Community Forums

THenman · 02-25-2018, 02:07 PM

We have a 16 Tradition a notch below the Eagle.
First when we looked and bought new AC was not the same as any other product in the Rev. group but was the high end line unlike an earlier comment from someone.

We have been happy with our coach. Has it had problems? YES, but that seems to be the norm for all makes. Worst problem was a front A pillar with bad weld. REV discovered and fixed the problem while possibly dealing with a related problem we had found. Also the half bath had to be redone due to water leak. Both were fixed without any problem under warranty.

I can tell you there are a number of things I have found on the coach over time that I appreciate. Some are quite simple like neat and labeled plumbing others are just things that make living in the coach easier. There are other things that make me just go [moderator edit]? Like the couch that makes into a queen and the one that is a jack-knife can not both be opened at same time. Still all in all we like the coach.

Coach has a ton of storage both inside and in bays. It also has very large margin from travel weight for us to GVW.

Buying a used coach just be sure to get things checked out. Remember on any used coach no matter the brand there can be unseen problems waiting to crop up. Also get service records if you can. The bridge structure REV uses is a bigger plus than I had thought prior to buying as I did not realize just how bad roads are esp. driving a large vehicle.

All said I would not worry about American Coach or Newmar on a relative basis. I did not look at Tiffin due to factory location but have heard good things about them. Entegra I was not thrilled with but some folks seem to love them.

Tom

BattleWagon · 02-26-2018, 06:54 AM

Thanks for the input. I do like the heavy duty chassis. Anybody else have input on the value of that feature?

Green D · 02-26-2018, 07:35 AM

I think A/C has as good a Chassis as anyone. Mine is built like a tank compared to the last one I had.
Some brands have had sidewalls cracking, roof rails cracking, windshields coming out of the frame.
Knock on wood no problems for me like that. Once again a Happy A/C owner.

tropical36 · 02-26-2018, 08:17 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Green D

I think A/C has as good a Chassis as anyone. Mine is built like a tank compared to the last one I had.
Some brands have had sidewalls cracking, roof rails cracking, windshields coming out of the frame.
Knock on wood no problems for me like that. Once again a Happy A/C owner.

Well, that is good to know, as that was another concern with AC going from Spartan to a Freightliner chassis, while the other top contenders stayed or went with Spartan. Even Foretravel, who had been making their own, went with Spartan.
Some others include Newmar's Dutch Star and Entegra. I believe that Tiffen was on a Spartan at one time, but now make their own, so is it a better one, or just a cost saving measure?

Green D · 02-26-2018, 08:29 AM

I was speaking of the Chassis frame that the house structure rides on not so much the clip brand. My AC has a Spartan Chassis (clips) but the only part of the Chassis from Spartan or Freightliner is the front and rear clips. The MH Mfg makes the middle part of the Chassis.

tropical36 · 02-26-2018, 08:54 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Green D

I was speaking of the Chassis frame that the house structure rides on not so much the clip brand. My AC has a Spartan Chassis (clips) but the only part of the Chassis from Spartan or Freightliner is the front and rear clips. The MH Mfg makes the middle part of the Chassis.

Yes, but in actuality, with Fleetwood owning AC at one time and then with Rev group owning them both separately around 2010, they had partnered with Spartan for building this raised rail in between and originally called it, their patented Liberty chassis or LE like mine says on it. Not sure where the Mods and welding took place, before the house was put on or when they went with Freightliner.

JMonroe · 02-26-2018, 09:15 AM

Gordon has the best response, all are respected brands, all will have at least one horror story in the closet.

Our last coach was an AC, loved it, at least after the first year of debugging. Friends bought a new Eagle a few years later and are now embroiled in a law suit trying to get them to buy it back.

Our current Newmar is driving us nuts. No showstoppers so far, but a myriad of smaller issues you just get sick of dealing with. Most Newmar owners we've met have had few issues and most of those would not consider any other brand (I do love the Comfort Drive, no carpet slide, standard floorplan...)

Bottom line, if I were shopping again (don't hold your breath), any of the brands you mentioned would be on my short list.

Green D · 02-26-2018, 09:42 AM

Here is a comparison of my two Coaches being built.
The first pic is the AC Chassis the second a Tiffin Bus.

Blondiega1 · 02-26-2018, 11:06 AM

We love our 2015 American Tradition!
Terrific coach and REV has been great to address any of the minor issues we've experienced.

timjet · 03-01-2018, 10:40 AM

I love our '07 AC Tradition but probably not relevant to the OP's question. Relevant though is REV's AC division customer service - top notch.

NC25T · 03-01-2018, 01:08 PM

Floor plan .. floor plan....

As others stated all makes will be similar in reliability, there are always horror stories just like stories of extremely pleased owners with any brand. They are so complicated stuff can and does happen, most manufacturers seem to be great to deal with when these issues arise. My last coach was a Fleetwood bounder, purchased new and yes it had some issues and Fleetwood was excellent to deal with. Next coach will be a 10yr old revolution le 42n, seems to be the best floor plan for my money and since I am 2 hours from the manufacturer and I was very pleased with how they treated me with my bounder, that’s the direction I am going.

All makes have good and bad vs other brands, always some give and take. Thus I would look more at the floor plan you like best. Since you plan on full timings, being close to the manufacturer isn’t a issue/concern

tropical36 · 03-01-2018, 02:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by NC25T

Floor plan .. floor plan....

As others stated all makes will be similar in reliability, there are always horror stories just like stories of extremely pleased owners with any brand. They are so complicated stuff can and does happen, most manufacturers seem to be great to deal with when these issues arise. My last coach was a Fleetwood bounder, purchased new and yes it had some issues and Fleetwood was excellent to deal with. Next coach will be a 10yr old revolution le 42n, seems to be the best floor plan for my money and since I am 2 hours from the manufacturer and I was very pleased with how they treated me with my bounder, that’s the direction I am going.

All makes have good and bad vs other brands, always some give and take. Thus I would look more at the floor plan you like best. Since you plan on full timings, being close to the manufacturer isn’t a issue/concern

I agree that the floor plan is important and a real deal breaker if not what you're looking for, but we do that last and never go through the entry door firstly, when looking to buy. However, most do just that and go through that door, looking for the WOW factor before looking anywhere else. Just watch them on the Dealer lots and at RV shows and you'll find few discriminating buyers. Just saying that if the quality of engineering isn't there and the numbers aren't right for length, weight, transmission, engine torque and HP ratios, then we proceed no further.
For example, with DP's and if you go to the rear, where I go first and look in the engine compartment of your present coach, you should see a side radiator. Now what's that tell you, in itself, without looking any further and keeping in mind, it's the very last place a manufacture will spend it's money on a profit return?
As a result of this, we really can't afford or at least won't pay the price of a new one and are always forced to drop back in years for meeting our budget.
Don't get me wrong on the looking though... and when at LAZYDAYS, we look at everything, for the education and recreation and probably what many others are doing as well. If in the buying mood, we wouldn't be wasting all that time and with our last purchase, made the offer on the phone, before ever seeing it, for the first time and since we knew what we wanted. With contingencies, upon our inspection, of course.

Cat320 · 03-01-2018, 07:21 PM

We've had two ACs, one on a Spartan and one on a Freightliner. No problems with either one.

NC25T · 03-01-2018, 09:47 PM

Yes floor-land shouldn’t be your first consideration, however I feel it should be towards the top. I always look at the exterior first and depending on what I see walk away or look inside.

My point was at any given price point coaches from various brands should be of similar in quality with trade offs scattered through the coach. One might have superior slide out design while another might have better chassis etc.

I don’t feel if a RV doesn’t have a side radiator it’s inferior or it’s just because the manufacturer needed to pad their pockets more. I think some coaches simply do not need it, just like some coaches work fine with the engine up front. Seems like the 42+ft DP side radiator is the only way... while the smaller DP work fine w/o