Journey with Confidence RV GPS App RV Trip Planner RV LIFE Campground Reviews RV Maintenance Take a Speed Test Free 7 Day Trial ×
RV Trip Planning Discussions

Go Back   iRV2 Forums > MOTORHOME FORUMS > MH-General Discussions & Problems
Click Here to Login
Join iRV2 Today

Mission Statement: Supporting thoughtful exchange of knowledge, values and experience among RV enthusiasts.
Reply
  This discussion is proudly sponsored by:
Please support our sponsors and let them know you heard about their products on iRV2
 
Thread Tools Search this Thread Display Modes
 
Old 11-01-2017, 10:05 PM   #1
Senior Member
 
Isaac-1's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2016
Location: SW Louisiana
Posts: 8,849
Why did you buy a new / new to you coach?

For those of you that have owned multiple motorhomes, why did you upgrade?

Did your needs change?

Was there something wrong with your old one?

Were you just wanting to get a newer model with updated features (slides, EMS, Aqua Hot, etc.)?

Other?
__________________
2002 Safari Trek 2830 on P32 Chassis with 8.1L w/ 400 watts solar 420Ah LiFePo4
2017 Jeep Cherokee Overland & 2007 Toyota Yaris TOADs with Even Brake,
Demco Commander tow bar and Blue Ox / Roadmaster base plates
Isaac-1 is offline   Reply With Quote
Join the #1 RV Forum Today - It's Totally Free!

iRV2.com RV Community - Are you about to start a new improvement on your RV or need some help with some maintenance? Do you need advice on what products to buy? Or maybe you can give others some advice? No matter where you fit in you'll find that iRV2 is a great community to join. Best of all it's totally FREE!

You are currently viewing our boards as a guest so you have limited access to our community. Please take the time to register and you will gain a lot of great new features including; the ability to participate in discussions, network with other RV owners, see fewer ads, upload photographs, create an RV blog, send private messages and so much, much more!

Old 11-01-2017, 10:18 PM   #2
Senior Member
 
jfran304's Avatar
 
Tiffin Owners Club
Workhorse Chassis Owner
Join Date: Oct 2009
Location: Warner Robins, GA
Posts: 2,613
Went from a 2003 Tiffin Allegro Open Road 26 1A with 1 slide in the bedroom to a 2006 Tiffin Allegro Open Road 35 TSA with 3 slides for more room.
__________________
Jon & Sue Francis (Retired U.S.A.F.)
Lil Girl-Rescued, Abby Rescued, Peaches Rescued
06 Allegro 35TSA Workhorse Chassis
2013 Chevy Spark Dinghy
jfran304 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 11-01-2017, 10:22 PM   #3
Senior Member
 
saddlesore's Avatar


 
Foretravel Owners Club
Join Date: Apr 2016
Location: Home is Where WE PARK IT...
Posts: 6,018
Last "former coach" ('99 Thor/Four Winds/Infinity) was a total POS when we bought it, kept it thinking it would get better after things were warrantied...It did not.
Had had enough of mid to upper price point offerings...,The 4 major manufactures p** poor offerings that they seem to think if the customer gets 3 months of use & 9 months in the shop a year they are doing a good job building RV's.
Looked @ Tiffin,Newmar,Fleetwood,Winnebago..saw the same things going on that we had issues with the Thor product.. just not quite the scale....Gave up....
Bought a set of livestock racks for our pickup and hung a tarp over it, coleman white gas cookstove, lantern and an ice chest, went camping & fishing.

Until an owner of a Foretravel showed us their coach, and then their neighbor showed us their Newell............Could not afford the Newell, so paid cash for the Foretravel instead.
__________________
Retired truckdriver,
'02 Foretravel... "This Shack will do"
being pushed by an '06 Scion xB
SKP's of Box Elder, South Dakota
saddlesore is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 11-01-2017, 10:51 PM   #4
Senior Member
 
vsheetz's Avatar


 
Fleetwood Owners Club
Ford Super Duty Owner
Join Date: Jun 2012
Location: SoCal
Posts: 15,749
First coach was a 1995 28' Safari Trek bought used for not much money. Bought to take out jeep to offroading weekends and vacations. Didn't want to spend much money as first time with a RV.

Second coach was 2002 Fleetwood Pace Arrow 37' Gasser, bought used. Wanted more room and found we used the coach for RV'ing as well as offroading with the jeep.

Third/current coach is 2011 Tiffin Phaeton, bought used. Moving into retirement planned to be traveling in RV 50%+ of the time and month to multi-month trips. So wanted DP, roomy, better quality, etc.

Plan to have the Phaeton many years...
__________________
Vince and Susan
2011 Tiffin Phaeton 40QTH (Cummins ISC/Freightliner)
Flat towing a modified 2005 Jeep (Rubicon Wrangler)
Previously a 2002 Fleetwood Pace Arrow 37A and a 1995 Safari Trek 2830.
vsheetz is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 11-02-2017, 02:17 AM   #5
Senior Member
 
ThePowells's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2017
Location: Zebulon, NC
Posts: 5,208
Quote:
Originally Posted by saddlesore View Post
Last "former coach" ('99 Thor/Four Winds/Infinity) was a total POS when we bought it, kept it thinking it would get better after things were warrantied...It did not.
Had had enough of mid to upper price point offerings...,The 4 major manufactures p** poor offerings that they seem to think if the customer gets 3 months of use & 9 months in the shop a year they are doing a good job building RV's.
Looked @ Tiffin,Newmar,Fleetwood,Winnebago..saw the same things going on that we had issues with the Thor product.. just not quite the scale....Gave up....
Bought a set of livestock racks for our pickup and hung a tarp over it, coleman white gas cookstove, lantern and an ice chest, went camping & fishing.

Until an owner of a Foretravel showed us their coach, and then their neighbor showed us their Newell............Could not afford the Newell, so paid cash for the Foretravel instead.
Was Thor even in business in 1999? I didn't think Thor was an entity until 2010.
__________________
Kelly and Jerry Powell with Halo (Lethal White Aussie), Nash the Rat Terrorist, and now Reid, the "Brindle we have no idea puppy"
2020 Grand Design Solitude 390RK-R
ThePowells is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 11-02-2017, 09:10 AM   #6
Junior Member
 
Join Date: Jul 2014
Posts: 8
Upgraded from:

0. My mom's 1981 Dodge camper van. I lived in it for a summer up on the north coast of British Columbia, and she and her partner traveled extensively through the southwestern US. It finally died in the mid-1990s.
1. 2005 Little Guy teardrop trailer (cute, fun, towed effortlessly behind our Tacoma pickup truck). Bought it used in 2007, sold it in 2009.
2. 1993 Sportsmobile (extreme fun, good MPG but old and tired). Bought it used in 2009.
3. Traded the Sportsmobile in on a 2003 Gulfstream BT Cruiser 21' (loved it, took it everywhere). Bought it used in 2010.
4. Saved up enough money while working and living below our means to order a brand new Lazy Daze 24' for fulltime living. Ordered it in December 2013, picked it up from the factory in February 2015.

Each one of these RVs met our needs at the time, and allowed us to refine our requirements for full time retirement living.

We did a lot of research over the years on various makes and models, went to a lot of RV shows and looked at a lot of RVs. There was lots of superficial "bling" - big TVs, fancy kitchens, fake leather furniture, and poor build quality - flimsy cabinets, cheap fake wood, missing screws, water leaks and minimal cargo capacity. Some brand new rigs already smelled musty from water leaks.

We are now full time and retired, and love boondocking in the southwest deserts. We have enough solar and battery power to stay out there indefinitely -- the only reason to move is to dump the tanks every 10 days or so.

This rig is the perfect size and layout for us, and of course we have the excellent design and build quality that Lazy Daze owners appreciate.

We have had zero warranty issues in the time we've owned our Lazy Daze. No "punch lists", no waiting for parts or repairs, no down time because of defects, no weekends or vacations ruined by broken components. That is unusual in the RV industry as a whole, and buyers really should demand better quality than what they are getting from most manufacturers.

Endless repairs on a brand new RV should not be "part of the experience." People would never put up with a new car that leaked in the rain, or fell apart going down the road. If Lazy Daze, a very small family owned business, can build top quality at a very competitive price, why can't the major brands do the same?
SillyLilly is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 11-02-2017, 09:16 AM   #7
Senior Member
 
Unicorn Driver's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2017
Posts: 7,494
Interesting topic.
__________________
2008 Phoenix Cruiser 3100
2012 Jeep Wrangler Sahara JKU.
Unicorn Driver is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 11-02-2017, 09:38 AM   #8
Senior Member
 
Steve Ownby's Avatar
 
Join Date: Nov 2008
Location: Cosby, Tn
Posts: 6,587
Quote:
Originally Posted by ThePowells View Post
Was Thor even in business in 1999? I didn't think Thor was an entity until 2010.


Thor was founded in 1980 with the purchase of Airstream. In 2010 two Thor subsidies formed Thor Motorcoach.
__________________
Steve Ownby
Full time since 2007
2003 Monaco Signature
Steve Ownby is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 11-02-2017, 10:18 AM   #9
Senior Member
 
89sandman's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2012
Posts: 977
Family size change, economic situation change, how and why we use it are all reasons why we've changed from one unit to another. Always thought the saying "buy your last rv first" has got to be the stupidest thing I've ever heard! Who would want to own just one rv their entire life???
89sandman is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 11-02-2017, 10:30 AM   #10
Senior Member
 
Mr_D's Avatar
 
Country Coach Owners Club
Solo Rvers Club
iRV2 No Limits Club
Join Date: May 2011
Location: Vancouver, WA
Posts: 37,725
Bought a '98 Santara 35' gas unit. Decided we wanted a DP so we ordered a 2000 38' DSDP to retire in. Then DW wanted a larger rig and I wanted a bigger engine so we ordered a 2002 40' DSDP.
13 years later I wanted a bigger rig so I talked the DW onto getting the 45' Magna. Beautiful rig, but horrendously high upkeep so far, plus, now that the DW died, it's far bigger than my seven cats and I need.
__________________
2009 45' Magna 630 w/Cummins ISX 650 HP/1950 Lbs Ft, HWH Active Air
Charter Good Sam Lifetime Member, FMCA,
RV'ing since 1957, NRA Benefactor Life, towing '21 Jeep JLU Rubicon Ecodiesel
Mr_D is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 11-02-2017, 11:05 AM   #11
Senior Member
 
saddlesore's Avatar


 
Foretravel Owners Club
Join Date: Apr 2016
Location: Home is Where WE PARK IT...
Posts: 6,018
Quote:
Originally Posted by ThePowells View Post
Was Thor even in business in 1999? I didn't think Thor was an entity until 2010.
Yup they were but did not "circle the wagons"with all the brands they bought until 2010 or so under one name.
The mfg tag near the entry door listed as Thor-Four Winds,
Sold under the Four Winds banner, (mdl was Infinity 34H).(their top model at that time)
__________________
Retired truckdriver,
'02 Foretravel... "This Shack will do"
being pushed by an '06 Scion xB
SKP's of Box Elder, South Dakota
saddlesore is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 11-02-2017, 07:16 PM   #12
Member
 
cdrprn's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2013
Location: Golden Valley, AZ
Posts: 84
Went from a Holiday Rambler 36 SBT to a Itasca Suncruiser 32H. Had a number of under warranty problems including structural issues and got zero cooperation from Monaco on repairs. Despite having "pre-authorization" always had to pay up front and took up to 9 months to get reimbursed. Have had some issues with the Itasca and Winnebago steps right up every time.
cdrprn is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 11-03-2017, 06:02 AM   #13
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Dec 2016
Posts: 466
Started with a tent.
Moved up to a pop-up.
Replaced first pop-up 25 years later with a new pop-up (First pop-up wore out).
Replaced second pop-up six years later with Pleasure-Way Plateau XL Murphy bed.
Should be good for the rest of my life.
__________________
2015 Pleasure-Way Plateau XL Wide Body
paddykern is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 11-03-2017, 06:12 AM   #14
Registered User
 
Ford Super Duty Owner
Join Date: Nov 2014
Location: NW Ohio
Posts: 7,114
UPGRADE

We owned a 2001 30ft Mirada (no slide). We liked it. This was an entry level class A, simple and efficient. After a couple years of use we got a better definition of how we use it and decided we'd like more room (slide) and a table instead of a booth.

We upgraded to 1999 35 ft. Southwind. PERFECT... It has a living room slide and a table / chairs. Its in very, very good condition. We went through it and fixed all the little things that needed attention. After a shakedown cruise, we decided this is probably going to last us a few years so we spent the time and money and repainted it.

http://www.1999southwind.com/

..
Waiter21 is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply



Currently Active Users Viewing This Thread: 1 (0 members and 1 guests)
 
Thread Tools Search this Thread
Search this Thread:

Advanced Search
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are Off
Pingbacks are Off
Refbacks are Off


Similar Threads
Thread Thread Starter Forum Replies Last Post
Buy Now! Buy Buy Buy!!!! damdannyboy Newmar Owner's Forum 2 07-30-2015 04:08 PM
Why Did You Buy An Entegra Coach Whatnobeer Entegra Owner's Forum 15 02-19-2013 08:25 PM
Why did you start motorhoming? Why do you keep doing it? BoogieMan Class A Motorhome Discussions 50 11-06-2011 07:04 PM
Why did you buy your class A? Billieg Class A Motorhome Discussions 63 04-29-2011 06:31 PM
Why did you buy an Excel? Greenthumb Excel Owner's Forum 9 02-23-2007 08:00 PM

» Featured Campgrounds

Reviews provided by


All times are GMT -6. The time now is 12:58 PM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.8 Beta 1
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.