Community Forums

needRV · 07-12-2011, 11:47 AM

Hi, we are a big family with 4 kids (11 to 17) and would really need a class A diesel pusher with bunkbeds. We are also looking for a unit with 4 slides to maximize our space. We looked around a bit and found the Allegro Red 38QBA floorplan and the berkshire 390BH from forest river. Is there any other units that could be really usefull for us. If yes, which one?

thank you

TNT-FLY · 07-12-2011, 07:40 PM

We were looking for the same thing and looked at all bunk house units available. We decided on the Fleetwood Discovery 40G it has 2 bunks, king master bed and a air bed pull out sofa. The horse shoe dinette also collapses into a bed so it sleeps 7. Plus it had more features than the other units like satellite tv, outdoor entertainment, etc.. If you think this is a good option, let me know. I can provide good tips that I learned in my dealings with the dealer and Fleetwood that will save you $$$ and headaches.

pacevette · 07-12-2011, 10:46 PM

I will throw my 2 cents in....even though its a Gasser..we just bought a damon challenger 376. It has 2 couches...bunks and a queen bed. Plenty of room. I believe the damon astoria has the same layout. This layout is quite unique and it flows with us very well.

needRV · 07-12-2011, 10:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TNT-FLY

We were looking for the same thing and looked at all bunk house units available. We decided on the Fleetwood Discovery 40G it has 2 bunks, king master bed and a air bed pull out sofa. The horse shoe dinette also collapses into a bed so it sleeps 7. Plus it had more features than the other units like satellite tv, outdoor entertainment, etc.. If you think this is a good option, let me know. I can provide good tips that I learned in my dealings with the dealer and Fleetwood that will save you $$$ and headaches.

Yeah i saw this option but i think the listed price was something like 250.000 ( for the ones i saw). The Allegro red 38qba is pretty much what we are looking for but at 216.000 avg price is still a little bit high. I could still use those tips you are talking about

needRV · 07-12-2011, 10:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pacevette

I will throw my 2 cents in....even though its a Gasser..we just bought a damon challenger 376. It has 2 couches...bunks and a queen bed. Plenty of room. I believe the damon astoria has the same layout. This layout is quite unique and it flows with us very well.

thank you for this option i looked it out and yes it seems like a good option but my husband really wants a diesel pusher for less sound... we both think it would be a better option to go with DP ( not only for sound). And for the Astoria, i beleive you are talking about the astoria 3776. We looked it up but it only has 3 slides

ronhanson · 07-13-2011, 08:39 AM

The 2011 Damon Astoria 40bq has 4 slides and is priced similar to the Berkshire.

michelb · 07-13-2011, 08:45 AM

I posted this in another forum but so figured I'd just re-paste it here:

Most manufacturers have a bunkhouse DP now and it's probably not a stretch to custom fit bunkbeds in a model that doesn't have bunks if the rest of the floorplan works better for you.

Your choice will likely be very influenced by your budget and how much you plan on using it. If you can afford it (and don't mind spending more money), there's probably no real good reason to go with the gassers over DPs. Used models are available but bunkhouses are relatively new and there aren't tons sold to being with so on the used market, they aren't easy to find. For new, in case you weren't aware, you can likely get 25%+ of MSRP (although this varies a lot from manufacturer and from dealer). Couple of things to consider as well are how much storage space do they have and do you think you'll need and towing capacity if you plan on towing anything bigger than a car.

Personally, my favorite based on floorplan (I've never seen on in person) is the Fleetwood Discovery 42A. The advantage of that floorplan is that it's also 1 1/2 bath and has an actual room for the kids as oppose to 'bunks in the hallway' like most class A bunkhouses. Also has the master bdrm separated from the kids bdrm by the bathroom so might be a bit better for noise.

I think Winnebago and Gulfstream also had bunkhouses where there was more of a 2nd room (there are probably others although the vast majority have the same layout as the Allegro with the bunks in opposite the bathroom).

Newmar had a model with a loft above the bedroom but it hasn't been in production for a few years and sales were pretty limited so they are a bit hard (but not impossible) to find. It's the Newmar ATME3950 and ATME3951 and from what I've read, they only built about 30 or 40 from 2007 to 2009 so they are not easy to find. There was also a 2010 Newmar ATME4159 for one year but from what I've read, only 3 were built and there was very limited space in the loft area. I actually really like this floorplan (and would certainly consider it in the future for myself) although I've never seen it in person and I've heard complaints about having very limited storage space. I think they were about $240k new so that gives you an idea what to pay used. If you are interested in the 3950/3951, I think the 08 was bit better than the 07 (more power, possibly added the 'Comfort Drive' system (or something like that)).

Bunkhouses with a bit of an extra room:

Fleetwood Discovery 42A (2011 Discovery 42A Floor Plan & Specs : Fleetwood RV) (Discovery 40G and Expedition 38B (was Bounder Diesel last year) also have bunks - (http://www.fleetwoodrv.com/brandtomo...pedition&m=38B))
Winnebago Journey Express 39N (Winnebago Motor Homes - 2011 Journey Express) (not really closed off but probably not hard to add folding door or something)
Gulfstream Tourmaster T40U (Tourmaster Luxury Class A Motorhome) (was sold Crescendo 40UL and as another model for a while)
Newmar AllStar (3950/3951) (http://www.newmarcorp.com/uploads/brochu......../archive/2008/2008%20ATME%20Brochure.pdf)
Newmar AllStar 4159 (http://www.newmarcorp.com/uploads/fl...llStar4159.pdf) (also 4154 has hallway bunks)
Cross Country 385DS (http://www.coachmenrv.com/products/cross........?page=floorplandetailsmh&floorplanid= 237) (forgot about this one)

Other DP bunkhouses:

ForestRiver Berkshire 390BH (http://www.forestriverinc.com/nd/default........kshire&nav=rec&name=116&series=berk shire)
ForestRiver Charleston 430BH (tag axle) (http://www.forestriverinc.com/nd/default........=charles&nav=rec&name=208&series=ch arles)
Newmar Ventana 3943 (http://www.newmarcorp.com/uploads/floorp........dfs/ventana/2011_VTDP_3943_coloredin.pdf)
Newmar DutchStar 4043T (http://www.newmarcorp.com/uploads/fl..._coloredin.pdf) (I believe this can be factory ordered with optional bunks (personally if I was looking at this, I'd ask if they can do a 4386 with bunks so that you can close off the area and walk through the bathroom))
Tiffin Phaeton 40 QKH (Tiffin Motorhomes) (big brother of the Allegro posted above)
Damon Astoria 40BQ (2011 Astoria Floorplans | Astoria by Thor Motor Coach)

There are likely others but that's all I can think of off the top of my head.

Good luck,
Mike

tomv · 07-13-2011, 09:02 AM

I was in the same position in looking for bunk beds (6 grandchildren) we purchased the Fleetwood 34 B Terra premium it has a King in the back two bunks and a sofa bed and dinette that converts to a bed. could sleep 8 if it pushed. I think Fleetwood made a quite a few of these as Terra's Bounder Classics and Fiesta Classic. Mine is on a workhorse gas chassis I love the layout and have very few problems so far.

needRV · 07-13-2011, 01:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ronhanson

The 2011 Damon Astoria 40bq has 4 slides and is priced similar to the Berkshire.

we would really like having 2 sofas (one bed and another jack-knife). Also, we would like the two captain chairs to be near the dinette and other sofas to add some sitting places

still thank you for this idea

needRV · 07-13-2011, 01:12 PM

Michel,

thank you for a large list of DP bunk house. I might have forgotten to say that we need 2 sofas because of our big family and would like them to be in front of the coach so the 2 captains chairs would be part of the ''living room''. Also, we DEFINATELY need 4 slides to add more space at the front of the coach. Also, 240k$ is too much for us. The Allegro Red 38QBA is the maximum we can go which is listed at 213k$ most of the time

michelb · 07-14-2011, 06:17 AM

I listed the $240k price on the Newmar for reference but I suspect that you could probably find a used one for around $120k (maybe less although they are quite rare). I think you can buy the Discovery 42A new for around $240-250k, the Expedition 38B is probably about $210k (and you might be able to find last year's Bounder Diesel for under that), the Berkshire starts at about $140k with the smaller engine, never priced the Charleston but I suspect it's a good $50k more. The Phaeton is probably quite a bit more than the Allegro. The Ventana might be close to the Allegro, while the DutchStar is likely $250k or more (although I've never price that either).

Good luck. If you search enough, you should be able to find 1 or 2 year old ones but you might have to travel to get to them. Also remember the discount you can get from MSRP when pricing them out (e.g. if the MSRP on a new one is $250k, I suspect you can buy it for under $200k so a 1 year old one should probably no more than $170k (and even that might be too much)).

needRV · 07-14-2011, 12:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by michelb

I listed the $240k price on the Newmar for reference but I suspect that you could probably find a used one for around $120k (maybe less although they are quite rare). I think you can buy the Discovery 42A new for around $240-250k, the Expedition 38B is probably about $210k (and you might be able to find last year's Bounder Diesel for under that), the Berkshire starts at about $140k with the smaller engine, never priced the Charleston but I suspect it's a good $50k more. The Phaeton is probably quite a bit more than the Allegro. The Ventana might be close to the Allegro, while the DutchStar is likely $250k or more (although I've never price that either).

Good luck. If you search enough, you should be able to find 1 or 2 year old ones but you might have to travel to get to them. Also remember the discount you can get from MSRP when pricing them out (e.g. if the MSRP on a new one is $250k, I suspect you can buy it for under $200k so a 1 year old one should probably no more than $170k (and even that might be too much)).

i decided to go with my first choice which is the Allegro Red 38 QBA... it is listed at about 215k$ but my dealer wants to sell it for 166k... i REALLY need some tips to reduce this offer around 155-160k OMG PLZ help me by giving me tips to reduce this price by about 5-8k thank you so much

Lazydays2008 · 07-22-2011, 07:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by needRV

i decided to go with my first choice which is the Allegro Red 38 QBA... it is listed at about 215k$ but my dealer wants to sell it for 166k... i REALLY need some tips to reduce this offer around 155-160k OMG PLZ help me by giving me tips to reduce this price by about 5-8k thank you so much

I would be more than happy to try and help.