Use your Class B as your 'car'?

[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

[BBQ]

.

Lots of people use their RV as daily drivers.

You should be ok in small towns. It is the big city traffic/parking that is a challenge.

[jbxr7]

Look into insurance also. If you're not full time RVing, it might be cheaper to keep a separate car.

[mikes47]

Originally Posted by Melix

Hello!
Does anyone use a 21ft long class b as their sole transportation? How is it working for you?
Thank you for your help!
Mel

I use my 24 ft Sprinter as my daily driver. Mall parking lots generally have "H" shaped slots where cars are expected to park hood-to-hood or behind each other I take both of those spaces. Alternatively, I'll back into a space on the outskirts and let my rear end hang over the grass. The 170in wheel-base fits in a regular parking spot. The additional height of the Sprinter is nice in heavy traffic - you can see a bit farther ahead to see where the delay is coming from.

Mike

[Ron J. Moore]

I have the RT 210, about 23', and it is becoming more my everyday driver. When I go into a town, I usually park out, I like a place I can back into to decrease the footprint. Ron

[skiMore]

High millage or low millage daily driver? A class B is very expensive. Won't it will depreciate faster if you put a lot of extra daily driving miles on it? When we get our Class B it will be a seldom used second car.

[Ron J. Moore]

This is my second RT, but the first being used as a daily driver. I knew going into the 210 would be my daily driver. I have a myriad of health issues that make it an ideal "home" if we have to park for hours or days. I am not concerned about mileage; my mileage will probably somewhere less than those that take distant vacation adventures. We do have another vehicle that is used by my wife, I use the RT when we are going out together. Ron

[Leland]

I don't own a diesel but an observation I've made is that many people with Mercedes turbo diesels have problems with their engines because they constantly just use them to go to store and back and don't fully heat up the turbos and dont fully "exersise" all of the vehicle components by getting them on the highway and running them through their paces. These vehicles need and want to be driven hard. Just putting around town all the time is just asking for problems IMO.

[avanti]

Originally Posted by Leland

I don't own a diesel but an observation I've made is that many people with Mercedes turbo diesels have problems with their engines because they constantly just use them to go to store and back and don't fully heat up the turbos and dont fully "exersise" all of the vehicle components by getting them on the highway and running them through their paces. These vehicles need and want to be driven hard. Just putting around town all the time is just asking for problems IMO.

The specific issue has to do with the fact that short drives don't permit the proper regeneration of the diesel particulate filter. But the basic point is the same. Here is what my (MY2014) Sprinter Operators Manual says on this topic:

If the vehicle is predominantly used for short-distance driving, this could lead to a malfunction in the automatic cleaning function for the diesel particle filter. As a result, fuel may accumulate in the engine oil and cause engine failure.
Therefore, if you mainly drive short distances, you should drive on a highway or on rural roads for 20 minutes every 310 miles (500 km). This ensures sufficient regeneration of the diesel particle filter.

Therefore, if you mainly drive short distances, drive on a freeway or an interurban road for 20 minutes every 300 miles (500 km). This facilitates the diesel particle filter's burn-off process.

[mumkin]

I have been using my RT 170 as my only vehicle since I bought it. It is under 19ft and fits into most spaces though I usually park out in the hinterlands. This will also be true with my new RT, which is 9 or 10 inches longer. I do have to plan a bit in urban areas. Both in MN and in AZ, I am in suburban areas... and twice I have had to move to a doctor/dentist's other office because the one I had been using had no actual "parking lot" and I won't fit into a parking garage because of the height. Great to be able to google up a bird's eye view beforehand.

Insurance WILL be an issue. When I traded in both my Libero and Sienna on this 170, two local independent insurance agents were unable to find any company that they worked with that would insure someone with an RV, but no car. One said yes, but then when the policy arrived, it was only for the van... no conversion. Then it took over a month to get the premium reimbursed. I finally called the FMCA agency and he said that this was a big issue. Dozens of companies will insure both you car and RV... and if you are a full-timer with no sticks/bricks, then you have many options. But if you have both a home and an RV, but no car, your only option is National General - which used to be GMAC. This is the same company that you get if you try with Good Sam Insurance.

Oh... and the premium was $1250 for my Libero and Sienna... and the premium for just my 170 is $1200.

On facebook discussions on this topic, a couple people have insisted that they got a policy from company X or company Y... and I checked both at corporate level and they both said that NO they don't. I fear these people just have their van insured...

[Leland]

Thanks Avanti! Great info everyone!

[Roadtrek Adventuous RS1]

You're absolutely correct... people should exercise their diesel engine every two weeks for about 30 minutes at 60 MPH...to clean out the diesel particulate filter....

[Melix]

Hi Mumkin - great idea for looking up birds eye view of parking to see what's what - love it - that will be a big help since it is parking that I am most concerned about - right now it feels as if I will be driving a tour bus around! It it really cool that you have so much info about insurance - thank you so much for explaining it all - I just happened to email my agent yesterday as I am hopefully picking up the PW this Friday - thanks to you I will be calling him today to be sure I will be covered properly!! With gratitude
Mel

[Roadtrek Adventuous RS1]

Melix- if you live in a rural area...the insurance will be much lower....in a populated area like Los Angeles....it's going to be very expensive to use and drive the van as your primary vehicle...it's all about exposure.... Good luck.

[mumkin]

What upsets me about this insurance quandary is that it treats all the same... someone who is actually commuting in it every day which naturally puts the vehicle in high traffic most of the time... versus someone retired like me who is pretty much the stereotype of the little old lady who uses her vehicle to squash ants on her driveway. My mileage for a week is likely less than the average commuter does in a day.

[Roadtrek Adventuous RS1]

Try calling Progressive Insurance...they specialize in covering vans for pleasure driving.. many other companies look at full sized vans as commercial vehicles...you don't want that... also, consider a second car and use the van for what you purchased it for, a recreational vehicle..... Congratulations on your 2019 Roadtrek Simplicity... just one more thing... gasoline vehicles like the Simplicity are more based on total mileage on the odometer... more so than diesels.....so, to keep the value from going down too fast...it would be better not to use this as your primary vehicle.... according to NADA...the National Dealers Automobile Association... mileage is NOT computed for diesel vehicles.. only gasoline vehicles... interesting point... Anyway, good luck....I'm sure it's great...

[mlts22]

Some insurance places ask for how much you drive, and that makes a difference. To me, the only downsides of using a van for a daily driver are trying to park in an urban area (the hipster with the micro-car will always beat you to the spot), and that the constant movement, especially the stops and starts in a city, add wear and tear of not just the drivetrain, but everything else.

My ideal setup would be a class "B" and a Jeep Wrangler, assuming the "B" could tow it. A Ford Transit cargo van, with the factory tow package, is rated for 7500 pounds (750 pounds on the tongue)... but that is before all the goodies get installed in the van, so in reality, it is significantly less. That way, all the wear and tear goes on the Wrangler for a daily driver.

[Roadtrek Adventuous RS1]

Yes, the Sprinter can easily tow a vehicle.... BUT, why would would you want to do this and have an appendage like that... I mean, the whole point of getting the smaller Class B.... is for mobility.

Most RV insurance folks ask if you plan on using your RV either 1-30 days, 30 to 150 days or more than 150 days.. I imagine most people unless they are full time are in the middle.

[bigdan]

If you can afford the gas consumption difference , why not ?

in 2014 I had a TDI westfalia doing 34 mpg....I used it every day
it would not today with my 21 ft 13 mpg .....

[accrete]

My wife has used our Chevy (19ft) AWD trail-ready conversion as her daily driver since we bought it in 2010, ive been using our 2017 159” PM since it came back from the upfitter. IMO a class B makes a great DD!

A bonus is you are always prepared for any Zombie Apocalypse