Use your Class B as your 'car'?

[Ron J. Moore]

dustboy, I like your style. Driving that van and using it like that......makes work really a breeze. Ron

[Roadtrek Adventuous RS1]

Dustboy; Great! Just be sure that you are insured for all the extra use....yes, I appreciate the convenience of the private bath, etc..... Sounds like you are using it as your regular work vehicle.and commuting 1,600 miles per month could be considered use as a commercial vehicle .... I'd be very careful what you say to your insurance company.... they probably would not see things the way you do....

[Melix]

A useful AND funny reply - THANK YOU!!

[dustboy]

Roadtrek,
Yes, Travelers knows exactly what I'm using the van for, they have been more flexible than most carriers.

I'll admit, I sometimes get a little sick of driving this beast around all day, I can't just zip in and out of traffic like my little car. But anyone using it for errands and grocery runs should be just fine, driving a big vehicle becomes second nature after a little while.

It's funny, you see a lot of guys daily driving giant 3/4 ton pickups that only ever carry a dirt bike, nobody seems to think that is odd at all.

[Roadtrek Adventuous RS1]

Dustboy.... thanks. You're absolutely correct...we see a lot of people driving 3/4 ton pickup trucks all the time.. they can't zip in and out of traffic either...... I figured might as well have the right car for the job... Everything you described about the features and benefits of driving the small Class B is exactly right... refrigerator, kitchen, bathroom and sleeping accommodation....

Most people give us a wider berth when we're on the road or even in the city.. smaller cars don't want to mess with the size of the RV... just like they don't want to mess with metro buses.

Good thing Travelers knows about your situation... would you mind sharing what your insurance premium annually is? I think you said that you are in the Bay area..it's pretty expensive up there? We're here in the LA area and insurance is expensive compared to many other areas.

[kmrotterdam]

I just sold my SUV this past weekend, and I called my insurer Geico to drop coverage for the SUV and let them know that my van would be my daily driver. Since it was my daily driver, I wanted roadside assistance added to the van, but they would only give me liability coverage for $208 per six months. Since I am thinking about buying a new Hymer Carado Axion, I asked for a price quote, and they told me that they would not be able to insure the new Hymer as a daily driver! Isn't that odd? I am a full-timer, but I did not ask whether they would offer full-timer coverage (of course, for much more $). For now, I am going to keep the liability coverage on this old 1999 American Cruiser camper van.

Originally Posted by Melix

Hello! We are in the process of buying a Pleasure-Way Lexor - 21ft long and in order to afford it I will need to sell my car and use the van as my 'car'. I am totally nervous about doing this, parking and getting around in our small town in this huge, long thing.

Does anyone use a 21ft long class b as their sole transportation? How is it working for you?

Thank you for your help!
Mel

[kmrotterdam]

Thanks. I am just realizing this problem. Geico has continued to insure my campervan once I removed my SUV from the policy, but only for liability and no other coverage options. I want to get a new one, but I only pay $416 a year for only liability now.

[Roadtrek Adventuous RS1]

Really depends on how much you use it on whether to get a new one?

The only way to get liability insurance only is to pay cash....I don't recommend having liability insurance on any vehicle no matter how old it is...if you are in an accident... it's a total loss if the other party doesn't have adequate coverage...

$416 for insurance on the old RV is really cheap....if it's working... stay with that.

[roadtrek]

I bought a 2018 Lexor in February. I drive it to work daily. It is big to park, and I usually park on the fringe of most parking lots. It's not that difficult to park, but it won't fit in every situation. It's best to back into most spaces if possible as that makes egress much easier. The generator hangs low in the back (about 6.5-7 inches of ground clearance), so it won't back over many curbs to the rear tires as the generator is between the tires and the rear bumper. I made the mistake of hitting my generator with curbing a couple of times. Fortunately, no damage but I learned a hard lesson. The Lexor is very nimble as an RV, but not as nimble as a car. So, to answer your question, it can be used like a car, but one has to use caution, common sense, and realize it has limitations. Be prepared to walk short distances if necessary to find adequate parking.

[dustboy]

Originally Posted by Roadtrek Adventuous RS1

Good thing Travelers knows about your situation... would you mind sharing what your insurance premium annually is? I think you said that you are in the Bay area..it's pretty expensive up there? We're here in the LA area and insurance is expensive compared to many other areas.

I'm out about $1,200/yr for 16,300 miles. Yeah. Ouch.

My improvements are not insured, the premium to add them was a bit obscene. I figure I'll self insure, better to put a few bucks a month in the bank than give it to the insurance company.

[Roadtrek Adventuous RS1]

Originally Posted by roadtrek

I bought a 2018 Lexor in February. I drive it to work daily. It is big to park, and I usually park on the fringe of most parking lots. It's not that difficult to park, but it won't fit in every situation. It's best to back into most spaces if possible as that makes egress much easier. The generator hangs low in the back (about 6.5-7 inches of ground clearance), so it won't back over many curbs to the rear tires as the generator is between the tires and the rear bumper. I made the mistake of hitting my generator with curbing a couple of times. Fortunately, no damage but I learned a hard lesson. The Lexor is very nimble as an RV, but not as nimble as a car. So, to answer your question, it can be used like a car, but one has to use caution, common sense, and realize it has limitations. Be prepared to walk short distances if necessary to find adequate parking.

We usually park our rig at parking lot "hinterlands", if you know what. I mean.... AND, when we do I take up FOUR spaces and near the exit thru a driveway lane....WHY do I do this??

Well, I once parked in a regular spot taking two spaces the one I was in and the one behind us....you were 23 feet long..it's going to stick out into the space behind us no matter what... well, two people decided to park on either side of me and there's no way to pull far enough forward to make the turn out of a group of parked cars..we can't bend in the middle.....

My advice is just park your rig as far away as possible and walk to the store...it will give you exercise...

[Roadtrek Adventuous RS1]

Originally Posted by dustboy

I'm out about $1,200/yr for 16,300 miles. Yeah. Ouch.

My improvements are not insured, the premium to add them was a bit obscene. I figure I'll self insure, better to put a few bucks a month in the bank than give it to the insurance company.

We live in Los Angeles...I pay $1,200 annually for coverage...we have $100,000/$300,000 collision, liability insurance , comprehensive and $250 deductible... ZERO on windshield..

It's Progressive insurance... they seem to be the most competitive..I checked with others...
Our insurance is for recreational purposes... I don't commute in the van.. just long trips.. that's all they care about....

We did 14,000 miles the first year.. went 11,000 miles across the USA.. got a consistent 18 MPG ...I was pleased with this as we climbed a lot of mountains...the Sprinter is amazing..
For such a small 3 litre diesel engine it's pretty powerful... My. 2012 owners manual says it's 190 HP and 325 foot pounds of torque....

You know, it's the same engine that is in the Class C Navion and other so-called Class B plus models...