Meet Nala! Our new motorhome. We are looking forward to the adventures with her. I thought I would go over why we chose to get a class A instead of a class c.
Class A versus Class C – We chose to go with a class A because they ride so much better. The suspension systems in them are much better. Class A’s are generally a lot bigger. We also really wanted one with a diesel engine (which I will expound on later) and diesel engines in a class C are not very common. For me personally, I feel a lot more secure as a passenger in a class A than I did in a class C. The class C was a lot more bouncy. Also because the driver sits so much lower than the rest of the coach he/she may not be aware that when they take a corner it doesn’t seem much where they are at but 3-5 ft up it can really through those in the back around. The driver on a class A is on the same level as the passengers and therefore can take corners in such a way that all are comfortable.
The engine (Diesel) – Motorhomes are very heavy and can slow down to almost crawling along on even a minor hill. But diesel engines have a lot more power/torque than a gas engine and therefore can go uphills better than a gas engine. Also if you plan to tow a car or a trailer then you’ll definitely want the diesel engine. We like to tow a small trailer with motorcycles and a four-wheeler. With some motorhomes, even the weight of the motorhome is a little much for the gas engine then if you add additional weight such as a trailer and it taxes the engine too much leading to costly repairs. We also love the gas mileage a diesel gets over gas. We rented a class C and it got 5.85mpg and it was 31 ft long. The motorhome we bought is 38ft and gets between 10-12 mpg with the diesel engine. Diesel go and go and if maintained properly will last a long time (much longer than a gas engine). I’ve heard it said that a diesel engine at 150k miles is just getting broke in, whereas a gas engine at 150k miles is nearly the end of its life. However, when a diesel engine does need work it is expensive! But a diesel engine is less likely to break down than a gas engine. Diesel engines only need the oil changed about every 10,000 miles, whereas with a gas engine its every 3 months or 3,000 miles. Changing oil on a diesel engine is like 5-7 gallons of oil, so it’s expensive! You can likely find someone that can change it for around $200 to $250 (obviously a lot less if you do it yourself).
At least one slide – The more slides the more expensive. We really wanted at least one slide in the living room because it really makes a big difference! But we didn’t feel it was worth the additional expense (at least for us) to get a slide in the bedroom.
Air Chassis (Freightliner, spartan chassis)
Enough bedding (Dinnette)
Nationwide search – southeast seemed to be better priced than in the west. (Utah)
