Newbie in WI considering Class A Diesel

[Hoosierfans]

Hi all! So glad I found this forum.

Hubby and I and our two kids are looking to buy our first RV, and are considering a diesel Class A. Our kids are 6 and 12 and we will be primarily using it for family trips, a long summer trip and ski trips out west (we live in WI).

We are starting to research and have visited a couple of dealers, but still haven't settled on a model yet. Our big issue is that we HAVE to have bunks and at least 1 1/2 baths and finding that in a Class A Diesel that is 41 feet or shorter isn't that easy.

Any suggestions are greatly appreciated. After looking quite a lot, we think only 2 models fit the bill:

Winnebago Forza 38W or a Newmar Ventana LE 4042.

Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated!

Cheers!

[MSHappyCampers]

Hi ! Welcome to IRV2! We're sure glad you joined the gang!

Yup, the market for Class A's meeting those requirements is pretty limited. Hope you find the perfect rig for your needs!

Good luck, happy trails, and God bless!

[GTobey]

Originally Posted by Hoosierfans

Hi all! So glad I found this forum.

Hubby and I and our two kids are looking to buy our first RV, and are considering a diesel Class A. Our kids are 6 and 12 and we will be primarily using it for family trips, a long summer trip and ski trips out west (we live in WI).

We are starting to research and have visited a couple of dealers, but still haven't settled on a model yet. Our big issue is that we HAVE to have bunks and at least 1 1/2 baths and finding that in a Class A Diesel that is 41 feet or shorter isn't that easy.

Any suggestions are greatly appreciated. After looking quite a lot, we think only 2 models fit the bill:

Winnebago Forza 38W or a Newmar Ventana LE 4042.

Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated!

Cheers!

Welcome and hope you can get the one you want! Have you compared the pricing on both?

[NH Dave]

Hello.

I completely understand, as we ran into the exact same conundrum. We have 3 small kids and found there is definately a void in the Class A DP market for people with families.

Last year, we ended up buying a 41' 2017 Fleetwood 39G that has a king bed, 2 bunks, 1 bath, a 360HP Cummins and is a good amount of coach for the $ and we've done several trips with it (including from NH to Florida/Disney). With having done some long trips and there being 5 of us, I decided to make a change.

So...this summer, I found and purchased a 45' 2015 Newmar London Aire 4599 which has a king bed, 3 bunks, 2 baths, a 600HP Cummins and is much more comfortable for the 5 of us. Unfortunately, I couldn't find new or order a new one from Newmar with 3 bunks/2baths, since they no longer build the 3 bunk option. So, we went from a 2017 to a 2015.

However, going from our brand new '17 Fleetwood Discovery 39G to the older '15 Newmar LA 4599 has not at all been a compromise. On the contrary, we've found it to be quite an upgrade in so many ways, it's amazing! It's also a pleasure to drive!

I can't speak about the Winni, but the moral of the story is that (so far) IMO Newmar really makes a nice coach!

P.S. I understand that model to model, our Discovery vs. our London Aire, is really apples and oranges. But, my point is simply that I think Newmar does make a nice, quality coach.

Best of luck in your search and whatever you choose that suits your family!

[Hoosierfans]

Originally Posted by GTobey

Welcome and hope you can get the one you want! Have you compared the pricing on both?

Yes, the pricing is quite similar. We have seen the Winnie's in person but haven't yet visited a Newmar dealership.

[Hoosierfans]

Originally Posted by NH Dave

Hello.

I completely understand, as we ran into the exact same conundrum. We have 3 small kids and found there is definately a void in the Class A DP market for people with families.

Last year, we ended up buying a 41' 2017 Fleetwood 39G that has a king bed, 2 bunks, 1 bath, a 360HP Cummins and is a good amount of coach for the $ and we've done several trips with it (including from NH to Florida/Disney). With having done some long trips and there being 5 of us, I decided to make a change.

So...this summer, I found and purchased a 45' 2015 Newmar London Aire 4599 which has a king bed, 3 bunks, 2 baths, a 600HP Cummins and is much more comfortable for the 5 of us. Unfortunately, I couldn't find new or order a new one from Newmar with 3 bunks/2baths, since they no longer build the 3 bunk option. So, we went from a 2017 to a 2015.

However, going from our brand new '17 Fleetwood Discovery 39G to the older '15 Newmar LA 4599 has not at all been a compromise. On the contrary, we've found it to be quite an upgrade in so many ways, it's amazing! It's also a pleasure to drive!

I can't speak about the Winni, but the moral of the story is that (so far) IMO Newmar really makes a nice coach!

P.S. I understand that model to model, our Discovery vs. our London Aire, is really apples and oranges. But, my point is simply that I think Newmar does make a nice, quality coach.

Best of luck in your search and whatever you choose that suits your family!

Thanks NHDave! At 45 feet, do you find that your travel will be limited? I read somewhere to get into National Parks that you should stay at 40 feet or under. So I kind of ruled out anything bigger than that. Which of course made the Diesel w bunks universe EVEN smaller lol!

Also, if I may ask, am I totally off in insisting on 1 1/2 or 2 baths? With 2 kids, I just can't imagine only a single bath -- which unfortunately rules out the Tiffins which, looks wise (and quality wise) I am in love with.

[NH Dave]

Originally Posted by Hoosierfans

Thanks NHDave! At 45 feet, do you find that your travel will be limited? I read somewhere to get into National Parks that you should stay at 40 feet or under. So I kind of ruled out anything bigger than that. Which of course made the Diesel w bunks universe EVEN smaller lol!

Also, if I may ask, am I totally off in insisting on 1 1/2 or 2 baths? With 2 kids, I just can't imagine only a single bath -- which unfortunately rules out the Tiffins which, looks wise (and quality wise) I am in love with.

No worries, ask away...that's what this place is all about sharing info/experiences.

Basically, our coach is a bus...there's no two ways about that and like many other things in life, it's give and take. Having all the creature comforts, plus plenty of room, equals size. With size comes restrictions including in the RV world. Sure, there are places we can't go with it, but really nowhere that we feel we're missing. We feel it's better to be comfortable and enjoy the experience and use the coach more, than use it less because we're not very comfortable.

Like I always say, these things certainly aren't investments. They don't appreciate or make you money. They depreciate like rocks, that's for sure! So if you're not enjoying them, what's the point?

There are plenty of places that are big rig friendly. I have an APP on my iPad called 'RVParky' and it's been fantastic!! I set the filter for our preferences (50amp, pull-thru sites, full-hook up, etc...) then just select an area of the country and TONS of RV parks show up as pins on the map. Just tap a pin where you're planning on traveling and all kinds info on the park comes up on the screen. Reviews, park amenities, photos, their websites, etc, etc... For us it's been great! I've even used it planning our stops along the way to and from Disney coming from NH. It's pretty cool!

I hook our truck (toad) up to the back of our coach and away we go.

For us it works well and has been great!! But, really it's all about personal preferences. Your coach has to fit your needs, how you will use it and where you want to go with it.

As far the baths go, the 1 bath thing just wasn't good for the 5 of us.

In my opinion, with your having 2 kids, having an 'extra' bath probably won't bother you, but having too few will. The way I see it, if you're fortunate enough to be able to have that option, I say go for it. I don't think you'll regret having 2.

Just to share one more thing that I really appreciate about the Newmar, especially on those long drives. Is the Comfort Drive. It's great!!

There's my 2 cents...hope it helps!

[Hoosierfans]

Originally Posted by NH Dave

No worries, ask away...that's what this place is all about sharing info/experiences.

Basically, our coach is a bus...there's no two ways about that and like many other things in life, it's give and take. Having all the creature comforts, plus plenty of room, equals size. With size comes restrictions including in the RV world. Sure, there are places we can't go with it, but really nowhere that we feel we're missing. We feel it's better to be comfortable and enjoy the experience and use the coach more, than use it less because we're not very comfortable.

Like I always say, these things certainly aren't investments. They don't appreciate or make you money. They depreciate like rocks, that's for sure! So if you're not enjoying them, what's the point?

There are plenty of places that are big rig friendly. I have an APP on my iPad called 'RVParky' and it's been fantastic!! I set the filter for our preferences (50amp, pull-thru sites, full-hook up, etc...) then just select an area of the country and TONS of RV parks show up as pins on the map. Just tap a pin where you're planning on traveling and all kinds info on the park comes up on the screen. Reviews, park amenities, photos, their websites, etc, etc... For us it's been great! I've even used it planning our stops along the way to and from Disney coming from NH. It's pretty cool!

I hook our truck (toad) up to the back of our coach and away we go.

For us it works well and has been great!! But, really it's all about personal preferences. Your coach has to fit your needs, how you will use it and where you want to go with it.

As far the baths go, the 1 bath thing just wasn't good for the 5 of us.

In my opinion, with your having 2 kids, having an 'extra' bath probably won't bother you, but having too few will. The way I see it, if you're fortunate enough to be able to have that option, I say go for it. I don't think you'll regret having 2.

Just to share one more thing that I really appreciate about the Newmar, especially on those long drives. Is the Comfort Drive. It's great!!

There's my 2 cents...hope it helps!

It helps so much I count it as 3 cents! Thanks!

We haven't seen Newmars yet but are hoping to get to a dealer in the next few weekends.

[NH Dave]

Originally Posted by Hoosierfans

It helps so much I count it as 3 cents! Thanks!

We haven't seen Newmars yet but are hoping to get to a dealer in the next few weekends.

3 cents.

Best of luck! As far as coaches go, I don't think you will be disappointed in Newmar at all.

One thing is for certain NO coach manufacturer is perfect, that's for sure! But, Newmar has a reputation for a quality coach and great support. So far, I'm in agreement with that.

Check out the Newmar Forums on here. I did before buying and I asked owners about them, their experiences etc...

Ask around, do your research and then you can make an informed decision as to what works best for your family.

This place can also be an invaluable asset for info as well.

Don't be afraid to ask about what you think may be important. For instance, you mentioned ski trips. Well, if you'll be taking the coach into colder temps suitable for skiing, then insulation/heating is certainly VERY important. The basement and tank areas should be well insulated. Are the bays heated? How is the coach heated?

Newmar insulates their coaches pretty well. I notice a HUGE difference in the interior temp of my Newmar vs my Fleetwood. The Newmar seems to be MUCH more consistent and far tighter.

Anyway...Again, best of luck and keep us posted, we dig this stuff on here!

[FatChance]

Going on ski trips changes the dynamics a lot. Getting double pane windows, extra insulation, winter packages, tires, chains, heating systems, coach length, weight, basement insulation/heating, dehumidifiers, various coach accessories, etc. become almost more important than some of your requirements just because you want to use the coach for ski trips.

[Polishilldav]

Look at the Thor Aria 3901. It doesn't have two bunks, but the drop down, plus the dinnette and the sofa offer plenty of room and then out of the way during the day.

[Crasher]

We are in central WI and our dealer is King's Campers in Wausau. Check with John in Sales. He can help you find what might work for you. I question how practical it would be to use the coach as a base for ski trips out west. Traveling to ski resorts in the mountains in a 40'+ motorhome on snow covered roads is no picnic. Then find a place to park with water and power. Then consider four people with ski equipment and wet clothes in the coach. Kings help set our first 40' Phaeton for below zero weather and it worked fine with full water, but we were just traveling in that weather and not camping. Just some things to consider. Good Luck with your search.

[JMonroe]

Hoosier fan, in Wisconsin? Guess that just proves that in Dane county, anything goes.

I suggest you make two trips. One up to Wausau to King's Campers. Good people, Tiffin dealers. The other trip will be a bit longer, to Grand Rapids MI to see our "friend" Kyle at Midway, a Newmar dealer. Either will treat you right and help answer any questions you may have.