After a lot of discussion and web searches, Tom and I bought a new Coachman Leprechaun Class C motorhome.  I didn’t want to bury the lead and leave you in suspense any longer.

We decided on the Coachman Leprechaun for several reasons.  First, we wanted a motorhome so we could travel quickly without towing a car.  Tom is an expert at towing our 5th wheel but he was tired of driving something so big and unwieldy.  We had a 40 point checklist we went through every time we moved the 5th wheel.  Tom has wonderful memories of driving the rented Class C motorhome from our big trip out west in 2006.  It was 29 feet long and he drove that thing everywhere for 40 days.  So we wanted something shorter than 30 feet.

We chose a Class C over a Class A because we wanted two distinct sleeping areas.  We are hoping to talk family and friends into taking some shorter trips with us, so a bedroom in the back and a bunk over cab in the front make sense.

The Coachman Leprechaun was a default choice.  Our first choice was a Winnebago Minnie Winnie.  The right layout, the right size, and (relatively) well made.  But there was only one Minnie Winnie for sale in Ohio and it was in Akron.  We wanted to buy an RV from someplace closer to our new home.

The layout of the Coachman Leprechaun is similar to the Minnie Winnie.  Even better, there was one available in the right size at RCD RV Supercenter five miles from the campground where we were staying, and 10 miles from our house.  We looked at one that was 27 feet and a nicer one that was 31 feet.  We thought we would prefer the extra length, but after thinking about it, went with the shorter one.  All Class Cs are built on a van frame, and the longer ones can get overloaded.  We are tired of worrying about weight with our 5th wheel and didn’t want the hassle of a longer motorhome.

The cost of the new Coachman Leprechaun was about the same as the trade-in RCD gave us on the used truck and 5th wheel.  We basically just paid the tax on the Coachman.  So it was a pretty even trade and now we have a new, shorter, more nimble RV for traveling and volunteering.  RCD was great to work with and didn’t pressure us or try to get us to buy more than we wanted.

We are looking forward to taking the new RV out on the road, hopefully this month.  And, when we get a few thousand dollars just lying around, I am going to change the name!