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09-16-2014, 06:40 PM
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#29
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Senior Member
American Coach Owners Club
Join Date: Jul 2007
Location: SW Florida
Posts: 2,971
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Since money isn't an object, then Provost, Newell, Foretravel and Wanderlodge.
Having said that about the money, many of these are available in older models and very affordable, so if you're looking for something that was built to last rather than newness, then one of these might be the ticket.
__________________
07 Revolution LE 40E_1 1/2 Baths_Spartan MM Chassis_06 400HP C9 CAT_ Allison 3000
Dinghy_2010 Jeep Wrangler JKU ISLANDER
1998 36ft. National Tropi-Cal Chevy Model 6350 (SOLD)
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09-17-2014, 09:14 PM
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#30
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Senior Member
Newmar Owners Club Spartan Chassis
Join Date: Jun 2013
Location: Apple Valley CA
Posts: 1,069
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If you want 4 slides and a tag IMHO Newmar on a Spartan Chassis, used, is the best bang for your buck. Mountain Aire, Dutch Star and Essex.
__________________
[SIGPIC][/SIGPIC]
Craig & Carolyn Roberts Apple Valley, CA
Toad: 2017 GMC Canyon 4X4 Crewcab
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09-18-2014, 06:02 AM
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#31
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Senior Member
Join Date: Dec 2000
Location: Weatherford, Tx 76086 USA
Posts: 1,715
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Bluebird Wanderlodge, I'm on my 4th.
mine cost 750 grand, new
__________________
Ernie Ekberg
Foretravel
Mineral Wells, Texas
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09-18-2014, 06:32 AM
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#32
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Senior Member
Fleetwood Owners Club Outdoors RV Owners Club
Join Date: Nov 2013
Location: Houston, Texas
Posts: 4,580
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Quote:
Originally Posted by rdfugere
Has anyone know anything of the Damon Tuscany? I looked at a
2009 Damon
TUSCANY
4056
I know they have been bought by Thor but this seems to be made before the buyout. I've read nightmare stories about Thor but know nothing of Damons made before they were bought.
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How about an answer to your question....
Thor doesn't exactly have the best reputation right now. Now with that being said, the Tuscany "seems" to have far less complaints than the entry levels that I have seen.
And I have heard from more than a couple owners that they love their Tuscany.
On the flip side, my RV repair guy once in causal convo about manufacturers said in a sentence "and whatever you do, stay away from the off brands like sports coach and the damons, they look pretty, but boy do they have some structural issues..." He was probably referring to the old damon company, but that's what he said. Just one opinion.
My thought is this - "how is my money going to work for me?" Would I apply it to
A. A company that made a product without a high opinion, then was bought by another company without a super high opinion who took over their operations, so therefore doesn't have a lot of experience (in number of years) in making this model of 38,000 lb bus.... also the same company has a ton of brand extensions which in my opinion makes them more of a jack of all...
or
b. A company that has made 5 or 6 busses for 25 years with a solid reputation?
All things being equal, I would take option b. Fleetwood, Newmar, Tiffin, Winnie
And if money were no object, I still would not want a bus conversion... sure they are built like a tank, but I'm not a band touring the country, and I don't care about white oak inlayed, fancy ultra modern interior. (although I would LOVE the 5 A/C units.) The fact that most of the bus converts have 0, 1 or 2 slides would bug me right off, and I don't need or want to drive something 45 feet long.
This is a very personal opinion, but it has to do with the way my wife and I USE our bus. We aren't resort kings, we aren't pavement huggers. Even 40 feet for us sometimes is too long, and we find ourselves at times, wishing we had a 36 footer (or sometimes, even a popup trailer! to get to some remote areas.)
So my question to you is, HOW are you going to use it.. like what's your dream trip?
__________________
RVM#78 - -USAF- F-15 Eagle Radar Vet
'5 Fleetwood Revolution- '15 Airstream Intl Sig. 27FB
Jay, Andrea, Stella '14 Ram 3500 Aisin '18 ORV F30RLS
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09-18-2014, 06:34 AM
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#33
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Senior Member
Fleetwood Owners Club Outdoors RV Owners Club
Join Date: Nov 2013
Location: Houston, Texas
Posts: 4,580
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Another good gauge... how many Thor Tuscany's are for sale right now that are of 2012, 2013 used model year range... if you see a bunch, that's a sign something *might* be amiss with those year models.
__________________
RVM#78 - -USAF- F-15 Eagle Radar Vet
'5 Fleetwood Revolution- '15 Airstream Intl Sig. 27FB
Jay, Andrea, Stella '14 Ram 3500 Aisin '18 ORV F30RLS
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09-19-2014, 11:35 PM
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#34
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Senior Member
Tiffin Owners Club Freightliner Owners Club
Join Date: Apr 2012
Posts: 2,079
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mine,
my best friends,
The coach brand of the guy that offers me a beer every time I walk past his coach.
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09-21-2014, 09:47 PM
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#35
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Senior Member
National RV Owners Club Freightliner Owners Club
Join Date: May 2014
Posts: 154
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Just went through a six month shopping process. We are newbies but have learned a ton in this process.
Make decision between gas or diesel. (We opted for Diesel- whole different ride!)
Figure out what floor plan your wife wants and what things you BOTH can't live without and be patient.
We absolutely had to have a King Bed our #1 issue!
We thought we wanted a 30-35' until we thought about being stuck inside for three days due to inclement weather.
Study RVTrader.com and MHSRV.COM to get an idea what coaches sell for and what floor plans you like. Use this forum once you narrow down to the specific models you like. We thought we had it figured out but folks here helped change our minds.
We are in a small town with no MH dealers so we made about six weekend trips to metro markets specifically to look at specific MFGs/floor plans to be efficient and unemotional.
We have driven 20-30 coaches this summer and really liked the Monaco Diplomat and Newmar Dutch Stars in the 2005-8 range the best. Best drive/workmanship for the buck but the Diplomat doesn't come with a King bed in the years/price range and she couldn't find the floor plan she liked in the Used Dutch Star. (king floor plans are really tough to find in <38' in this year/quality$ range. If you want a queen bed, there are some really nice options out there
So we ultimately bought a 40' '08 National Pacifica that had the perfect floor plan for us. All concerns about size went completely out the window when she saw this one. Triple slide, lots of windows and a nice ride although not quite as nice as the Aforementioned Newmar's and Monaco's. We compared it to several brand new coaches that were 50%-75% more but the newer coaches are noisier on the road, cheaply built and have less windows than our Pacifica. We just returned from our first trip and we love our Pacifica!
Bottom line...guys get to pick the chassis & engine and the gals get to pick the floor plan. (Happily married for 26 yrs)
__________________
2008 Pacifica PC40E
Caddy SRX toad w/Blue Ox/Patriot tow setup
360 hp Cummings/Freightliner
FMCA-GOOD SAM
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09-21-2014, 11:11 PM
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#36
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Senior Member
Join Date: Aug 2013
Location: Washington
Posts: 454
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Quote:
Originally Posted by jstdreamin
Bottom line...guys get to pick the chassis & engine and the gals get to pick the floor plan. (Happily married for 26 yrs)
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Seriously??? I feel like I have just regressed a few decades. This may surprise you but I have definite opinions about chassis & engine (as well as side rad vs rear rad) and my husband definitely has strong opinions about floor plan. I doubt we are the only couple like this.
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09-21-2014, 11:20 PM
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#37
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Senior Member
Country Coach Owners Club Solo Rvers Club iRV2 No Limits Club
Join Date: May 2011
Location: Vancouver, WA
Posts: 37,725
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Quote:
Originally Posted by plasma800
Newmar kicks butt as far as i'm concerned.
Some people take 25 cats with them
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We agree with Newmar, but we only take seven cats with us!
__________________
2009 45' Magna 630 w/Cummins ISX 650 HP/1950 Lbs Ft, HWH Active Air
Charter Good Sam Lifetime Member, FMCA,
RV'ing since 1957, NRA Benefactor Life, towing '21 Jeep JLU Rubicon Ecodiesel
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09-21-2014, 11:25 PM
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#38
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Senior Member
Country Coach Owners Club Solo Rvers Club iRV2 No Limits Club
Join Date: May 2011
Location: Vancouver, WA
Posts: 37,725
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There's a Newmar London Aire at a dealers in FL, it was right at or over $1,000,000 new. NADA says it's still worth $400,000+. Don't know what the dealer wants for it. Mid entry, white interior. Too gaudy for us though.
__________________
2009 45' Magna 630 w/Cummins ISX 650 HP/1950 Lbs Ft, HWH Active Air
Charter Good Sam Lifetime Member, FMCA,
RV'ing since 1957, NRA Benefactor Life, towing '21 Jeep JLU Rubicon Ecodiesel
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09-22-2014, 12:22 AM
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#39
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Senior Member
Join Date: Feb 2010
Posts: 507
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Orangepeel
Seriously??? I feel like I have just regressed a few decades. This may surprise you but I have definite opinions about chassis & engine (as well as side rad vs rear rad) and my husband definitely has strong opinions about floor plan. I doubt we are the only couple like this.
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Definately not the only couple, but definately the minority......
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09-22-2014, 06:48 AM
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#40
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Senior Member
Fleetwood Owners Club
Join Date: Dec 2011
Location: Willow Lakes RV & Golf Resort, FL
Posts: 3,163
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Quote:
Originally Posted by huntnski
I have a Fleetwood that serves me well!
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X-2^^
__________________
Clay & Pebble
2012 Providence 42 M. Spartan Chassis, 450 ISL
Ford Edge toad, RM All Terrane, TST TPMS, SMI Air Force One, RVM95....
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09-23-2014, 11:46 PM
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#41
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Junior Member
Join Date: Jun 2014
Posts: 18
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Three manufacturers?
After twenty years in the high line DP Rv management biz my choices narrow completely.
91-92 40' 3176 cat Marquis. Probably the best quality and engineered coach made. Gillig, webasto, floating skins, sikkens paint like the country coach.
All country coaches
I bought a limping Foretravel 97' u320 40' and it's the finest driving machine made in the biz.
air disk brakes, Allison xtarder, fiberglass/steel framed vacuum bonded structure, loomed wiring.
Newell is aluminum skinned. Not
Neway is loose aluminum framed structure. Not.
Too many customer issues with tiffin stuff.
No body shell noises please. Drives me crazy. Quiet.
Only the Foretravel has no truck sway at all.
It's not the money.
And the only xtarder in the biz.
Brings a grin driving it that's hard to wipe off of your face.
It's a motorhome not a homemotor.
Monaco built a version but dimensionally very crude. No insulated floor. Two pieces of wood. Heavy.
Slides make the coach heavy and take away inside and outside storage. 18" for each slide. And make the coach taller so more body roll and truck sway.
White knuckle drive. Constant steering corrections. Tiring. 300 miles and you are beat.
__________________
1997 40' U320 Foretravel Unicoach mid entry.
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09-24-2014, 06:03 AM
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#42
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Senior Member
Join Date: Dec 2000
Location: Weatherford, Tx 76086 USA
Posts: 1,715
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I guess nobody has driven a Bluebird Wanderlodge?
__________________
Ernie Ekberg
Foretravel
Mineral Wells, Texas
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