Forum Discussion

mjaye655's avatar
mjaye655
Explorer
Apr 06, 2022

New to Class A - Would it be Fleetwood or Winnie or Tiffin

Good day one and all. We are looking for a 2002-2008 CLass A that we will be in full time for a year. I have looked at Winne 39W, but see several other models. I have been told by one that Fleetwood has a few bad models. I know I want Cat 6 Engine Allison Transmission. I am not familiar with Cummins. I would like to have best leveling possible as the wife would be using it besides me. 36-40 foot. I am Leary of the low mileage but seem ok with 40K-80K. I did see one at 151K that seemed like it might be an issue but appeared clean. How do I schedule to have somewhere else check it out as I expect the selling dealer to say OK no matter what.
I know nothing about Tiffins but I see them. Should they be considered and where to they rate with Fleetwood and Winnie
any advice or models recommended.

Have a safe day and thanks for the assistance.
Class A

8 Replies

  • n0arp's avatar
    n0arp
    Explorer
    Apr 07, 2022
    BurbMan wrote:
    Commercial vehicles go 100's of 1000's of miles with these same diesel/Allison drivetrains, so I wouldn't be too concerned about mileage if maintenance is documented. Tires on one of these rigs can be a $3k bill, so keep that in mind to check DOT date codes on the tires, replace if there are visible cracks or older than 8 years.


    $3K? I wish, hahaha.

    OP, I would expand what you're looking at. I posted this in the "Tiers of Motorhomes" thread that was posted here a few days ago.

    n0arp wrote:
    I've spent the last two years looking for an early 2000s coach. My top priorities were build quality and condition, without much regard to price (though all of these end up being far, far less than a newer coach, one of the reasons we decided on this era). Gas coaches were never in consideration. We looked at and turned down a lot of coaches. My short list near the end was (roughly in order of preference):

    1) Foretravel U320 and U295
    2) Country Coach Affinity and Magna (and to a lesser extent, Allure and Intrigue)
    3) Beaver Marquis (and to a lesser extent, Patriot)
    4) Monaco Signature, Executive, and Dynasty (or Holiday Rambler Navigator)
    5) American Eagle, American Dream, and American Tradition (Fleetwood's top coaches)
    6) Prevost, Wanderlodge, Newell, Alpine, and a couple others depending on the specific coach

    Individual lines above, are sorted by tier (or at least, I'm relatively sure they are - if memory serves correct).

    I ended up with a 2000 Country Coach Magna and have no regrets.
  • BurbMan's avatar
    BurbMan
    Explorer II
    Apr 07, 2022
    Commercial vehicles go 100's of 1000's of miles with these same diesel/Allison drivetrains, so I wouldn't be too concerned about mileage if maintenance is documented. Tires on one of these rigs can be a $3k bill, so keep that in mind to check DOT date codes on the tires, replace if there are visible cracks or older than 8 years.
  • phillyg's avatar
    phillyg
    Explorer II
    Apr 07, 2022
    Haven't looked at Class A for years now, but when I did, Tiffin was considered one of the best, and Fleetwood much less.
  • way2roll's avatar
    way2roll
    Trailblazer
    Apr 07, 2022
    You are talking about RV's that are 15-20 years old. Condition is more important than brand. If buying at a dealer I am not sure how easy it is to get an independent inspector to go through it. Privately there are professional RV inspectors. It may help to take someone along who knows RV's. RV's that old would need a thorough inspection. From roof to tires.
  • RetiredRealtorR's avatar
    RetiredRealtorR
    Explorer
    Apr 07, 2022
    Ranger Smith wrote:
    Tiffin, Newmar, Winnebago are top notch. Fleetwood is one step down. Just my opinion


    I agree. I might put Newmar first, Tiffin second, and Winnebago third, but again, just my personal opinion.
  • mjaye655's avatar
    mjaye655
    Explorer
    Apr 06, 2022
    thanks for the response. with the age I am looking at what would be the max mileage to worry about. What ever I buy I hope to have previous maintenance records like I have on all that I own.
  • Ranger_Smith's avatar
    Ranger_Smith
    Explorer
    Apr 06, 2022
    Tiffin, Newmar, Winnebago are top notch. Fleetwood is one step down. Just my opinion
  • Lwiddis's avatar
    Lwiddis
    Explorer II
    Apr 06, 2022
    If you aren’t experienced RVers I’d suggest renting a Class A for a month to tryout the lifestyle before I committed to a huge change. This would also help you decide on acceptable floor plans.

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