Community Forums

Layton100 · 08-23-2011, 05:47 PM

Hello, hope all of you are doing well out there in RV land.

We are thinking of buying a late model (2008-2011) smaller class A.(30'-33') We have looked at many, many models and manufacturers and find that either Winnebago or Thor (Damon or Hurricane) make models that suit our needs. I would like any feedback in regard to the 'build' quality of the Winnebago coaches versus the Thor coaches. Thanks in advance.

TXiceman · 08-23-2011, 07:22 PM

When we had a motorhome, the Winnebago was a much better built coach than anything that Thor built.

Take along a small flash light and look back in the corners, under cabinets, behind the drawers and see how well it is put together. Things like wires and piping are neatly run, bundled and secured. Hols in the walls, etc. where the wiring and piping is run are neatly cut and grommets are used to prevent chafing.

Ken

sparky52 · 08-23-2011, 07:28 PM

Winne will beat anything Thor builds hand down!!!!!!!!!! I would not even put them in the same class.

TXiceman · 08-23-2011, 07:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sparky52

Winne will beat anything Thor builds hand down!!!!!!!!!! I would not even put them in the same class.

Kinda' what I wanted to say but was trying to be polite to the folks that one Thor products.

Ken

wildtoad · 08-23-2011, 07:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sparky52

Winne will beat anything Thor builds hand down!!!!!!!!!! I would not even put them in the same class.

Not sure I would totally agree with this. I have owned a couple of Winnie products and looked at many others. The two I have owned leaked, one delaminated a good bit, two used units I looked at to purchase had delamination. I've read many posts on this site about problems with Winnies just as I have other units. In fairness I liked the two Winnie products I owned due to design, layout, space management.

As you can see I now own a Thor/Four Winds Hurricane and everything works, no leaks, fine (low end) mh. The main drawbacks to this unit are external storage space and size of holding tanks.

Since I mainly plan to use the 30Q for long weekends and an occasional week long trip it's just fine.

Geezer80 · 08-23-2011, 08:09 PM

You might want to take a hard look at the Tiffin 34TGA, also the 32's. We're at the factory now in AL and am very impressed.

Jack1234 · 08-23-2011, 08:32 PM

Have you read the Winnibego "rust" post about 10 down on this forum?

B Bob · 08-23-2011, 09:11 PM

Layton100 - Quality is pretty easy to spot. Just look for it in places people do not normally look. Several of my RV friends have Bounders and have had very good luck with them. Both the gas Bounder and diesel Bounder.

Drive both. Which one drives better. Which floor plan works for you. And so on. When I bought a motor home 20 months ago I used the RV Consumer Group recommendations and think they are pretty accurate.

randco · 08-24-2011, 01:15 PM

When we started looking for motorhomes in 2009 we had a fairly length list. We had eliminated gassers and wanted a DP. Our list included Tiffin, Newmar, Winnebago, Bounder, and Damon. After a few months we eliminated the Tiffin's and Newmar's. Met some folks that had a Bounder DP and they liked it. However, they were trading it in for a Mandalay. We looked at the Bounders but weren't impressed. We test drove Winnie's and Damon products and liked them both. So like you, our list was narrowed to Winnie and Damon.

Regardless of what the others say, (especially the ones that don't have either) the Winnie and Damon are both very nice coaches. We looked hard at the Winne Journeys, the Damon Tuscany, the Mandalay's and Escaper. The Tuscany's and the Mandalay's were a little more money than we wanted to spend. We almost purchased a Journey but the floorplan wasn't exactly what we wanted. Finally after a year of searching we ended up finding a repo'd 2004 Damon Escaper 4076 DP that had a little over 28,000 miles on it. It was everything we wanted in a coach. We negotiated a great deal and the rest as they say, "is history."

Thor/Damon has been in business for 23 years and in my opinion builds a very fine coach.

Good luck in you search.

bronk · 08-24-2011, 01:36 PM

We purchased a new 2011 Damon Challenger last year and have been more than satisfied with the coach after 10,000 miles. We full-timed for over 4 years with Travel Supreme fiver, so we knew what we wanted and what to look for in a motor home build. After MUCH deliberation and inspections on many makes and models, the Challenger won out hands down. We are considering going full-time once again in the near future, and plan to get the Thor Tuscany motor home for more room and the 4th slide. I don't think that for the money and build quality, the Tuscany can be matched. Of course, any RV with its complicated systems can have problems and issues, but build quality is, in my opinion, the most important factor. Also, Thor support for their product is excellent!

Bronk

Blaster 22 · 08-24-2011, 04:02 PM

They all have good ones, they all have bad ones. When comparing just be sure you are comparing the same level of coach from each company...not a top of the line vs a bottom of the line. Then buy the one with the floor plan the D/W likes.

Layton100 · 08-25-2011, 11:26 AM

Thanks for all the input. Good to know there are lots of resources on this site. Happy traveling,

billyb · 08-25-2011, 11:49 AM

well they can trash thor, but i have been impressed with the windsport we bought. it as what i thought was a more richer looking interior then the allegros and several other big name units. they all seem to have the little nit picking problems, but this one is good, after 21k miles. if i could only get that squeek from form the tv cabinet eliminated, the ride would be quiet and comfortable.

Hoghead · 08-25-2011, 02:08 PM

I have a Winnie and probably won't buy another. The QC folks must have been off the day they built my coach. I haven't found very many grommets in the wiring holes, just the wires rubbing against the wood or metal parts. The dealer was no better when if came to inspecting and repairing the defects. My warranty expired a few weeks ago while I was on a trip and I still have things wrong that I will end up repairing my self instead of listening to more excuses from the dealer.

My only advice is take the above mentioned flashlight, a pair of coveralls and gloves and spend a day crawling over and under every inch of what you want to purchase. Don't let the dealers folks rush you and make your own list of defects. Be prepared to walk away from the deal. If you buy, expect to wait weeks for the warranty work to get done as the parts are shipped once a week from Winnebago.(or so my dealer claims)