Fleetwood or Thor

[Our05Winneba]

tfryman -
(1) I did not post twice - only once. Do not know what happened on this site for a duplicate posting to appear.

(2) I stand by my comments, as they are based on my own experiences in trying to work with Thor in early 2018. Other techs I worked with at this dealer (not a Thor dealer, but we had all MYs, brands and models come through for various repairs) had similar experiences with Thor at the time.

(3) Maybe THor has since cleaned up it's act some since then, but it was too late for us - except for basic maintenance we will no longer attempt any major repairs on Thor products.

[lwmcguire]

Originally Posted by Roadwarrior7

Seriously, all you have to do is walk into a Thor to see the lower level of fit and finish. I don't need 20 pages of "data" to tell me what is apparent.



Perhaps the high-end Thor products are better, but I recently visited the Quartzite and Seattle RV shows and I didn't see anything I would call a high-end Thor model.

So you stand by a blanket statement that the 10 or brands Thor produces are all inferior, even the higher end

That tells me I was correct you are an entry level person and I will let it go at that

[EA37TS]

If you are going to compare Fleetwood Bounder to Thor compare the Bounder to the Challenger and no other coach. They are basically the same price point and the high end gas models for Fleetwood and Thor.

About 6 years ago we looked at both the Bounder and the Challenger. We went with the Challenger and had 5 years of excellent use out of that coach. Thor's customer service was outstanding from the first call welcoming us to the Thor family to the last call where I requested some diagrams well after the coach was out of warranty.

Our local dealer, before being bought by Camping World, quit selling all Fleetwood models because Fleetwood's warranty service was terrible. The dealer received units that were defective from the factory and REV group refused to repair them or reimburse the dealer for repairs. Last year when we were looking at diesel units we looked at Discoveries that would fall apart as we opened drawers and Holiday Ramblers that not only looked cheap but felt cheap as you sat in them.

Go over to the Thor forums and you will find a ton of folks that have no issues with their coaches and many that love their Challengers.

[Roadwarrior7]

Originally Posted by lwmcguire

So you stand by a blanket statement that the 10 or brands Thor produces are all inferior, even the higher end

That tells me I was correct you are an entry level person and I will let it go at that

Firstly, I'm not the poster you called "entry level". Secondly, why you you tag a person with "entry level" when they are calling out Thor products to be low end. Seems that someone calling Thor out as low end must be used to something nicer, so I don't understand the tag unless you're just using a tag to discredit someone's opinion.

My first RV was a Winnebago Via on the Mercedes Chassis. Perhaps you call that entry level though it's pretty expensive per foot. My current MH is a Tiffin Allegro Bay, that isn't an entry level model in the Tiffin line, but isn't exactly a Phaeton either.

Anyway, sorry that you got hurt by the negative comments towards the model you own but like I said, Thor might make high-end models but that isn't what most RVers come across.

Curious, what do you consider a high-end Thor product?

[Brianna]

Two points:
1. The original poster asked a simple question: Thor or fleetwood? The simple answer is (all things considered) they are quite similar, but the fleetwood brand might be a slightly better business decision at this time.
2. If a person buys an rv and it meets their needs and they really enjoy it, then that is the perfect rv for them, regardless of name tag.

[lwmcguire]

Originally Posted by Roadwarrior7

Firstly, I'm not the poster you called "entry level". Secondly, why you you tag a person with "entry level" when they are calling out Thor products to be low end. Seems that someone calling Thor out as low end must be used to something nicer, so I don't understand the tag unless you're just using a tag to discredit someone's opinion.



My first RV was a Winnebago Via on the Mercedes Chassis. Perhaps you call that entry level though it's pretty expensive per foot. My current MH is a Tiffin Allegro Bay, that isn't an entry level model in the Tiffin line, but isn't exactly a Phaeton either.



Anyway, sorry that you got hurt by the negative comments towards the model you own but like I said, Thor might make high-end models but that isn't what most RVers come across.



Curious, what do you consider a high-end Thor product?

Why do you think it is ok to blanket all products from any company as low quality with no facts?

[lwmcguire]

Originally Posted by Brianna

Two points:
1. The original poster asked a simple question: Thor or fleetwood? The simple answer is (all things considered) they are quite similar, but the fleetwood brand might be a slightly better business decision at this time.
2. If a person buys an rv and it meets their needs and they really enjoy it, then that is the perfect rv for them, regardless of name tag.

Great post

[Johnynorthla]

I am considering one of the Thors super C’s as a future upgrade. I’m curious does anyone here have any comments on their quality?

I’m finding there is very few manufactures to choose from with the Ford F450 and F550 chassis in a super C. Thor seems to be the main stream.

[JpalmerCass]

Originally Posted by Johnynorthla

I am considering one of the Thors super C’s as a future upgrade. I’m curious does anyone here have any comments on their quality?
.

This past Fall I met a women in a campground who had a Ford based Thor super C. She was thoroughly disgusted with the problems she had with the coach, she had a litany of complaints, some of them by no means trivial. She was so disgusted that a couple of days later she rolled up in a new Winnebago DP.

In the same campground I met a couple with a Tiffin Wayfarer, a Sprinter based C. They too were thoroughly disgusted with the problems they had and even had signs on the coach declaring it a lemon. They were ticked off.

[funmoneypit]

Pick whichever one works best for you. Don't get hung up on the manufacturer. A lot of Thor haters on this forum and most haven't ever owned one. They "talked to someone at the campground" or "their fathers friends cousin had one". And yes some have owned them, there are problem rigs with every manufacturer. We have a Miramar 37.1, bought it new July 2018. Had some issues, all resolved. Thor's CS is outstanding. They will talk you through just about anything, will give you prints and manuals for every aspect of your rig and even have everything on-line so you can access it anytime. I would guess that most people that say Thor's CS is bad actually had a bad dealer. That was our issue. Once I started communicating directly with Thor, I knew everything going on and when things were approved which was usually the same day. I even got Thor to authorize our rig to be moved to a different dealer as we were not getting anywhere with the first. Thor sent me a few items that I swapped out myself just so I didn't have to go to a dealer. 95% of the issues we had were not build issues but were supplier defects. None of our issues stopped us from using the rig and we thoroughly enjoy it. We use it 8-12 times a year for 45-90 nights of camping.

Bottom line, do your due diligence and pick the one that has the most features you are looking for. The wrong floorplan will put you in the market again very quickly.

I hope you find a nice rig that you will enjoy for years to come.

Good luck and happy camping.

[triplewide]

When looking to buy a new to me coach, I prioritize this way:


1. Maximum length (which may dictate gas/diesel)

2. Floor plan (including slides)

3. Features (inverter, fridge, washer/dryer, etc.)

4. Age/condition

5. Price

6. Manufacturer


I have never gotten to step 6 in purchasing a coach. My decision has always been clear by step 5. (And then, about 6 months later, I realized what I should have bought.)

[ETnRvr]

I have had a Thor Palazzo and a Fleetwood Flair and from a quality standpoint, there us no comparison. Fleetwood is head and shoulders above Thor. However, I would not trade my Tiffin for either one.

[Brianna]

In my opinion, first time buyers assume that RVS are built to high quality standards like a car. They are not.

When car shopping, we focus on the details we want----we don't worry if the doors and the wheels could fall off.

When first-time RV shopping, we assume that because we are spending $50, 100, 150 thousand dollars that it must be a high quality product. It isnt.

You have to look at everything when buying an RV.
Could the 5th wheel landing gear pierce the bedroom floor when the mounting brackets fail?
Could the tires rub against the brake or propane lines?
Etc.

[Johnynorthla]

Originally Posted by Brianna

In my opinion, first time buyers assume that RVS are built to high quality standards like a car. They are not.

When car shopping, we focus on the details we want----we don't worry if the doors and the wheels could fall off.

When first-time RV shopping, we assume that because we are spending $50, 100, 150 thousand dollars that it must be a high quality product. It isnt.

You have to look at everything when buying an RV.
Could the 5th wheel landing gear pierce the bedroom floor when the mounting brackets fail?
Could the tires rub against the brake or propane lines?
Etc.

This is, unfortunately, a true statement!

Be an educated consumer, that’s your best defense!