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Old 10-09-2012, 04:35 PM   #1
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Fleetwood vs. Tiffin

My wife and I are looking at the Allegro 32CA and the Southwind 32VS. Both have very similar floor plans and both units appear to be of quality components and construction. We are new to RVing and have been shopping for around 3-4 months. We now own a Lance Camper 1121 on a F550, and love the RVing experience. This will, more than likely, be our last coach as well, we hope to use the coach extensively over the next 5-7 years.

My question is, does one company i.e., Fleetwood or Tiffin do a better job in customer service?
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Old 10-09-2012, 04:47 PM   #2
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Buy the one the DW likes then you're off the hook. Jim
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Old 10-09-2012, 05:07 PM   #3
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Old 10-09-2012, 06:28 PM   #4
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It seems you are worried about customer service, are you buying new or used. Do you want service from a dealer and service center or manufacturer. Who has the most across the country in case you need something worked on. Those are very similar coaches what chassis are they both on, don't just look at the frilly things start at the ground up.
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Old 10-09-2012, 06:39 PM   #5
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Tiffin, in years past, had the best support of any manufacturer. Today, in my opinion, there is not much difference. I think a key consideration is whether your local dealer is any good. Many aren't. Both the Tiffin plant and the Fleetwood plant do similar quality work , but that would mean driving to their plant. I think, if you go with either model, picking the floor plan you like the best, you'll have a good coach.
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Old 10-09-2012, 06:57 PM   #6
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Tiffin used to be great but seems to have fallen back some. We'd buy a Newmar again over anything else out there.
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Old 10-10-2012, 05:18 AM   #7
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Quote:
Originally Posted by johnmbeard View Post
My wife and I are looking at the Allegro 32CA and the Southwind 32VS. Both have very similar floor plans and both units appear to be of quality components and construction. We are new to RVing and have been shopping for around 3-4 months. We now own a Lance Camper 1121 on a F550, and love the RVing experience. This will, more than likely, be our last coach as well, we hope to use the coach extensively over the next 5-7 years.

My question is, does one company i.e., Fleetwood or Tiffin do a better job in customer service?
You will get varied opinions on this, but at the end of the day, you are definitely comparing apples to apples. And, they are both good apples. You truly can't go wrong with either one.
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Old 10-10-2012, 06:43 AM   #8
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We're going to a RV show this weekend (2/12/2012) in Pomona, CA to preview each coach (32 CA vs. 32 VS) and compare one to the other. The DW would prefer a used coach, of course the DW doesn't have the maintenance and upkeep responsibility...I do, and I am leaning towards a new Tiffin Coach.

The Fleetwood prices out at 6k to 7k more expensive than the Tiffin. Both are on a 22,000# Ford Chassis. Identical power plants, and drive train on each coach. Floor plans are nearly identical, which is what attracted the DW and I to the coach in the first place. The A/C system in the Tiffin is fully ducted (supply & return) whereas the Fleetwood only has a ducted supply and central return. That is the most glaring difference between the coaches.

We want a smaller coach to fit into smaller camp areas and National Parks.

Both coaches do fit our budget of around 100k to 110k. Of course I would love to have a DP such as a Phaeton, but I/we do not want to spend 150k to 250k+ for a coach.
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Old 10-10-2012, 06:43 AM   #9
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I'm completely biased here but I wouldn't waste my time or $ on a Fleetwood product. PM me if you have specific questions about the 32CA, Tiffin, or anything else you can think of.
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Old 10-10-2012, 06:43 AM   #10
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We've owned a 98 Fleetwood Pace Arrow for 4 years which I've been very happy with but we just bought and 03 Tiffin Phaeton and based on my initial observation there's a huge difference in construction. If nothing else, every electrical connection in the Tiffin is clearly labeled and accessible. The Phaeton seems to be better insulated (the whole underbelly is covered with foam, etc). Based on my observation, it just seems like a better built coach. Obviously I'm comparing a 98 gasser to a 03 DP so it's not quite the same but I do think the Phaeton would also compare favorably to a 03 Discovery (Phaeton was cheaper): fibreglass (on Phaeton) vs rubber roof, passthrough storage (on Phaeton), 10k (on Phaeton) vs 5k towing, higher GVWR and GCWR (on Phaeton) etc. Fleetwood did include some things standard that were options or n/a on the Tiffin (solar panel, inverter, etc) and I do like some of their floorplans but if I had to pick one over the other, I'd pick Tiffin (note that I bought our new coach (and the previous one) simply because I found it for a good deal and not because I favoured one brand over another).
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Old 10-10-2012, 08:44 AM   #11
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We love our fleetwood.Rides smooth and drives great. Very well built and has been a very good dependable unit.Would buy another in a heartbeat.
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Old 10-10-2012, 09:12 AM   #12
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And I dumped my 11 Phaeton due to the house part being broke every week. Almost 100 issues in 11 months. Tiffin will fix all but I did not think I would live long enough to get all fixed, Dropped ceilings, cracked roof rails, rotted walls and on and on. They all have issues. Just how many??
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Old 10-10-2012, 09:39 AM   #13
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Originally Posted by jlfbatonrg View Post
Tiffin, in years past, had the best support of any manufacturer. Today, in my opinion, there is not much difference. I think a key consideration is whether your local dealer is any good. Many aren't. Both the Tiffin plant and the Fleetwood plant do similar quality work , but that would mean driving to their plant. I think, if you go with either model, picking the floor plan you like the best, you'll have a good coach.
What do you base this on? My coach is an 07 and I just had an item covered by Tiffin for free at my chosen dealer. You can ague who makes the best coach as it leaves the manufactures floor. But to state Tiffin is like the others after a sale is not not accurate from my personal experiences.
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Old 10-10-2012, 09:51 AM   #14
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Love our FW product! Like luvlabs said I wouldn't WASTE my time on that other one. Just get the one the wife prefers-can't go wrong. Good Luck
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