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RV2015 · 02-21-2015, 10:35 AM

First of I am a newbie never owned a MH, gasser or DP. So I have more questions then my 5 year old grandson.
Currently corresponding with the owner of a 2006 Damon Astoria 3679 300hp/650tq Cummins diesel on a Freightliner raised rail chassis, 25K miles asking $64,900.
Floor plan looks good, rig appears to have been well taken care of.
Does the manufacturer still support this unit?
Not to insult anyone but should I even be looking at a Damon?
Any input good,bad ugly appreciated. Being a newbie I don't want to make an expensive rookie mistake...
Thanks

Scarab0088 · 02-21-2015, 11:08 AM

Damon was a VERY good and popular mid-market maker for many years.
The RV's made by Damon in that period (pre-2008 market crash) are most usually very well made with commonly available systems (easy to repair/replace) and few one-off parts - but even then (like windshields) are available because of the large number of Damon's made.

Damon was acquired by Thor RV before the market crash, so it weathered the financial storm when many other brands went out of business.

In 2010, Damon, FourWinds, and Manadalay Luxury Coach were all re-badged by Thor RV into Thor Motor Coach. The Astoria model floor plans were merged into other model lines and that model line name ended.

Owner info is here: Motorhome Owners Links | Thor Motor Coach

What I have found with our 2007 Damon is that little factory support is needed at this point. Any systems that need attention have retail direct support (chassis, jacks, electronics, furniture, etc.). TMC is very good about answering questions, but like many motorhome makers they do not have retail direct sales and will refer owners to their sales/service network. If work is needed, it is very important to find a sales/service shop that you can trust...some have very bad Customer Service and some are so overloaded by the current RV market growth that they are overwhelmed.

The Astoria's I have seen are very nice RV's, but due to time passed, a good inspection is very important to avoid any problems.

Best luck

Mac99 · 02-28-2015, 03:29 PM

Damon, (Thor), like most every other brand assembles the coach with
components made by other manufacturers. The only thing they
make is the coach structure from steel, aluminum and fiberglass.
They are as good as any of the other assembly line coaches. Your
main concern should be proof of proper, regular maintenance.
You should take it to a qualified chassis maintenance facility, get
under the unit and see what is going on, and gather info on
establishing a base line of preventative maintenance on all
the chassis systems. After that, you will have the usual issues
with the coach systems and functions, which are easily solved.
There is an unknown when you buy used anything.... many of
us think that the layout and functionality of the coach,
along with how it looks, are also very important.

denlock · 02-28-2015, 04:26 PM

We used to have an '06 Astoria PE 3579 and loved it. Yes, there were a few issues, but you will have that with any manufactures units. These are complex machines. The only reason we got rid of it is because we wanted something bigger. Whenever I contacted Damon, they were very helpful in getting my concern answered and resolved in a timely manor.

Plastx · 03-03-2015, 10:21 PM

We own a 2006 Damon Astoria, which we bought used about 2-3 years ago, our first, and to date, only RV. We have used the h*** out of it. During the first year we had some changes in mind that we wanted to make- first, take out the carpet in the main cabin and install sheet vinyl, then install a new roof to fix damage caused by stupidity- owner defect (me), not a manufacturers defect..

Along with several other smaller issue, normal for a coach.

We decided to make an appointment to have Thor do the work as the manufacturer rather than one of the RV dealers in the area. As it was winter we didn't have any need for the RV so no time pressures to put on them. I would say that we were very happy with the quality of the work that they did on our coach. Although we spent a lot of money, I don't think we would have spent less elsewhere, and could have spent more. So, yes, Thor did support us as the customer down the line in our ownership of our Damon RV.

What you will get with a Damon Astoria is a mid-level coach for a good value price point. When we can afford an upgrade, it won't be because we don't like our Astoria, it will be because we are willing to spend a (lot) more money for a higher build quality and newer coach, recognizing that I will be spending 3-4 times the amount I have paid for my Astoria.......