Fleetwood Discovery vs Tiffin Phaeton

[phxmtngirl]

Funny, have never herd back from the OP........

[rhopkins]

I just bought my second Allegro Bus from Tiffin. It was delivered with several problems and I wrote a letter to Tiffin complaining about my coach. I received a personal call from Bob Tiffin inviting me to the factory to get my new coach repaired. It took him up and I spent 2 1/2 days in Red Bay, Al. This was time well spent for it is now where it should have been at delivery. I may have been displeased but Bob Tiffin's personal attention to my problems out weighed my concerns. Im back on the happy customer list.

Ron Hopkins

[CentILRVer]

I am sorry, PHXMTNGIRL is correct. I never did update all of you on what our family decided to do....

First of all let me say, it was a journey. A long journey where things just kept falling into place either by process of elimination, or in some cases by luck.

We first fell in love with the Discovery 40G Bunk model (while vacationing in TX) and thought that was the model we were going to purchase. Then, after receiving so much feedback regarding customer service, quality and resale value, we did a 180 and were decided on the Phaeton QKH bunk model that we saw in the catalog. By luck we were able to view one in person a couple weeks later and totally decided we did not like the floor plan. After that, we decided to pass on the bunks and go with a Phaeton QBH bath and half. We flew down to Tampa to make a final selection on colors and interiors etc on the QBH. That is the only place you can see so many colors, interiors etc all in one place.

We just happened to step inside a Fleetwood 40G while we were there and fell in love all over again and did another 180. That's a full 360 for ya all who took the short bus to school Yes, we ended up right where we started many months ago and we are very happy.

I came to the conclusion that I did not want to own a particular brand of coach just based on resale value and the fact that the Pres gets involved to resolve customer issues. Do not get me wrong- those are great qualities IF the floor plan works for your family. For now, we took the advice of many of you and went with the floor plan that works best for our young family.

By the way, I was surprised at the level with which Fleetwood worked with us to customize our order. Doug Miller is the midwest rep for Fleetwood and he was extremely helpful. We did not like any of the exterior color schemes for the 2011 Discovery. He emailed me all of the colors that they have used on previous Fleetwoods and American Tradition coaches and allowed us to put together a scheme based on the different colors we liked. There were several other tweaks that were made for us. Maybe this is standard practice, but I wasn't expecting this from Fleetwood.

I solicited bids from 6 Midwest dealerships via fax and General RV came in with the best price plus goodies that they threw in. We should be taking delivery in middle April. Next week we are going to the factory for a tour while the kids are on spring break. We're excited. We ordered a 2011 Taurus in matching color to Tow with a Blue Ox Towbar and Air Force One braking system for the Toad.

Thanks to all of you. This is an awesome forum and we have met some very kind and helpful people. This is our very 1st RV so I am sure you'll be hearing a lot more from us. YIKES- What do we do when this Bus shows up !!

[rver98]

YIKES- What do we do when this Bus shows up !!


Drive it and enjoy it while you can.

[Fencebuster]

Congratulations!
We purchased our 2010 Discovery 40K last August from General RV, and, like you, fell in love with our floor plan. We have not been sorry and have 4 trips under our belts totaling 6,000 + miles. We have made some silly newbie mistakes and General RV has stood by us and educated us all along the line. We even called our sales rep on his cell phone to get an answer to a question and he answered... on his son's wedding day! We have gleaned many, many wonderful ideas from folks on this forum and treasure the advice that is given to all. We are excited to get out on the road later this Spring. Good luck in your journeys.

[michelb]

You've mentioned that you don't want to go to a tag. Any particular reason? If I was in the market for a DP bunkhouse right now (especially if you want to be able sleep 3 kids), based on the floorplan alone, my only choice would probably be the Discovery 42A (although I'm not sure how much of a premium it is over the 40G). To me the advantages of the 42A over the 40G (or pretty much all the other DP bunks with the beds in the hallway) are too great to ignore: separate sleeping / living area for the kids, extra 1/2 bath, bathroom separating master and kids area offering a bit more privacy, extra GVRW and GCWR.

There's even a greater benefit if you need to sleep more than 2 kids; with the 42A, it should be pretty trivial to remove the cabinets against the rear wall and replace with a bunk - you can even keep the bed / sofa on the bottom so that they can sit / play during the day. The value of having a separate playroom is just huge IMO.

[SW4UA]

Researched RVs for about 2 years before getting our Phaeton. Took it to Red Bay for a few tweaks and they were great. Previous posts are right on the mark. Look at the little things between the two that could make a difference in the long run. Have fun either way!

[justimagination]

.....Ed, I've read all the posts, good & bad, and "DAYTRIPPER63" pretty much summed it up best,
I say get the coach you are the most comfortable in and that best fits your needs. We too are in our 40s and just do short family trips as often as possible and the quality of family time on these trips is better than we ever get at home.
We almost bought a Monaco with the same floorplan as our Fleetwood but the interior decor looked more like something my dad would own so i say put the whole family in it and relax for a while without the salesman and see how it fits.
____________________________________________
Good luck, I cannot think of anything else to add except.....BE SATISFIED.
David G.