Thing about selling our 21 and buying a molded fiberglass class c, thoughts?

[buellfire]

We just returned home from a three week adventure out west. As we travel more I am finding that we move around every three days. Has anyone moved over from a class b or c motorhome or thought about the same move? We really like the Coach house e450, here is the link
https://www.coachhouserv.com/models/...latinum-272xl/

I really like the auto leveling, can pull a jeep or motorcycle, and my wife said that she would drive this, she won't drive the truck Escape 21 combo. We stay on BLM land or Harvest Host sites alot, so no hookups for the most part. I'm thinking that setup on a class c, may be easier to come and go, also the traveling part should be far more comfortable.

Thoughts?

[Mityman]

My family had a class C back in the 90's that was well built and took a good beating from 3 teenagers and we pulled our boat and motorcycles behind it all the time. I couldn't say how the quality of builds are today though. If you decide to sell your 21 please contact me. I have begun my search for an Escape.

[buellfire]

Thanks for your thoughts! We are looking at a used coach house today, if we buy the unit I will post mine on the forums for sale page first.

[jontom]

equally interested in 21C. will look for post in "for sale"

[oldwave]

One of my best friends has a Mercedes chassis rig. It’s very nice and with the diesel it gets decent mileage. It was close to 100k . I bought a used truck when I got my 21 so I have less than 40 in my rig.

His rig is a Winnebago. He has had a few issues but mostly components. I couldn’t afford this much money but I see the appeal, especially if you were to tow a small car for local transportation.
The appeal of Escape was a very high value for the money with good quality. Even with prices higher than in 2017, the value is still high.

[Upfisk]

We have 2 friends with 25 ft motorhomes, they both tow autos behind. One just traded down from a 27 ft with the autoleveling devices as they kept getting stuck down. Others have not experienced that problem. We spent 4 months in Mexico this past winter, the majority of the people we met were full timers with 40 ft plus motorhomes, the class a rigs. The class a rigs when not in their summer or winter homes do tend to move every couple days. The next favorite, but smaller group had big 5th wheels. Their migration patterns were similar to the class a rigs. Everyone with a motorhome had a toad. Few people had class c rigs, most of the class a rigs had traded up from the class c rig. We did meet 1 class c rig that had been traveling for a year. 6 weeks was their longest stay anywhere, mostly moving a couple times a week. Travel trailers, there might have been 10 in this 100 unit park. Our 19 ft Escape was the smallest, there were 3 airstreams in the 25 ft plus size. Most of us only traveled part of the year.

[Bobbie54]

My friends have one similar to that. The problem I see is that it makes a lot more things that can go wrong- all the things that make it nice such as auto leveling and a slide and being one unit also make it problematic. On the other hand there are more floorplans available and your daily driver can be a much more efficient and possibly more comfortable car.

[Mike Lewis]

Before I retired in 2012 I planned to buy a good-quality Class C and pull a small car behind it. I was looking at the Lazy Daze motorhomes, and I bought a Honda CR-V to eventually use as a "toad". But I had no RV experience and was put off by the idea of having to maintain two drivetrains instead of one, possibly for months at a time while I was on a long trip. To top it off, I didn't like the CR-V. So I decided to simplify things and buy an Escape to pull with a Tacoma. I've been happy with my decision.

[jontom]

Mike , started looking thru your travel blog. picked 2017. really interesting. Plan on going thru all when I get more time. It will be useful and inspirational for our future adventures. Thanks o much for sharing

[buellfire]

Great information here, thanks guys! We looked at a used Coach House 241 with a sprinter chassis this morning. I did like the layout but this peculiar unit seemed to have had a rough life. The search continues...... We may upgrade our tow vehicle to something a bit more comfortable. We have a loaded Limited Tundra and find the seats get hard on the butt after long days in the saddle. I did look at a Landcruiser and those are very nice with a heavy price tag to match. Not sure what will happen, however I do like the idea for making coffee or a sandwich as we goes down the road.

[Mike G]

I have read that the Sprinters can be somewhat difficult to get serviced, as there are less mechanics and shops that are familiar with them and there are less places that stock parts.

[Tom&Joan]

We sold our 33' wheel and bought the 5.0 TA. It was like a weight had been lifted from our shoulders. I have plenty of maintenance experience with RVs to big rigs, but the simplicity of the Escape will prompt more use and ultimately increased enjoyment as well.

[uthorns]

Originally Posted by Mike Lewis

Before I retired in 2012 I planned to buy a good-quality Class C and pull a small car behind it. I was looking at the Lazy Daze motorhomes, and I bought a Honda CR-V to eventually use as a "toad". But I had no RV experience and was put off by the idea of having to maintain two drivetrains instead of one, possibly for months at a time while I was on a long trip. To top it off, I didn't like the CR-V. So I decided to simplify things and buy an Escape to pull with a Tacoma. I've been happy with my decision.

Mike, can I ask what Tacoma you have and are you happy with the truck? I have a 21C on order for Jan./Feb. delivery and a 2004 Tacoma rated at 5000lbs. I know it would only pull it on a limited scale so was thinking of upgrading to a 2014-2015. I had a 2017 and dint really like it so it’s sold.

Thanks, Jimmy

[Mike Lewis]

Originally Posted by uthorns

Mike, can I ask what Tacoma you have and are you happy with the truck? I have a 21C on order for Jan./Feb. delivery and a 2004 Tacoma rated at 5000lbs. I know it would only pull it on a limited scale so was thinking of upgrading to a 2014-2015. I had a 2017 and dint really like it so it’s sold.

Thanks, Jimmy

I have a 2013 Tacoma with the 4.0 L V-6. It works fine towing my 2014 Escape. But the newer Tacomas (2016- ?) have the 3.5 L engine that turns faster; it annoys some people who use it for towing. Also-- note that your new Escape is a few hundred pounds heavier than mine, so you need to keep that in mind.

My Taco has been a great truck. I have 212,000 miles on it (!) and intend to drive it into the ground.

[uthorns]

Yes I’m on my 3rd Tacoma. I know it won’t pull as strong as say a F150 but they are so dependable. I have put 200,000+ on two of them. I just haven’t pulled anything with any of them.

[Mike Lewis]

Originally Posted by jontom

Mike , started looking thru your travel blog. picked 2017. really interesting. Plan on going thru all when I get more time. It will be useful and inspirational for our future adventures. Thanks o much for sharing

Thanks, glad you find it useful. The 2017 trip was a long one; the other travelogues are shorter with less blather.

[NW Cat Owner]

Originally Posted by buellfire

We have a loaded Limited Tundra and find the seats get hard on the butt after long days in the saddle.

Invest in a good seat cushion. I've been using this in our Tundra (TRD) and I find it really helps. I forgot it on one trip (less than 3 hour drive each day) and my hips were not happy with me. When I got mine, what's now called the Double Seat Cushion was the only one available. I see they have back seat cushions and I'm thinking of getting one of those too.


https://purple.com/seat-cushions


Lots less expensive than a Class C rig! :-)


If your wife is leery of driving the truck/trailer combo, how would it be different from the Class C/toad combo? In both situations you're pulling something. Look for professional driving lessons - they really helped me when we got our trailer.



Another thing I've noticed when in my friend's Class C - it's lots noisier going down the road than my truck! We could barely hold a conversation.

[Jaye]

Honda Pilot as your tow vehicle. Comfort and space. Works for us.

[TTMartin]

Originally Posted by buellfire

I really like the auto leveling, can pull a jeep or motorcycle, and my wife said that she would drive this, she won't drive the truck Escape 21 combo.

I sincerely doubt you can have both of those. If your wife won't drive your pickup truck towing a trailer, do you really think she'd drive a larger truck (which is all a Class C really is) towing a trailer?

You can put that to the test. Rent a U-Haul Moving Truck (similar in size to the Class C your considering) and a small U-Haul Utility Trailer, and see if your wife will drive it. I might be a pessimist, but, my money is she won't. I bet she wouldn't even drive the U-Haul Moving Truck into a gas station without a trailer.

[skyfree]

Before we bought our Escape we rented a diesel Sprinter chassis RV and took it camping. We found it to be a lot less enjoyable driving than when riding in a tow vehicle. Those things are really noisy going down the road at 70 mph. Rough ride, no power going up hills, and noise made it our last trip in a Class C.

I'm sure there are quiet, powerful, nice riding Class C's out there though. Just make sure you try before you buy!