On the prowl for our 1st Class A

[JohnGaver]

This is only my 2nd thread starter on irv2. My first was when I joined, back in August of 2016. I have been a lurker, since then, just soaking up all kinds of info.

We decided, last summer, that we were going to sell our bricks and sticks home and go full time in an RV. Since that time we have made many related decisions (motorhome over fifth-wheel, class A over class C, etc.). We've seen our favorites change several times. We've been to every motorhome dealership in Houston. We've been to Motorhome Specialists. We've been to the Dallas RV & Motorhome Show and to the Lake Charles Boat, RV & Motorhome Show. We will soon be attending the Houston RV & Motorhome Show. We also plan a trip to Indiana, to see how the coaches are made.

Very few of our decisions are carved in stone. Here are the things that are:

• 42 to 45 foot diesel pusher tag, with 1-1/2 bath
• All-Electric (we don't want to deal with LP)
• Solar or wired for solar
• Independent front suspension
• No split windshield (eliminates Pervost)
• TV across from couch or recliners
• Interior design materials that don't look like my grandmother designed it!

That last bullet point eliminates about 90% of the coaches on the market. We like the American Coach interiors best, followed by Entegra, with Newmar not far behind.

Our favorites, at this time, are Newmar and Entegra. But as I said, our opinions have changed several times and they could change again. I wish I could say that American was on that list, but they don't have a floor plan that fits our needs. But they aren't off of our top list. They just aren't at the very top.

Our target purchase window is some time in the early to late fall of this year.

We would welcome any comments here, on why we should or should not consider certain coaches. You can also follow us on our search for the perfect Class A diesel for full timing, on our blog at: Full-Timing across the USA & Canada in a Class "A" motorhome – "Home is where we park it."

If you will be attending the Houston RV & Motorhome Show in February, let me know. I would love to talk in person to some of the people on this forum, who have helped me, so far.

[okcnewbie]

Good luck picking your last coach first! With enough foresight and the right attitude you just might be able to pull it off.

Originally Posted by JohnGaver

Very few of our decisions are carved in stone. Here are the things that are:

No split windshield (eliminates Pervost).......

I can think of a million or more reasons to not get a Prevost but that is not one of them.......lol!

[beamisl]

John,

Smart move doing your research before buying.. We did the same.

I take it you want new but do yourself a favor and check out the diesel pushers at

ppl.motorhomes They are in Texas and may help you narrow down that list a bit.

Best of luck, LB

[ctpres]

Good luck on search. I would put recliners close to top of list. Wouldn't make it a deal breaker - just be sure change can be made later. Amazing how few floor plans place TV in favorable viewing position.

[twogypsies]

Your 'must haves' aren't what we would choose but we were extremely satisfied with our 40' Newmar Dutch Star for 8 of our full-timing years. We traveled constantly, including mountains, gravel roads and Alaska so it went through its tests and did very well.

[TonyDi]

Without knowing what you budget is, it's hard to be specific. I may be a bit biased because I own one but you get a lot of bang for the buck with the Dutch Star. Mountain Aire and London Aire are very nice too.
Keep looking, and good luck with the search. Keep us posted.

[marknpeg]

You sound a lot like my wife and I, similar tastes and requirements. We went through almost the same process, took 18 months of research before we finally pulled the trigger on our Newmar Ventana. I wrote a blog post on how we ended up there.

https://lifeinthecloud.travel.blog/2...g-and-go-home/

Good luck!

[JohnGaver]

Originally Posted by ctpres

Good luck on search. I would put recliners close to top of list. Wouldn't make it a deal breaker - just be sure change can be made later. Amazing how few floor plans place TV in favorable viewing position.

Yes. Recliners are definitely high on our list of "wants". Not a "must have". But it's pretty close.

We've noticed the same thing. All the seating in a coach faces the other side, but they put a TV up front? What's with that?

Between weird floor plan issues like that and the gaudy paisley and hounds tooth fabrics, that were obviously picked out by the coach builder's grandmother, we've eliminated a lot of coaches. But fortunately, there's still a lot out there.

[JohnGaver]

Originally Posted by twogypsies

Your 'must haves' aren't what we would choose but we were extremely satisfied with our 40' Newmar Dutch Star for 8 of our full-timing years. We traveled constantly, including mountains, gravel roads and Alaska so it went through its tests and did very well.

Thanks. That's good to know. Actually, the Dutch Star 4369 is probably our first choice, at this moment in time. We like the tag axle, to make towing more stable and the Comfort Steer, though not a necessity, is a major plus.

We expect to make it to all 49 continental United States, so I'll keep your screen name in mind, for when we actually get on the road.

[Cranemec]

All three of your listed choices have pretty much the same floorplan available.
We have an American Tradition 42 G perfect floorplan for us.
As for the TV up front, we also have the TV above the fireplace with a recliner behind the drivers seat on the slide. It works for us. I sit or lay on the couch across from the TV/fireplace so that is the natural place to watch. My wife sits in the recliner so the front TV is natural for her. The sound comes from the home theater.
Another big plus for us in this floorplan is the front seat swivel around to become part of the living room. We had 7 people sitting comfortably this past Thanksgiving.
Of course I am very biased on the American Coach, but you will not go wrong with any of the 3 makers you have chosen.

[JohnGaver]

Originally Posted by marknpeg

You sound a lot like my wife and I, similar tastes and requirements. We went through almost the same process, took 18 months of research before we finally pulled the trigger on our Newmar Ventana. I wrote a blog post on how we ended up there.

https://lifeinthecloud.travel.blog/2...g-and-go-home/

Good luck!

Thanks. I liked the article. I'll take a further look at your blog later.

BTW, we're half-way considering the Ventana, but leaning toward the Dutch Star. It seems like we're down to Newmar or Entegra. But who knows what's around the next corner. The Houston RV and Motorhome Show will help us firm up our likes.

[JerryP]

Be sure to take the Newmar factory tour. It's very interesting.

Regards, Jerry

[marknpeg]

Originally Posted by JohnGaver

Thanks. I liked the article. I'll take a further look at your blog later.

BTW, we're half-way considering the Ventana, but leaning toward the Dutch Star. It seems like we're down to Newmar or Entegra. But who knows what's around the next corner. The Houston RV and Motorhome Show will help us firm up our likes.

We had actually made a decision on a Dutch Star 4018 and were shopping heavily, when we saw this Ventana sitting at Independence RV in FL. For us at least, it hit almost all our requirements and was considerably less money so it made a lot of sense. I actually prefer the shorter 38' length because we are able to get into places the bigger rigs can't, while still having all the room and amenities we wanted. We plan on hitting all 49 states too, and prefer the national parks, COE, BLM, etc. to the private resorts, and the Ventana has exceeded all our expectations. Love it.

[wildeflowers]

Originally Posted by JohnGaver

*Interior design materials that don't look like my grandmother designed it!


That last bullet point eliminates about 90% of the coaches on the market. We like the American Coach interiors best, followed by Entegra, with Newmar not far behind.

I'd just like to comment on this statement for a bit, even though it's probably a subject that has been beaten to death.

Honestly, I just can not understand RV manufacturers complete refusal to come into this century with regards to design. It is honestly one of my biggest complaints. Well, that and quality of components.

The rv we ended up ordering, while it is probably one of the least offensive of the interiors we have seen, having to say it is less offensive visually is definitely not a good thing. I've been staring at the interior pics since we ordered it (and it's not even here) trying to figure out how to make it more palatable.

The fabrics, the colors, the busy and busier swooshes on the outside, they're all just tacky to me. On ours, every choice of fabric except for one included this faux alligator fabric as an accent, and the one we got is all taupes and neutrals except the fabric on the valance and chairs ,which is grey. What were they thinking making everything 90% tan and then having one fabric be grey? Come on guys, it doesn't even blend. I may just have to live with it, because the other fabric suites are terrible. One of the choices in the higher end model is zebra print. Really guys? Zebra? The other option is very dated floral. My grandma wouldn't want those linens.

They're coming off the line dated and that's not a good thing, and there is a middle ground between so sleek it looks like a NASA shuttle and the 80s casino look so favored by every single manufacturer out there. Honestly, I think it would cost less money make things look better because so much of the fabrics problem is the fussy details.

The bottom line is that manufacturers are too afraid to make the leap to a modern and well designed interior because they think their current customers will be offended, but because of that it's one of the most critiqued portions of the industry and they are getting left behind. Somebody shake it up!