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Old 08-26-2015, 03:42 AM   #1
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New to forum have a few questions

Myself and wife are fixing to try to sale our house so we can get a smaller one to be able to purchase new RV. Been doing lots of reading and have decided on
entegra 44B . Timeframe will depend on house selling 3 months or 3 years who knows. Perfer new mainly due to warranty or a pre year 2015 in 2016 etc. The aspire is probally going to be the only option in our upper budget unless we can find a super great deal on a anthem. We plan on using the RV a lot. Finally the question. from reading everything I can find comparing the two the main 2 things that concern me are the Ibeam front end vs. IFS {we know what the two are just considering ride and handling in real world driving from experianced owners} and a lesser but still concern is the propane no experience with propane use in an RV. Most of the other options on the two are not as important both are set up well... this will be our first large RV and a huge investment was hoping both aspire and anthem owners could weigh in and should these be dealbreakers and us try to wait until we can see if we can save more for anthem. {dont want to wait if I dont have to very excited about the prospect of getting the RV}. Sorry for long post will try to be shorter in future will have many more questions im sure. Thank you in advance for advise.
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Old 08-26-2015, 05:07 AM   #2
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Several questions

Hello! I tried to find your profile (location) with interest in trading.
Beams: The longer coach has issues with flexing. There is a lot of talk about X-bracing. The issue is NOT so much down under but at the roof where the "house" shifts over the frame. There was one guy who hit the nail on the head and took down the front cabinets to create a "box" that stops shifting where it matters. My 40' 3 slide Travel Supreme has the problem but it is resolved in a different way. The problem is not the flex itself (it works) but the windshield simply EDGING at ONE point out of the SMALL rubber gasket and then self-prying OUT, hence "popping out" - this is actually "working it's way out". My simple solution was to amend the gasket so the glass never edges out to begin with. I posted the solution years ago and went off line until now. If you or anyone you know has this issue, please have them contact me for easy details Rich 603 498-0747 or 603 664-5987) The cost is a half day and $30.00 vs 2500.00 that only slightly helps. Also, feel free to post this message where you deem appropriate as this is a very important item.
IFS: I've owned many coaches. The IFS is GREAT but the straight can be made to feel almost the same and still have a lot of integrity. Koni Shocks and air transfer resticter [sp] valves to stop the rocking. I use the story, when slowly driving through a Wallyworld and hit a pot hole, the coack rocks like mad. This modification is very simple, several hundred dollars and a perfect solution. I would not hesitate to go NON IFS with this knowledge.
Propane: I am a mega propane enthusiast. In fact, I've recently heard of a modification to inject propane over diesel that would improve everything ans save a lot on fuel while cleaning the air/exhaust. A large on board tank like in my TS will save near a thousand bucks on that modification as they install a propane "fuel cell" that has to be DOT approved. By tapping into your on board tank, this is moot! YAHOO! I also designed a 450% more energy efficient heating system in my HRC using a Rinnai on demand water heater. The open loop circulating system provides heat AND hot water at a fraction of the cost and comfortable. The TS has an exchange system to heat, not the radiant. It works but nothing like the radiant which weathers New England winters better than a house! I have both the TS and the older HRC and want to sell one of them but love the older single slide vs the tripple. Both were 280,000 new. The HRC is 1996 and the TS is 2003. Both super modified. Your in the market and there are so many things a home builder/designer/engineer can do to improve many of these homes. Some are not so easy.
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Old 08-26-2015, 05:15 AM   #3
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New vs used

Another mention is the 80,000+ mile break in. The original owner puts a lot into the break in of a new coach. The trick, In my opinion, is finding something to save 100,000 or more and getting the benefits of something that has become "better than new" with as much as 50% increased fuel mileage. Going from 8 to 12 is just that. Then the funds saved can do all repairs, upgrades and super modifications with most of the savings left to put in the fuel for unrestricted traveling budget. That is MORE of "what it's all about" in most lives I think.
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Old 08-26-2015, 05:39 AM   #4
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MS.man36

Excellent question, and I will have to leave the answer to some of the guys on here that have owned both coaches (Aspires and Anthems), because I haven't. There are several guys on here who have owned an Aspire and moved up to an Anthem or Cornerstone which fit the requirements of your question. So, the answer is best provided by those owners.

I can comment on propane as I had a propane gas range in my prior Dynasty. There are thousands of coaches out there that have been using propane effectively and safely for the past 20-30 years or longer. We had no troubles with ours. There are safety valves in new propane coaches to detect and stop leaks and breaks. There are sniffers. You simply need to be careful. A big issue to me is that the large propane tank most RVs carry monopolizes one of the basement compartments and an all electric has a good deal more basement space, but propane itself was not a deal-breaker for the DW and me when deciding between coaches. DW simply preferred the induction, if we decided on the Anthem.

Be patient a couple of days as the more experienced guys find your post and give you a well reasoned answer.

Also, welcome to the forum and good luck with your RV future! I think that you have a good clear, well thought-out analysis of what is important to you, and to anyone purchasing a coach in the future. You'll be fine.

Gary
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Old 08-26-2015, 06:06 AM   #5
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We have the Aspire and love it, but for a few changes I would love to make. One being propane. The previous post regarding safety is dead on. One challenge with propane is the Aqua hot. You do not have the same Aqua hot unit and there are challenges. We have to turn on the gas heat in the 2nd zone in order to circulate the hot water. In a diesel Aqua hot there is a third fan that does that not requiring the second zone to be on. I had the heat restriction removed on my coach, which helped a ton for hot showers. The new 2016 Aspire is all electric, has a dishwasher available, and the new cook top. All nice that is a part of an Anthem. The manual shades on the Aspire, except the front, are nice for me as it reduces the repairs and replacement of motors and shades to only the front. We are toying with moving up to an Anthem in 2017 buying a 2016 model, but if push comes to shove will settle for an Aspire having the improvements that have been made. Propane is just one more fuel to find, have loaded on the wrong side of the coach for most places which is eliminated on the 2016 model.
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Old 08-26-2015, 06:39 AM   #6
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Diesel Diva,
The 2016 Aspire has an electric cooktop, but still has the LP tank and the LP version of the Aquahot. The advantage of the LP Aquahot is less maintenance.

Another tidbit about the Aspire I learned yesterday on the tour is the carpet entryway on the Aspire is going away . It will be the same material as the other models.
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Old 08-26-2015, 09:19 AM   #7
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We've had both axles and LP and all-electric coaches. A solid axle that is properly set up, like in the Aspire, is not a problem. In 90% of the cases it will ride as well as an IFS. IFS has advantages but if an Aspire is in your price ranger I wouldn't consider the solid axle a dealer breaker. IFS has less rock when going into a driveway approach at an angle or handling speed bumps. It has less unsprung weight but the difference in ride is negligible. It will be easier to hold control should a steer tire blow out but how often does that happen.

Propane depends on your intended use. When we had a propane coach (furnaces, fridge, water heater) and travelled in cooler weather the propane consumption did affect us. You only have a 32 gallon propane tank to run your Aspire's Aqua-Hot versus 150 gallons of diesel fuel in the Anthem. The issue isn't not being able to heat. It's the length of time between refills. Propane has less BTU per gallon so it burns a bit more, which further contributes to usage. Camp at Yellowstone in fall when the nights drop to 30 degrees and you'll find that the propane tank can need filling after 3-5 days. Now you have to find a place to get your coach refilled, which isn't always a big rig friendly location. With diesel you can run a long time and it runs off the main fuel tank so you automatically take care of that when you refuel at a truck stop. However, if you don't do that much cool weather camping the propane usage may not be a concern to you. It all depends on where and when you want to camp. Keep in mind that long hot showers, laundry washing and the dish washer also require the Aqua-Hot to be on propane in order to get the water hot enough for those large demands.
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Old 08-26-2015, 09:51 AM   #8
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Sounds like budget is going to be a focus consideration. Regarding the Aspire, it's same size as Anthem. And for a quad slide bath and a half, you won't find a better bang for the buck in the market (new and used). There are a few differences with regard to mechanical, aesthetics, awning, and so on with other Entegras but is still a fantastic coach when comparing to other mfgs and not necessarily to Anthem and Cornerstone. Tommy
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Old 08-26-2015, 10:02 AM   #9
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As Mark said, it depends on how you will use the MH. We had the earlier version of the Aspire in a Travel Supreme with LP. One of the reason we upgraded was for diesel heat. We got to where we were following the fall colors home (much colder weather) and were always concerned if we would run out of LP.

If the MH is not going to be used much in cold weather, then the LP is only a minor inconvenience if purchase price is a factor.
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Old 08-26-2015, 10:09 AM   #10
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We have an 2015 Aspire and love it. Haven't used it during the winter yet, so no real answer for propane use. I know that we have used very little propane so far and it was filled in April. They put a bigger Aquahot in the 15's so it might keep things warmer which was an earlier complaint. I know it will run you out of the shower it you aren't careful. As far as handling, I can't complain, it handles really good, and rides great as well.
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Old 08-26-2015, 11:23 AM   #11
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Thanks so far for all the responses and how quickly you gave them and hopefully will get many more opinions regarding the questions. this is a huge investment for us and to hear others opinions eases the stresss and all is appreciated. I'm going to stay with this topic for now as not to overwhelm but will have many more general rv'ing and how to questions in the future it's all new to us from driving something this size to getting it set up just need to get my house sold and hopefully will be out there with all of you
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Old 08-26-2015, 03:36 PM   #12
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I think you are smart for asking around. A RV is a huge financial decision. Without banging the drum for Entegra you have hopefully compared the Entegra product to others. You must decide what fits your needs. As for Aspire vs Anthem I have owned both and take it from me if you are torn between the two it is much cheaper to make your first decision fit you the best. Meaning it is costly to do what I did and buy one model then upgrade a year or so later.

The Aspire we owned suited us just fine. IMHO it is 90% of what an Anthem offers. There are pluses and negatives to propane. It has less odor and less maint running the Aqua Hot but the flip side is provides less heat output and runs out more often. One of our decision factors was in cold weather the propane runs out in 4-5 days of hard use. Due to the circ pumps and the BTU output the diesel Aqua Hot provides more hot water to the shower.

There are other factors in the choice like; IFS, battery capacity, model year upgrades. In the end most of our decision was based around a new floor plan offering not available when we first bought. As the saying goes try to buy your last RV first!
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Old 08-26-2015, 07:20 PM   #13
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We have asked ourselves many of the same questions, and are basically in your shoes too. We have not purchased yet, but we decided on a 2016 Aspire. Why the Aspire you ask? One is the price point. As much as I love the Anthem and all of the extra goodies I'd love to have, such as the 150 gal fuel tank, IFS, fully electric and double inverters just to name a few, the 2016 Aspire's now have a convection cooktop which is one thing we really wanted, meaning the propane won't e used as much. We also don't plan on being in too cold of weather, also meaning the propane will last longer. The other big selling point, for this year's model, is that they cam out with the 44R floorplan which provides two bunks. That's huge for us because there will be 3 adults full-timing in the coach. Not to mention the 4 grandkids that will be visiting on occasion. There's a lot of good advice on here. Don't be afraid to ask questions, and ensure you compare different manufacturers. Not just on paper, but actually walk through them. Many people told us to look at the Newmar's, that we would be impressed with them and totally hooked. We looked at them, and to be honest, we don't like them at all. But that's just our own personal preference. Ask questions and research, and good luck in your decision!
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Old 08-27-2015, 06:18 AM   #14
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Just to throw out another point to consider.

There is generally a fairly significant jump in price from one model to the next in any brand of motorhome due to the many features added. If your main reason for going up to model "B" from "A" is a minor feature, such as a cooktop or a couple of extra batteries, you can always have your dealer swap them out or do the upgrade for less than it costs to buy the next model up the ladder. Of course when you are looking at IFS, 150 gallon fuel tanks and diesel Aqua-Hots, that's a different story.
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