looking to buy entry level Motorhome

I've heard very few complaints about Winnebago. Were I looking for an entry level "A", first I'd want to know how much space I'd be needing. A small "A", it is hard to beat the Winnebago Via (it is a diesel, although not a diesel pusher, on the Sprinter chassis.) However, if I wanted more space, the Vista is a decent gasser and hard to beat for price/quality.

I don't know about the Storm but I did own a new 2013 Thor ACE 27.1 for 3 months. Took a loss and traded it in on a new 2013 Winnebago Vista 27N. Not happy about loosing the money but very glad to be rid of the ACE. The ACE had very poor handling, wandered all over the road even after an alignment and “cheap handling fix.” The fit and finish was poor, lots of rattles and bangs. Here’s a partial list of the problems I found after driving a few hundred miles. Exterior: Upper clearance lights full of water. Molding pulled away by driver’s mirror, entry door, and wheel openings. Decals bubbled and pulled away along belt molding on both sides of coach. Rrear license plate light didn’t work and was loose. Mechanical: House battery cut out frequently, would not take full charge & drained fast. Interior: Water leaked into left front on driver’s side wall when driving during and after rain, water dripped in from curtain rail, water came in around screws in lower part of fixed part of driver’s and passenger’s side windows. One of the pocket doors came off track and jammed blocking entry into bedroom, the rollers had ripped out of the door. Upper wall trim between pocket doors and hall came off. Shower wall was loose and where it met the pan had gaps in the caulking. Toilet was loose and rocked. There was a cut in vinyl flooring between entry door and kitchen. The bungee & net in compartment above passenger seat pulled out.

You have to choose what is right for you. What’s your price range? First things first, pick a floor plan. Pick one you like, that works for you and what you plan on doing. Then figure out how you will use it. Weekends, weeks at a time, etc. You say “travel” but that’s pretty vague. How long and how far? If you plan on going on trips longer than a week, then I would agree with some here that a 28’ coach will get too small fast. If you are doing weekends then it may work. If you are travelling far, you may want to consider something bigger and heavier for a better ride. Small, entry level coaches (Storm, ACE, 26HE, Vegas etc) are really geared toward the weekend warrior market. They don’t ride nearly as comfortable for long days in the saddle and have little in the way of long term living space and tank capacities. So, you need to figure out what you plan on using for and trim your search to a coach that fits your needs, not pick a coach and wonder if it will work. There are TONS of coaches, new and used, that will fit what you want in a floor plan , ride, size etc. We love our ACE, it suits our needs. But the longest trips we take are a week at a time and we typically don’t travel too far except maybe one trip South per year. I can tell you, if we were able to take more trips further away and longer than a week at a time, a small DP would be at the top of the list.

tropical36 wrote:

Z Yah wrote:
The Thor ACE or Fleetwood Storm,both are 28 foot in size and seem very nice.
We want something short to travel in ,and prefer a class A.
Hoping for some help and useful information .
We have always camped in Fifth Wheel Trailers .

If you're talking new, why not drop back a couple of years and get a top of the line product. Not only will you not be value underwater from day one, but you will not have to make so many trips to the dealer for getting the bugs out.

This really is the best advice. If you really want a brand new unit however, look at the Winnebago Vista line. They were the Nicest of the "Entry Level" coaches I saw at the RV show.

The worst I saw (In my opinion and based on my metrics) was the Thor entry level Line.

Our first MH was a Storm. Couldn't sell it fast enough. We owned it a year and it spent most of that time at the dealer. That being said, go for a higher end used unit. You will save yourself time and money. Also, IMHO if you buy a 28 ft. unit you will be looking to trade sooner than later. Even with only two people you will get more livability with a unit in the mid 30 ft. range.

I've owned 3 MH. First one used, 2nd new, 3rd used. Had better luck with used and more bang for the buck. A rig a couple of years old with 8 or 12 thousand miles could be a great deal. To answer your question between the two I'm partial to Fleetwood.

Seattlepirate wrote:
What ever you buy make sure its cheap because you will be buying another, sooner than you know.

Good advice.

Another reason for buying used, since you'll loose less when you decide to move into something else.

What ever you buy make sure its cheap because you will be buying another, sooner than you know.

You aren't looking close----see if the bottom of the drawers are wood or fiber board for instance.

I'm curious what an entry level class A is?

I've only seen pretty good class A's.

There are generally nice ones, then more luxurious from what I've seen. Everything has its own issues and bonuses.