Thor , Fleetwood , Itasca

[mikebrls]

I posted before about the Itasca and thor now Im going to throw Fleetwood in the mix

ok so we will be using this unit mostly for long 3 to 4 day trip's and once a year for 8 day trip with wife and 4 year old and myself.
of course the wife loved the Itasca sunstar that was $ 110 k but as we get more into looking and talking about our need's I would like to spend in the low $ 80k range for a class A RV under 35 ft..
with that said is the warranty and build quality that much better on the Itasca vs the thor and fleetwood ? Being my first RV I don't want it sitting in the shop for month's at a time like I hear on this forum when buying new ." wife want's new so used is out of the question "
I guess I should also throw in Newmar and Tiffen If I going to spend low $100 k on something but I would prefer to stay in the $ 80k area unless there is a big difference in quality and warranty work

thank you
mke

[LVJ58]

For myself the decision would be rather easy, as I would get the coach my dear wife liked so long as the build quality was acceptable.

There's a saying that's been around for a while, and it's, "Keep your wife happy and you and everyone else will be happy."

Seriously though, for us, the most important consideration in selecting our coach was, we wanted one with a comfortable, livable floor plan with adequate wardrobe space that would best suit our needs.

It will be your home away from home.



Good luck with your decision and safe travels....

[go6car]

Is that $110k the sticker price? If so, you'd be at $82,500 with a very attainable 25% discount off of that MSRP. (Would obviously need to add in taxes, etc. back in to that for your final out the door price).

[puttin]

In my unbiased opinion- Itasca. We have had our Winnie now for almost 5 years since new (with a very short punch list of problems- all fixed within the 1st year). Good luck with your search and have fun along the way!

[mikebrls]

I went and looked at a few more Rv's today fleetwood bounder and some tiffen's and newmar's all I could say is they get nicer as the tour went on .

mike

[mikebrls]

Originally Posted by go6car

Is that $110k the sticker price? If so, you'd be at $82,500 with a very attainable 25% discount off of that MSRP. (Would obviously need to add in taxes, etc. back in to that for your final out the door price).

$ 80 k to $110 k would be the buy price after the 25 to 35 % discount

[Gary RVRoamer]

I think you are going to get pretty much what you pay for. If you buy an $80k MSRP coach, it won't make much difference if it is an $80k Itasca or an $80k Fleetwood. They are all buying from the same component manufacturers, using pretty much the same (gas) chassis, and using the same basic construction techniques. And you aren't using the coach enough to wear it out any time soon.

For your needs you really need to be shopping for a used coach, but if that's not an acceptable option...

Winnebago/Itasca makes a pretty decent coach, well-thought out. A good choice for a newcomer to RVs, I think. However, I'm partial to Fleetwood styling (in and out) and the way they design certain things, so I would be looking hard at them too.

If $80k is the budget, then you can be looking at $100k MSRP coaches. And if it takes $90k or $100k to make Momma thoroughly happy, it is money well spent.

[monkey]

Sure glad my wife is cheap,,, Or should I say Easy to please, ,, no,, that won't work either,,, hmmmm Brand new is really nice,, and some can afford it... But geez, the big money you instantly lose when you drive off the lot, even a year or two old with all the bugs worked out "might" be a better deal... Then again as stated,,, "IF the wife is happy ,,,,"

[Gary RVRoamer]

Something like the Thor Ace is probably a good match to your planned usage and the budget you want. It's well under 35 ft, though. More like 29, so probably smaller than what you have been looking at. At 26 ft Itasca would also come in with an MSRP in the $75-$85k range, but any of the larger ones will be over$100k MSRP.

[mikebrls]

Originally Posted by Gary RVRoamer

Something like the Thor Ace is probably a good match to your planned usage and the budget you want. It's well under 35 ft, though. More like 29, so probably smaller than what you have been looking at. At 26 ft Itasca would also come in with an MSRP in the $75-$85k range, but any of the larger ones will be over$100k MSRP.

going to look at the thor ace today with wife , I have been reading so many horra story's with the Thor line " air condition, generator, electrical , so not sure, I want to avoid the shady building process .
ARE any of these brand manufactured better then the other ? " quality control "
also like the fleetwood bounder classic and comment's on this one ?
we will see what happen's today
thank's
mike

[genesimmons]

looked at thor's and itasca's at camping world rv show at oceanlakes and i still like fleetwood better

[Gary RVRoamer]

I'm not a Thor fan either, and as I said above, a low price in any brand means that corners were cut somewhere. Still, the ACE is about the size and budget to meet your needs if it has to be a new one.

You should really think hard about buying used, though. Would you insist on only buying a new house? Or moving into a new apartment building?

[mikebrls]

went for a test ride in the ACE it drove nice but a lot of rattling from the widow's and slide ect,
what about a 2012 Newmar baystar sport @ around $ 90 k what do you guy's think about these ?
when I spoke to the sale's guy about the newmar and told him about the rattling from the thor he said newmar's won't rattle . has anyone been in one that can tell me for sure about this . wife and I will probably go look at the newmar tomorrow .
thank's
mike

[mikebrls]

also going to look at the fleetwood bounder classic .
so if the fleetwood and the newmar are around the same price range would the 2012 newmar be the better pic or 2013 fleetwood ?

thank's for your help
mike