Considerations Before Buying a Motorized RV

July 2004 -- There are two basic types of recreation vehicle based on locomotion-towable vehicles and motorized vehicles. Motorized vehicles include motor homes and van campers, both of which are self-contained units built on a truck or van chassis with living, sleeping, cooking, and bathroom facilities accessible from the driver's area without leaving the vehicle. More and more, the dividing line is blurred between van camper and mini-motor home as more compact units fitted with all the necessities for self-contained camping appear on the market. At the present time, however, the type A motor home, the type B van camper, and the type C mini-motor home are still considered three different vehicle categories.

Type-B Van Campers

Also called type B motor homes, these conversions are built within the framework of a van, but with raised roofs or lowered floor sections to allow passengers to stand upright, at least in the center of the vehicle. Galleys, fresh-water hookups, sleeping and dining areas that convert to beds, even toilets and showers are readily available in these versatile vehicles. Ranging from 18 to 22 feet in length, van campers sell from $42,000 to $73,000 (on the upper end comparable in price to an entry-level motor home), with an average cost of around $60,116. Most sleep two to four people, but also can carry four to six adults as a weekday commuter vehicle. They typically sleep four people, two in the overhead bunk and two on the convertible sofa. A drop-in table fits in front of the sofa for dining.

Custom van conversions are available from a number of manufacturers at an average price of around $28,500. For a list of manufacturers that make van conversions, contact RVIA, P.O. Box 2999, Reston, VA 22090 (tel. 703/620-6003; www.rvia.org).

Average Cost of Using a Van Camper

A family of four using their own van camper or van conversion, staying in campgrounds and preparing most of their meals in camp, spends an average of $165 for 2 nights, $550 for 7 nights, and $1,025 for 14 nights.

Van Campers: The Plus Side

• Multipurpose use. These RVs double as a second car to use around town or for carpooling.
  
• Easy to drive, with good gas mileage. Van campers can go anywhere a passenger car can, including areas in national parks where larger RVs may be restricted.
  
• Cozy (the good kind). Self-contained van campers mean there's no need to leave the vehicle to use any of the facilities.
  
• Easy to park. Unlike other motorized or towable RVs, the camping van can fit into almost any spot left in a campground, so it's good for TGIF getaways and late arrivals.

Van Campers: The Minus Side

• Cozy (the bad kind). While most van campers can sleep four people, they'd have to be very good friends, or, more likely, a couple with one or two small children. The living area is extremely compact for a family spending a rainy day inside.
  
• Susceptible to wear and tear. Because it doubles as a second car, the greater mileage accrued by selling time may make it harder to sell or trade than a larger motor home.
  
• Not always easy to set up. Making up some of the optional beds in these vans could knock your back out -- even before you lie down.
  
• Limited storage space. You'll have to carry fewer clothes and supplies than in other RVs, meaning more frequent laundry and grocery stops. Also the mini-fridge may not have a freezer.

Type C Mini-motor Homes

Familiar, convenient, and affordable, the type C (think cab-over bed) motor home packs a lot of living in a compact space. Also called mini-motor homes, the units are built on a truck or van chassis, and usually range in length from 19 to 31 feet long. Wide-body designs up to 102 inches across and diesel engine options are available, as well as low-profile models that can be telescoped for travel and storage to less than 8 feet high. Type Cs are priced from $48,000 to $139,000 or more, with the average price around $58,840. Some models offer slide-outs that increase the usable living space.

Normally, a cab-over bed is above the driver's seat, while a sofa provides additional sleeping area. A dinette, rear galley, and bathroom complete the interior. In some models, the cab-over may be turned into an entertainment center with a double bed in back and dining on a drop-in table by the sofa.

Average Cost of Using a Type C Mini-motor Home

A family of four traveling in their own motor home, staying in campgrounds and preparing most of their meals in camp, spends an average of $200 for 2 nights, $650 for 7 nights, and $1,100 for 14 nights. Compare this to a family traveling in their personal car and staying at motels or hotels and eating most of their meals in restaurants, and you find the latter spends an average of $360 for 2 nights, $1,300 for 7 nights, and $2,500 for 14 nights.

Mini-motor Homes: The Plus Side

• Easy to drive. Type Cs are more maneuverable for beginning RV drivers than most type A motor homes.
  
• Comfortable and compact. Mini-motor homes are as livable as larger motor homes but take up less parking and campground space.

Mini-motor Homes: The Minus Side

• So-so sleeping accommodations. The cab-over bed is not appealing for claustrophobic adults, but kids love it. In general terms, the sleeping accommodations, except where there is a rear bedroom, are less private than in the type A motor homes when more than two are traveling together.
  
• Limited driving visibility. Because of the overhang from the "cab-over" bed, visibility is limited to a normal-sized windshield, while most type A motor homes provide larger windshields.
  
• Insider Tip: Despite its generally smaller size, in our experience, the type C gets no better gas mileage than a small type A, except in the models constructed of extra-lightweight materials.

Type A Motor Homes

A self-propelled motor vehicle chassis with a living unit built on it, the type A motor home offers the widest range of choices in the RV fleet, from small, 22-foot, fully equipped entry-level vehicles to enormous, 45-foot, buslike wide-body coaches with slide-outs, ice makers, washer/dryers, beautiful furnishings, and marble bathrooms. They're priced from $57,000 up to $1,400,000 for the most deluxe models, with the average around $135,808. Decor can vary from the old-fashioned but tough velour fabrics in slate blue or green in the lower-priced vehicles to Bluebird Wanderlodge's cushy white leather furniture, brass trim, parquet floors, and sculpted area rugs.

A standard entry-level 28-foot model will contain cockpit seats that swivel; a choice of sofa with drop-in tables or a dinette, either of which can be made into a bed; a bathroom; rear island queen bed with an option of twin beds.

Average Cost of Using a Type A Motor Home

For a cost comparison of traveling in a motor home and staying and cooking in campgrounds versus traveling in the family automobile, staying in hotels and eating in restaurants, see "Type C Mini-motor Homes," above.

Type A Motor homes: The Plus Side

• Always accessible from the front seats without going outside. The type A motor home lets you pull over to fix lunch, use the bathroom, or take a quick nap by the side of the road or in a parking lot.
  
• Bigger windshield and windows than type C. You'll have greater visibility when traveling and better vantage points for photographs.
  
• Livability. A big, open sense of space and luxury makes the type A the most livable of the motorized RVs for most people.
  
• No setup required. In most type As, all the living areas are ready for two people, without any additional conversion. (For sleeping more than two, however, a sofa or dinette usually has to be made up.)

Type A Motor Homes: The Minus Side

• It's your only wheels. Unless you're towing a car, a type A has to be unplugged and moved anytime you need to go out shopping or sightseeing away from the campground.
  
• Tough to maneuver. The larger type A motor homes can offer maneuvering problems in narrow city streets with heavy traffic, as well as parking problems almost everywhere except mall and supermarket parking lots. When street parking is feasible, remember you'll have to feed two or even three meters instead of one. Height and width limitations prohibit entering most parking garages and can present problems in clearing low overhanging roofs and narrow tunnels or bridges.
  
• Low mileage. Gas mileage is quite low, usually under 10 miles to the gallon.
  
• Sometimes too big for parks and campgrounds. Choosing a size to match your travel style is critical, since larger units cannot be accommodated in some campgrounds and are not permitted to enter certain narrow or winding roadways in national parks such as Glacier, Big Bend, and Zion.