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Old 10-13-2016, 09:02 AM   #1
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Thor Diesel Club membership....Worth It??

Hello, my free one year membership in the Thor Diesel Club is about to expire. My question is, hopefully not to sound selfish, is why would someone who is NOT retired join the TDC? I ask this because this first year membership I saw no benefit to me. ALL rallies are held during the week and usually far away. I can't attend any of them because, well, I work during the week. Again, not trying to sound selfish but why pay money to be in a club with no apparent upside? Before I renew a membership does anyone have valid reasons for renewing my membership that maybe I'm not aware of. Thanks in advance.
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Old 10-13-2016, 11:50 AM   #2
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Many of the TDC members work. Some make time to go to some of the rallies. To me a major benefit is being able to talk to other owners that have the same coach I have.

There have been rallies within a short drive from your location. For example, there was a mini-rally held in Marion, NC this past Spring. There was the Spring Rally in Sevierville, TN. Starting the 23rd of this month is another mini-rally in the Outer Banks. There was a Spring Rally in Myrtle Beach a few years ago.

The annual dues are not that significant and much less than a one year membership in FMCA or FCOC.

Let me ask you a question. Why belong to FMCA? What benefit have you received from that membership? Why do you have a motorhome? Since you work are you taking full advantage of that ownership which is most likely a significant asset that you own.

I am not being critical but just trying to let you see that what you get out of a membership in any club or organization is directly related to your participation.
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Old 10-13-2016, 01:16 PM   #3
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My wife and I still run individual businesses. We take time to go to the regional rallies and enjoy them. Sometimes we do it in conjunction with meetings with vendors or customers.


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Old 10-13-2016, 05:50 PM   #4
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When we upgraded our coach to a Venetian, no other manufacturer was considered, all because we wanted to remain in the Thor Diesel Club. I work full time but won't miss a rally if there is any way to take the time off. The friends you make are worth way more than the cost of membership.
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Old 10-14-2016, 05:02 AM   #5
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It's all a matter of choice as to whether you want to go to the rally's to share and learn new things about your coach. Not to mention the factory service performed on your coach at the yearly Goshen rally.

But As Mike and Gary stated above it's the new friendships made in this club that keeps involvement very high.

Now if find you have reservations staying in at this time, just let it lapse. This doesn't mean you can never re-join later. But you have to be a member of FMCA first since this club is a chapter of that club.

It comes down to your personal choice. This IRV2 area is a wise choice to stay informed and seek information.

Good Luck with your decision and hopefully we all will meet up someday down the road.

Don
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Old 10-14-2016, 07:54 AM   #6
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Thank you guys for the responses. So far we use our RV for "long weekend" trips i.e. Memorial Day, Thanksgiving, etc. We also travel during the weekend to catch UNC away football games. We usually go somewhere at least once a month but more like 16 times a year. It is hard for us to take a week off. I had a heck of a time taking the RV to Wakarusa this past June (was worth it though). I had to take a long weekend to drive up there (although I was going up there anyway). I then drove dingy back home, then flew back a couple weeks later to drive back. All during the weekends. We might decide to take a week vacation to a regional rally sometime so definitely some things to think about. Again, thanks for the thoughtful comments.
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Old 10-14-2016, 01:03 PM   #7
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Thank you guys for the responses. So far we use our RV for "long weekend" trips i.e. Memorial Day, Thanksgiving, etc. We also travel during the weekend to catch UNC away football games. We usually go somewhere at least once a month but more like 16 times a year. It is hard for us to take a week off. I had a heck of a time taking the RV to Wakarusa this past June (was worth it though). I had to take a long weekend to drive up there (although I was going up there anyway). I then drove dingy back home, then flew back a couple weeks later to drive back. All during the weekends. We might decide to take a week vacation to a regional rally sometime so definitely some things to think about. Again, thanks for the thoughtful comments.
Hi Ted,

My wife and I work full time still. Fortunately, we own our small company and have the 'freedom' to declare when we are going to be out of the office. I say 'freedom' in quotes as we still have to keep up with things by e-mail and cell phone. We've been known to Fedex the paychecks to the office from our travels.

For us, the camaraderie and friendships make the club worth it. We actually enjoy the regional rallies as much as the International Rally in Goshen. We were fortunate to make one regional rally and Goshen this year. I like to compare notes with other owners to see how they deal with certain things like maintenance and upgrades.

I've found the leadership of the Thor Diesel Club to be focused on the positive aspects of motorhome ownership. It is a very open and inviting group of people. It is definitely your choice, but you would be welcome for any amount of involvement, whether you make it to the rallies or not.
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Old 10-14-2016, 05:05 PM   #8
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Hey Ted,

My wife and I also work full time. We are fortunate in that we too own our own business but getting away isn't always easy. We attended the Thor Rally in Goshen this past week - or 2 weeks ago... we've been to FMCA rallies and The Rally a couple of times but this was our first Thor Rally. I have to say it was fantastic - the best Rally we have ever been to. We had a fantastic time! We met some really great people, now friends, sat through some great seminars - not general but about Thor products, participated in a model specific discussion group one night... The service techs that came out to do repairs on the coaches were great.

We too live in NC - Sanford - and would love to go to the Outerbanks Rally but our schedules won't allow. So, I understand how you feel, but yes, it is worth it. If you can make one or even maybe 2 rallies a year, I think you would more than see the benefits.

Safe Travels!
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Old 10-19-2016, 08:03 AM   #9
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FMCA membership does have numerous benefits, although I have yet to use any of them. I can't discount how valuable some of them are, however, and I will continue to renew my FMCA membership for now. As far as campground discounts, Good Sam seems to top the rest. If you are a TDC member, you get discounts on service at Freightliner's Gaffney location. That discount has saved us quite a bit of money in the past few years!

I attended only one rally a couple of years ago. To answer your question, one great benefit of membership in the TDC is that if you do attend the rally in Goshen, you have the ability to get up to three minor repairs done while there. Thor brings their techs to the rally and as long as you list the items you want done ahead of time, they will make sure to do their best to get you taken care of. You only pay for parts. That's a nice perk. If you are lucky enough to get an appointment, you can also stop at their service center while in town. You can get any major things taken care of at their facility in Wakarusa, a short distance away. I visit Wakarusa at least once a year to get all my service work done because no one does it better, but never during the rally dates since they book up way in advance.

As far as the rally, I enjoyed attending some of the seminars with affiliated vendors, and appreciated the hard work that Thor puts in to taking care of their customers. I also enjoyed the opportunity to see some of Thor's latest models which were brought to the fairgrounds courtesy of a local dealership.

I think the event is ideal for folks to meet up with others who share the same lifestyle and engage in the social aspect of the event. I attended the rally by myself. We are still raising a young son and don't have the freedom to travel during the school year. I hate to say this, but the rally doesn't really cater to families with young children. My 11 year old (who is more like a 45 year old and prefers books over video games) would be bored out of his mind. I think the rally is a wonderful offering, but it may not be for everyone. Most of the attendees are retired and have the time and freedom to travel. I very much felt that I didn't fit in, especially being there by myself. Once was enough for me but that doesn't mean it isn't a worthwhile venture.
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Old 10-25-2016, 01:40 PM   #10
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I can see everyone's point in this conversation. For me being a west coaster, I don't see much benefit from the membership.....I too am on the fence to renew or not.
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Old 10-25-2016, 06:02 PM   #11
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I can see everyone's point in this conversation. For me being a west coaster, I don't see much benefit from the membership.....I too am on the fence to renew or not.
Unless you attend a rally held by the Thor Diesel Club, it is hard to explain why it is worthwhile. The Fall International Rally has techs working on minor issues of your coach for the cost of the parts if you are out of warranty. This past rally we had coaches from the West Coast and one of the couples is now going to be one of the Rally Masters for our rally next fall. This week we are having a mini-rally held in the Outer Banks of NC and we have a coach that is from Oregon.

If you decide not to renew your membership, at some later date if you wish to renew your membership you can do so with no problem.

Gary
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Old 11-22-2016, 09:23 PM   #12
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Ted&Michelle, Matthew, Zachary
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I'm addressing your whole family because you will find everyone is welcome at these rallies.

We too are new to the Thor Diesel Club and we were not sure if we would see the value either when we first heard of the group. We just attended our first rally in Oct of this year in Goshen IN and have to say this is a great bunch of people. We had a wonderful time meeting people from all over the country. The meeting, vendor classes, entertainment, food and fun kept us entertained and we learned so much from not only the vendors but the group too! The experience and knowledge alone this group has to offer is unlimited and well worth the value even if you only go to one rally a year. Plus it's just a fun bunch of people all doing what we love, living the coach life!

Also to my knowledge this is the only group Thor sponsors as a manufacturer. Again to my knowledge this is the only group where the factory takes the time and money to offer its own employees to come out and offer us training and repairs to the members all at it cost, and it only cost you parts if out of warranty. The factory reps know there stuff, I can tell you this from my experience. I had a issue where my jacks would show low battery voltage intermittent and my dealers could not figure out and told me it was normal. When just mentioned this to the factory rep while there they sent an electrical tech over he looked a one thing and said I see your problem! Went and got some tools and bam bam my problem was fixed! I was thrilled p!

Again we had such a good time we see us attending rallies with the group all over the country. Cannot think of a better way to meet people and collect knowledge on places to go and how they have address service issues!

We will return to Goshen next year and hope to see you there!

Safe Travels to All.
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Old 01-30-2017, 11:50 AM   #13
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How do you become a member of the Thor diesel club?
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Old 01-30-2017, 01:49 PM   #14
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Thor Diesel Club membership....Worth It??

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How do you become a member of the Thor diesel club?
John Sheldon

Go to http://thordieselclub.org/how-to-join-us/ for an application. You also need to join FMCA to be a member. Your first year for new owners is free.

You might want to join the Freightliner Chassis Owners Club. It provides a discount on parts & service.


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