Please Re-Register To Access All Our Forums New Features on RV-Living Forum
Post all your RV questions or comments on RV Forum
I needed some more option to research. This will keep me busy for awhile!
Realize that National RV went out of business in 2007 and there were problems with construction materials that had much to do with that collapse. I believe that Workhorse chassis stopped building for motorhomes in 2011. Thus any
If you are into the vintage RV interests, one all aluminum brand motorhome is much beloved, the Barth. I'm going to post the info here in this forum, so as not to post it twice. But here is one restored and for sale ~ $23k: http://www.tophrestorations.ca/barthregal31.html#more
If you are into the vintage RV interests, one all aluminum brand motorhome is much beloved, the Barth. I'm going to post the info here in this forum, so as not to post it twice. But here is one restored and for sale ~ $23k: http://www.tophrestorations.ca/barthregal31.html#more
I'm not so much into vintage RV's, all though I do like their look. Right now, I'm more into some thing that is reliable, comfortable and will fit into our budget.
I'm not so much into vintage RV's, all though I do like their look. Right now, I'm more into some thing that is reliable, comfortable and will fit into our budget.
RV,
I went back and re-looked the "Barth" and I have to say, it's a good looking coach and the floor plan would fit our needs very well. I especially like the fact that it doesn't have a slide!
The more research I do, the more I want one without a slide provided it has the right floor plan. When you weight all of the pros and cons of slides, it's my opinion that the con's out weigh the pros by a long ways.
The industry has become slide happy and it's hard to find a Class A, C or B+ without a slide anymore. Some as as many as 4-5 slides. I would like to see slides as an option. That might bring the price of a non-slide motorhome down?
So as of this post, If I can convince my wife that we don't need slides, I've just narrowed my search down greatly!
Any suggestions in an A, C, or even a B+ without slides in the range of 26'-35' max and a gasser to meet our budget would be appreciated.
Dan
Any suggestions in an A, C, or even a B+ without slides in the range of 26'-35' max and a gasser to meet our budget would be appreciated.
You might look at the Lazy Daze (LD) Class C which has no slides. The Mid-Bath (MB) at 26.5' or 27' (depends on the year) might meet your needs. LD does make a 30', but its payload is low, particularly for fulltiming.
I don't remember if you said where in the country you are, but there are regional LD get-togethers around the country where you can see the different floorplans. (Lazy Daze is a factory-direct manufacturer based in Montclair, CA They are not, however, a custom manufacturer, having a limited amount of options, but the base models are well equipped.)
Lazy Daze website: http://www.lazydaze.com/
Lazy Daze Owner's Forum: https://www.lazydazeowners.com/ (which includes a classified section).
You might look at the Lazy Daze (LD) Class C which has no slides. The Mid-Bath (MB) at 26.5' or 27' (depends on the year) might meet your needs. LD does make a 30', but its payload is low, particularly for fulltiming.
I don't remember if you said where in the country you are, but there are regional LD get-togethers around the country where you can see the different floorplans. (Lazy Daze is a factory-direct manufacturer based in Montclair, CA They are not, however, a custom manufacturer, having a limited amount of options, but the base models are well equipped.)
Lazy Daze website: http://www.lazydaze.com/
Lazy Daze Owner's Forum: https://www.lazydazeowners.com/ (which includes a classified section).
Linda,
I agree, Lazy Daze are a great Class C and I've been looking at them for years. The Mid-Bath 26.5 would be a good fit for us. Anything after 2010 has the best model year changes.
The problem being we live in East Tennessee and LD's are "As scarce as houndstooth"!
I wish it had more outside storage but as the saying goes "There is no perfect RV". There is a Rally for Lazy Daze in TN at the end of the month that we may crash.
Thanks for your suggestion. I keep looking for them. There reccently was a nice 26.5 near Atlanta but was a 2004.
Dan
I'd agree that Lazy Daze is a really good class C and one of the best if not the best. The catch is finding one for a reasonable price, especially east of the Mississippi river. In addition, nearly any class A will have better storage than a similar quality class C. The Barth could prove to be a similar situation since they have not been built in 20 years and are one of the classics and so a collector's RV. If you are interested in the classic group, you may want to check out the GM Motorcoach that was built from 1973 through 1978 and was front wheel drive. A more recent company that was once an independent was Safari Motorcoach. Safari was bought by Monaco in 2001. I never owned a Safari but we sure did drool over several of the Serengeti models in 1998 when we were shopping for our new coach for fulltime travels.
Another classic RV to consider is the Revcon motorhome from the early 1970s. In the late 1960s, Revcon approached GM about using the Olds Toronado front wheel drivetrain in an RV. GM made them build a prototype and do extensive testing to prove the engine and transmission would hold up to the rigors of powering a motorhome.
After Revcon did all of the R&D, GM decided to produce their own motorhone using the same kind of aluminum body and front wheel drive platform that Revcon had developed.
Edited October 14 by Lou Schneider
A comment on slide vs non slides. (Understand you've decided you prefer non slide, so more so those who might read this thread in the future:)!).
When traveling for months at a time, or full time, and having a period of weather that keeps you in doors for multiple days at a time - that extra space of a slide, is a nice feature:)!
No question, that a non slide coach, will never have problems with, well - a slide:)! But also if the coach you choose is of good quality, solid chassis, and solid components - slides will be relatively reliable. (And yes, some coaches, and trailers and fivers - did have problems with slides, especially in model year changes and with new designed slide approaches. But those should be weeded out during the search process.) Normal maintenance of slides is not significant. And yes over time, slide toppers may need replacing. And also no question that a slide's insulation is not as good as the rest of a coach.
So trade off's for sure. For those who might consider a coach with a slide, research between Electric and Hydraulic. And look at Deep slides vs shallow slides. A negative of coaches with lots of slides, say four, is that you lose about 1' of wall space (~6") on each side of the slide, for cabinets. And cabinets within a slide, are usually 6-8" less high, which reduces storage space. Access to lower bays with four slide coaches, can be a PITA too.
A good compromise, is Three Slides in a coach, with no slide not he Passenger/Patio front living area of the coach.
All that being said, some of the Prevost based 40' coaches without slides, are surprisingly affordable, and usually solid coaches. We just had a friend leave the park we're in here in Oregon, in a 2nd year Prevost 40' based non slide Country Coach. The person helping her drive the coach (Owner lost her husband 3-4 years ago, and a fellow park member and Country Coach owner drives with her when she comes to Oregon in the summer from Tucson, and the back home at the end of the season.), commented that even with 160K + on this coach, it was just a dream to drive, solid, and incredible power with the Detroit DD60 series... And, he's 6' 5" tall, and finds the coach surprisingly livable for the few days of travel each way. (He did say, he would not trade his two slide 40' Intrigue for it:)! As he would rather have the slides, then the headroom!!!
Best to you,
Smitty
I agree with Smitty. Most coaches and RV's have slides for a reason. Livability. They make a big difference when you are in the RV for months/years at a time. That is what folks want, and that is what manufacturers are reacting to.
I know that you stated it as your opinion, but the statement that "When you weight all of the pros and cons of slides, it's my opinion that the con's out weigh the pros by a long ways. (emphasis mine)" is a head-scratcher to me. A well-constructed RV with properly sized slide mechanisms is about as worry free as any other part of the RV. We're entering our tenth year of full timing, and we've had slide issues twice, both fixed by myself in less than an hour. One was a simple cleaning/lubrication issue and the other was a broken shear bolt.
And this past year I replaced the bulb seal around the perimeter of the slide that has been on the "sunny side" for several summers as it was beginning to look brittle to me. That job took about 2 hours. Prior to going full time we had a different fifth wheel for about ten years and never had an issue with the slide on that one.
The notion that slides are a significant or ongoing source of problems may have been accurate at one time, but I don't think it is accurate now, at least with quality RV's.