I would also try to find out the reputation of the dealer. While we're totally partial to Holiday Rambler and wouldn't own anything else all RVs are traveling homes. Put your home on wheels and things will go wrong. Used units might well have additional issues. Try to find out if your dealer will be willing to help with those problems. If from a private owner - you pay no doubt.
Daveinet wrote: Yeah, my parents just had their front window pop part way out on their '04 Allegro. No motorhome, no matter how old it is should have problems with the window popping out. Any motorhome that does not maintain its structural integrity is just unacceptable. Makes one question the integrity or intelligence of the manufacturer. Either one speaks very poorly about Tiffin.
And how many have had this problem? From the post I have seen on here almost all of them. Monaco has an on going problem with windshields breaking, they can't pop out now as they are glued in, so I guess you are questioning there intergity and intelligence also? Most of the others have had the problem at some time. Now the question is which ones will take care of the problem and which will tell you it's out of warranty. Now as for buying a quality coach such as Blue Bird, Foretravel or Prevost not everyone can afford to buy them. I would rather buy a newer coach with newer options than older quality, BTW they are not trouble free either.
Daveinet wrote: Is there a top of the line gasser? The answer is the root of the problem. In the gasser class, there will just be issues. The materials used are not the best choice for the task, the construction quality is limited, there will be issues in that class of coach. Yes, some are more fortunate than others, but the durability is limited by the materials used. Some are just lucky or are more gentle than typical. There is no margin for error, you make a mistake - don't do something exactly right and it will break. They are just not forgiving.
You've seen me post some things about my parents Allegro, but even with problems they have had, did they make a mistake in choosing Allegro? Probably not, being they were unwilling to buy a diesel (allergies) or fix up an old Revcon (my mom often wishes that), buying a NON-top of the line motorhome was their only choice.
In a gasser, there is no such thing as top of the line. The ones you have listed are all that is out there and they are near equal competitors. Each have their quirks, and its just what you deal with in that class of coach.
BTW:There are units you did not list which are worse, but in a gasser, your list is about as good as you are going to get.
I think there are a lot of gasser owners that could get pissed with a statement like Is there a top of the line gasser? The answer is the root of the problem. In the gasser class, there will just be issues. The materials used are not the best choice for the task, the construction quality is limited, there will be issues in that class of coach.
So now Gas v Diesel gets thrown into the mix.
I wish I could justify the purchase of the diesel but right now I can't. I used the following example in a previous post.
At the present cost of fuel it looks like $3.955 for Gas and $4.603 for Diesel. After all of my reading it seems that gassers get at best 8 mpg and DP's get 10. That means $0.494/mile for the gasser and $0.460/mile for the DP. This means that if I drove 20,000 miles I would have spent $681.50 more in fuel cost, but I would have probably saved that much in routine maintenance.
If I use a 2003 Tiffin Allegro Bay 36LB on a Workhorse Chassis the NADA Low Retail is $51,310 and a 2003 Tiffin Allegro Bus 35RP with a 300 Cummins the NADA Low Retail is $86,880. That is a difference of $35,570. I can buy a hell of a lot of gas with the money I save on the initial cost.
Dave - you're the last guy I figured would confuse corian counters for solid construction. Not saying corain is bad, just saying that I believe there are some solidly constructed Gas MH out there. My counters are laminate, floor is laminate and carpet. But the walls are the same construction as many higher end non monocoque coaches out there. Cabinets are actual wood etc. And Winnie/Itasca isn't the only one to do that. Assembly quality is another part. Again I think the listed coaches make solid choices. I happen to prefer Winnie for our own reasons but that doesn't mean other manufacturers are any worse or better (of the listed ones).
For the record the reason we chose Itasca over Newmar (our top 2 choices)
Fiberglass roof
Coach Heat
Floor plan fit our needs better (kitchen and bunk area work better for us then the Newmar version)
Documentation of all systems in electronic and paper format
Larger local dealer base for me to choose my repair facility with
Newmar did have better insulation but the colour schemes available to use made it feel darker inside and the bunk area felt squishier. Is it a bad coach? no, just not as good for *us* as the Itasca.
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.
driveby wrote: Dave - you're the last guy I figured would confuse corian counters for solid construction. Not saying corain is bad, just saying that I believe there are some solidly constructed Gas MH out there. My counters are laminate, floor is laminate and carpet. But the walls are the same construction as many higher end non monocoque coaches out there. Cabinets are actual wood etc. And Winnie/Itasca isn't the only one to do that. Assembly quality is another part. Again I think the listed coaches make solid choices. I happen to prefer Winnie for our own reasons but that doesn't mean other manufacturers are any worse or better
Assuming you were referring to me, I'm not sure what you mean about Corian counter tops. Most gassers do have Corian counter tops don't they? That does not mean anything about the construction quality materials. Yes, I am referring to cabinet construction, wall construction ect. So here you go. Most cabinets have solid wood doors and pressed wood FRAMES with laminated real wood surfaces. They've gotten very good at hiding that fact. I've not looked at an '08 Winnie that close, so I can't say for sure, but at the last show I was at, the only units that used real wood in the cabinet frames were in the $350+ category. I've learned to look close at the frames. I know absolutely for sure my Parents '04 Allegro is pressed wood frames. For wall construction, There are the laminated side, that in theory can be OK, except if the window leaks, its history. Then there is the hung wall type. Could be OK, but have you ever seen the framing used? I was in a Monaco plant ~2 years ago. I could not believe how thin the aluminum rails were that held the walls. About 1/3rd the thickness of what this coach is, and extremely flimsy. This is on a $200K DP. Also the window cutouts were smaller than the wall frame, which means the window only clamped to the inner and outer skin, not around the frame. Those are just some of the big ones. Talk about chassis, which need trac bars and stiff shocks to keep them on the road. Lack enough structural integrity to keep the upper shell from twisting and popping windows out - see Castho post above.
Given the number of horror stories one reads on MHs, I give high priority to quality and to being reasonably close to the factory to take there if there is a problem that the local can't fix. This goes new or used.
If you do your own first echelon maintenance and trouble shooting, a good customer support line is important. What days and what hours can you get help.
If you are looking for quality, I'm surprised you haven't inclulded Foretravel out of Texas. And not to be impertinent, but do Winnebago and Itasca products still have outside decals and laminated wood cabinets?
2000 Country Coach Intrigue 36' 350 Cummins ISC
2002 Honda CRV
FMCA 351235
Look for us at Civil War Reenactments and the SCA.
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