2nd Smaller Motorhome

[sdc53]

I have a little 2010 sprinter based class C with one slide for sale - $55k. It's quick and nimble, good mpg, 12-14 mpg at 70+mph, hills etc.  good little unit but the bus is paid for, and this isn't, so I'm getting rid of it so I can be one step closer to being debt free. It has the v6 turbo diesel, and its dodge branded so you don't have to go to the Mercedes dealer for service.

I can park and drive it anywhere, it's 25' long bumper to bumper.  Really fun on hills, the turbo spools up (quietly) and it just goes without fuss or overheating.  Dash AC too.

The wife loves to drive it, too - she won't touch the bus. It's an S&S unit with all that comes with that (in terms of safety) but in general really cheap to run far and it pulls hills really well.

It's ok for boondocking overnight in a wal-mart on the house batts, but nothing like the 8-AGM and solar setup I have on the bus.  Of course the bus only gets maybe 6mpg, so I guess I can run the diesel genny quite a bit to offset.

[Debo]

We have a little teardrop camper that I built. It can be pulled with the toad, and it's great for getting into those little places the bus could never go. If we're ever feeling that there are places we'd like to go where the bus is not an option, the teardrop will always fit there. It's also a little more "rustic", which we enjoy every now and then.

[Oonrahnjay]

    Y'all have got me thinkin' -- I think that this "smaller alternative motorhome" idea is a good one.  But I was making a jump a little bit farther.  How about a smaller, more nimble "alternative wife"?  Think of the places you could take her and the fun you could have.  But then I was thinking of the difficulties in keeping them both maintained at the same time -- and "cost of ownership" seems to be a lot more than just purchase price, feeding, maintenance and taxes.  And seein as how I can hardly afford the one that I've got now (and don't know how in the world I'd cover the cost of a big problem), I don't think that one of those is in the cards.

    And that's just the idea of the "smaller alternative motorhome" -- the thought of the "smaller alternative wife" is TOTALLY out the window!

BH NC USA

[lostagain]

The bus serves our needs quite well. It will go just about anywhere. You can't beat the comfort in the bus going down the highway, or living in it on a road trip, with all the conveniences. I don't want another vehicle to maintain. Also here in BC, insurance is quite expensive.

JC

[Lin]

Of course, there is the obvious compromise-- a 35 ft bus!

[Jeremy]

Perhaps the answer is to have one motorhome that's in two parts - take the whole thing on big trips and just the front part on small trips:

Here's it done in typical unambitious expensive-European-diesel style:




And the full fat cheap-American-diesel version could be based on one of these:



(I do realise that you can't just uncouple an articulated Neoplan, but you get the idea)


Jeremy

[Seangie]

We will be towing a conversion van with our bus.  No shower, sink or beds.  More like a living room with entertainment center and a bench seat in the back that lays flat.

It will double as living space for the kids when we are out.  They can watch movies,  do school work, have friends over, have their own space outside of being in the bus.  Will be really nice for rainy days.  And of course when mom and dad need some alone time.....

I'd love to build something like a UNICAT that is off road and can carry a second smaller vehicle on board.  But not something that looks like a craft from the future.

-Sean


www.herdofturtles.org
1984 Eagle Model 10S

[bevans6]

I just occurred to me that I have a truck camper that I put on my 2003 Dodge 2500.  It's a small camper, I guess, and I could easily tow it behind the bus.  Or take it on it's own.  I used to tow my 28' car hauler with it, camp at the track.

Brian