New Entegra Insignia vs. Aspire

[rvguy02]

I'm close to making a commitment to purchase a 2011 Insignia (40') and wanted to ask the opinion of other Entegra owners about the pros and cons of saving the money on the Insignia vs. moving "up" to the same floorplan in the Aspire. I know the Aspire has the beefier engine and chassis and a few other nice features (Hydro-hot, etc...), however the Insignia will save me $30k or more. It's primarily my wife and I traveling, although our grown daughters join us from time to time.

Is the Freightliner chassis and the 360hp engine enough to comfortably get over mountain passes with a toad? We won't travel frequently out west, but we don't want to fear it either.

If we do this, it's going to be purchased this week and driven 1800 miles to Florida on our vacation. I'm both excited and a bit nervous taking a brand new coach on a long drive, but I'm sure I'll quickly warm up to a DP after 10 years of driving a gasser! Assuming no major bugs on this coach, I'm sure we'd be fine on the trip!

Any comments or suggestions would be greatly appreciated! Coming from a 10 year old W-22 gas motorhome, I'm sure either the Insignia or Aspire will be a HUGE step up!

Thanks.

Stuart
2001 NRV Dolphin 5355 (for now...)

[Bee950]

I can only comment about the Aspire since I have not driven the Insignia. I wanted the bigger engine and chassis because I use it for towing a heavy trailer.

That being said, the Aspire with the 400HP Cummins will move as fast as you want to go. You wont win any drag races in a DP, but you shouldnt have any problems getting a speeding ticket in the Insignia. The torque of the diesel will carry you just fine. I pass a lot of other coaches on the road

$30K will buy a LOT of fuel.......

Post pictures when you get it!

[rvguy02]

Good points indeed! The newer Aspires come with a 450 hp now! That's overkill I'm sure, since we'll never be towing anything too heavy other than a mid-sized S.U.V.

Overall, it sounds like Entegra owners are a happy bunch of people! The Tiffin owners have divided into the love/hate categories... That scares me! I don't want to spend weeks in Red Bay waiting for repairs - even if they are polite and helpful. I've been to Red Bay to see the factory, but 24 hours in town was enough.

[Bee950]

Let me put it this way...

A salesman at the local RV dealership that sells a lot of brand W, Jayco, and a bunch of coaches OTHER than Entegra, had an Entegra brochure in his desk that he keeps for motivation. Its what he wanted when he retired. He toured the Entegra factory and his mind was made up.

Entegra Isnt immune from problems, but they have taken care of them to the point that I have no complaints.

[rvguy02]

Unfortunately on a complicated thing like a DP things will go wrong. Even 747s have problems, so I guess we can't expect miracles. Having said that, the Entegra plant is about two hours from my home vs. Red Bay is a 1.5 day drive! I've also heard the wait to get work done at Entegra is short and scheduled vs. waiting until they get to you.

If we buy the Insignia this week all I care about is 99% works as promised so we can have a safe and enjoyable trip to Disneyworld! The thought of going to Fort Wilderness in a brand new 40' Entegra DP is very nice to consider! My gas coach has made the trip 10 straight years... I think it's time for her to retire...

[Thunder1]

Rvguy02, we just bought our like new 2008 Hurricane 34N, went to look at the Entegra's in Ft.Worth , Tx.,now I can't look at another coach. I really like the Anthem, but the Aspire comes close, and is cheaper. Just wish we could find a really good used Entegra or Travel Supreme. I'm sure you are making a good choice, based on the reading I have done. Enjoy.
Doug

[La-Z-Boy]

My DP will win some drag races... HEE HEE HEE'

Seriously, I have a 40' Tiffin 08' Phaeton 360 HP(I'm 30 min from Red Bay) and a 45' Travel Supreme 07' Ltd Select 600HP. I really like the power and added weight. The Tiffin is for sale. No one ever buys a MH and looks back and says, "We should have gotten the less expensive one!"

Good luck to you...

[turbo24]

Quote:

Originally Posted by rvguy02 I'm close to making a commitment to purchase a 2011 Insignia (40') and wanted to ask the opinion of other Entegra owners about the pros and cons of saving the money on the Insignia vs. moving "up" to the same floorplan in the Aspire. I know the Aspire has the beefier engine and chassis and a few other nice features (Hydro-hot, etc...), however the Insignia will save me $30k or more. It's primarily my wife and I traveling, although our grown daughters join us from time to time. Is the Freightliner chassis and the 360hp engine enough to comfortably get over mountain passes with a toad? We won't travel frequently out west, but we don't want to fear it either. If we do this, it's going to be purchased this week and driven 1800 miles to Florida on our vacation. I'm both excited and a bit nervous taking a brand new coach on a long drive, but I'm sure I'll quickly warm up to a DP after 10 years of driving a gasser! Assuming no major bugs on this coach, I'm sure we'd be fine on the trip! Any comments or suggestions would be greatly appreciated! Coming from a 10 year old W-22 gas motorhome, I'm sure either the Insignia or Aspire will be a HUGE step up! Thanks. Stuart 2001 NRV Dolphin 5355 (for now...)

I have gone up the ladder from a entry Newmar DP, to2005 38' Insignia, to a K3 Limited. if you can afford it go with the Spartan heavier chassis with the Hydro Hot!

[rvguy02]

Sure... spend my money for me - ! We're talking to Entegra's factory guy shortly to discuss these issues. The Aspire is tempting, but $30k+ is a lot of money when we're paying down our daughter's college loans. I think we need to think long-term as well - how will the 360hp hold up 5-10 years from now vs. going with a Spartan chassis and the 450hp?

[Ann n Gene]

If you are thinking long term, accept nothing less than the Spartan Chasis and the Anthem with the IFS, yes I know it is a lot of money but the long term will make you very glad you spent the extra up front. All just my opinion and I am prejudgedised (SP) because I own an Athem. We looked long and hard and tried to justify the cheaper Aspire, but in the end it was no contest, in our opinion the Anthem is worth it for the IFS, diesel Aqua Hot and other goodies. REALLY no contest with the freight liner chassis imho. All just my opinion. Good luck on your decision.

[rvguy02]

Thanks for your thoughts... The Anthem is just not feasible for us at this time in our lives. The Aspire is getting very close to a reality with some very aggressive pricing from RVDirect.

What kind of discounts are people getting from these dealers? It looks like 30% and more is very doable right now. Tiffin dealers might give you 25% if you beg enough! Right now the Aspire is awfully close to the 2011 Insignia in monthly payments (less than $50/month difference!). For $50/month more for the Aspire it's hard to justify the Insignia.

The crazy fun will begin when two dealers fight to sell us the Aspire. That will probably start in the morning. It's a buyer's market right now...

[Ann n Gene]

The Aspire is an incredible coach, you will love it and it is sure worth the difference over the Insiginia which has been discontinued for 2012. The big differences are the IFS and the Propane Aqua Hot vs the Diesel Aqua Hot, both nice but not deal breakers, imho. Otherwise you will be hard pressed to tell the difference. With the propane you loose some storage underneath but the Aqua Hot is the important part and you will still have that. The IFS is nice for sure but again, imho not a deal breaker. The discounts were actually higher early in the fall, some up to 34% off but as the Entegra is in high demand and they are still not building a lot of them discounts have come down some. However, that being said, I think you can still get close to 30% on a cash no trade deal. Go for it, I know you will love the Aspire, you have to draw the line somewhere and I do appreciate that for sure. Good Luck.

[RVNeophytes2]

Quote:

Originally Posted by rvguy02 I'm close to making a commitment to purchase a 2011 Insignia (40') and wanted to ask the opinion of other Entegra owners about the pros and cons ...

We were looking at the Aspire, but the Fort Worth dealer denied us the opportunity to do a test-drive until we'd made a commitment to buy it. Rather than take the risk, we opted to look elsewhere.

We liked the layout, were concerned about some minor QC aspects in the house portion of the rig. I loved the basement storage in the Aspire.

Were it me, I'd definitely spend the money for the Aspire. The rig is two tons heavier than ours, and we have just enough torque and power to keep 55 mph or so on all but the steepest grades with our Caterpillar 350 hp C7.

[rvguy02]

Yes, we are getting some high-pressure tactics as well. I don't respond well to that and have told them as much. Earn my business and behave and you might just get the order. Aggressive sales style turns me off - as I'm sure it does to everyone else. If you're happy with your coach, that's all that matters.

When it comes to buying a motorhome, we'd all have to have our heads examined. Lets see... immediate 25-30% depreciation, inevitable QC issues, expensive fuel, never enough time to enjoy them, etc... BUT we all LOVE the lifestyle! My wife and I agreed we do not want to give up the lifestyle, so here we are - about to spend a ton of money. Oh well, you can't take it with you! I'm sure we'll be very happy with either of these two coaches.