What do Class A, B and C mean? Do they refer to weight, length, street legality or what? Are there other classes?
Alright. I can see on ebay that the Classes are structurally different. The Class B are vans which have been converted into RVs. Class C models look like trucks with truck fronts. Class C have the cab and engine as part of the structure instead of sticking out.
What other differences are there though? Are the class A higher quality than Class A or is it just appearance and where the engine is? In the Class A the engine is under the cab in the Class C the engine is in front of the cab.
Your question refers to a subset of rv’s (moterhomes). Don’t know about the quality diffs between classes. I’d say that has more to do with manufacturer than configuration. I believe the Class ‘B’ refers to the converted/enlarged van type (usually not nearly as large as a class ‘C’). No idea as to the etymology of the terms (but I’ve always wondered).
You’ll probably find lots more info here. Note that they seem to split RVs into several more classes (they refer to the class 'B’s as Van-Conversions).
We’ve owned several RVs, but never a moterhome. We tried one out by renting it, and found it was a PITA unless you towed a small car behind it (you’re basically stuck when you hook up at a campground). If you’re interested here is what we ended up choosing.
Pullin
Class A motorhomes are the bus-type vehicles in appearance. Many of them have diesel ‘pusher’ engines, with a (current) maximum length of 42’. There is even a manufacturer that makes an amphibious model. The costs for Class A motorhomes can be significantly higher than Class C or Class B motorhomes, with the amphibious model noted above going for about $850,000.
Class C motorhomes consist of a truck chassis such as a Ford E450, combined with a coach from a motorhome manufacturer such as Bigfoot morphed onto the rear end. A Class C coach normally has a cab-over feature. They generally don’t exceed about 30-32’ in length. Mine is a 27’ with a Ford chassis and a V-10 gas-powered engine, and I paid about $75,000 for it.
As with any vehicle or product, quality varies wildly among models and manufacturers. People tend to think that they are all just similar boxes on wheels, but some models are downright dangerous to drive because of the weight ratios.
The class designation, as far as I know, just refers to the style of vehicle as noted above.
Also, see this site for some definitions.