I think most of you know that I love my Mini, but since some of you are still in the shopping stage, I wanted to give you a hindsight review of my RV choice.
What I love:
It it really easy to drive. I am in love with the Sprinter!- Averaging 15mpg. (Some say they do better, but this is my average.)
- Really reliable engine. I know that if I take good care of it, my Mercedes Benz diesel will keep my Mini running for a long, long time.
- It is skinny, so that makes for much less stress in tight spots.
- I love the floorplan and rear bath, with a large enough shower to use. (I didn’t realize how few RVers used their own showers!)
- I like the more contemporary interior design.
- 24 foot with a slide is the perfect size for me.
- I can do a veggie oil conversion on the diesel.
What I don’t love:
- How much I spent.
- Poor quality of house construction.
- Poor quality of Gulf Stream support.
If I were shopping right now? I’d probably be looking at something like this 2003 Winnebago Minnie.
Why?
- I’d have as much, (if not more) room as my current class C
- I bought my 2006 Mini for $45K, and could probably pay $15k less for this 2003 Winnebago.
- I’d have an RV that had a good manufacturer — better construction, better customer service, and, oh dear god, maybe I’d get a detailed schematic!
As I start to finally tighten the belt on my spending, I think my only regret is just how much I spent. I’d rather have the $15k and the older Winnebago.
Hold back on the “I told you so!”
19 Comments
It’s generous to share the details of your decision, and even more so to share your regrets.
Thanks,Jennifer! I REALLY appreciate this kind of information! I KNOW it will help me to make the right choice when it gets to the time to lay down the cash!
15k is what you paid for peace of mind at the time and what it cost for a better engine. That diesel will out run that v10 and get you better mpg! So in the long run you will at least break even. The old saying “pay now or pay later, you still have to pay”
Jennifer…I have always appreciated your honesty and integrity. It is hard to admit any mistake, especially one with a big price tag on it.
Life is a learning experience. None of us are perfect, so lots of mistakes and missteps will occur along the way. Enjoy the process, chivvy yourself for the big ones, if you must, learn from the mistake and move on. Life’s too short and there ain’t none of us getting out alive.
I agree with what Ron W has to say about the diesel rather than the V10. In my case I regret that I did not have the money to spend on a Sprinter diesel. Your 15 mpg looks mighty good compared to my 8.6 mpg.
Sorry to hear about the Gulf Stream construction and support. My year 2000 24′ Class C is an ‘orphan’ so I knew when I bought it that there would be no support; but support from ANY manufacturer seems ‘iffy’.
RV buying is a trade off. I bet that Minnie has a Ford E350 chassis and that it doesn’t even have a V-10 engine. If that’s the case, good luck on having more than a couple hundred pounds of carrying capacity. A late 1990’s model Minnie with no slide, a V-8 engine, and an E350 chassis only has 750lbs of carrying capacity.
Your 15K bought the Sprinter chassis and the Mercedes engine. Even after your house falls apart, you will have a resellable product. Heck, you could even decide at some point to have the house completely demolished and rebuilt with higher quality materials and options.
When I bought Miranda, I was down to deciding between her and a Minnie of comparable vintage. The Minnie was a clearly shoddier product (yes, I just called Winnebago shoddy) and less suitable for full-timing, but I knew that I’d have Winnebago support for years to come while Glendale was easing out of the market.
I spent about 10K more on my Royal Classic than I would have on the Minnie, but that got me the Ford V10 engine and an E450 chassis (doubling my potential carrying capacity over the Minnie), and the absolute highest quality gas-engine class C available in Canada.
My compromise was having a rig that sucks when the temps go below freezing, but it’s one I made with my eyes wide open, just as you made your compromise.
This is just my two-cents, but I think that choosing the Gulf Stream over the Minnie was a good move and not one you should regret.
I…uh…told…uh…
Nevermind. You got it done.
For those who are still shopping: I don’t know what it’s like elsewhere, but here in the Austin area there are always plenty of low mileage motorhomes in the $20-25K range. Sometimes only 5 or 6 years old. Many people get these things in a burst of enthusiasm and then let them dry rot in their driveways. They just don’t turn out to have the time or the health or the ultimate inclination to use them thoroughly. They are just like new.
You have to be stubborn, and patient. Or maybe just honestly broke. Craig’s List is your friend. Away from dealers, there is a vast difference between asking price and selling price. Perhaps not every day, but certainly every month. But you have to be willing to walk away a lot, then pounce when you finally find it. It’s actually fun and educational to do so.
Buy in the winter, fix in the spring, travel in the summer. And for years thereafter.
Bob, who is happy with everything about his Class C but the power, and will probably trade up to a V10. When the right one comes along.
Jennifer,
If you don’t mind my asking, how tall are you? The reason I ask is because of the shower thing. I haven’t tried using the one in my trailer yet, and am dreading it because I have to crouch.
Steve
I’m 5′7″. My shower has a reasonably large skylight that tops out about a foot over my head. Since I don’t have to worry about height, I was mostly referring to the length and width. My shower is 2×3 – a lot of small RVs have 2×2 showers (or wet baths).
Jennifer, you may home some upside to your MPG numbers. Driving habits have a bigger impact than most people realize. I added a ScanGauge to my truck and the real-time feedback helped me save enough in fuel to pay for itself the first year. And I’m not even full timing yet; that was just weekend warmongering.
All RVs have problems BTW. It’s the nature of the beast. Good thing you went to wrenching school. That can help keep your costs down too.
i’d bet if you were able to change over to the 2003 right now and get that $15K back there would be things you’d miss. an older rig may not have faired as well on the dempster too. you’ll be all paid off soon enough.
When we did a rental RV trip I found using the park showers quite acceptable. As long as you are sure to always wear shower shoes! I liked having a little more room to dress after the shower than I would have had in the RV.
Hi Jennifer, thanks for all the good info. In my motor home searching I found the Lazy Daze class c. Fell in love, altho have never seen one in person. Made in California….no slides but roomy, lots of light and very well built. Don’t know much about the mechanical part, but they must last….many are for sale that were made he 80s. Happy New Year!
The only constant in life is change. So it’s never too late to sell and get something different if you truly want to. We’ve had our setup for 6 months and were window shopping at the RV dealers today… And you could possibly get your purchase price back out of it.
Hi, Jennifer. Thanks, again, for sharing this information. I’m still in the shopping stage, and may be for a while, and I really appreciate your insight.
Question – do you have a slide-out in your mini? I can’t tell from your videos. It doesn’t seem like it, but I think the floorplans on the sites I’ve found show slideouts.
Oh, another question – you mentioned climbing out of your sunlight over your cab-over bed. Is this a standard thing that all mini’s can do – open that skylight enough to get out?
Oh, another question – LOL – did you look at the other floorplan with the full bed in the back? If so, any thought? I’m considering traveling with my mom, and I think she’d like that.
Enough questions for now… Thanks again! Happy New Year!
Julie in PA
Mine does have a slide out. I was going to post a video of what it looks like with the slide in, just to give some perspective. (And that’s how I have to use it when driving/stealth camping.) The Sprinter class Cs are skinnier – about 7′7″. I think most other class Cs (on Ford and Chevy chassis) are closer to 8′ or so. I know when I was in Susan’s (Minnie Minerva) I was surprised how much space she had without the slide.
I have a huge, crawl through skylight, but I think that is very unusual for class Cs. (Standard on the Gulf Stream Mini.) Since my class C doesn’t have a ladder on the back, the skylight is the roof access. I love the huge skylight though. It is a clear window and probably 2×2.5 feet if not 2×3.
Since I travel solo, I wanted to use the bunk for sleeping and get as much floor space as possible, so didn’t consider the rear bed model. The rear bed is a lot more popular (and has better resale value) and would be an almost necessary choice for two people. The sofa is not comfortable for sleeping. The dinette isn’t bad, but it is short. Not good for anyone taller than 5′5″, I’m guessing.
Good luck!
Jennifer
Jennifer I have thoroughly enjoy ur site. I live in the Texas hill country as well and plan to retire from nursing in about 3 yrs. I saw one of ur posts about renting for ur trial run. I have camped for yrs. but not spent ANYTIME in an RV. Thinking about renting in Co. for a “Sisters on the Fly” near Estes Park. Reading all the rental info is scary. Guess I’d better get over my scared self if I want to do this. Is that all it took to prepare u for fulltime traveling? Also congrats on recovery. Just past the 15 yr. mark and remember those early years. I guess I’m having a challenge just figuring out how to start?????
I tried to learn so much before I started RVing, but really learned everything once I hit the road. For me, it is a lot like immersion language learning. I can try to prepare for what I think I think I need to know in a foreign culture and language, but that really can’t scratch the surface!
In the same vein, I had a few meltdowns from the stress of the intensity of it, but that shouldn’t be confused with thinking it was a mistake or that I couldn’t do it. It is a great experience and you can do it!
I think your sisters on the fly rental sounds so fun and the most perfect trial run.
Take care,
Jennifer
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