2019 Thor Compass 24SX on Sprinter Chassis - Good/Bad?

[BobJones]

Hi Folks!

My parents are coming from a 2000 Monaco Diplomat (Diesel Pusher/Air Bag suspension) and are looking for something smaller. To that end, we found a new 2019 Compass 24SX on Sprinter Chassis.

It appears to be made by Thor Motor Coach. The engine is a diesel and appears to have a 5 year powertrain warranty.

Any ideas on how good these Sprinter chassis are and also how good the Thor Motor Coach company is?

Realistically, I'm expecting that, at 86, they might get two years out of it.

[CampFire Junkies]

We have a 2013 Thor Citation 24SR and love it. We bought it used in 2016 with only 6k miles. We have put on over 30k ourselves and the MB 3.0 liter diesel just purrs and gets great mpg!

[BobJones]

Originally Posted by CampFire Junkies

We have a 2013 Thor Citation 24SR and love it. We bought it used in 2016 with only 6k miles. We have put on over 30k ourselves and the MB 3.0 liter diesel just purrs and gets great mpg!

Awesome! Do you know what the typical fuel mileage is that you see on it? Does it ride well? Does it have power for hills? All those kinds of things

[Winterbagoal]

Agree with CFJ - Sprinter chassis and drive trains seem to be bulletproof, and fuel economy is amazing. Nice to drive, easy to maneuver, handle well at freeway speeds. Bit of curb roll, but you get used to it, or you mod it to mitigate the effect. I am in the former phase of that situation.
The other consideration for Sprinter based C's is that they are OCCC "challenged", so if your parents have lots of "stuff", make sure you look into that number before you buy.

[Crabb E]

Don't have a Thor but we love our 2019 Jayco Melbourne 24L. We downsize from a Tour Master 38' with a MB engine. Lived full-time for almost 2 years in it. Bought a home base and downsized to the Melbourne. Love being able to get in to state parks and rv parks with short spaces. Love the MB little diesel. 16 mpg without our Jeep Wrangler 2 door and 12 mpg towing it. Plenty of power. Towed over the Grapevine in Calif at 50 mph. It will take your folks a little time to get used to the smaller unit. Like someone said be sure to check the CCC. Some are really low. Ours was 1347 lbs and works out fine for the traveling we do now. Also check the frig size, again size matters.

[dosxx]

Can’t say enough good things about the MB Sprinter! No issues in the Colorado mountains and we tow a small car. From personal experience would not touch a Thor product with a ten foot pole or if given to us for free!!!

Our opinion!!

As for occc! I think people are making a big deal out of nothing. Be happy to explain if you ask.

[BobJones]

Originally Posted by dosxx

Can’t say enough good things about the MB Sprinter! No issues in the Colorado mountains and we tow a small car. From personal experience would not touch a Thor product with a ten foot pole or if given to us for free!!!

Our opinion!!

As for occc! I think people are making a big deal out of nothing. Be happy to explain if you ask.

With respect to Thor and build quality, I saw that myself just looking at it. Wires hanging about, wires underneath the unit hanging about, outside doors that didn't fit right, external compartments with moisture in them, a slide out that was scraping against the cabin....and that's just with a cursory glance and not knowing anything about Thor products....

I'll bite - what is this OCCC ?

[CampFire Junkies]

Originally Posted by BobJones

Awesome! Do you know what the typical fuel mileage is that you see on it? Does it ride well? Does it have power for hills? All those kinds of things

As you have seen from other posts the fuel mileage depends on terrain & wind. We get between 13-17mpg... The MB diesel has a LOT of giddy up! It rides so well that my wife wants to drive it...

As for Thor... we haven’t had any issues with the ones described. Our 2013 seems to be well built with no issues of any cut corners.

You will just have to test drive and go over EVERYTHING no matter what you buy.

[BobJones]

It's already looking like the deal's falling apart - strangely enough. They didn't want to connect it to water so that we could go through the entire unit and test everything without booking it through their service department. It's very odd.

As mentioned, one of the kitchen drawers has two wires in it that are going somewhere....the slide out is scratching the front of the interior and actually broke off the square upper corner piece of trim. Several of the outside compartment doors don't close properly. There are wires hanging under the unit willy-nilly.

I'm willing to put some time into it to get the brand new unit ready for my parents but when the dealer makes it harder for me to inspect it - it makes me wonder if they are hiding something.

My parents (86) find it hard to understand that a brand new unit is going to need finishing work. They are old school and expect it to be perfect and have been checked out thoroughly as part of a quality control procedure by both the factory and the dealer.

Still don't know what this OCCC is

[jcussen]

Originally Posted by BobJones

It's already looking like the deal's falling apart - strangely enough. They didn't want to connect it to water so that we could go through the entire unit and test everything without booking it through their service department. It's very odd.

As mentioned, one of the kitchen drawers has two wires in it that are going somewhere....the slide out is scratching the front of the interior and actually broke off the square upper corner piece of trim. Several of the outside compartment doors don't close properly. There are wires hanging under the unit willy-nilly.

I'm willing to put some time into it to get the brand new unit ready for my parents but when the dealer makes it harder for me to inspect it - it makes me wonder if they are hiding something.

My parents (86) find it hard to understand that a brand new unit is going to need finishing work. They are old school and expect it to be perfect and have been checked out thoroughly as part of a quality control procedure by both the factory and the dealer.

Still don't know what this OCCC is

Basically what you can carry, This includes food, clothing, dishes etc, fresh water and weight of occupants. On sprinter conversions with slideouts, generally below 1500 lb, depending on how it is built.
https://sprinter-source.com/forums/i...threads/29756/

[AudiDudi]

Originally Posted by BobJones

<snip>
Still don't know what this OCCC is

Occupant and Cargo Carrying Capacity. There should be a yellow stick inside the driver's door telling you what it is. I would recommend if you get it and get it loaded for a trip, that you find some CAT Scales and weigh the rig.

[Winterbagoal]

Originally Posted by BobJones

It's already looking like the deal's falling apart - strangely enough. They didn't want to connect it to water so that we could go through the entire unit and test everything without booking it through their service department. It's very odd.

As mentioned, one of the kitchen drawers has two wires in it that are going somewhere....the slide out is scratching the front of the interior and actually broke off the square upper corner piece of trim. Several of the outside compartment doors don't close properly. There are wires hanging under the unit willy-nilly.

I'm willing to put some time into it to get the brand new unit ready for my parents but when the dealer makes it harder for me to inspect it - it makes me wonder if they are hiding something.

My parents (86) find it hard to understand that a brand new unit is going to need finishing work. They are old school and expect it to be perfect and have been checked out thoroughly as part of a quality control procedure by both the factory and the dealer.

Still don't know what this OCCC is

Like AD said. Occupants and Cargo Carrying Capacity. It's the difference between what the unit weighs without any of your stuff, water, or people on board, and the GVWR. Usually not much. Mine was around 1350lbs. When I'm loaded for travel, I can't pick up a hitchhiker without pushing the GVWR, it's usually that close. You can mitigate it by running with less water on board, while traveling, and leave the non-essentials at home.
If you have any Provincial Highway Inspection Stations near you, you can usually stop at one of them and get weighed for free. I see you're on the island, and you have one near you. https://www.th.gov.bc.ca/cvse/inspection_stations.htm

[BobJones]

Yup, I'm on Vancouver Island. It's a little ways away from Sarnialabad, Peoples Republik of Canuckistan - but it's somewhat the same

My parents 'nixed the deal due to them not making it easy for us to check it out from stem to stern. I find it very odd that they would blow a 6-figure deal because they didn't really want us to hook it up to water and test everything out....

I have their old unit (2000 Diplomat DP 36 feet) and I told them they are welcome to use it. At 86 they wanted something smaller but given the hassle of getting into a new one, at a somewhat modest price, it's probably better for me to lend them mine. My guess is, at most, they would have two years use out of a new one, we were prepared to take the depreciation hit, but for the dealer....

Hopefully they won't wreck my home!!

BTW, thanks everyone for your help!

[jrcorvette]

Originally Posted by BobJones

Hi Folks!

My parents are coming from a 2000 Monaco Diplomat (Diesel Pusher/Air Bag suspension) and are looking for something smaller. To that end, we found a new 2019 Compass 24SX on Sprinter Chassis.

It appears to be made by Thor Motor Coach. The engine is a diesel and appears to have a 5 year powertrain warranty.

Any ideas on how good these Sprinter chassis are and also how good the Thor Motor Coach company is?

Realistically, I'm expecting that, at 86, they might get two years out of it.

Before you buy compare it to a Tiffin Wayfarer! Big difference.