Thor Aria 3901... Very Impressive!!!

[WyoFree]

Hi guys,

I stopped by a dealer today to look at a couple accessories for my upcoming coach and struck up a conversation with a guy standing next to me.

He said he was there to test drive the Thor Aria 3901 and I asked if he'd mind if I'd tag along for the ride? I'm not exactly sure why I did, I just thought what the heck. My DW is having her hair done so time was on my side. The salesman was fine with my coming along so off we went in the golf cart.

Impressive coach from the outside and is on a raised rail chassis with 360HP Cummins like mine. Going inside was even more impressive. I've seen the coach floor plan and a video of it somewhere along the line. But up close and personal its a serious attention getter!

I was sitting in the passenger seat and one thing that was very cool (can I say cool now days?) was the step cover. The steps rolled over on themselves and became flat with the floor. Very nice and the passenger space was very nice as well. Another thing that impressed me was you could tilt the seat back with the slides in! Oh and the seat has a built in foot rest that was very nice. Funny, I don't remember if it had a computer table?

I was also very impressed with the ride, it was comfortable and quiet as a church mouse. No squeeks or rattles and the engine was hardly noticeable. Up on the interstate he took it to 65 and it just hunkered down straight and even down the road. It was even a little windy and handled it with no problem.

The guy driving, I can't remembered his name, decided the coach was bigger than he wanted and wanted to drive a smaller Aria. I wanted so bad to ask to drive it but with my coach on the way and not from this dealer I thought that would be pushing the envelope.

I sat in the pilots seat when we got back and the dash set up is terrific. And with the huge side windows and front windshield it has a great drivers position with tremendous field of vision. Plus the speedometer sits by itself on top of the gauge cluster where you can't miss it! A very well laid out dash from the drivers position all the way over to the door!

I love my coach that is on its way as we speak. But I'll tell you one thing for sure... The Aria is one impressive coach!

Harry

[luvlabs]

I guess you are easily impressed. With Thor, it comes down to what they left off the coach (as compared to Tiffin, Winnebago, Newmar and other similar coaches) who operate in the same market segment in order to come in at a lower price. If you are interested in that size coach, you should also look at the higher quality coaches and decide what you are going to be missing and is it worth it to you.

[WyoFree]

Hmmm... Roger when you say ““I guess you are easily impressed” my guess is you’re speaking of "Rebecca and the flying squirrel review"? To me she offers the perfect blend of pole dancing, disco and the Charleston all in one routine? Look, you have to admit when she goes into the John Travolta Dance Fever routine it really is something special!

I looked at a good number of coaches in the search for my very own. Another thing I did was reach out by private message to folks on the forum who own the brand, style and floor plan I was interested in. Folks will tell you things in a PM they may not say on the open form. Many for no other reason than they don’t want the grief and/or, if you don’t ask why would they tell you?

My questions were always the same having to do with • Fit & Finish • Ride • Handling • Problems and • overall impression from ownership? At the last of all questions is the one I think is the most important of all and that’s “WOULD YOU BUY ANOTHER ONE”? The best tip I could ever give someone looking for a coach is "Send a Private Message to those who own the specific coach you're interested in"! It's also a terrific way to make some new friends! I know what you're thinking, "Harry, you can make a friend"?

I went back into my PM’s and found that I reached out to eight (8) 2016 Thor Palazzo 36.1 owners. To the person, they loved their Palazzo, had no unreasonable problems, praised Thor for customer service and would buy another one!

Reading much of the forums, here and elsewhere, you will soon believe that Thor and the Devil himself are in league to bring down the motorhome community as we know it! I know that many of you believe it’s Rebecca and the flying squirle, so there’s some conversation to be had there? But the owners have a different story and would point out that the real bad news comes from Non-Thor-Owners.

I’m not here to promote Thor and the coach I ordered is not a Thor product! But I’ve looked at and driven a number of diesel pushers and gassers too for that matter. Including Newmar and Winnebago you mentioned. I didn't drive a Tiffin because they don't have a floor plan I like. But to take Thor out of the mix I for one think is a mistake.

I know that many hold up Newmar and Tiffin as the “gooder of the goodest” and they do in fact build a nice coach. But there are other coach builders out there who strive every day to build a good coach and frankly, I think most of them do a good job of it! Yes even Thor!

Of course, what do I know? There’s always that!

Harry

[Dutch Star Don]

"WyoFree".......I've got to tell you that I was going to say the same thing as "luvlabs", but held back. I know you did your research and the reality is.....buy what you can afford.

I've found over the years that there are VERY FEW people that will admit they made a mistake on a purchase or will criticize what they bought, even if you PM them. I know you like to write and you write well, but you can't write a Yugo into a Mercedes. I went to the Thor website and read the Aria brochure right after you posted. First....it has an ISB in a 40' coach, that's a no go for most. Second, when a brochure discusses gadgets, it means they're trying to direct you away from what's important.

You can ask me anything about my Newmar, which many rate as a well made coach. I'll tell you that it's the best I found in my price range, but it has it's issues. The front door is a bad design and doesn't seal well. My full wall slide works well because I'm careful, but Newmar had enough issues that they redesigned the frame. Lastly, I'm really dissatisfied with the paint work, which they finally corrected in 2017. It still had items that qualified it as the best coach I could afford....tag axle, Comfort Steer, 450 ISL, side radiator and independent front suspension.

So......some are impressed with less and some take a lot more to make them happy. You're talking to a lot of experienced RVers on here who know what quality is, so understand you'll take some flack when you tell others about the quality of a coach that many know does not have the reputation or standard equipment to give it such a high rating as you did.

[WyoFree]

Hi Don,

I understand what you're saying, I do! All I'm saying is I was there, it looked great, rode great and I was impressed. Who knows, maybe too easily! I spent a little time wondering around inside and a little less outside. Although I'm no expert I've lurked around the forum and some dealerships enough to have some idea what to look for.

I didn't see any shoddy construction and as I said the coach was noise free on the test drive. What it will do 10,000 miles from now I don't know. Will it hold up as well as a Dutch Star, I don't know that answer either!

The Aria is basically an entry level DP (ok, a step up from entry level) with an MSRP just under $300,000.00. Few would compare it to a Dutch Star, just as they would not compare a Honda CRV to a Cadalic Escalade. They were never intended to lineup together.

And I think you're absolutely right about people buying what they can afford and I think that's the point isn't it? If your looking for a coach with an MSRP of $300,000 you're not going to look at a Dutch Star with an MSRP of $400,000! Kind of comparing pickles to pachyderm! Can you say pachyderm here on the forum? I'm just trying to add some weight to the conversation!

My point if I may humbly press it forward is the Aria 3901 has the exact same engine, transmission, generator etc, etc, etc as the others out there in the same class category. In my 30 minutes of zup-zubing around the Aria, I was impressed... And I make no apology, I was! So where have I gone wrong?

As for some misdirection when asking about someones coach in a private message I'm sure you may well be right. None of us want to make a decision and admit it was a bad one. Or that they paid $30,000.00 more than someone else. But either way, I learn something more than I did before contacting them!

Or is this really about "Rebecca and the flying squirrel"? Ohhhh, you've found out that I've always been her favorite!

Harry

[Dutch Star Don]

Wow.....from your past posts, your response was much shorter than I expected. Before I opened it, I got a tall glass of water, a small meal and some aspirin, expecting a much longer response!

I was a cop for 35 years and can read people pretty accurately and quickly. My guess is that a lot of your posts regarding quality are more about justifying your purchase than they are about actual coach quality.

Quit trying to justify what you bought and just enjoy it. Drive the wheels off of it and have a blast. Remember, there's always a tent guy asking why the person next to him needs that fancy pop up. The pop up guy is asking himself why the guy next to him needs that fancy TT and so on. Oh yeah.....I'm always asking why the guy next to me needs that dang Prevost!

[janniemac]

Dutch Star Don: Yay for you, I guess you have the best of the best!!! We have sacrificed a lot to buy our 16 Challenger and absolutely love it. I try to enjoy and learn from this forum, but the condescension gets tiring

[Scarab0088]

Please discuss the topic, not each other.

Also, Brand Wars are prohibited.

Thank you for posting within the Community Rules.

[SuperGewl]

Originally Posted by Scarab0088

Please discuss the topic, not each other.

Also, Brand Wars are prohibited.

Thank you for posting within the Community Rules.

Thank you Moderator.

Now back to the OPs topic.

The Aria by Thor, on paper has impressed me also. I have seen Thor's Venetian but have yet to see an Aria. I'm hoping to get that chance this week. If the quality is up to par and the price is right it may give me another option. On paper it looks good, yeah it could always be better and if I had the extra money then I would go up one more scale but like most, there is that budget so compromise is what you have to do.

[Dutch Star Don]

"SuperGewl"......Since a lot of components are all made by the same few companies, there shouldn't be an issue. Just make sure that the ISB motor has a enough power for you, especially if you're towing. Always make sure that whatever you buy has at least the Allison 3000 transmission. With the 3000 trans, you can occasionally add after market products to increase power if necessary. Some of the ISB's came with the Allison 2500 which is maxed out on torque and you can't add any upgrades.

[WyoFree]

Originally Posted by Dutch Star Don

Wow.....from your past posts, your response was much shorter than I expected. Before I opened it, I got a tall glass of water, a small meal and some aspirin, expecting a much longer response!

Well Dutch Star Don, that was your mistake... You don't approach my posts with "a tall glass of water"! You come with a tall glass of Bourbon or Scotch! Some will even go on a two or three day bender!

Not long ago I set up an appointment for the 2 day “Camp Freightliner” and to have service work done. They told me that even though I'll pick up my coach this month, the chassis was shipped to Coachmen in December, so I was close enough to the 12 month servicing.

From that I got talking about chassis, engines and transmission (mine has the 360HP and 3000 Allison tranny) and all that good mechanical stuff. I related a recent conversation with a guy who owns a 2014 American Eagle and he was telling me what we hear so often. You know the stuff, things like;

• if you don't have a tag you’d date a hag
• if you don’t buy used you’re mentally abused
• if you buy entry level you’re in league with the devil and
• if you don’t tow 4 down you’re a rodeo clown

And of course I could go on. But the guy from Freightliner said something interesting. He said, “we don’t make just one chassis, engine and transmission configuration do we? No, we build different ones for different purposes and as long as the motorhome company builds to designated tolerances. The chassis combinations will work just fine, period and end of story”!

I realize that Entry Level and Thor “hey don’t look Edna, he said Thor!!! Both are looked upon with derision and division. But here's the thing! Regardless of what my wife and family would tell you! I am not stupid, I take my time, I pay attention, I research and come to the best conclusion I can based on what I want and what I’m willing to pay. And I think that is also true of most folks I read here on the forum. Sure, there are some who fly by the seat of the pants but not most. I for one am hard pressed to believe that a coach with an MSRP 0f $300,000.00 doesn’t qualify for a reasonable amount to spend for a reasonably decent diesel pusher?

You will also note that this thread started out about my reaction to the Thor Aria, “he said Thor again Hazel, don’t come in here”! It is not the coach or the brand that I have on order, it was simply my reaction to a coach that another guy was looking at!

And now I’m going to say something that may well get me booted off the forum and here it goes... I would buy a Thor!!! “Dear Lord he said it again Mildred, what a mouth on this guy"!

I know, I know, too long of post... I've got to work on that!

Harry

[gtsum2]

The aria has raised rail chassis and the 3000 tranny. It also has an excellent floor plan with direct Tv viewing and the overhead bunk for kids. Now, I do wish newmar had a comparable floor plan as the bunk for two young kids is a great idea. Seems the aria is a lot of coach for the money.

That being said, likely not insulated as well as others and the wood you see isn't all real wood...but then again I was surprised to see that newmar ventana le isn't all real wood either. Seems like to get all the goodies you are looking at side rad, 400-450k coaches:(.

[Daveht]

Yeah Harry!

I am going to say it also Thor Thor Thor! Love my Thor!!!

Dave

[WyoFree]

Wow Dave, four times in one post, you're an animal!

I drove the 36.1 and liked it very much. I wanted a larger coach with King bed, 3 door refrigerator etc. I was especially impressed by its power. That dood gets right up and runs down the road! For the money a very difficult coach to beat.