The best Class C RV – which manufacturers or brands are best? Which are considered generally to have the best in quality?

Now whenever we’re talking about RV motorhomes, there are three categories. Class A, B and C.

But honestly, most people compare class A’s to Class C’s. And that’s because the Class B is kind of in a class of its own.

You know, it’s much smaller than A’s and C’s. So the comparisons usually come between A’s and C’s.

And if that’s something you’d like to know a little bit more about, I made a video on that subject. It compares those two classes head on.

So I’ll put the link to that video here. And you can go watch that video if you think it would be helpful for you.

Table of Contents

• What Is A Class C Motorhome?
• The Best Class C RV – What Is My List Based On?
• Important Things To Know About The List
• The Best Class C RVs – Both New And Used
• The Best Class C RVs – 10 Years Ago
  • • Mid-range Class C RV brands – 10 years ago
• The Best Class C RV Brands – Today
  • • mid-range class C RV brands from today
• More Class C RV Manufacturers
• RV Cost Is An Important Quality Factor
• The Best Class C RV Motorhomes More Than 10 Years Old
  • • Guidebooks to buying new and used Class C RVs
• Quality Issues On New RVs These Days
• What These Quality Issues Mean For You
• When Do You Get The RV You Paid For?
• The Best New Class C RV – Use An Inspector
• Conclusion

What Is A Class C Motorhome?

A lot of new RVers get confused by the various types of RVs. And they wonder “What is a Class C motorhome anyway”?

Well, Class C RV motorhomes are built on a commercial chassis. And most often it is either the Ford E350 or Ford E450 chassis.

Then the Class C RV manufacturer builds the body on top of that chassis.

And you can recognize most Class C RVs by the iconic area that protrudes out over the chassis cab.

Here is an example of a typical Class C RV:

The Best Class C RV – What Is My List Based On?

Now when we’re talking about brands and manufacturers, I have to admit something right away. And that is that it’s all based on opinions.

There’s no way to actually test any of this. It’s just opinions that people have. And this list is just my opinion as an RV inspector.

You may not agree with it at all. And you know what? I’m not going to be offended by that either. Because everybody can have their own opinion on this subject.

But let me just explain where my opinions come from. Because there’s a few things that my opinions are mainly based on.

First of all, I’ve gone through a ton of RVs in my time. And so, I’ve seen a lot. I’ve observed a lot about the RVs I have seen too.

Secondly, I’ve done a lot of research on RVs online as well. And it’s amazing how much research you actually have to do for a website and a YouTube channel.

Also, I do lots of research for being an RV inspector too. In fact, before you go inspect a particular RV, you need to know a lot about about it. And that calls for research.

In addition, I also get to talk to a lot of people who are RV owners in my travels.

And they give you invaluable opinions and ideas about their RV. They will often tell you experiences they have had with their dealer and manufacturer, and so on.

So my opinions have kind of been formed on all of these particular points of information.

Important Things To Know About The List

Now having said that, let’s talk about the list that I’m going to provide about Class C motorhome manufacturers.

And that way you’ll understand what I’m really trying to accomplish with this list.

And the first thing is that I just don’t believe you can fairly compare a manufacturer or a brand that is targeting higher cost customers with those that are targeting entry-level buyers.

You just can’t compare those two products. And the reason for that is pretty simple. We all know you kind of get what you pay for.

So if you’re paying more money, you should expect to be getting better quality materials.

You should expect better fit and finish. Better customer service, and so on.

And what that means simply is this. If you pay about 50,000 for a Class C RV, do not feel that you can fairly compare that with one that usually costs twice that amount. It’s just not a fair comparison.

So with that in mind, I felt that the better way to do this comparison of Class C motorhome manufacturers is to compare them according to the target population that they’re trying to sell to.

And so, we’re going to have a higher cost group of manufacturers that I feel are quality brands.

Then, we’ll have a mid-range comparison. And then we’ll have a lower cost or entry level comparison.

That way, it’s a little more fair in making this list up. And we’re not just going to do this just for you new RV buyers either.

The Best Class C RVs – Both New And Used

Yes, we’re going to try to help you used Class C RV buyers out too. Because you need a little bit of guidance as well.

Especially on the Class C RV brands that seem to put out the best quality.

So we’re going to compare new Class C motorhomes today with 10 years ago.

I mean, we could do it year by year. But that would be a really long article if we did.

But instead, we’ll give you an overview between now and 10 years ago.

And that should give you pretty good guidance on how brands have changed in that time.

Finally in this list, we’re also going to include Super C’s along with regular C’s. It’s kind of important to do that.

And you’ll see as I go along why we need to include them in this article.

The Best Class C RVs – 10 Years Ago

All right, with all that said, it’s time to get into the list. And so if we were looking at a used Class C RV motorhome from 10 years ago, what were the best manufacturers then?

Well, if you’re going to buy a higher end Class C RV motorhome, the first one on my list would be Dynamax.

Dynamax is a great Class C RV manufacturer. And they make some very unique products too. They have for some time now. So we have to put them on the list.

Another one that I can include on the higher end is a Canadian company called Triple E. They’ve been building RVs for a long time, and are very strong in Class C’s and B’s.

So suppose you could find a 10 year old Triple E Class C and it’s in really good shape? Well then, it may be a very good unit for you to consider.

But we cannot even begin to have a Class C RV motorhome discussion without including Winnebago. I mean, when most people think “Winnebago”, I think the picture comes up of a Class C.

That’s because we’ve seen so many Class C Winnebagos over the years out there on the road. So yes, they are a great manufacturer. And they’re known for producing quality products across the years.

Mid-range Class C RV brands – 10 years ago

Then, in the mid-range category 10 years ago, we don’t want to forget a company called Lazy Daze.

Now Lazy Daze is very unique. They’re a smaller company and they don’t even want to build in big volume.

Their viewpoint is that we’re going to build only the number of coaches we feel we can build with good quality. And that’s what they do.

So they’re a little bit harder to come by. But if you do find one, it could be something worth looking into closely.

And finally, on the low end from 10 years ago, we’re going to give a nod toward Jayco and Georgie Boy.

So those are all good considerations for used Class C RV motorhomes from 10 years ago.

The Best Class C RV Brands – Today

Now let’s bring it all forward to today. And things have changed a lot in the Class C RV motorhome market.

You know, the big change is Super C’s. And Super C’s are bigger. They’ve also got more room and more power than regular Class C RV motorhomes.

So that has kind of taken over the the Class C RV buying market these days.

And if we’re looking for the higher end Class C RV manufacturers these days, almost all of them are really heavily into super C’s.

So first of all, we’d have to say that Renegade is a very good company for higher end Class C RVs.

Then Nexus is another one on the list. And again, focusing a lot on Super C’s is Dynamax.

Now, all of these higher cost manufacturers that I’m recommending here have Super C’s in their lineup.

mid-range class C RV brands from today

Now in the mid-range category for modern Class C motorhomes, we have to include Winnebago.

And Winnebago, over many years has continued to keep quality in their brand. That’s very good.

And Jayco appears again as well on the lower end of the Class RV market.

But these days Jayco also has a lot of Super C’s in their lineup as well. But they also build regular Class C RV motorhomes too.

More Class C RV Manufacturers

So are these the only Class C RV manufacturers that I can recommend to you? Not at all!

But these are a great starting point to help you shop for Class C RV motorhomes in the right places.

However, I have also created guidebooks on both new Class C motorhomes and used Class C RVs.

And they include Super C RV motorhomes too.

They also provide a full list of recommended brands and manufacturers that I feel are worth considering.

So if you want to know all of the best brands of Class C motorhomes, just click the links below. You can download the guidebooks right away.

RV Cost Is An Important Quality Factor

Now I often get comments from folks when I mention the lower cost brands on the list. And they say “How can you list them as quality brands?”

Well remember, we’re comparing these brands with other brands in their price range.

We’re not comparing them with ones that are in the mid-range or in the higher-end. Because it’s just not fair to do that.

And there are plenty of Class C RV buyers out there that aren’t just buying in the higher cost or mid-range.

Many are looking instead for a lower cost option. And that’s what I’m hoping that this list can provide for you as well.

The Best Class C RV Motorhomes More Than 10 Years Old

I also want to mention that if an RV is more than 10 years old, the brand may not actually be the most important thing to consider at that point.

Yes, it is a consideration still. Because quality certainly lasts. However what often becomes more important as we go on is how the RV was maintained.

Especially over the years of ownership. So what did the owner or owners do to keep it in good shape?

The point is that it’s not always about brands alone. It’s also about how well they have been maintained over the life of the RV.

And I always recommend that you get any used Class C RV inspected before you buy it.

Even if it looks amazing to the eye, it could have hidden problems. And these issues could be very serious and costly to repair.

So always hire a certified RV inspector to give you a thorough report on any used Class C RV.

That way you know what you are buying before the deal is finished.

You can find an NRVIA certified RV inspector in your area here

Guidebooks to buying new and used Class C RVs

To help you out in this process, I have created two more guidebooks. One for buying used RVs and the other for buying new RVs.

They will explain how you can find the right RV for your needs. Then how to pre-inspect each one until you find one that is really worth considering.

And finally how to get the RV inspector involved to make sure it doesn’t have any hidden problems.

These guidebooks will save you lots of money, time and frustration in the RV buying process.

Just click on the images below to download the guidebooks.

Quality Issues On New RVs These Days

Now finally I want to mention something here when we’re talking about new RVs.

You know, I gave you the list of new RV manufacturers that I feel do well in the Class C RV motorhome category.

But let me say that there is a real quality control issue in the RV industry these days.

And what that means is that manufacturers are just turning out RVs like crazy now.

But they’re often not instituting quality control practices that make sure that those units go out in really good shape.

What These Quality Issues Mean For You

So here’s what happens. The dealer receives a Class C RV from the manufacturer.

But they’re often not really spending lots of time going through every one that comes in.

So they’ll wait till they sell it you. And then you’ll take the RV out on your first camping trip.

And you’re so excited on your first trip out there. But then you find that the RV has all these problems that need to be addressed.

So when you come back from your first trip, you bring it back to the dealer. And you tell them about all the problems that you have found.

Then the dealer says “Don’t worry about it. It’s no problem. We’ll fix it under warranty. All you have to do is leave it with us for about two to four weeks. That’s because we’ve got a lot of repair work and tons of other warranty work we’ve got to do and so on.”

So now you can’t just take that new RV back out again. Instead, you have to wait till it’s fixed and you get it back. Then you can finally go back out and enjoy another trip.

But on the following trip you find some other issues that were missed the first time. So you go back and you go through the same process again with the dealer.

And this repeats itself very often with many buyers in the new RV market. Especially over the course of the first year of ownership.

When Do You Get The RV You Paid For?

Now sure enough, Class C RV manufacturers usually stand behind all these quality control issues.

But you don’t get the RV you paid for until about a year down the line.

And that’s not good! This is not a great statement about the way things are being done right now in the RV industry.

By many manufacturers and RV dealers. Not just Class C RV manufacturers

Of course, it’s not all of them. But the reason I’m bringing this up is this. Suppose you buy an RV from the list of brands that I gave you.

And then you realize that you’re going through this situation I just described. Well unfortunately, you’re not alone!

This is happening in many of the brands. And I wish it was different. But it isn’t.

Now it doesn’t mean they’re not building quality units. Or it doesn’t mean you’re not going to get the quality RV that you want.

It just means quality control at the factory is not what it should be. So many buyers are turning to actually hiring RV inspectors for new RV purchases.

The Best New Class C RV – Use An Inspector

The RV inspector can go through the new RV before the buyer takes possession of it.

In fact, I get requests for that kind of inspection all the time. Now the advantage of having an RV inspector is because we find all those issues for you. And we find them all at once before you take delivery of the RV.

So then we give you the list of issues on the RV. And then you can give the list to the dealer for repair.

So then he fixes it under warranty right then. And you get the RV that you want from day one.

So that’s what seems to be what’s working well in the buying process these days.

You can find an NRVIA certified RV inspector in your area here

Conclusion

But here’s the point I’m trying to make. Suppose you’re going to buy a new Class C motorhome from a quality brand from this list.

If you do, don’t be surprised that you still have to go through this process that I just described.

But hopefully the list that I gave you in this article has been helpful anyway.

And hopefully the things we’ve talked about will help you buy that next RV if it’s a Class C.

At least, I hope that what I’ve shared with you has given you something to think about. Something to consider and to add in with all the things that you’re learning about RVs.

And that way you can make a very good buying decision for your Class C RV motorhome.

Well that’s it for now. Have safe and happy travels!