Community Forums

bevo7 · 03-19-2017, 02:24 AM

Currently have a 2015 Bay Star 3401. This was our first MH purchase. Felt like like we did a pretty good job on our research prior to the purchase. We have a Tiffin dealership 45 min away compared to the Newmar dealership 31/2 hrs away. Looking at a Tiffin 36 LA. Wouldn't mind some more room and would enjoy the closer proximity to dealership. If deal was right, any thoughts on switching to a Tiffin? Thanks

nothermark · 03-19-2017, 03:33 AM

Both have a good reputation around here. You are setting up a Lincoln vs Cadillac type debate.

That said, a local dealer is a handy thing assuming they are a good dealer. Only local folks can tell you that.

jimbo2013 · 03-19-2017, 03:42 AM

no way should dealer location play into the decision, that has nothing to do with owning it for years

Lault · 03-19-2017, 05:59 AM

Newmar, far better insulation. Also like Newmar appt system for factory service, VS go and and wait at Tiffin

twogypsies · 03-19-2017, 04:24 PM

When we bought our Newmar we never returned to the dealer as we were traveling full-timers. We had a handful of small warranty items at first and called a dealer in the direction we were traveling to make an appt. We arrived and they were ready for us. Things were finished and we spent the night on their lot - with electric. We never had to return to a dealer after that.

D Lindy · 03-19-2017, 04:26 PM

Need to look into the dealers reputation, just because 1 is closer might end up being a nightmare if they're hard to work with or even refuse to do some repairs.

bigben · 03-19-2017, 04:46 PM

D Lindy has told you true. If you buy for service, it maybe a long search. I'd recommend you make sure you understand how to contact Warranty Customer Service and talk with them about any warranty repairs and where to have them made. We bought a coach close to home. Initial price was okay but service was sad, sad, sad, sad.

Roger G · 03-19-2017, 07:22 PM

The value of a local dealer varies depending on circumstances. If you are a full timer and travel extensively then your purchasing dealer isn't likely to be as important to you as compared to someone based in one location. My situation is that my wife and I are not retired and are both very busy and our dealer has been invaluable to us. My dealer is 30 minutes away and Red Bay is 50 minutes away so I have options. My dealer has even come and picked my MH up and took it to Red Bay for some paint work that my dealer admitted that Tiffin was better equipped to handle than they were. This was at a time that I was very busy and didn't have time to deliver the MH.

Roger G · 03-19-2017, 07:53 PM

About the 36 LA, we love the floor plan. The residential refridgerator has made that a must have in any future MH. The mid TV can actually be watched from the couch without turning my head 90 degrees. I know Newmar has a similar floor plan and since I have never been in one, I can't compare the two. I will give Newmar a look when we upgrade but based on the floor plans we have looked at online, Entegra is in the lead right now. Tiffin doesn't currently have a floor plan in a DP that just wows us right now.

wbcamper · 03-19-2017, 08:13 PM

My wife and I just picked up our 2015 Tiffin LA in Virginia and drove it t Massachusetts. We really like to floor plan. I really like the slides on one side. Good luck my vote is for the Tiffin.

viewfinder · 03-19-2017, 09:19 PM

Back to the Dealer question. Do you intend to camp in the driveway or travel? If driveway, Check out the Dealer. See if he will work on your unit. Will they work on a Tiffin bought somewhere else. If travel, you will find that a problem is not gonna happen less than 450 miles from home. It's called Murphy's law or something like that. A mobile tech will become your best friend. Which unit? Get the one that works for YOU, not for others. Check out the Dealer anyway.

jim

Dave-Oh · 03-20-2017, 06:56 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bevo7

Currently have a 2015 Bay Star 3401. This was our first MH purchase. Felt like like we did a pretty good job on our research prior to the purchase. We have a Tiffin dealership 45 min away compared to the Newmar dealership 31/2 hrs away. Looking at a Tiffin 36 LA. Wouldn't mind some more room and would enjoy the closer proximity to dealership. If deal was right, any thoughts on switching to a Tiffin? Thanks

I also have a Tiffin dealer 45 min away. I bought my rig at a Tiffin dealer 2 1/2 hours away as the local dealer's reputation is poor. When I went there to look at the Tiffins, their sales reps knew little about the features.

You've got a good rig in the Newmar. We had looked at the one that was the same length and a similar floor plan. Tiffin won for us. No regrets. But the Newmar, Tiffin and Winnebago were all in the running. I had thought a local dealer would be best, but really have not needed one. My plan is to go to my original dealer for tweaks and stuff that I can't readily fix about once or twice yearly.

I did call Tiffin before I bought and they found me a factory authorized repair facility locally. It's not a dealership, either, so I can just call and make an appointment if I really need factory warranty work.

Local is great, but the local dealer does make a difference as well.

have fun.

Crasher · 03-20-2017, 10:47 AM

Both companies have their good and bad days/years. We ordered our 2013 Bus from a dealer 45 miles away from home. There were very few minor items to warranty and they took care of them. They are capable of doing most everything that the factory can. Other than normal service, we have not had any problems. Yet, I read of people spending several days back at Red Bay for service that their dealer could not or would not do.

I always had a high regard for Newmar too, until my son bought his 2016 Mountain Aire. After three months, it went back to the factory for 45 items to correct. Some major quality control things and some very minor problems. It has been back to the factory two more times in the first nine months and at last report needed to go back again for the big slide. He is all done with a Newmar.

I have always been glad we bought our Bus. This is our third Tiffin. Bob Tiffin and his staff has always gone the extra mile for anything we wanted over the years and generally at no charge. Newmar and others may have certain things that are better, but Tiffins after sale service was more important to us.