Deciding on a class B and what is a reasonable price

[pattyottawa]

Hi everyone! My husband and I are about a year away from downsizing to a smaller house and buying a class b camper van. I've been doing a lot of looking and reading for the past few weeks. There doesn't seem to be a lot of stock in the Ottawa area Ontario, Canada. Especially for used class b's. also when looking at dealer pricing the price difference can be over 30,000 and I am looking at Canadian sites when comparing. I have looked at the road trek Zion, Pleasure ways lexor, Winnebago travato and the coachmen crossfit. I wouldn't want to go over 100,000. We are hoping to use the van for long weekend travel and hopefully longer trips of a month or two down the road. So excited to be here and start this journey.

[rowiebowie]

Originally Posted by pattyottawa

Hi everyone! My husband and I are about a year away from downsizing to a smaller house and buying a class b camper van. I've been doing a lot of looking and reading for the past few weeks. There doesn't seem to be a lot of stock in the Ottawa area Ontario, Canada. Especially for used class b's. also when looking at dealer pricing the price difference can be over 30,000 and I am looking at Canadian sites when comparing. I have looked at the road trek Zion, Pleasure ways lexor, Winnebago travato and the coachmen crossfit. I wouldn't want to go over 100,000. We are hoping to use the van for long weekend travel and hopefully longer trips of a month or two down the road. So excited to be here and start this journey.

Welcome to the forum pattyottawa!

Any of the vans you've mentioned should serve you well. However, with Roadtrek's recent receivership and subsequent asset acquisition by Westfalia, there would be no factory warranty on the Zion (or any other Roadtrek or Hymer model) for new models sold after February 15th.

[michaelingp]

Be sure to look at Safari Condo in Quebec.

[AlexJ]

Originally Posted by pattyottawa

Hi everyone! My husband and I are about a year away from downsizing to a smaller house and buying a class b camper van. I've been doing a lot of looking and reading for the past few weeks. There doesn't seem to be a lot of stock in the Ottawa area Ontario, Canada. Especially for used class b's. also when looking at dealer pricing the price difference can be over 30,000 and I am looking at Canadian sites when comparing. I have looked at the road trek Zion, Pleasure ways lexor, Winnebago travato and the coachmen crossfit. I wouldn't want to go over 100,000. We are hoping to use the van for long weekend travel and hopefully longer trips of a month or two down the road. So excited to be here and start this journey.

Love our Safari Condo XL Flex. Well made, well thought out.

[michaelingp]

Originally Posted by AlexJ

Love our Safari Condo XL Flex. Well made, well thought out.

And not much over 100,000 Canadian brand new! (For the ProMaster, anyway) It might be very tough to find one used, though.

[Roadtrek Adventuous RS1]

Originally Posted by pattyottawa

Hi everyone! My husband and I are about a year away from downsizing to a smaller house and buying a class b camper van. I've been doing a lot of looking and reading for the past few weeks. There doesn't seem to be a lot of stock in the Ottawa area Ontario, Canada. Especially for used class b's. also when looking at dealer pricing the price difference can be over 30,000 and I am looking at Canadian sites when comparing. I have looked at the road trek Zion, Pleasure ways lexor, Winnebago travato and the coachmen crossfit. I wouldn't want to go over 100,000. We are hoping to use the van for long weekend travel and hopefully longer trips of a month or two down the road. So excited to be here and start this journey.

Class B's are very popular and there's less of them in circulation. People know that and ask pretty high prices. I would definitely advise purchasing one used between 4 and 6 years old with as low mileage as you can find.

Next, decide whether you want gas or diesel; I might have chosen gas if I knew how expensive diesel is, but, there's always trade-offs.

Good luck....narrow down your list, test drive as many as you can and check NADA.....realize that NADA is just a guide..

Finally, its a hugely depreciating asset.....don't get hung up on this. It will make you crazy.

[avanti]

Originally Posted by Roadtrek Adventuous RS1

Class B's are very popular and there's less of them in circulation.

Class B's "very popular"?? I don't think so.

There are fewer of them in circulation precisely because the are NOT particularly popular. There may be an imbalance between supply and demand (I really don't know), but if so, it is not because they are "popular" overall.

[hepcat]

Originally Posted by avanti

Class B's "very popular"?? I don't think so.

There are fewer of them in circulation precisely because the are NOT particularly popular. There may be an imbalance between supply and demand (I really don't know), but if so, it is not because they are "popular" overall.

As much as it pains me, I have to agree with Avanti on this one.

In the big scheme of the 400,000 new RV units delivered in 2018, only about 5,000 of them were Class B coaches.

There IS however a significant demand for lower-priced (under $50k) B-Vans, and the demand far outstrips the supply. It's truly a seller's market there.

[rowiebowie]

So now we're reduced to debating class "b's" are not popular, on a class "b'" forum no less?

I like this forum a lot better when we aren't parsing single words in someone's post for critique.

[avanti]

Originally Posted by rowiebowie

So now we're reduced to debating class "b's" are not popular, on a class "b'" forum no less?

I like this forum a lot better when we aren't parsing single words in someone's post for critique.

I tend to like it best when the record left at the end of a discussion is accurate, so as not to mislead future novices. Given that, the fewer words, the better.

[hepcat]

Originally Posted by rowiebowie

So now we're reduced to debating class "b's" are not popular, on a class "b'" forum no less?

I like this forum a lot better when we aren't parsing single words in someone's post for critique.

Perspective is important.

[rowiebowie]

The response I was expecting, but not what I'd hoped for.

Never thought the definition of an abstract word like "popular" would be a worthy topic of debate. It seems to me that who wrote it may have been the reason it was.

If you think this a misconception on my part, all you have to do is look through other threads to see this particular reaction to his posts. And it's usually just the same few who respond that way.

[pattyottawa]

Thank you all so much for the information. I'm hearing loud and clear to buy used no matter which rv we buy. We were originally looking at a class c - but then we'd have to have 2 vehicles, plus all the towing apparatuses, additional fuel, paying for storage, etc. And I absolutely love the fact we can just get in our van and go. We have definitely not decided on a particular brand or model if anyone has a favourite? We thought of buying a cottage but I want to travel. The resale on these vans looks pretty good to us as well. Thanks again!!

[rowiebowie]

Originally Posted by pattyottawa

Thank you all so much for the information. I'm hearing loud and clear to buy used no matter which rv we buy. We were originally looking at a class c - but then we'd have to have 2 vehicles, plus all the towing apparatuses, additional fuel, paying for storage, etc. And I absolutely love the fact we can just get in our van and go. We have definitely not decided on a particular brand or model if anyone has a favourite? We thought of buying a cottage but I want to travel. The resale on these vans looks pretty good to us as well. Thanks again!!

It took us over a year to find the perfect (for us) used class b and one at a reasonable price. It is a seller's market and we probably paid too much, but once we found a model about $10K less than others were asking, we anted up and bought it. A used rv is expensive enough, so I agree it makes sense to buy used. We have no regrets and just consider the expense as the price you pay to play.

You need to decide if you want gas or diesel, and then decide which coach features are most important to you. When shopping, we only considered gas vans, compressor fridge, enclosed wet bath, and a minimum 76" bed since I'm over 6 feet tall. As it is, I can only stand straight up (while wearing shoes) if I center myself directly under the maxx fan due to it's 1" recess. I hung a shaving mirror there.

So decide on your "must have" features and check out as many dealers or rv shows that you can. Then find a comparable used on at a great price. Another option is to rent one first if you're in an area where they are available. Hopefully you'll get a big chunk of your money back some day when it's time to buy that cottage on the lake.

[Bud]

Hi pattyottawa,

You write: "we are hoping to use the van for long weekend travel"

What is long weekend travel?

What is "hoping" about?

And "hopefully longer trips of a month or two down the road"

When is that?

Bud

[avanti]

Originally Posted by rowiebowie

The response I was expecting, but not what I'd hoped for.

Never thought the definition of an abstract word like "popular" would be a worthy topic of debate. It seems to me that who wrote it may have been the reason it was.

If you think this a misconception on my part, all you have to do is look through other threads to see this particular reaction to his posts. And it's usually just the same few who respond that way.

Your point is well-taken. The problem, though, is that trolling only becomes apparent with significant familiarity with the various players. Many people come to sites like this one for quick-fixes of information. In that mode of use, the nonsense tends to have the same salience as the truth. One feels a certain responsibility to correct the record. This makes following the advice of "Don't feed the trolls" difficult to follow sometimes.

In this case, no one was quibbling over the meaning of thae word. The quibbling was over a clear but incorrect claim.

[pattyottawa]

The long weekend travel days would probably include 3 or 4 days to provincial parks within a 5 hour drive. We love the Mont Tremblant area (2 hours from us) in Quebec and can see ourselves travelling there quite frequently to cycle and hike.
The month or two of travel is dependent on us selling our house and downsizing so we can be mortgage free which would allow us to work less. We are working towards this happening in the spring of 2020 and purchasing an RV before that time. I guess my hoping is more of a plan

[Bud]

Originally Posted by pattyottawa

The long weekend travel days would probably include 3 or 4 days to provincial parks within a 5 hour drive. We love the Mont Tremblant area (2 hours from us) in Quebec and can see ourselves travelling there quite frequently to cycle and hike.
The month or two of travel is dependent on us selling our house and downsizing so we can be mortgage free which would allow us to work less. We are working towards this happening in the spring of 2020 and purchasing an RV before that time. I guess my hoping is more of a plan

Ideally you could live near a bunch of rv dealers in order to compare different rv's. And attend the largest rv show in North America.............. Spending some time in them.

It can be difficult to know what you will each be comfortable with a year from now traveling for months vs weekends.

If cost was not important, you would buy a new rv guessing at your weekend needs, then dump it and buy your new rv for traveling for months. With your first rv you would know something about the handling/ride of a B vs the spaciousness and storage of a C. And if a B, 2 living areas vs 1. There are other factors too. And you might end up with the same rv for both weekends and traveling for months.

If cost is very important, then a used rv keeping your options open for the traveling for months kind of rv.

Have fun shopping, and please keep us posted.

[IdleUp]

Originally Posted by pattyottawa

Hi everyone! My husband and I are about a year away from downsizing to a smaller house and buying a class b camper van. I've been doing a lot of looking and reading for the past few weeks. There doesn't seem to be a lot of stock in the Ottawa area Ontario, Canada. Especially for used class b's. also when looking at dealer pricing the price difference can be over 30,000 and I am looking at Canadian sites when comparing. I have looked at the road trek Zion, Pleasure ways lexor, Winnebago travato and the coachmen crossfit. I wouldn't want to go over 100,000. We are hoping to use the van for long weekend travel and hopefully longer trips of a month or two down the road. So excited to be here and start this journey.

There is a considerable difference between a B RV and a Type C & A. The real beauty of the B is its freedom to travel anywhere and you can use the van as a second vehicle so unlike a Type C or A instead of only using it 2-4 times a year, the Sprinter can be used year-round. Mine is also a 4x4 so you can use it for winter driving around town or on vacations.

Here's a link below for my in-depth review I did on the Midwest Sprinter - its a great coach!

By the way I just listed this same RV for sale.

http://www.rotory.com/sprinter/midwest/

Enjoy - Mike

[thawk]

Originally Posted by avanti

I tend to like it best when the record left at the end of a discussion is accurate, so as not to mislead future novices. Given that, the fewer words, the better.

oh brother