Community Forums

ravens2012 · 09-12-2013, 06:42 AM

We are at Hershey trying to decide which will be our new home. I am leaning toward Aspire and wife likes Winnebago tour. Anyone have thoughts or comparisons?

DreamBelieve · 09-12-2013, 06:51 AM

Yes, here is a thought you should never forget. If DW is not happy new home will be hell! BTW when you wake up in the morning and look into DW eyes, just say to her," I'm sorry" as sometime during the day you will be, LOL just kidding you, I have looked at both and I think you must look at the Entegra warranty as the big factor. Good Luck.

PDR John · 09-12-2013, 07:06 AM

How are you going to use it?

Go back and spend more time in each. Stand in the shower, when you step reach for your towel. Is there a place to set it? Or are you taking a hike to grab one?

Things like that can be very important. Pretend you're living in it and see how it fits.

Besides, it will make others feel awkward when you both roll out of bed and get dressed!

tnrzryd · 09-12-2013, 07:54 AM

I would walk each coach front to back making a list of likes and dislikes, can live withs and can't live with. Don't forget to look in the basement, opening every compartment. Look at ease of getting to the components like aqua hot for maintenance.

Then look at manufacturer warranties and ease of driving. Also consider where you will get it serviced. Once you have the two coaches fully researched, compare the info.

Ann n Gene · 09-12-2013, 08:09 AM

You should DRIVE both coaches, nothing drives as good as an Entegra. Do not know much about the Tour. They are pretty but I question the wall and frame build quality being up to the Entegra. What chassis is it built on? Nothing is as good as the Spartan Chassis. The Entegra sleep number bed is a great feature, the big capacity, dual inverters, the aqua-hot system. The raised rail frame allowing a huge amount of storage in the basement, the LED televisions, the option of in-motion satellite dish or the Traveler. Compare ALL features very closely and see which unit meets more of your needs and expectations for the dollars you are spending. Good Luck and please realize all of this is JMHO. They make more than one kind for a reason, we all have different wants, needs and expectations.

brobox · 09-12-2013, 08:33 AM

Having owned a Winnebago in the past, I feel the construction is so much better in the Entegra's.

Flora · 09-12-2013, 09:12 AM

You should check out this blog I've been following:

Winnebago – No Sale of Special Ordered Coach – Lack of Build Quality | Outside Our Bubble

Steve Ownby · 09-12-2013, 09:54 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ravens2012

We are at Hershey trying to decide which will be our new home. I am leaning toward Aspire and wife likes Winnebago tour. Anyone have thoughts or comparisons?

You and wife sit down and have a factual discussion of the pros/cons of both units. Do not fall into the trap of defending your position. Then go back next day and review each point while in coach & see how valid the point is.

Do not get caught up in glitz and clever staging.

Both coaches appear to be reasonably well built and could be a old full timing coach.

navychop · 09-12-2013, 10:13 AM

We chose between the same two. Tough choice. After two TT I looked for livability, things like shower construction, kitchen storage and ease of use. The two year warranty really paid off.

loisjop · 09-12-2013, 10:18 AM

We have owned both motorhomes and there is absolutely no comparison between the Winnebago and the Entegra. Entegra is much better built and their customer service is outstanding. They also have a two year warranty. The Spartan chassis is much better quality than the Freightliner, and Spartans customer service is much better than Freightliner. Noel

CoreyinWP · 09-12-2013, 10:57 AM

Just sat in a 2014 Tour. The furniture, for me, is far more comfortable in the Tour. Fit and finish, not so much

becks · 09-12-2013, 11:51 AM

The rear radiator in the Tour would be a deal breaker for me. That said, I feel the Entegra is a far better coach. Good luck shopping.

ShadowBolt · 09-12-2013, 12:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by brobox

Having owned a Winnebago in the past, I feel the construction is so much better in the Entegra's.

In-between coaches we rented a Winnebago and to me the Entegra is the clear choice.

After you have dealt with Joyce at Entegra and Scott at Spartan you will know you went the right direction. There is no way I can tell you how well these people take care of you. We screwed up and lost something for the Aspire. Joyce is sending us a replacement for FREE! Maybe this is a small thing but she did not have to do it.......but she did. I defy you to be mad about something with your coach and call Joyce and try and stay mad. You can't do it. She is a sweetheart.
If everything else was equal between the Entegra and the Winne (and they are not) Joyce would make the difference for me. Even reading this it sounds really silly but it's not at all. When you spend this kind of money you want someone to feel your pain. Joyce (and even Scott at Spartan) do really feel your pain (or act like it so much you believe it). I can't tell you how much this will mean to you. It's not a matter if you will have issues with your new coach......you WILL with either unit. How the issues are handled is the real difference.

JJ

DoggieDaddy · 09-12-2013, 12:12 PM

We have owned three Winnebagos, Class C, Class A, and class A diesel. In the model years we owned Winnebago was at the top of it's game and they were good coaches for their price ranges. We bought them used as 3 year olds. But when we decided we were going to try and go full time, we thought we would look at buying a brand new coach. We had had our eyes on a 2013 Itasca Ellipse 42GD. We went and looked at it and liked the layout etc., etc. Then we saw an Entegra online so we decided to look at one to see what they were like. We cut a week at the lake short and drove from northern Minnesota to a dealer in Iowa who happened to have an Anthem in for repair and the owner said we could look at it. We were impressed. The cabinetry was much better. We noticed the bottoms of the draws and the upper cabinets were solid. The fit and finish were excellent. After that we actually went back and looked at the ellipse again. We inspected the cabinets and found them to be cheap especially the draws and shelves. All the woodwork was shot full of staples and the holes filled with off colored filler. We hadn't noticed that when we looked at it earlier. I think Winnebago is going through some business issues. They are cheapening their product and they are not hiring people that really care about craftsmanship. We chose Entegra over Winnebago.