Forum Discussion

Dougjpr's avatar
Dougjpr
Explorer
Aug 02, 2015

Brand rankings

With so many manufacturers and models of each manufacturer (some now out of business). is there anywhere to find a ranking of which manufacturers are better than others (I know this can be very subjective so perhaps it's not possible)

Perhaps a good, better, best rating

From what I've read manufacturers like Newmar and Tiffin seem to be on the higher end, but where do the Damon, Monaco, Fleetwood, Winnebago etc fit in

Any opinions are appreciated.

Thanks

Doug

9 Replies

  • rgatijnet1 wrote:
    Best is easy. Any coach built on a Prevost chassis.


    Well sure but a Prevost is a bus conversion not a class A.
  • I've been RVing since 1976 and can't answer your question! All major brands build lemons at one time or another. And RV's are not ranked like a Car and Driver magazine.
  • They all make good ones and bad ones. A critical eyebal on the one you want is your best indicator of how the one you are looking at will be and even that doesn't tell you about the parts you can't see.
  • Gjac's avatar
    Gjac
    Explorer III
    The way I look at it they all buy a chassis from Ford ,Chevy, Freightliner etc, put the same appliances in Norcld/Domectic refers Attwood WHs etc. So to me the main discriminator is the house section,and systems integration. It is very difficult to find what MFG processes that the various brands use that would make one better than another. For example what adhesives does Winnebago use to bond their side walls vs Fleetwood? Are the sidewalls cured in an autoclave vs vacuum bonded? Would this process be better against water intrusion and delamination? You can go to their web sites and see marketing terms rather than eng specs and processes. We can all read on here about problems with Norcolds or Domectics and other systems. I think it will come down to reputation over time rather that eng hard facts. There are a lot more Fleetwoods, Winabagos, and Thors than there are CC and Newell's so statistically there would be more problems. frm what I read on here is that Tiffin stands behind their product better than others but the problems seem to be the same.
  • Asking a question like this on this forum will yield answers based on what people own and that will be a bit skewed. In my 20 years of owning RV's (all DP's) I will share my opinion. Foretravel & Newell sit squarely at the top for building the highest quality coach money can buy. After that they ALL build to a price point.
  • I did own 9 RV in my life and I don't feel qualified to answer that question.
    You might find that Country Coach generally makes better coaches than other manufacturers, but I bet you will find a lemon in their inventory as well.
    So you have to compare each model separately and never save money on good PPI
  • There are several members who may be able to give you a good set of opinions if you can specify gas or diesel, a range of two or three years and a general price range. For example, what are the better diesel coaches for 2006 to 2008 with cost of $150,000 to $200,000?
  • It's hard to rank them. It's like rating cars and tennis shoes. Every mfg makes cheap ones, better ones, and a good quality model. Just because you buy a Nike or New Balance shoe doesn't mean you're getting a good shoe since they make models from $40 to $200, maybe more.

    Generally I dislike the statement that the more you pay, the more you get because some businesses just plain over charge. But in a MH, if you pay at the low end, you're generally going to get a lesser product - but I'm not saying you have to go buy on the high end either.

    Most build both gasser and diesel models - what do you want. You're going to pay more for the DP, but in general, you're going to get a better, more solid built unit.

    Decide on a gas or diesel, length, number of slides and find a general floor plan, then you can start looking at brands without getting too side tracked. Don't forget to figure out what you want to spend before you too carried away looking.

    We bought a 2005 Fleetwood Excursion 39S three years ago and are very happy with it. The Excursion is just an upgraded version of the Discovery in those years.

    Bill