Damon vs Tiffin

[onroadagain]

Originally Posted by PeaceOwl

I've never owned anything older than 2012 so not much help, but consider the one that appears to be the best layout for you. It's alot of work investigating each brand, and each year. Some years were better , some not , for all makes? If you can find a RV inspection place to take it to, that may help on the decisions.

Take your time, and realize everyone has been through similar,. remember, Don't let the dealers manipulate a sale. The frustrations can make you pull the trigger just to get it over with.

Milage is the most important if you are going to travel a lot. If you are going to be pretty much in one place I'd consider a fifth wheel where you get more for your money, and much newer. Have it towed to your choice.

I've already had one potential coach inspected so I will not be buying without another inspection. And thank goodness too because I knew nothing about delamination, which this unit had. It's funny you mention the dealer thing because I have one hounding me now. I'm keeping her at arms length because I'm not ready to pull the trigger yet. I ruled fifth wheels out early on. I love their floor plans. But we'll be moving one or two times a month and I don't have a truck. There also hard to back up. Thanks for the suggestions.

[Scarab0088]

Originally Posted by onroadagain

...I need a bunkhouse and in my price point (60k), they're so hard to find...
So what is a good solid coach? Is construction on the majority of them that bad? I like the Winn sightseer but the big drawer on the bottom bunk takes away quite a bit of headspace from my dd. Trust me, I've done tons of research, gone to many rv shows, dealers, etc and the more I learn the more confused I get. The journey I'm about to embark on came with a ton of changes and sacrifices. We sat on the housing market for 8 months and finally sold and downsized from 4400 sq ft to 1200. We're settled, I have the budget and financing ready but the coach I buy needs to sustain my daughters and I for 2-3 yrs at 90% full time. And of course I want the most for my precious money.

About Damon...we have a '07 and it is solid as a rock. No delamination, no water intrusion, no frame issues. Like I said earlier, the time that has passed will be the strongest controlling factor for quality in a search with this price point.

Damon (and now Thor) used vacuum bonding to build the walls, roof and floor systems. Delamination should be rare and driven by climate.

Any brand that used batten insulation will have a greater risk of delamination and the list of brands that used batten stuffed walls includes many brands with "premium" reputations.

The new RV's at shows will offer little in common with the used rigs from 7-10 years ago...but you can get ideas about what you would like to do to improve the one you get.

In-person searching will be the only way to find that perfect RV. We went all the way from SoCal to the Dallas area to find ours. We also found that Winnie and Gulf Stream are very good brands for holding quality...your search might vary.

Be patient and try to learn as much as you can along the way.

Best luck

[desertvince]

The bias, we recently traded for a Tiffin (Phaeton) from a Winnebago. Here is a second hand opinion, I paid attention too. Friend with 25 years experience as an independent consignment (only) dealer recommended Tiffin (for the age and money we were shopping) and recommended against Damon (thought a general lack of quality control).

Don't be in a hurry--unless, you must.

[bronk]

Originally Posted by onroadagain

It's funny you say that because I was just looking at a 2011 close to home. Thinking of throwing the '07 off my plate. It's a bunkhouse. What type of roof does it have? Have you guys had any issues?

It has the TPO material for the roof. This is the new generation for rubberized-material roofs. We have not had any major issues with the coach (bought new) and would buy a Thor product again without hesitation. The Challenger brand has been around for quite some time and has a good reputation as good value for the dollar. E-mail me if you have any further questions.

Bronk

[Mr_D]

Originally Posted by Scarab0088

Damon (and now Thor) used vacuum bonding to build the walls, roof and floor systems. Delamination should be rare and driven by climate.

Any brand that used batten insulation will have a greater risk of delamination and the list of brands that used batten stuffed walls includes many brands with "premium" reputations.

Don't know where you got that misinformation but it's not true. Since a hung wall is not laminated it's impossible for it to delaminate. Delamination is usually caused by water intrusion and not climate.

[Scarab0088]

Originally Posted by Mr_D

Don't know where you got that misinformation but it's not true. Since a hung wall is not laminated it's impossible for it to delaminate. Delamination is usually caused by water intrusion and not climate.

Not misinformation at all...It is very possible for water to enter a hung wall (at every seam, edge and wall opening). Fiberglass itself is a laminate of gelcoat, glass strand and epoxy. And there is a natural void created inside the wall when using batten insulation. The illustration below shows how a typical delamination blister begins.



Fiberglass is a wonder material, but it can still be defeated by Mother Nature with all the water that weather throws at an RV (rain, melted snow, dew, mist, etc.).

Safe travels