Community Forums

MetalGator · 01-25-2017, 11:55 AM

The wife and I attended the Tampa RV show this past weekend. We really liked the Miramar 35.3. We went to the show to look at the Hurricane 35M but the Miramar 35.3 is exactly the same floorplan. I liked the increased storage over the Hurricane and the fit and finish seemed better. The model we looked at had the full body paint which I REALLLY liked. The sales person said that the Miramars had the MORryde suspension with blistein shocks and front and rear anti-sway bars. Is this the case? I haven't found any mention of the upgraded suspension in the Miramar brochures. Just curious to hear from other Miramar owners on how they like their motorhomes.

Burch

Moonless · 01-26-2017, 03:14 PM

I bought my 2015 Miramar a few years back brand new and absolutely love it. Tons of storage and we love the floor plan and use the outside kitchen all the time. We use it all summer and have driven across country and have close to 8,000 miles on it with no issues at all. Like any other new motorhomes they all have little issues but nothing I couldn't fix myself. I also looked at tons of different gas models for a few years and then when I finally met the THOR Miramar I knew it was the one I wanted. I actually ordered it from a company a few miles from the factory in Elkhart and went and picked it up after it was built to my specs and drove it back to Boston.

Beau388 · 01-26-2017, 07:33 PM

Lippert Industries modifies the Detroit Chassis LLC (often called Ford) to Thor's specification, but to my knowledge the suspension is not modified. I visited the factory in Wakarusa in 2015 and 2016. The chassis is lengthened and fitted risers and hangers for the basement compartments. Rubber isolation strips are added to the steel rails under the structural floor. See <https://thormotorcoach.com/miramar/#RV-Gallery> fro more information.

MetalGator · 01-27-2017, 07:06 AM

I found a 2015 Miramar brochure that mentions they have blistein shocks but I didn't see this mentioned in the 2017 brochure. Except for the few they had at the RV show, I have not found any Miramars in inventory in any of the dealers near me. I want to see how the inside looks when the slides are in. On some model RVs, with the slides in you can't get to the kitchen or bathroom which is a show stopper for me. I can't put my slides out on my current TT at my storage lot so being able to pack up the fridge before we go on a trip is important.

Burch

Beau388 · 01-28-2017, 09:40 AM

All Thor gas coaches that do not have opposing slides are usable with the slides in. You can not use the sofa's fold-out queen size bed unless the slide is out. Also you cannot get to the far side of the bed in the bedroom with the slide in; however, the bed is accessible from the near side. Of course the overhead bed is accessible in all configurations.

Scarab0088 · 01-28-2017, 10:22 AM

The Miramar is a design step above Hurricane with higher frame risers which equals larger bins and a smaller doghouse.

The Miramars (6 floor plans) start at 35'10" in length vs. the Hurricanes (8 floor plans) starting 30'8". The price point will also show the differences.

As said above, MorRyde (a Lippert company) only modifies the Ford F53 chassis (by Detroit Chassis on contract to Ford). The MorRyde modification is the outrigging for the floor and longer tail sections as needed. The shocks, sway bars and such are from the chassis factory...and are the object of easy owner upgrades.

Best luck

JD11 · 01-30-2017, 01:28 PM

We have a 2016 Miramar. Bought it new, love the floor plan, love the way it rides and performs generally. On great roads it's a dream to drive and on crappy roads, well you know quickly you're on a bad road. That has everything to do with the Ford chassis.

Thor has been very good about taking care of the relatively minor first year work out problems under warranty.

When I read some of the posts from owners of other RVs, I am sometimes surprised because I simply don't have those problems with this RV. Therefore the only performance modifications I'm thinking of are sumo's and Banks.

From what I've gathered on these forums, the sumo's will help with those jarring potholes, rough expansion joints, and frost heaves. They are not a perfect solution but I think will help reduce the impact felt in the coach of those crappy roads.

As for Banks, I want a bit more power when accelerating and going up hills because I tow a Ford Explorer.

All the best.

MetalGator · 01-30-2017, 01:42 PM

JD11

Thank you for your thoughts. I guess I have been lucky as well. My current travel trailer is 5 1/2 years old and it has never been back to the dealer. We purchased at Lazy Days and we stayed in the trailer there on the lot the first night. We were able to try out everything and they fixed just a couple of small issues before we took possession.

I am thinking the Miramar 35.3 is the one for us. We had really looked hard at the Newmar Baystar 3401 but once we looked at the 35.3, the wife didn't like any of the other models as much as the Miramar. Unfortunately, there are only a couple of Miramars near me and none of the dealerships in Florida have the 35.3. I guess I will have to wait until the dealerships get more inventory. My guess is we will probably order one since we want to get exactly the options we want but I'd like to check out the model in person one more time before we start the negotiations. They had a good price on the show model and said they wouldn't be able to sell it that cheap once the show was over but I find that hard to believe.

Moonless · 01-31-2017, 09:54 AM

If you're adventurous like I was, check into TotalvalueRV right in Elkhart 5 miles from the factory. Treated me awesome and gave me a super deal on my Miramar. Rented a car and drove from Boston and picked her up and drove it home after spending the night there (the have a place to hook up right on site). It was well worth the trip and will do it again for my next RV for sure. Like you, I ordered mine with all the options and had to wait a few months for it.

Scarab0088 · 01-31-2017, 10:57 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Moonless

If you're adventurous like I was, check into TotalvalueRV right in Elkhart 5 miles from the factory....It was well worth the trip and will do it again for my next RV for sure. Like you, I ordered mine with all the options and had to wait a few months for it.

This (Total Value*) is generally accepted as the only way to get close to what the smaller builders offer with "factory pick-up."

The difference, of course is that Total Value is not part of the Factory staff. All retails sales (as far as I know) require a state certified sales staff. TMC just doesn't do that internally as another of the many ways they are able to offer a price point in a RV that is as good or better then the boutique brands.

And the big perk (to us) is the low delivery miles on the odometer...I know I would be more gentle during those early miles than a delivery driver.

*We are not affiliated with Total Value.

Best luck

JD11 · 02-06-2017, 05:20 AM

Thinking back I was amazed at how General RV IL treated us. We did complete the purchase from them but it could have gone better. Short story follows on our purchase experience, hoping you press to get what you want at the price you want.

While we were still looking, a Miramar on the lot that we drove and expressed strong interest in was send to their Michigan location. A bit irritating but we pressed on.

I found two other Miramar's in the colors we wanted in Idaho and Texas, and was prepared to pay for a 3rd party inspection and get on a plane. My wife and I knew what we wanted and we knew the "street" prices.

The sales guy at General RV, Mike was great to work with and he did help us find exactly what we wanted but his management just didn't get it. I would have been happy to have pulled financing from them and get the extended warranty but they just couldn't pull the deal together on the terms I liked. I had to give them the websites with the two others dealers for them to check themselves and start to be reasonable on price. I got a much better interest rate thru Costco/Bank of the West.

To their credit, they did honor the price quoted for the original RV but they were shocked when I showed up with my own financing and didn't want their extended warranty. I did get an extended warranty (for peace of mind) elsewhere. Again, General apparently didn't listen to what I said when I sat down about how I wanted the deal to come together.

I now take the RV to a local Ford dealer for chassis services and another RV dealer for coach service.

Final note: they did a nice job on the PDI, but in hindsight I should have done more of it myself, not just a "walk thru."

Good luck on this - definitely go into the dealer well armed with info and alternatives to buying from them.....

MetalGator · 02-06-2017, 08:57 AM

The wife and I went and looked at a leftover from the RV show. I guess the sell fell through and it was back on the dealer lot. We spent quite a bit of time going through the coach and we really like the floor plan. The one on the lot has the dark colored cabinets which makes the inside very dark. The sales person said we could order one if we didn't like the unit on the lot. So we go inside and start playing the numbers game. The price he came back with was pretty good (almost 32% off MSRP). They are trying to locate one with the colors we want. He initially said we could order one for the same price but the general manager said if we ordered it would cost another $3K. I'm not sure why it would cost more but even with that the price is a little over 30% off MSRP. They are supposed to call me in the next couple of days to let me know if they are able to locate one. I was able to get 28% off MSRP when I purchased my current TT. They didn't offer much for trade in so I'll have to sell the trailer privately if we decide to purchase.

MetalGator · 02-07-2017, 07:29 AM

Thor is not taking orders for 2017 models now so if we order it will be a 2018 model. The sales person sent me a printout that showed the changes between the 2017 and 2018 models. The floor plans are the same but they no longer install gas stoves/ovens in the 2018 models. They have replaced with convection microwave and induction stovetop. The wife really likes cooking on gas so this might be a showstopper. Some of the other changes were 2" higher ceilings. Not sure where the extra 2 inches come from (is coach 2" taller or did they take 2" from the basement storage). They also removed the Rapid Camp (the remote for slides, awning, etc) and replaced with Firefly Multiplex wiring control system. Anyone know what this is? They did replace the dash center control with a Axerra 10" radio, monitor w/Navigation. The 2017 did not have the navigation so this is a plus. I would just hate to order a new model when I have not seen one in person. I have seen several 2017 models so I know what to expect. The 2018 also changed the outside colors. I know sometimes seeing a brochure with the colors and then seeing one in person can look much different. Decisions Decisions.......

Scarab0088 · 02-07-2017, 08:57 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MetalGator

Thor is not taking orders for 2017 models now so if we order it will be a 2018 model....
They also removed the Rapid Camp (the remote for slides, awning, etc) and replaced with Firefly Multiplex wiring control system. Anyone know what this is?
Decisions Decisions.......

Multi-plex wiring would replace most of the standard switching for a modular system (more control points and fancy control panels):
http://www.fireflyint.com/firefly-system.html

It's already shown on some of TMC's product videos.

Best luck