RV builder in the business today and they own 18 brands of RV. You can see a listing of the brands by Thor at this link. The second largest RV manufacturer is probably Forest River and the brands that they build can be seen from this link. There are not a lot of companies building a class C today, probably because of the availability of smaller class A rigs that fall into about the same price range. I suggest that you consider and perhaps test drive one or two small class A RVs before you make your choice. Some class C's you didn't mention: Jamboree by Fleetwood, Prodigy by Holiday Rambler(Monaco), Phantom by NeXus, Xplorer RV, Lazy Daze, and perhaps a few others. 

Good travelin !...............Kirk

Full-time 11+ years...... Now seasonal travelers.
Kirk & Pam's Great RV Adventure

            images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQqFswi_bvvojaMvanTWAI

 

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