Any comparables to this model?

A lot of them are Thor and I was trying to

stay away from Thor

because of all the complaints I was reading. Is

my thinking wrong?

Yep, dead wrong.

Just like cars there are a few that escape the assembly line with problems.

Which means Of course the owner of an RV that might have more than its share of problems, ""screams the loudest, and you will find their complaints plastered all over the internet.""

The owners that are 'satisfied' with their RV simply to not plaster their satisfaction all over the internet!!!

Ask people which is the 'best' RV? And you will get posts from owners who just love the RV they currently have, and swear by that brand! :C

I have a Four Winds. She has given me tens of thousands of RV'ing miles with minimal repair problems most just due to extended usage.

In the beginning I used my first bought used Four Winds for sporting events. Extreme high mileage usage and rode hard and put away wet EVERY single weekend for years on end!. And gave me repair free RV'ing.

I originally choose the Four Winds because when at the shows looking down the aisles of RV's in the parking lot.....over 90% were Four Winds Class C's!!

That sure said something to me which RV brand they preferred. Four Winds with 100,000 plus miles are very often sold to a fellow friend just entering the show circuit. And I saw them every weekend with their new to them RV.

"I" like the Four Winds so much I bought another one when I hit the road full-time.

BTW OP..................Four Winds is a

Thor

product.! :B

Soooo asking what RV brand is best is really an answer that can not be definitively answered.

j-d wrote:
The Sunseeker in the ad has more features than the 28A's on the CruiseAmerica site. Also about $20,000 more than the same year 28A's
The issue reminds me of the scene from Smokey and the Bandit where Big Enos is peeling cash off his bankroll so Bandit can buy a fast car. Bandit looks a the money he's got so far and says "Faster." Big Enos hands over more cash. "Faster than that" and more cash. Not only is this Sunseeker much larger than the last one you mentioned, the price is higher. Floor plan looks like you can function fairly well with the slides IN. So, How Fast do you want to go?

Yes, the Sunseeker is not what we originally were thinking. Just looking since my head is spinning with all the info ;)

That 3170DS is a Bunkhouse model. Helpful with kids, maybe not so much once they move out or want to go on vacation with somebody other than the parents. My guess is that the overall expansion of RVing as a pastime will allow resale of bunkhouses without a price penalty for that feature. But that's just me.
The Sunseeker in the ad has more features than the 28A's on the CruiseAmerica site. Also about $20,000 more than the same year 28A's with twice the miles.
It's probably true that the Thor Four Winds that go to Cruise America are spec'd to reduce problems. Commonly, rentals don't have Carpet, or Ladders, or Awnings. I don't know if the actual construction is beefed up also, or not. I can say, I don't hear many complaints about the "Majestic" brand, which are retired Four Winds from CA's fleet. There's a rental outfit in Anchorage that claims to be top line ultra premium. They used to rent only Winnebago coaches in a rental line called "Chalet" which they ordered to their specs. Now they also rent Thor coaches. I like to think Great Alaskan Holidays picks their fleet carefully, so I take it as an endorsement of at least part of the Thor line. Great Alaskan sells their fleet off much "younger" than many other rental outfits, and the units look like new.
But I digress.
The issue reminds me of the scene from Smokey and the Bandit where Big Enos is peeling cash off his bankroll so Bandit can buy a fast car. Bandit looks a the money he's got so far and says "Faster." Big Enos hands over more cash. "Faster than that" and more cash. Not only is this Sunseeker much larger than the last one you mentioned, the price is higher. Floor plan looks like you can function fairly well with the slides IN. So, How Fast do you want to go?

Thor Industries is the largest maker of RVs in the world, and they own several brands besides Thor itself that they've acquired over the years. Some of their model lines are definitely low-end and not of the best quality, but they also make some that are towards the upper end such as Airstream trailers. One reason you hear more stories about problematic Thor's than (for instance) problematic Winnebagos is that there are many times more Thors, both good and bad.

Thor Industries has about half the RV market. Forest River has about a third. Everyone else has a piece of the remaining 15 or so percent of the market. (That's including together all RVs, trailers and motorhomes).

In terms of rentals, at least Cruise America and I suspect some of the other larger rental companies contracts to have the units built to their own specification. They maintain them pretty well, and do a pretty thorough job of refurbishment before selling them. For what it's worth, when buying a used RV, I would much rather buy a lower-tier brand unit that has been well maintained and is in good condition than a higher end brand that has been neglected. Condition trumps brand pretty much every time for me. The only possible exception might be if I was specifically buying a project to restore, maybe a dilapidated GMC motorhome.

jimx200 wrote:
Wow, you last two posters nailed some very important points about size and slide outs.

Yes they did!!! Looking at the floorplan now, I can see how everything would be blocked. That was a really good point. It really wouldn't be fun driving with the kids complaining or worse yet, having no room for them!! But on the other hand as Rick Jay pointed out, we could use one slide.

I do have more reasearch to do and will look into everyone's suggestions...there are so many good ones.

Now I know I'm going to open a can of worms here.....I did look at j-d's post regarding the rental units. A lot of them are Thor and I was trying to stay away from Thor because of all the complaints I was reading. :? Is my thinking wrong?


For the heck of it, my husband showed me this unit last night, mainly because it had a lot of seatbelts and he liked the floorplan too but we have not done any research on it yet. We still have a lot of learning to do. We were just looking for the heck of it but I am guessing we will be looking at something a little bigger than what we had originally thought.

Thanks everyone and Happy 4th!

Just be aware that 'many' CG's will NOT allow you to put a tent up on the same site your MH is on.

My best advice if you want to stay small is to buy a tent for some or all of the kids to sleep in. As mentioned a rainy day with everyone in the motorhome will not be pleasant. Kids will enjoy having a place of their own.

Saw a new 28A probably a dozen years or more ago, and it was on a Chevy. No doubt a 35 series, but I don't know if it was one beefed up by Workhorse to compete with the higher GVWR of the Fords.

j-d wrote:

AJR wrote:
...A 2011 Four winds Chateau 28A with no slides could do six no problem with no slides. No slides are cheaper to buy...

Another vote suggesting you look at the 28A. Design has been around for years and it works. Coach is actually about 30-feet. They're popular in rental fleets, so that opens a lower priced opportunity to own one.

j-d does bring up a very good point,the Rental Market does open up another market to explore.

The 28A will sleep 6, the one from Cruise America is an example.

If looking for a RV on a RV on a Chevy Chassis they are out there,older models of These may be what you are looking for.

I can echo the recommendations for a non-slide 28A. It's a good travelling unit, but without slides, I would'nt want to camp for too long in it with 4 kids.

But if you're searching for such a rig, you might see if a 28D is also available. I'm not sure what year they stopped making them, though, so it probably would be an older model. And they weren't as popular as the 28A's. The difference is that in the back, instead of a queen bed, there is a second dinette on one side and bunks on the other. We almost bought one, but for us, there just wasn't sufficient storage space for the "baby support" items we needed back in 2004. :)

Good Luck in your search,

~Rick