Few questions from the future RV-er

[Polonus]

I am a truck driver, planning to retire in about two, or three years. I know I'll miss my driving, so I am thinking about buying an RV, preferably class B, or small class C type. However I don't know nothing about makers of those things, what reputation they have, why similar looking van could cost twice more then its competitor, or why class C van, bigger and better equipped then class B, cost much less then smaller vehicle.

I was looking at Jayco Redhawk SE 22A, which I like a lot - from what I see on YouTube - specially the price, but I read some bad reviews about the quality of it. I'd rather have something smaller, more nimble, like Sportsmobile vans, but they cost 50% more. Other class B vans can cost twice, or 3 times more than Jayco. Why?

I don't know much about Winnebagos, except that I see them on the road. How they compare to other brands? Price- and quality -wise?

Which company makes best quality RVs, and best features for the money? Is it better to pay extra for a Mercedes Sprinter, or Ford Transit would be sufficient? How about the RAM van? Is the FWD any good idea for an RV? Or maybe 4WD is a must? What about a diesel or gas dilemma? Any opinion would be greatly appreciated.

[theSane]

Go to the dealership and walk through as many as you can and note how each manufacturer assembles the things you cannot normally see. For example: How does the manufacturer protect the slide-out flooring against the elements? Thor uses paint to protect the plywood, Jayco uses a plastic sheet with metal strips for the rollers, Winnebago uses a metal sheet.

You are on a Winnebago forum, so I would expect the answers here to be biased toward them.

For my wife and I, we had narrowed our choice to between a Jayco Redhawk and Winnebago. When we walked through the Intent 31P, we were sold.

[Morich]

As a driver, you l9ikely have some mechanical views, so I suggest as one thing to look at is the way RV are put together. It is at least somewhat true that a person who makes his work look good will also make it better. So look at the things they don't often show us!
Take a flashlight along and do some weird, time consuming looking before buying. Much better to spend time shopping than time regretting. Use the time to pull out a few drawers and look under the dinette and into a bunch of those spaces where the wires and plumbing are hidden. You will often find that the Winnebago brand is far better at actually cutting things to fit and putting clamps and ties. It could be better but others are far worse. Many will defend to the death anything they can bought, just because they bought it! I try not to do that and certainly do my share of complaining, but I have also had a number of RV from other models and I came back to Winnebago as a better product.
Cabinets are one item to look over. Can you spot good wood from bad? Look at drawer corners for how the joint is put together. Some cabinets are made of wood you would not buy yourself! Look at the amount of drawings on plumbing, electrical and parts, then compare to what other brands offer for info! When buying again, I will make sure the drawings for the new one are on this site as I want to be able to fix the small stuff that goes wrong. You know from trucking that it's often not the engine or tranny but the dam filter or taillight that gives you the most trouble, so knowing where and how is half the battle of fixing!
Then there is the point of how you are supported after the sale. This site is one example of Winnebago being willing to go more further on getting you the info to maintain your RV.
Parts?
Parts Catalog
Part of the wiring info for my RV?
https://www.winnebagoind.com/diagram...e31ke_wire.htm
More detailed wiring?
WFE31KE 187814-01-000
You get the same for almost everything on the RV. It does take downloading a different gizmo on the computer and using Windows but they do give you a vast amount of info. So much, I'm still looking for how to use find and use it all!
Why are smaller more expensive, Folks are willing to pay more to save more on gas and they do often like the small size. Most places do charge as much as the market will pay, right? Steak costs more than tongue because more people want it, not because it costs more to raise.
Take the time and enjoy the trip!

[Polonus]

Thanks for your opinions and tips. I understand that here I'll meet mostly happy Winnebago owners, but I hope to find also some constructive criticism. I asked similar questions on other RV forums too. Since I am planing to buy my RV 2 or 3 years from now, I have plenty of time to read, look around and learn about it.

[Morich]

It is very hard to get good ideas from other folks as we each have different ideas of what fits best. We have had lots of different RV over the years and there has never been a perfect one that stays perfect very long as we find life keeps changing! Every thing was too small when the kids went along and then one days, that stops and things began to get too big to want to drag around the country. Setting some priorities has become somewhat easier now as we begin to know what we want. We bought a new Class C Thor and found it did not do what we wanted as well as had lots of those problems built in. We have to have a good place to set back and put the feet up for a bit and the dinettes are NOT it. We want a small couch for two and a bed which is always made up as those are now far more important than lots of places for kids!