Community Forums

tanstaafl · 09-28-2012, 08:13 AM

Hi,
My wife and I are considering the purchase of our first motorhome. After getting overwhelmed at the recent Hershey RV show, we have spent some time searching the internet for various makes and models looking at all of the different floorplans. We came to a decision that we wanted a gas model with a bath and a half and the option of a washer/dryer as well. We have it narrowed down to the following choices (all 2013 models) in order of preference:

1 - Fleetwood Bounder 35k
2 - Forest River Georgetown XL 360ds
3 - Thor Hurricane/Windsport 34e

My first question is if there are other models out there that we should be considering. My wife is adamant that it has to be a bath and a half with the option of adding the washer/dryer, while I want to keep the price down as much as possible. Right now the Bounder is at the top of our price range.

My second question is on overall quality of the above 3 units, mainly in terms of frequency of repair of the coach itself, since I think all of them are on the same chassis (please correct me if that isn't true).

Any and all comments/opnions are welcome.

Thanks,
Mark

ernest917 · 09-28-2012, 08:32 AM

Can't go wrong with the FR Georgetown.... Go to the Forest River Forum and read what other Georgetown owners have to say about their units....

**CLIFFTALL** · 09-28-2012, 08:35 AM

Welcome to IRV 2. I'm a Fleetwood fan. Nuff said.

Bruce C · 09-28-2012, 08:42 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Clifftall

Welcome to IRV 2. I'm a Fleetwood fan. Nuff said.

Love my Bounder.

tanstaafl · 09-28-2012, 11:36 AM

Thanks for the replies.

Just out of curiosity for you Georgetown and Bounder owners, what year are your rigs and what type of problems have you encountered, if any?

Gary RVRoamer · 09-28-2012, 07:17 PM

I'm a Fleetwood fan myself, but have you looked at the Allegro from Tiffin?

JimM68 · 09-28-2012, 07:29 PM

as far as quality goes, they are in the order you list, with a pretty large gap between 1 and 2.

The tiffen allegro gasser is worth a look. It will blow your budget, but is worth it.

You might consider a 3-5 year old motorhome. Lots of good barely used choices, at half the cost of new.

Davdeb1 · 09-28-2012, 07:35 PM

It would depend on the frequency of use. For a yearly vacation a several camping outings, the Georgetown would be fine, in fact, for that kind of use, a slightly used would be a great choice. The more you use it, the more you need a higher quality unit.

genesimmons · 09-28-2012, 07:37 PM

yes, look around for a 2 or 3 year old bounder

Midniteoyl · 09-28-2012, 07:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JimM68

as far as quality goes, they are in the order you list, with a pretty large gap between 1 and 2.

The tiffen allegro gasser is worth a look. It will blow your budget, but is worth it.

You might consider a 3-5 year old motorhome. Lots of good barely used choices, at half the cost of new.

I would find a 2010-2012 model and save big bucks. Maybe then you could afford to upgrade a little..

George Schweikle · 09-29-2012, 06:26 AM

Spend a little money, and rent a motorhome for a weekend. Also, use "search" to read lots of comments about washer/dryer.

Quote:

Originally Posted by tanstaafl

Hi,
My wife and I are considering the purchase of our first motorhome. After getting overwhelmed at the recent Hershey RV show, we have spent some time searching the internet for various makes and models looking at all of the different floorplans. We came to a decision that we wanted a gas model with a bath and a half and the option of a washer/dryer as well. We have it narrowed down to the following choices (all 2013 models) in order of preference:

1 - Fleetwood Bounder 35k
2 - Forest River Georgetown XL 360ds
3 - Thor Hurricane/Windsport 34e

My first question is if there are other models out there that we should be considering. My wife is adamant that it has to be a bath and a half with the option of adding the washer/dryer, while I want to keep the price down as much as possible. Right now the Bounder is at the top of our price range.

My second question is on overall quality of the above 3 units, mainly in terms of frequency of repair of the coach itself, since I think all of them are on the same chassis (please correct me if that isn't true).

Any and all comments/opnions are welcome.

Thanks,
Mark

jlfbatonrg · 09-29-2012, 10:40 AM

I agree with other posters, look for a good used coach and get a higher quality coach for possibly less $. Of the three you listed I would opt for the Bounder. Of course, I prefer Fleetwood products, and I'm sure others prefer their particular brands.

Cobra1 · 09-29-2012, 12:39 PM

We started out with an older Winnebago and then traded up to a Thor Outlaw as we wanted to bring our Harley with us. Good luck with your search.

SarahW · 09-29-2012, 01:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tanstaafl

Thanks for the replies.

Just out of curiosity for you Georgetown and Bounder owners, what year are your rigs and what type of problems have you encountered, if any?

We have a 2012 Bounder and have had no significant problems...just a few small issues when it was brand new. (Loose dinette bench needed to be fastened down, hood latch broke, etc.) It has only been back to the dealer once since we purchased it last November. We would buy another Fleetwood in a heartbeat. Fleetwood customer support (phone & email) has been excellent.

Also, when you say the Bounder is at the top of your price range, please consider that you should usually be able to negotiate 20-30% off of the "sticker" price. Good luck and have fun.