MH ease of driving for 72 year old mother?

[ThothTP]

I am a first time RV'er looking to purchase a motorhome for my family to use during the summer months, and for my retired mother to use during the winter. My use case would be going to horse shows and races (our hobbies) as well as vacations to state parks, campgrounds, etc. Her use case would be driving from Western NY down to Florida to her second home by herself, and then short trips around Florida over the winter with friends.

Right now we are looking at a number of options, everything from a Mercedes based small C, to a midsize e-450 based C, to some of the small to mid range 30ish foot gas As, and even some older smaller end DPs.

All these options will function for the base use case, but are obviously very different. The e450 Cs will allow me to tow more. The Sprinters are really maneuverable, the As have the most room, etc.

My biggest question is, what are they like to drive? I am used to big trucks and rigs (our gooseneck horse trailer, etc) but my Mother is not. We rented a small cruise america C she got to drive for a bit, and did fine, but otherwise this would all be new to her. She is a very good car driver, but did have some issues when she had a boat recently (grounded the propeller a couple times, had trouble docking, etc) Just how difficult are these to manage for a retired 72 year old driving alone?

I know the sprinters are most maneuverable and most car like, with the short wheelbase, small turning radius, etc. How does that really compare to a 27ish foot C for driving down the highway comfortably? How much harder are they really? Then same for the A's, are the A's harder than the Cs or easier? How much harder are they than the Sprinters?

I know this is a pretty wide open question, but I am looking for what people have experienced with different styles, and how difficult they really are to drive relative to each other. Specifically, some of our top options we have been looking at right now are an Entegra Qwest B+, Jayco Greyhawk/Entegra Odyssey Cs in the 27ish range, and a Jayco Precept 31u with the 22.5 tires.

[Grumpy]

Impossible to answer. It all boils down to individual skill and comfort level.

[DocBrown]

Rent something similar to what you are looking at, just overnight, so she can try it out.

[wiscampsin]

Class A's, even the shorter ones, are a totally different driving experience because of the placement of the front (steering) wheels in relation to where the driver is seated compared to class B and C motor homes. IMHO a class B or C would be a more familiar driving experience. I'm not saying your mom couldn't do it, but it is a learning experience.

[ThothTP]

Originally Posted by wiscampsin

Class A's, even the shorter ones, are a totally different driving experience because of the placement of the front (steering) wheels in relation to where the driver is seated compared to class B and C motor homes. IMHO a class B or C would be a more familiar driving experience. I'm not saying your mom couldn't do it, but it is a learning experience.

That makes sense. I am less worried about her learning that it is different, and more about it being difficult once learned - i.e. moves all over the highway taxing her reflexes, or impossible to manage moving around in tight quarters without hitting things. How different are those between the classes?

[poohbear]

We almost bought a new Jayco on the Mercedes chasiss and these are very easy to both of us to drive. No comparison to the Winnebago A we once had. We are both in our seventies. Only thing is these , imho, are two person/occasional 3 size mh's.
If Mom isn't going to have a toad or doesn't have a car in Florida then the Mercedes is the winner hands down due to size & manueverabilty. My DW was even thinking getting rid of her car & just using the MH as her daily driver. She has had a crewcab dually as her car and could put our A in places I would have just parked somewhere else.