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Old 08-14-2018, 06:04 AM   #15
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"such, here are a few questions, some general and some specific:
  • Beyond “fit & finish” touches & furniture comfort, what sorts of things do we want to examine to determine quality? Are there specific questions we should ask about, say, a coach’s structure/frame, electrical, towing, etc?
  • Does anyone have opinions of Thor and Forest River coaches? We’ve seen a few of them at campgrounds that look nice from the outside, and one friendly RVer gave us the nickel tour of their Thor Challenger which was beautiful (from our 10 minutes inside), but many of the reviews on RVT.com of Thor and Forest River have scared me a little, in that many people talk of constant problems with these brands.
  • On the opposite end of that, I’ve seen consistently good reviews of Tiffen, Newmark, and Winnebago coaches – should I just stick with these brands?
  • Does anyone have comments on the legitimacy of reviews found on RVT.com? Are there other sites you recommend to check out?
  • Is RVTrader a good place to try to sell our travel trailer? Or is it more hassle than it’s worth and we should just trade it?
  • Is there an obvious benefit to buying brand new or is buying slightly used a better way to go? Also, if buying used, is buying from a private seller better or worse than from a dealer?
  • Is it reasonable to consider traveling a long distance to buy from a reputable dealer (i.e. flying to a city to pick up the coach)?"
First off remember your first coach is probably not your last and usually a good "trainer"
1. Floor plan is important. Look closely at finish work (this should rule out Forest River). Quality of fixtures, appliances, generator etc
2. We had a forest river product and never again. STick to the higher quality coaches that you have mentioned
3 I can't comment on RVT.com but RV trader is a good place to sell (sold our class C in two days) and buy but be very careful of private sales with condition, upkeep and such
4. Yes consider traveling a distance to get the right rig and AVOID Camping World for any purchase. We traveled 2000 miles to get our new coach and yes I like new coaches. At your location you can easily get to MS. AL, or TN to pick up a new tiffin at 29% or so off the MSRP and a new gasser or smaller DP will fall in your price range.
Hope this helps. BTW we love our new Tiffin
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Old 08-14-2018, 06:50 AM   #16
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OP stated:

"My wife and I have decided that we want to make the leap from a travel trailer to a Class A gas motorhome."

and

"On the opposite end of that, I’ve seen consistently good reviews of Tiffen, Newmark, and Winnebago coaches – should I just stick with these brands?"


My opinion (worth the pixels it's written on) is that you are spot-on on your instinct to stick with the three brands: Tiffin, Newmar, and Winnebago for GAS coaches.

One of the other posters suggested the Hershey, PA RV show. DO IT! You will find virtually every brand and floorpan. Best way to see and poke around and compare brands. Go during the week if possible!

I had a Thor for my first class A and although Thor did seem to want to support me, I would say that entry level is what it is....if you can afford the upscale gassers, you will have fewer issues (my experience)

I got my Tiffin out of state (I'm in MD, went to PA to get the Tiffin, even though there's a tiffin dealer within 40 min of my house). The local dealer didn't have a great reputation and the sales folk didn't know much about their products,

I went to Stoltzfus RV in Westchester, PA and have been happy with their support and service - I would recommend them. I go back yearly as I can make a service appointment in advance (including for warranty work) and make sure they know I am waiting for it (you'll hear many stories of rigs sitting for weeks in a dealership "waiting for parts" which was the case with my Thor ACE).

We had narrowed it down to 3 rigs and the wife decided on the Tiffin based on floor plan and interior.

One thing about gas: Ford is a very mixed bag when it comes to service. Most dealers won't touch them - even if they're located for you via Ford RV support. I use a local Light Truck Service that is reasonable and very close to me for chassis maintenance. They now know me and even have aired up my tires for free recently when I broke my pump.

Many folks do have Thors, so they can give you first-hand opinions. Forest River and others as well. Go to the RV show if you can and explore (go for several days, eat at the Hershey Hotel for a nice experience) and continue to do your research. You're on the right track.

most of all: Have fun.

Dave
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Old 08-14-2018, 06:56 AM   #17
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BTW - the Hershey RV show is Sept 12 - 16 this year at the Giant Center in Hershey.

https://www.visithersheyharrisburg.o...rgest-rv-show/

Worth it if you can go.

best

Dave
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Old 08-14-2018, 08:59 AM   #18
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We have owned an Itasca Motorhome, a Tiffin MH, a thor MH, and a Pace Arrow MH. Thursday we will own a new to us 2007 Winnebago MH with 17,000 miles on it. The Itasca was many years ago and we loved it, But new and innovative things make you want to buy something newer that brought on Tiffin, we loved the quality but got rid of is as soon as we could because the layout was awful for us. Then we went to the Thor with it's perfect floor plan. We drove the wheels off this unit taking it to AK and a lot of other places as others have said the quality is not very good but since I can do replairs myself it worked for us. Then we got the Pace Arrow our Favorite so far. Good quality (compaired to our other MHs) we drove it about 80,000 miles and it sits in our driveway awaiting it's new owners we will be sad to see it go. We can only hope now that when we get the Winne we are satisified with it, one never really knows. Good luck in your search and if your gut says something is wrong don't buy it. If anything even looks like a leak of any kind even if it's brand new stay away from it.
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