A Class B RV For Every Budget | RVLifestyle Blog (2024)

Is the cost of a new Class B RV way beyond your reach? Despair not, there is an affordable Class B RV out there for every budget!

This article is an updated one that originally came to us from Roger and Lynn Brucker, who know more about finding and then keeping used class B RVs on the road for hundreds of thousands of miles than anyone we've ever come across. And this post is from their point and view and experience.

New Class B RVs will take as long as 14-16 months to build and will command premium prices.

The best buys will be in used Class B campervans.

There will also be some price challenges for used Class B RVs, too, because with the market so hot, even previously owned RVs will demand top dollar.

Nevertheless, there are affordable Class B RVs out there, as the Bruckers explain below (- Mike Wendland)

The Most Affordable Class B RVs are previously owned

We've read many comments on various posts about how the reader would love to have a Class B motorhome, but it is just out of their budget.

Mike has addressed in another article ten reasons you may want a Class B camper van over a Class A or Class C motorhome despite their higher cost per square foot. So perhaps you decided that, yes indeed, a Class B is just what you need. Then you looked at the price and choked.

It is a matter of priority, but if your budget is such that buying a new Class B RV means you must postpone retirement for several years, then you may be missing some of the best years for traveling in your Class B!

You might think a campervan with a full bank of lithium batteries and solar panels would be perfect for your lifestyle, but if $140k is beyond your budget, that doesn't mean you must give up your dream of traveling in a wonderful and comfortable Class B.

If you can afford to buy a decent car, you can afford a Class B RV (used)!

Class B RVs bought new have always been expensive. Most were mostly purchased by financially well-off empty nesters who took very good care of them.

They seldom drove them in the winter.

That means there are some great older Class B's out there for those of us that either can't afford, or choose not to tie up that much money in a motorhome.

If you want to buy an “experienced” Class B, do your homework.

Research the brands and the models as well as prices.

Generally, they sell for more than the “blue book” value, but you may be able to find one for the right price if you shop carefully and take your time.

Find out what are the most common problems with the models you are considering.

Be very wary of rust.

Get an expert inspection of both the vehicle and the motorhome parts if you are not able to evaluate those yourself.

You don't need all the “options” on a used Class B RV

Some older Class B motorhomes didn't come with all the options. Notably, the generator. And some didn't include a shower or water heater.

But that's okay because an older generator with low hours is NOT a good thing. If it has less than one elapsed hour per month, you are likely to be facing some expensive generator issues.

That's because generators need to be used, at least an hour or two a month.

CLICK HERE for an article we just published explaining why generators need to be “exercised”

But do you even need a generator?

A good friend loaned us her 1999 Roadtrek 190 Versatile for a weekend and we were sold.

But we knew we wanted a Popular rather than the Versatile.How did we know?We reviewed floor plan brochures going back for years – all the way back to 1978 (click here),

Most RV manufacturers have similar online brochures so you can check out floor plans and features of past models for whatever brand most interested you.

We also searched online forums and user groups and read what people were saying about their units.

Searching for an affordable Class B RV

We started searching around, not terribly seriously, but eventually we found a 1995 Dodge 190 Popular just 40 miles away advertised on the Roadtrek International website.We went and looked, and left a deposit.It had all the options except an Onan generator.

After a test drive, we saw it was in very nice shape, and looking underneath it showed little rust (the most expensive thing to have fixed).

We liked the handling of the 1995 over the 1999. Dodge went through a chassis redesign in between that changed the handling adversely.

The widowed owner was relieved to have someone local interested.

We arranged for inspections for both the chassis and the motorhome equipment.

We highly recommend that you make any offer you make contingent on inspection results.

It was going to be challenging for the owner to get that done, but she was willing.That was on a Friday. Sunday we called back and offered her a lower price as is — no inspections. She took our offer.

There are always some issues when buying a used Class B RV

We were aware that the tires needed replacement due to age, not wear. It needed new shocks and brakes.Later we only found two things on the motorhome side that needed repair — a broken water line from the freshwater tank and a new furnace control board.

The house battery was a little weak as well, but it got us through the first six months.By the time all was done, we had a very sound, attractive motorhome for an investment of about $12,000.The investment was about half the cost of our Chrysler minivan.

All in all, not a bad starting point to learn if the Class B RV lifestyle was for us.

TIP: Looking for ways to organize your RV? Here's how Mike and Jennifer did with their current RV, using some amazing organizing nets for storage inside the RV:

A Budget Class B RV bought used is great for DIY Mods!

One of the great things about buying a used campervan is that you are free to modify it to suit your tastes and lifestyle.No worries about warranty nullification or resale value.

We learned lots of great ideas from the Internet and the Class B Forums.And not just from Class B owners –there are many others with wonderful ideas.

Another advantage of an older Class B is that it is not so valuable a vehicle that you can't allow friends to use it.Red Rover took a trip out west with Lynn's brother's family.

Of course, we said that our older Class B RV was a great investment to try out the RV lifestyle.

We were hooked but also fell in love with OUR Class B RV.

Ours is more than a Class B RV!

Red Rover was more than just a 1995 Dodge 190 Popular — he was our home away from home, our beach house, our cabin in the woods.

Our changes and DIY mods just made him better.

We admired some new RVs, but they never felt as homey as our Red Rover.

We love that our dinette comfortably seats four people for dinner.We love the view through the big Dodge back window. We love that the generator is in a compartment rather than slung underneath. We love the warm oak cabinets and the blue upholstery.Its beds are extremely comfortable.We enjoy the myriad of little changes we made to create our RV home.

Age issues with used Class B RVs

We began to worry about Red Rover's age.

But Lynn is still driving her 1974 car – Red Rover was a mere infant in comparison.

Our mechanic said a Dodge 318 engine should go 300,000 miles but we'd probably have to replace / rebuild the transmission about 200,000 miles.

We knew from experience that rust that kills most vehicles. Yes, we could buy a new or newer RV, but we would lose so many things we had come to love.

So we fixed the rust hiding under the window frames, got a new paint job, and have planned for future transmission replacement and engine rebuild when the time comes.

We purchased a LG replacement for the Fedders A/C unit in preparation for the day it dies.

And we are still financially way ahead of buying a new Class B RV.

There are lots of neat features on the newer vehicles, but you don't need all those bells and whistles to discover if a Class B is really for you. Start with something more modest.

Class Bs hold their value very well after the initial depreciation drop, so you should have no trouble selling if you decide after a year or two that the new top-of-the-line RV really is perfect for you.

Very few people spend $3000 on their first bicycle, they start with the $300 bicycle (or that $25 garage sale special).

Once you learn you are going to really use it, then splurge on the fancy stuff. Or perhaps you will decide that fine classic is just what you want after all.

We love to travel and would never be content to stay in one place in a monster behemoth.

And after 80,000 miles of experience, we wouldn't trade our Red Rover for the most gorgeous new RV out there.

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