Community Forums

Hmf23 · 11-13-2016, 08:54 PM

Hello to all,

Let's start with saying I'm in my research phase of our first Motorhome purchase. We plan to buy within the next year after my wife retires and moves onto her next phase of life, I still have a few years of working to go. We're not new to Rv-ing but will be to Motorcoach owning. We are both in the Fire Service and are very comfortable driving page vehicles, Along with regular duties I'm in charge of the Apparatus specifications and purchasing so I'm fairly comfortable with the mechanical side of things.

Very hard to get equal comparisons of the products in the title, so basically I'm asking if you've owned (one brand) prior to purchasing (another brand) please explain your reasoning if you don't mind. All three are very nice and I've read tons of pros and cons on all sites.

Current Coach 2005 Holiday Rambler 34RLT 5th wheel.

Looking at, not any specific order:
Cornerstone 45A(dual couch) 45B
London Aire 4553, 4519
Mountain Aire 4553, 4519
Anthem 44B
Dutch Star 4369
Allegro Bus 45OPP

(Mod Edits made)

SSG Scott · 11-13-2016, 09:23 PM

Newmar or Tiffin are both excellent choices! Don't have any friends or experience with Entrega so can't help there. The downside of the really large motor homes like you are looking at is that you will be limited to camping or should I say glamping in commercial camp grounds as there are not much opportunities for these castles on wheels in the State and National Parks.

AndyE_ · 11-13-2016, 09:26 PM

Do a search as this has been covered quite a bit. That being said we spent 3 months and flew to several shows and did QUITE a bit of diligence. One issue you do not state whether new or used. What I will say is we went with a 2017 Entegra Anthem, hands down. I like the floorplan of Allegro Bus but after quite a few scary reports I am not going to the Tiffin product. PM me if you want more info.

NoDents4U · 11-13-2016, 09:33 PM

We just purchased our first coach so I didn't make a change from another brand. I researched for a little over a year before we made our decision, and thoroughly checked all three brands you mentioned. They are all nice coaches, and as you said all have pros and cons. We chose the Newmar for many reasons, and the two biggest reasons were comfort steer and construction. I did not want a vacuum bonded wall system. Nothing against it, but I feel Newmar's construction is superior and much stronger. I wanted a FWS and the Newmar construction is strong enough to handle that. We love our coach and are very satisfied with our decision.

Hmf23 · 11-13-2016, 09:58 PM

Sorry, as Andy stated I didn't state new or used. Leaning towards new but wouldn't pass a great deal on a 2015-2017 gently used coach.

AndyE_ · 11-13-2016, 10:16 PM

If new, I think the Anthem is very hard to beat. Used, then maybe a Cornerstone but we had the choice and still went with an Anthem.

TJ · 11-13-2016, 11:30 PM

Comfort Drive is only available on Newmars. End of discussion for me!

Stretch · 11-14-2016, 12:10 AM

Bang for buck is Dutchstar and the4369 is the best floor plan.

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glester99 · 11-14-2016, 12:15 AM

"Bang for buck is Dutchstar and the4369 is the best floor plan."

I am looking at 2017 Ventana 4369 vs Dutch Star 4369

Why do you say DS is best for "Bang for buck" Ventana a lot cheaper?

Interested in hearing your thoughts - thanks

Matt D · 11-14-2016, 03:53 AM

We have owned 2 of 3 manufacturer's coaches.

We started with a 2012 Tiffin Phaeton 40QKH. We bought new and put around 26000 miles on it and actually bought and sold it twice. Long story.

Tiffin makes a quality coach with a strong support network both online, and in Red Bay. In the first 14 months we had a significant number of consequential problems to overcome. Largely these were vendor items. A few were attributed to a poor design process or manufacturing.

Overall we were very happy with the coach, after we took it to Red Bay for some Service Center magic.

One note, we live in the south and found the (3) 15K A/Cs just adequate for a hot summer day. Likewise, winter climates made running both furnaces mandatory. We have smoked 30 gallons of propane in a weeks time once. Sleeping in the rain was nearly impossible.

Next came our new 2017 Aspire.

Wow.

If you can ignore the difference in build quality (structure, electrical, plumbing, etc.) it is impossible to ignore the Insulation. The Entegra is much cooler on hot days, warmer on cold days, and quieter everyday than any Tiffin I've ever been in. Add to that, a 2 year warranty and I'm done.

We seriously looked at Newmar, and feel it very comparable to Entegra. However, the price is a bit higher than Entegra.

I'd suggest touring the plants for your respective picks.

Good luck,

-Matt

slowspokes1 · 11-14-2016, 04:17 AM

We have owned several coaches. Our last coach was an Entegra. We "dumped" the Entegra and took a big loss. Had tons of bells and whistles, but the handlebars, pedals and such were VERY wanting.
We purchased a Newmar (Dutch Star) and it is, by far, the best coach we have owned.

Hayman · 11-14-2016, 04:18 AM

We owned a 2009 Allegro Bus and had many build/design issues well known and discussed often in that era Tiffin. All were covered at no expense to us but left us unsure if quality design/build was possible with Tiffin.
In 2015 we decided to purchase out 1st new coach and considered Newmar, Entegra and yes Tiffin. The Allegro Bus 45 OP/OOP floorplan is killer BUT once we toured the Entegra and Newmar factories we were hooked.
Entegra seemed to us to be a better buy at it's price point and after a year of ownership we are certain we made the best choice for us ! We just completed a 7500 mile trip and our 450 hp Anthem was everything we anticipated.
The real test of insulation and quiet is 1 rainy night in an Entegra !

Good Luck with your decision !

fsudelt · 11-14-2016, 05:09 AM

We just came from Tiffin to a new Dutch Star. Reasons for leaving:
- Construction & more importantly insulation. Our Tiffin many times could not keep up on hotter days in FL where we live. I test drive a DS on a hot day for 10 min & saw AC drop 6 degrees.
- Confort steer. You have to drive it to feel it, but that is one feature I can't wait for once taking delivery tomorrow, especially on windier days
- Customization, if you are ordering new you can really design & spec out to your taste. Whether it's changing outside colors, to mix & matching interiors of different models no other manufacturer lets you do what Newmar allows.
- Quality control- Newmar builds 8 coaches/day vs 16-17 for Tiffin. A lot of Tiffin are showing up to lots with many issues not caught at factory.

BigDogSolo · 11-14-2016, 05:14 AM

My Newmar is my 3rd Diesel Pusher and First Brand New Coach.
I have had a Fleetwood and recently (early this year) I sold my Tiffin Phaeton for my New Dutch Star.
First.....I Love my Dutch Star (good thing because they are all expensive when you are buying New)

My Tiffin Phaeton 42QBH was a 2010. It was a very good coach for us. Nice Floor Plan and amenities. Engine a little under powered at 360hp. Had no major issues. However, we did not even consider Tiffin again.

Sure the factory is very accommodating in long term service, but, what has been coming off the line in the past 2 years in my opinion has been unacceptable. So we stayed away.

The Dutch Star we have has been a joy to drive (yes Comfort Drive was one main reason we chose it) and our experience at the factory this summer with warranty work could not be better.
Lastly, their 24 hour phone line service has been terrific, both from Newmar and Freightliner.

Keep in mind, no coach brand is perfect. We included Entegra in our search, but didn't take long to eliminate them after driving both the Entegra and Newmar on the same day, same track.

Good Luck.