No, we were not looking for bunk beds in our coach...
Regards
Disneyfix wrote:
RobertL0 wrote: Have you compared kitchen counter space? Coffee machine, perhaps a toaster oven on it. Sink covers off...
In many coaches, at that point, there isn't much space left for food preparation, even though you might be cooking outside daily...
Haven't seen a thing yet. I am sure that DW will chime in on the lack of counter space. Have you seen any models that had a fair amount and bunk beds?
Thanks,
Chris
Disneyfix wrote: I wanted to start a new thread instead of burying the on page 6 somewhere since you have all be so helpful.
Ok so what I have figured out is.... I would love to come across a model year leftover or used by 1 year or 2. This is where I need you guys to check me: The manufactures the we have found with floorplans that we like are:They all must have bunk beds, not tiny dining area and maybe king bed.
Fleetwood Discovery 40G and 42A
Newmar Ventana 4043
Forest River Berkshire 390bh
Tiffin Allegro Red 38qba
Tiffin Phaeton 40qkh
This does not exclude the finding of a higher end rig that falls out of the sky that someone needs to let go cheap(for that model Foretravel, that type of thing).
What do you think and what would you add to the mix?
From that list the only one I would consider is the Newmar
I'd agree with that.... I like the Tiffin's but with all the problems they had with the wetbay and roof radius and the required time consuming fixes, I gravitate to the Newmar
JoeH -- What have the Tiffin issues been that you mentioned -- wetbay/roof radius? We are also looking @ the REDs and are loving what we have seen thus far. But need to know the good, bad and the ugly. Please share your experiences/opinion!
Regards,
Heylea
Class A TBD in 2013
2009 Jeep Compas Rallye 4x4 5-sp manual
Disney-
We just took the kids down for spring break in Southern Cal. While there, we decided to stop in and look at a few motorhomes in person. I'm sure plenty of people will jump on my impressions as they'll be offended, but this is my honest feedback as someone who is in the same position.
Fleetwood Discovery 40G-Nice interior. We originally did not like the floorplan because the kitchen is all on one side, while the seating is on the other. We thought it would be less social. After walk-thru, we liked it and thought it could work. Nice interior elements, definitely upgraded from the Allegro RED and Berkshire. The engine is very accessible through side doors, this is something I haven't seen on any other coach, should be much easier for engine maintenance. We like the U-shaped dinette a lot.
Allegro RED-We checked out the coach right next to the Discovery and quickly exited. It is definitely functional. You get the chassis and an engine that will do the job, but won't cruise up any grades at full speed. We thought we would get the same interior as what we have in our Jayco Class C.
Berkshire-Looking at the Forest River website, we were pretty optimistic about the Berkshire. The Berkshire was a nice rig, it was the 360hp engine with the higher output and increased tow capacity. Interior was not at the level of the Discovery, but its not at the price point of the Discovery either.
Charleston-The problem for us with the Berkshire was that it was parked right next to a Charleston. Interior is very nice, a little better on the styling elements than the Discovery. The engine is fairly sizeable and it scoots down the road well. It is a very nice machine, I'm not a fan of the front cap, but that is just my personal preference on looks. The dinette is the standard dinette, not a U-shaped option, bummer.
All of the rigs have ample storage, bunks with DVDs, slide awnings, nice kitchens, 3 or 4 slide-outs, on and on. The Charleston just has most things upgraded: sanicon macerator standard, automatic generator, solid surface counter, side and rear view cams standard, on and on and on.
We ultimately decided that we really liked the Charleston for holding up for the long term. My wife has been getting really tired of me obsessing over upgrading our current ride. She did not want us to buy a Berkshire, and then I would obsess on the next upgrade, and she would have to hear about it. So, we placed an order with the dealer there to buy what we want. It is costing a bit more than the Discovery, but worth it to us. Going through the process of ordering, there are a lot of things standard, the list of options is roughly 8 items, and that is it. We feel like we have a good price but it will be a few months before it will be delivered.
We have a 2009 Newmar Ventana 3942 with bunks. We bought it 2 yrs ago from the original owner when it was 1 yr. old and we paid 145K. It is a good coach. It was fully loaded (hot water heat, in-motion sat, heat pumps, macerator etc.). we have put about 20K miles on it in 2 yrs we our 12 yr and 9 yr old kids. I like the floor plan but don't like the single recliner on the one side. I always seem to pull it into the middle of the coach when we watch tv. I wish it had 2 opposing couches. Quality is fine but even though Newmar brags about their Amish cabinetry, quite a bit of the cabinet work is vinyl wrap not real wood and I have had to reinforce some of the cabinetry. I am a carpenter cabinetmaker by trade and I am not impressed. But I believe to get better quality cabinets you will have to step up in price range.
We have the 350 hp Cummins and although it is not underpowered I could always use more power. We do almost always pull a 7000 lb. cargo trailer. Reliability has been good but we have had an ongoing issue with the hot water heat. It seems to be a $10 part that fails repeatedly, but now we know that and always carry a spare and it takes about 10 mins to repair. The Atwood Levelegs are the other reliability issue.
This is our first coach and I would buy a Newmar again. But that being said I will wait until I can afford to buy a much higher end coach that is 45 ft.tag with 500 hp or more and better suspenision.
Happy shopping
* This post was
edited 04/16/12 06:33pm by katoomer *
2009 Newmar Ventana 3942
2010 Pace Shadow 18ft
2010 KTM 450 XCW six days
2010 Can Am Outlander 650 XT
2009 Yamaha TTR125
1989 Douglas Skater 21' Twin 2.5s
1. Charleston doors on the bunk area - that looks clumsy if the kids actually sleep there, IE the doors would be open and in the way most of the time would they not?
2. Where is the bunks clothes drawers? I couldn't tell from pics online if there was any storage dedicated to the bunk area?
3. In either the 40G or 430BH is the TV viewable while driving?
We're starting to think about a larger/heavier TOAD and that may mean a 10K class hitch. And yeah I really want a DP even though our current use our gas coach is just fine Want vs Need in a big way here
2008 Itasca Sunova 35J Class A
1997 TJ Sahara, hard and soft tops and AC
Held together via Roadmaster Falcon 2 tow bar and stopped by US Gear Unified Brake system.
rdalcanto wrote: I had a Phaeton, and would not buy another Tiffin product until they stiffin up their chassis to address the sidewalls cracking issue and roof radius issue, among other problems. You can probably get a two year old American Coach Revolution for that price, and enjoy the stability of a tag axle, and much better construction. I don't know if the Discovery uses the same floor, sidewall, and roof construction techniques used in the American Coach line, so I can't comment on that possibility.
Can anyone comment on this?
Join TiffinRVNetwork and read all the treads that cover these problems. In Tiffin's defense, Tiffin WILL fix them all, even out of warranty. But, I prefer to buy a coach that is more solidly built, that doesn't need the company to fix these major things at the factory to begin with. I work a lot, and did not have time to spend weeks in RedBay. Once all my friends on the forums started reporting the same problems over and over, I sold my Phaeton before the problems affected my coach too. I'm glad I did, because I truely believe the Revolution is much better built. The doors on the bays of the Phaeton would go out of alignment with a pebble under a tire from the flex of the house and chassis. The Revolution doesn't twist like that.
rdalcanto wrote:
Disneyfix wrote:
rdalcanto wrote: I had a Phaeton, and would not buy another Tiffin product until they stiffin up their chassis to address the sidewalls cracking issue and roof radius issue, among other problems. You can probably get a two year old American Coach Revolution for that price, and enjoy the stability of a tag axle, and much better construction. I don't know if the Discovery uses the same floor, sidewall, and roof construction techniques used in the American Coach line, so I can't comment on that possibility.
Can anyone comment on this?
Join TiffinRVNetwork and read all the treads that cover these problems. In Tiffin's defense, Tiffin WILL fix them all, even out of warranty. But, I prefer to buy a coach that is more solidly built, that doesn't need the company to fix these major things at the factory to begin with. I work a lot, and did not have time to spend weeks in RedBay. Once all my friends on the forums started reporting the same problems over and over, I sold my Phaeton before the problems affected my coach too. I'm glad I did, because I truely believe the Revolution is much better built. The doors on the bays of the Phaeton would go out of alignment with a pebble under a tire from the flex of the house and chassis. The Revolution doesn't twist like that.
Rick, if memory serves me correctly, you were very excited that you had a Phaeton on a Spartan Chassis. When you say "stiffen up their chassis"... Maybe you should have gone with their PowerGlide chassis or with the standard Freightliner chassis, you would have been happier. Also, I have a great deal of respect for your thoughts, but there are also individuals who have major problems with the Revolution. This is really not a tit for tat discussion. It is What the OP's budget can purchase. He specified Bunk Beds and that leaves him with only specific models and manufacturers. We all know he can buy used, and it does not appear he is opposed to that option. I just wish this did not become a debate over problems with Tiffin, Monaco or Newmar. They all have problems. And personaly, I do not think all the issues on Roof Rail replacement is warranted... I did go to Red Bay and had mine replaced... Red Bay was replacing Roof Rails on just about every coach that came in... why... because it is forums like this, that begin stating there is a problem.... Tiffin does not want poor customer relations, therefore... they are proactive. They replace all roof rails. Did they all need it... hmmmm.... you could climb on every coach and look for cracks.... did that several times.... I could not see any on most of the coaches.... but.....the "gang" talks... they all have the "disease"... I call them Hypochondriac coach owners.... If one says it is so... it must be. These are just some of my TRVN "Tiffin Network" observations. I have been a member since 2008.... the fad "fix" comes and goes. I have now begun to read other Manufacturer's forums... wow... waaaalaaaaa... they are all Hypochondriac coach owners. But.... they don't have a manufacturer who will fix many of their "out of warranty" issues. Quality is a problem with them all.
Good thread, folks. We also are considering Tiffin and rely on feedback from owners like you, albiet we must take these opinions with a grain of salt for good measure. As we are not planning on ever traveling east of MT, would not be happy if our Tiffin had to make a trip to AL for repairs. If these repairs would truly be needed, could we find someone locally to service them? This issue would put Tiffin on the list of "deal breakers" for us.
Assuming you are buying through a dealer (not a private sale), I would be darn sure that whatever dealer I was talking to has the ability to deal with all warranty issues. The last thing I want to do is end up trying to get work done by a dealer who didn't sell me the coach. It's not always easy to get them interested in helping you.
Paul & Sandra
New Bedford, MA
2003 Monaco Executive M43 DS2
Very informative post and couldn't be more timely. We are about to pull the trigger on an upgrade from a Fleetwood Terra with bunks to a 40g. I agree with all the comments on buying what you really want since this will be my 4th camper in 4 years.
So the question I would consider is:
What do you want? Where/how will you be camping? Be sure when you look at any of the models discussed to consider what it will be like inside while you are driving. Happy kids with entertainment can make any trip so much easier.
One thing I really liked about the 40g is how the awning starts on the living area slide itself so you still get full use of the awning versus going over the top of the slide. What is the general perception of this feature?
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Want vs Need in a big way here 
