Community Forums

edchkim · 12-31-2014, 04:56 PM

Considering purchasing our first motorhome,new Fleetwood Storm 28MS. Concerned about entry level coach quaility, anyone familiar with problems with this brand. Priced at about 70K. Would we be better with a 5 yr old used higher quality coach? If so which brand recommended or which to stay away from. Size 28 to 34 ft seems good for us.

wildtoad · 12-31-2014, 05:15 PM

well, with new you get the manufacturers warranty, all new stuff, and I suspect a few new unit things to be fixed. If you like the layout, and it fits your needs, then go for it. On the other hand you can find plenty of older better name brand units for the same or way less money.

2500HD · 12-31-2014, 05:22 PM

I have been looking at them. I think you may be better off going to the next level like the thor Hurricane or Winnebago vista. It seems like they now have "different levels of entry level" low end and higher end. The Storm just did not appeal to me, Im also not a fan of coachmen but since you are looking they are worth a look and have a lot of great features for an entry level MH. They seem to pack everything someone would want into one.

vsheetz · 12-31-2014, 05:31 PM

I would buy a used larger, better quality, more featured coach than the lessor new coach. Likely for even less money than this new coach. There are many good quality used buys out there.

edchkim · 12-31-2014, 06:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 2500HD

I have been looking at them. I think you may be better off going to the next level like the thor Hurricane or Winnebago vista. It seems like they now have "different levels of entry level" low end and higher end. The Storm just did not appeal to me, Im also not a fan of coachmen but since you are looking they are worth a look and have a lot of great features for an entry level MH. They seem to pack everything someone would want into one.

Thanks, I will look at the Vista and Hurricane

edchkim · 12-31-2014, 06:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wildtoad

well, with new you get the manufacturers warranty, all new stuff, and I suspect a few new unit things to be fixed. If you like the layout, and it fits your needs, then go for it. On the other hand you can find plenty of older better name brand units for the same or way less money.

Wondering what the other better name brands are. Have been told Tiffin Allegro gas is a good one, are you familiar with others?

wildtoad · 12-31-2014, 07:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by edchkim

Wondering what the other better name brands are. Have been told Tiffin Allegro gas is a good one, are you familiar with others?

Tiffin makes a good coach. I'm looking at Winnebago for my next one, either a used 27N or the new Brave 31C. Even though they have a reputation for being better built they all have issues.

Mike and Cha · 12-31-2014, 07:40 PM

Do a little more research before you make a decision on which brand or new vs used/size ect. There will be many opinions when you ask the question as you posted. We looked at them all, and I spent almost two years doing my research, you don't necessarlly have to spend that much time. But in doing our research we ended up with a much better MH than we started looking at and we are really happy with ours and the performance of it.

What we did was to read all the forums of the different manufacturers on IRV2. We just read, did not ask questions, but we wanted to read and see what people liked, didn't like, quality issues, how they were handled, warranty issues, handling issues, customer service, how much people complained about service, lack of it or time in the shop, ect. You will get a pretty good idea of what to expect, and you will develope a good sense of what you want and need based on what quality means to you. For some it's the purchase price, others it's not having to bring it in constantly for warranty issues/repairs, others size, floorplan, handling, overall looks ect.

Then we went out and looked, drove, and compared as many as we could along with getting prices. I think you will find that the with the initial pricepoint of $70,000, adding to that in the area of up to another $30,000 will drastically increase not only the quality, but the size, floorplan , and components of the MH. Sure you can save a little buying used but we tend to keep our vehicles for along time, and I keep them very well maintained, we just wanted new for alot of reason including not wanting someone else's problems. We got a great deal on ours and at the time there were very few used similar ones on the market that had a savings worth buying used, so we did research that angle too. You will hear that the new ones always need warranty work done and the bugs worked out, so just buy used and let someone else have done that for you. First of all they will all, new/used need some type of work done from time to time, on ours we have had it for about 1 year, have put about 8000 miles on it, camped over 100 nights in it and so far it has only been in the shop one time for about 4 hours to get some minor repairs and adjustments done, and we took it home the same day. So it's not always the horror story you will hear from people who buy used to save money, justify that as the reason to buy used.

Remember whatever you buy you get what you paid for, and at this pricepoint it is alot of money to just wing it. Just the fact you are asking the question leads me to believe you are a little leery of the Fleetwood Storm and doing more research will help you to choose the best MH for your needs at a price you want to spend and give you the peace of mind to make the purchase. Good luck and remember don't get frustrated or in a hurry they will always be there to buy and looking for one is half the fun.

fivejackie · 01-01-2015, 11:15 PM

You might want to check Mike Thompson RV. We just bought a Hurricane 27K from them.

edchkim · 01-02-2015, 11:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by fivejackie

You might want to check Mike Thompson RV. We just bought a Hurricane 27K from them.

We were looking at the Fleetwood Storm at Mike Thompson RV. How did you like the dealership? Plan to look at the Vista and Hurricane nx. Do you recommend anyone there?

fivejackie · 01-03-2015, 10:54 PM

Everybody Mike Thompson were real easy to work with. They work hard to get us the deal we wanted. I guy from service gave us a complete walk through. He also gave his card if we later had any questions or problems. We tried dealing with Giant RV, but we couldn't make a deal. We got a class C at Richardson RV in Menifee. They are first class when it comes to sales and service.

SWDan · 01-04-2015, 05:07 PM

I went with a used rig, I found a 2010 Newmar, Canyon Star, it had 7000 miles on it and the rig looked like new. A higher quality unit is going to have better floor coverings, furniture coverings, and better cabinets. If you are going to use the rig a lot, that will pay off in the long run.

usinvestment · 01-04-2015, 06:22 PM

OK, I spent well over a year researching and looking at all models and manufacturers. Spent two years reading this blog and all the issues with various models and manufacturers. DON'T PURCHASE A THOR, DON'T PURCHASE A THOR. If you have spent time researching you will understand my comment. Spend time on the Thor thread. Take your time to look at the dimensions and ratings for everything, the beds, dropdown beds and remember to lay down on them at the dealer. You will see the Thor's are built for midgets, and their dropdown bed rating is much less, only for small children.

For an entry model class A the Fleetwood Storm is one of the best in this price range, bar none. You name it, I've looked at it and priced it and researched it. Our Storm has performed flawless on many trips. I'd recommend it to anyone looking at this price range and size. I've covered this same question many times in previous threads. Sure you can pay less but you will regret going cheap. Thor builds junk, pure junk. Do your homework.

Look on line and bid online for the coach you want. Fly in and drive it home and save thousands, yes thousands. Make sure you have a local dealer that will provide service and you're good to go. Used you can get an upgrade but, the materials and such are usually outdated and most of the older models have carpet floors and seldom sleep more than 4.

Look at every detail and compare everything.

RndmTraveler · 01-04-2015, 08:20 PM

We bought a used (2011) Storm 32 BH last year, moving up from a class C. We did 6000+ miles with it this year, lots of mountains and down the 101 to San Francisco, pulling a VW Beetle.

We’ve had ZERO issues with it. Everything worked as intended, which is rare with motorhomes of any price.

The Storm uses the same materials, (also has solid wood doors), blind hinges, It has the same Ford chassis and standard appliances you’ll find with the competition. I’ve spent 2 years reading and comparing coaches, just like most people do. My experience: you need to go see them for yourself. I would never buy a motorhome because of the brand name. They’re basically all the same.

Our 32’ Storm has a great floor plan with the breakfast nook/bunk beds. We’ve been thinking about trading it in for a diesel because we’re planning a few cross country trips next year. The problem is that my wife doesn’t like any of the floor plans and material/color choices in the ‘older’ (2007-2010) coaches we’re looking at. Based on our actual experience, we find the Storm to be a great coach at an affordable price.