There pushers I’ve seen do seem quite rugged (and priced accordingly) but most other motorhomes seem a bit flimsy. My parents had endless problems with their older Tioga. It eventually was leaking all along one side of thy roof where it was starting to fall apart. I find them van-based rigs sturdier as they have a sturdy chassis. I wish the Sprinters were more reliable as they are very spacious and can accommodate such a variety of configurations. I’m hoping Roadtrek starts offering similar options in a Transit-based model. Now I just need to convince my partner it’s what he has always wanted.
Roadtrek uses the Chevy Express as a basis for 4 models with the Sprinter (at least for now) being the basis for the rest of the line. Ranger RT up to the 210 Popular. Looks like Winnebago/Itasca are offering one class c based on the Ram Promaster.
I find them van-based rigs sturdier as they have a sturdy chassis.
Unfortunately it’s just the opposite. By the time you get all the RV stuff built on the van chassis, you’re often left with less than 500 pounds before you hit your maximum weight. 500 pounds sounds like a lot, but clothes and food weigh a lot. The larger class C’s are overloaded every time they’re on a trip, guaranteed.
The max allowable weight for the class A’s is much higher, so you don’t overload it just because you decided not to be a nudist this trip. 
Most if not all Tiogas have a rubber roof. You pull it into a campground, snag the roof on a tree, and then the leaking starts. You always want a fiberglass roof - it’s much more durable and less prone to leaks. If you must get a class C, I always recommend Winnebago - they use metal frames for the house structure instead of wood, and fiberglass for the roof.
Converting a vehicle into a full featured motorhome is difficult. The systems and features in our long gone class C motorhomes included water supply, gas water heater, toilet, sinks, showers, gray and black water tanks, fresh water tank, gas/electric reefer, gas stove, propane tank, 12 volt lighting wiring, 120 volt wiring, motorhome battery and charger/12 volt supply, dash and roof air conditioners and gas furnace. All of these made it like a home away from home. You might best buy a used class C with most systems working as intended with intentions to repair later. You can live without some of them if you must.
After owning two class C motorhomes, the first was used to get our feet wet and the second, brand new as we decided that we liked the lifestyle. The overall cost was similar at the time to simply staying in motels but then you don’t get to meet what we found were many nice people in campgrounds also living like us. Bringing a pet along is not a problem in campgrounds except I recall no dog permitted in a New York state campground many years ago.
You can save some money by staying in truck stops overnight and at highway rest stops for a few hours at a time. Buy some gasoline/diesel at a truck stop as a courtesy. It is desirable to have a vehicle that does not make you look like you are trash people. A class C is certainly ugly but making that a deciding factor against buying one will deprive you of its positive features. You can take all of your stuff along with little regard to space needed.
While traveling we could switch drivers so one could walk around in the back to stretch a little, take a nap on the bed, fix a snack or a drink, go to the toilet etc. to take a break so that we could drive continuously if need be. In my view there is no more comfortable and safer way to travel over land. On a two lane you can see oncoming auto traffic moving over to make room for you.
Stuff is always breaking on these things including roof leaks so if you are not handy or don’t care to repair things then a motorhome may not be suitable or a simple, small one with few features might be better.
Our motorhomes were small enough (approx 26 feet long) so that we could use them as a car at our destinations. I could park one almost anywhere.