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02-02-2018, 06:04 PM
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#1
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Member
Join Date: Aug 2017
Location: Lexington, Michigan
Posts: 63
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Looking for "short" Class A (28 - 31')
Will soon be in market for our first Class A. Need to stay 28-31' due to parking limitations at house. Want 1 or 2 slides. Chev or Ford chassis, 2006 or newer. Any suggestions as to brands to look for or stay away from? Thanks
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02-02-2018, 06:43 PM
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#2
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Senior Member
Winnebago Owners Club
Join Date: Aug 2017
Location: Middle Arizona
Posts: 274
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31 feet
We bought a 2015 31' Winnebago Vista in the past year. Ford F53 with 7,400 miles when we bought it. One slide (I have slide-a-phobia, afraid they won't work) and the largest kitchen counter space we found in a coach of this length. We have the loft bed over the drivers area. Also we found room at the corner (passenger side) of the queen bed to put a portable washing machine which makes DW happy to have her own.
The F53 is stronger than I had expected and the coach is better than expected and somewhat forgiving as I have made more than 1 newbie mistake.
The systems work, but the fit and finish and trim fall apart and have to be monitored as you go, but that is true of most coaches I think in this price point. Screws, screws and screws. Win uses the smallest possible screws and most of them over time do not hold. We spend quite a bit of time putting real wood backing behind press-board fascias and put longer screws through into the real wood. Still have not completed them all. Plastic faucets and shower components leak in use, but not when closed. They are the next replacement parts.
We knew the Vista was the bottom end of the Winnebago line so we did not expect too much, but it has delivered good service to us. We say that having spent 5 of the 7 months of ownership in it and covered about 8,000 miles, so the sample size is small, but the results are pretty good at this point.
Of course, all depends on your price point... and BTW.. cash in king!
my $0.02 FWIW ....
__________________
Turn the Key and Smile
2015 Winnebago Vista 31KE
Tuned, Swayed, Sumo'd
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02-02-2018, 07:08 PM
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#3
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Senior Member
Winnebago Owners Club Ford Super Duty Owner
Join Date: Jan 2017
Location: South Carolina
Posts: 353
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We have a 2017 Winnebago Vista 29VE, coming in at 31’. It has the V10 Ford engine. All is good so far. Few little problems that I was able to handle and we have about 8K miles on it. It has one full length slide on the drivers side.
Good luck in your search.
Patrick
__________________
Semper Paratus
KE4TQV
2017 Winnebago Vista 29VE
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02-02-2018, 09:05 PM
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#4
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Senior Member
Join Date: Nov 2015
Location: On the Road
Posts: 281
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... Purchased a 2007 Safari Trek 28RB2 that's 29.5 feet with 8.1 Chevy & 6 speed Allison Transmission & NO slides...They also make the same model with 2 slides... The bed drops down from the living room ceiling so, LOTS of kitchen space & BIG bathroom... With the drop down bed one needs a step stool for getting in / out of bed , so probably not for feeble folks...Its our home as we full-time and we really enjoy it after doing mods to make it ours... There's a website for owners & prospective owners ... Trektrax.com..... It's very maneuverable & we tow a car also... Not for everyone!!!!! Wish they still made them, sigh, as we would be interested in a new one!
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02-03-2018, 06:14 AM
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#5
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Member
Join Date: Jan 2018
Posts: 31
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Take a look at the Forest River FR3. We bought a 30DS which is just the right length to get into any of the Florida state and county parks. We had a 40+ 5r which we could only take to bigger parks and wanted to get off the concrete. Thor also has the ACE product line. Good luck.
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02-03-2018, 06:35 AM
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#6
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Senior Member
Newmar Owners Club Ford Super Duty Owner
Join Date: Aug 2015
Posts: 1,152
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Newmar has a few short floor plans in the Bay Star and Bay Star Sport.
__________________
2017 Newmar Bay Star 3113.
Former owner of a Morgan powered Bennington
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02-03-2018, 07:15 AM
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#7
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Senior Member
Join Date: Jul 2010
Posts: 5,337
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Quote:
Originally Posted by knightstorm
Newmar has a few short floor plans in the Bay Star and Bay Star Sport.
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Our BSS is doing great. Had some “New coach” issues but all is good now.
__________________
Tom
2016 Newmar Bay Star Sport 3004
2021 Jeep Gladiator Sport Willys
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02-03-2018, 08:07 AM
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#8
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Senior Member
Join Date: Apr 2015
Location: Key Largo Fl./Ft Mill Sc
Posts: 876
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We are very satisfied with our small coach, floor plan works good for us.
__________________
Barry & Martha
2016 Newmar Dutch Star 4018 Freightliner
2018 Harley ultra Limited / 2018 Jeep Wrangler Sport
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02-03-2018, 09:36 AM
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#9
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Senior Member
Join Date: Sep 2015
Location: NW Oregon
Posts: 144
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Quote:
Originally Posted by knightstorm
Newmar has a few short floor plans in the Bay Star and Bay Star Sport.
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We really like our 2903 Bay Star Sport. It has a nice open floor plan - no narrow hallway due to a bathroom wall.
We also thought the cabinets and counters were better and it had a higher max load weight than the others at that size.
__________________
It is by the beans of Java the thoughts acquire speed,
The hands acquire shaking, The shaking becomes a warning.
It is by caffeine alone I set my mind in motion
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02-03-2018, 10:58 AM
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#10
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Senior Member
Thor Owners Club Tiffin Owners Club Freightliner Owners Club
Join Date: Feb 2017
Location: Fishers, IN
Posts: 393
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Quote:
Originally Posted by jlreeves
Take a look at the Forest River FR3. We bought a 30DS which is just the right length to get into any of the Florida state and county parks. We had a 40+ 5r which we could only take to bigger parks and wanted to get off the concrete. Thor also has the ACE product line. Good luck.
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X2 for the FR3, we also had the 30DS. Plenty of power to tow our CrV and we loved the king bed. We had good experiences albeit the rise was noisy and rough to be expected for the gas chassis.
__________________
Jim and Beth, F466146
2021 Tiffin Breeze 33BR
2013 Honda CrV
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02-03-2018, 07:11 PM
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#11
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Registered User
Join Date: May 2017
Posts: 1,116
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I would suggest that you browse through as many models as you can. Go hound all of the RV sales lots around you - and take notes. Take lots of notes.
If you live in Texas, a ride to any of the PPL stores would be a good idea as they typically have many units in stock for the size range you are interested in.
Our 2006 Winnebago Sightseer 29R fit our needs very well. I liked the next size up better (the 30B), but we got a much better deal on the 29R we found.
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02-04-2018, 06:54 AM
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#12
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Junior Member
Join Date: Feb 2017
Posts: 6
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Winnebago has a new Class A Intent 30 feet Ford v10 and Ford chassis. Considered it but bought the Sunstar LX 35 ft. for the extra bathroom and room.
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02-04-2018, 09:11 AM
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#13
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Member
Join Date: Dec 2016
Location: Tustin CA
Posts: 63
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We bought a Baystar Sport 2812 in January 2017 and have already driven it 15,000 miles, including a trip to Alaska. The coach comes in at 28'11" and has three slides. We had a few "new coach" issues that have been resolved. It was a little more expensive than some other competing brands in this size range, but we felt the fit and finish was worth it. We would definitely consider buying another Newmar product. A lot of people will suggest that you pick the floorplan you like and that the brand does not really matter. I don't entirely agree with that philosophy.
How long do you plan on keeping the coach. If you are planning on keeping it a long time and storing it outside, a full body paint job will hold up much longer.
Take a long test drive in any of the coaches you are seriously interested in. Even though all of the gas class A motorhomes are all built on the same chassis, the engine noise, cabinet rattling and handling can vary a fair amount between coaches, even within the same brand. This is more important if you plan on driving a lot of miles like us. The tank capacity, wheelbase to total length ratio (higher ratio is better) and CCC (cargo carrying capacity) are also important things to look at as well.
Happy Hunting
__________________
Joel Miner
2018 Ventana 3436
2017 Baystar Sport 2812 (Sold)
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02-04-2018, 10:04 AM
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#14
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Senior Member
Ford Super Duty Owner
Join Date: Nov 2010
Posts: 1,345
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Quote:
Originally Posted by DryCreek
I would suggest that you browse through as many models as you can. Go hound all of the RV sales lots around you - and take notes. Take lots of notes.
If you live in Texas, a ride to any of the PPL stores would be a good idea as they typically have many units in stock for the size range you are interested in.
Our 2006 Winnebago Sightseer 29R fit our needs very well. I liked the next size up better (the 30B), but we got a much better deal on the 29R we found.
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We need to get together. We have the 30B and would like the 29R !!!
Either model is a fantasic choice for the 30 and under needs.
__________________
Tonkin Gulf Yacht Club
2009 Fleetwood Bounder 35H
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