Outlook 31C or Sightseer 29R?

[atodalen]

Would you care to share any thoughts as to which would be your preference and why? We currently have a '95 24' class C and are looking to upgrade. We are primarily weekend recreational campers, typically at Forest Service, State Parks and COE sites. We often sleep 4-6 family members in our little class C. Don't foresee much use for a toad but have a Honda CRV that would be used if ever desired. The GCWR of either unit should handle it. There doesn't seem to be as much difference between GVWR and UVW on the class C (2300 lbs) vs the class A (2900 lbs) as I would have expected. The Sightseer has more holding tank capacity, a big plus. I do believe that we prefer the floorplan of the 31' class C. It has counter space to die for. A big unknown for me is the handling differences of the 2. I do have the RV.org discs coming and am planning to test drive each of these this weekend and would love to hear your thoughts and experiences. Big Class C or small Class A?

Al Todalen
Spokane,WA

[atodalen]

Would you care to share any thoughts as to which would be your preference and why? We currently have a '95 24' class C and are looking to upgrade. We are primarily weekend recreational campers, typically at Forest Service, State Parks and COE sites. We often sleep 4-6 family members in our little class C. Don't foresee much use for a toad but have a Honda CRV that would be used if ever desired. The GCWR of either unit should handle it. There doesn't seem to be as much difference between GVWR and UVW on the class C (2300 lbs) vs the class A (2900 lbs) as I would have expected. The Sightseer has more holding tank capacity, a big plus. I do believe that we prefer the floorplan of the 31' class C. It has counter space to die for. A big unknown for me is the handling differences of the 2. I do have the RV.org discs coming and am planning to test drive each of these this weekend and would love to hear your thoughts and experiences. Big Class C or small Class A?

Al Todalen
Spokane,WA

[tel999]

Hi
I hope these coments help, as I have never driven an Outlook.
I have a 2007 Sightseer 29R and am over the moon with it. Not only does it have that special Winnebago quality but, it is also great to drive, even in England.
First the quality.
We carried out allof the conversion work ourselves, this included running cables through the chassis and walls to convert from 110V to 240V.Believe me you can tell a lot about a motorhome when you have spent 3 days crawling in it, over it, and through it. 10 out of 10.
As to the driving, well we are in Marbella in Spain at the moment having driven from Bristol in the UK. This is 2000mls and I thoroughly enjoyed every one of them. The performance and handling are first class ( The shocks as standard are Bilstien)and the driving possition perfect (For me).Once you get used to the panoramic view and high seating I am sure you would find it hard to go back to a C class
We are full timing in ours and find the layout perfect, ask my wife.
Hope this helps
regards
tel

[Ron Lichtsinn]

Good morning, Al,

If both meet the same amount of sleeping needs for you, the class A will provide you much more basement storage, and when you reach your destination, will allow you to actually use the cab area by swiveling the front seats, something the Class C cannot offer.

Plus, you'll get a bedroom slide on the 29R.

Whichever way you go, insist on dual pane windows. It's an inexpensive feature that will pay back in the long term.

Good luck in your test drive this weekend!

[lthrnk]

Ron,

Glad to see you checking out the forums. You and your people are a wonderful addition.

[tomsm]

Hi Al! Welcome to the forum!

I'm sure others will comment on the differences that are important to them, so I'll give you my take on what I think is an important consideration - turning radius. Class Cs cannot turn the front wheels as sharply as most class As. I guess this is because the front wheels are closer together. That, coupled with the rather long wheelbase of the 31C, would mean you need a lot more maneuvering than with the 29R. When you drive them, try to find a big parking lot and make a u-turn in each. I think the difference will be significant.

[Bagger97]

We traded up from a 26' class C. The ride difference is unbelievable. The C feels cramped and tiny compared to the picture window view of the A, especially for the DW who no longer must deal with the fire pit known as the passenger foot space. We have no regrets other than buying the C in the first place. I also think your numbers are not correct since the A chassis is rated at 4K lbs. higher than the C and should have lots more CCC.

[becks]

Ditto what Ron Lichtsinn and others stated. We went from class C to class A three years ago and it is a night and day improvement. You wont be at all sorry going with a class A.

[XBoater]

We have had a 29R for a year now (12,000 miles and 80 camping days) and I can compare to my BIL's Jayco 31 Class-C

Plus for A's
I have driven both, the A takes a little bit of time to get used to. After a trip you will never want to sit in a C cockpit again. The visibility is amazing. The tire track (from L-R) is greater in the A giving a stable ride compared with the C. We have driven in sun, rain, snow, high wind, big interstates, winding roads, mountains, and 7-mile bridges all towing our PT Cruiser, my DW and I find it almost relaxing to drive. We have never wished we had something else.
Someone already mentioned turning radius, it is true.
Tankage in greater, Water, Waste, Propane and Fuel.
Basement storage is greater
Interior storage seemed equal
More siting space with swivel captains chairs
Towing capacity is greater

Plus for C
10% better MPG (29R vs Jayco GR31)
If sleeping 4-6 regularly, 2 full size beds. 29R has 3 sleeping areas, but small areas. Not great for family living.
I feel the front axle has a bit better ride. Coil vs Leaf Spring

When looking for our RV we almost went with a C, without looking at an A thinking it was just too big. I am glad we did not. The F-53 chassis is better designed to handle the job than the E-450. The F-53 had bigger axles, tires, brakes, frame rails, wider track and more weight capacity. The 29R on the F-53 is no where near the design limit of the chassis, the 31C is at the maximum limits of the E-450 chassis.

The only big advantage the 31C would have over the 29R is sleeping arrangements, IMHO.

Also remember getting there is just a portion of the vacation, make sure you do not sacrifice too much livability for drive ability.

Good Luck. Have a great test drive.

[Kazoo Tom]

Our first motorhome was a class C. We used it for many years and finally traded two summers ago for our current Winnebago. The "C" was 28' and this one is 32', the difference in usable interior space is significantly better. We not only gained 4' in listed size, but also gained the use of the cockpit area as living space when parked. The difference in handling on the road is also day and night. We will never go back to a class C. It served us well and gave us a good introduction to motorhome travel, but the "A" is ever so much nicer all the way around.

[SinglerM]

My choice would be the Sightseer 29R over the Outlook 31C. I feel the chassis would be an improvement if you chose the Class A. Driving a class A is an improvement as well, it's nice having the panoramic view of the bigger windshield. I have a Class A, prior to purchasing it my wife and I borrowed my parents Class C, a 31 foot model made by four winds. We both felt the view and the ride were much better with a Class A.
When parked, the passenger side captains chair can be used for seating. It's on the same level as the other furniture in the living room. We like this feature also.
You mentioned sleeping up to six people at times, for kids it seems that the cab overhead sleeping area would be an advantage. If not being used by kids often, I feel the sleeper would be wasted space, or a catch-all area for accumulating stuff. But if you have kids that will use the space often, then that would be something to consider.
Someone already mentioned holding tank capacity, I agree. The Class A has an advantage here also.
I would choose the Sightseer.
Have fun shopping for one.

Take care,
Mitch

[becks]

SinglerM...Dont forget the drivers seat can also be turned around to face the living room as well as the passinger seat.

[SinglerM]

Thank you.
For some reason, I never bothered to try. I guess I've always viewed it as only the driver seat.
When I first got it, I was like a kid in a candy store (still am) checking out all of the systems and features.
I've really never bothered to try out the driver seat for living room use.
It's been right under my nose the whole time. Haha.

Take care,
Mitch

[BigRedLancer]

When the DW and I went looking at MHs, we were convinced we wanted a class C. We took the class C on a test drive and it was OK. I told the wife we should test drive a class A and her response what "I don't want to ride around in a bus" We took the drive, just for the heck of it, and she changed her tune. She was blown away at the large front window view. Also, she stand in front of the passenger seat. When we got back from the class C test drive, the salesman told us she was "leaning in" during the drive. I guess the shape of the cab made her feel cramped. Not the case for the class A. When we have visitors in the coach, we rotate the driver and passenger seats for extra seating. The best part is our annual trip to the sea shore. We sit in the coach at night, with both seats rotated out of the way, and look as the moon on the sea and distant light through our front"picture window" Can't do that in a class C.

Cheers and good luck on your final choice!

[ejlcom]

We've had all types of RV's. Our second one, a 32-foot Class C was spacious and we could certainly and easily sleep 6 in it: the bed in the bedroom, the hide-a-bed, and the table-bench seat area. Our 35-foot Class A (next in line) also easily accommodated 6-8 people (8, if there were "little" people = kids). We went to a huge (36-foot) 5th wheel that would sleep an army, then last year we ramped down to our present Winne 29R Class A. We LOVE this 29R...it's comfortable for long trips and handles much better than a Class C (as others on this forum have already stated), and--not even in the same comparison category--is so much further ahead of the handling limitations we had with the big fifth wheel (like, argh...).

HOWEVER, I would not suggest you try to sleep more than 5, if that, people in a 29R. The daveno (yes, it is a daveno, not a full-size bed or hide-a-bed) is very narrow and has a hump on the top side (the side next to the wall). We could not even put our two granddaughters on that daveno together...one slept on it while the other slept on the short table-bench bed. I sincerely doubt that you could sleep 6 in the 29R, unless they are all small children or you want a third person in your queen bed in the bedroom!

I did, however, hit upon a nifty idea as I was pushed to come up with something so our adult son and his wife could travel with us for several days. I discovered that I could open the daveno WITH THE SLIDER IN (closed) and butt it up against the table-bench bed. By putting a foam pad onto the daveno & table-bench beds I could position the sleepers's heads along the wall side of the daveno and their feet on the table-bench bed. In short, the sleepers are positioned 90 degrees from the "normal" position that these small beds would be orientated. Make sense? It actually provides a little larger-than-king size bed... This will work great when we take our three granddaughters on a trip, putting all three in this large bed!

Short of the real lack of room for guests, we believe the 29R is the best-yet RV that we have had in the many years we've been RV'ing via the five RV's that we have purchased.

[atodalen]

Wow, what an awesome group! I am overwhelmed with each and every well thought out response to my original query. I would like to thank you for taking the time to share your experiences and expertise. You have a tremondous collective wealth of knowledge here and I thank you all for being so willing to take the time to share it. Needless to say, I am now hopelessly biased toward the Sightseer. I'll be sure to let you know the outcome and you can be sure that I'll be checking in from time to time with additional questions.

Many thanks,
Al Todalen
Spokane, WA

[Tom N]

I agree with all and would chose the 29R class A but the chassis on the class C 31C will be much easily to get serviced. A class C chassis is serviceable by any GM or Ford dealer.

A Workhorse or Ford class A chassis can be troublesome finding service and many chassis parts are specific to the class A chassis.

-Tom

[XBoater]

As to any dealer being able to work on a C-Class, I think you will find most dealers are unable to handle a 30 ft + vehicle in their work bays. My local dealer is limited to 25'. Ford is very helpful at finding a commercial dealer for service though.

[atodalen]

We test drove the Sightseer 29R Saturday. What an agile unit it is. Made an offer without even trying the Outlook 31C. Frame considerations, agility, seating arrangements, fresh and holding tank capacities were a few of the deciding factors. My wife much preferred the galley and sleeping areas in the Outlook so hopefully she will come to appreciate our choice in the end. It's not a done deal yet, though. There are some warranty issues to deal with on the unit and it must pass my PDI prior to accepting it. They also must accept my trade at the agreed upon price to finalize the sale.

Thank you all for the words of wisdom and opinions. They were very helpful to us.

More to come as the story unfolds.

Al Todalen
Spokane,WA.

[TXiceman]

Make sure that the dealer understands that the money will not change hands and the RV will not leave his lot until all items are 100% to your satisfaction. Make sure that they demonstrate the operation of every system on the RV.

Ken