I am looking at two seemingly equivalent Class C motorhomes and would like to buy one. I want to know what quality level each is. I don't want to be comparing two different quality levels like comparing a Camry to a Corolla.2014 Thor Chateau 31L2014 Itasca Spirit 31KThanks

Donny,This may be the best quality build:http://www.lazydaze.com/

thor vs winnie, no doubt winnie. but unlike the pictured one, prone to eventual leakage, etc.bumpy

Off the cuff, we always say choose the one with the floor plan you like best, and also choose the one you are sure has no roof leaks. If one has been under covered storage that would be a big plus. Itasca is made by Winnebago which is generally well respected. Oh, one other REAL important thing. If one has two AC units buy that one all things being equal. If both have only one AC don't buy either of them. It's really important in a 31 foot rig. Especially you living in Florida.

I wouldn't say that only having one AC is a deal stopper IF IT IS POSSIBLE TO ADD A SECOND AC. my 32 ft bounder came with one AC. I added a second smaller one in the bed room vent, since it was cheaper and an expendable unit, I ran that if there was poor electrical service, etc. the main advantage (other than capacity) in having two units was being able to once cool, to alternate the one that was on based on where you were in the RV. just be sure to take the $$$ into account.bumpy

Quality of Class C | Good Sam Community

ron_dittmer
Explorer II
Aug 05, 2019
Our current rig bought in 2007 has a very thin glossy-textured single sheet of fiberglass with seams to the front cap, rear wall panel, and rolled-over seamed to the sides. It has held up well, but as you can see, we store our rig indoors, so anything would hold up well for us.

We owned this true seamless fiberglass rig from 1983 to 2007, made similar to a Coach House. The only issues with the material were cosmetic. It got chalky with age and impossible to keep it looking nice, hence our new rig has the full body paint job for ease of appearance maintenance. It also developed superficial cosmetic stress cracks here and there which were of no concern. We replaced it with our Phoenix Cruiser 2350 because in our later years, we needed a lot more creature comforts than our little Mirage provided.

We would have gotten a Coach House back in 2007 but the following reasons dictated otherwise.
1) The Coach House was too tall for our garage
2) back in 2007, it was double the price of our Phoenix Cruiser

For us in our situation with indoor heated storage and our financial limitations, we made a good compromise. Our PC works exceptionally well for us. Like pnichols and others have mentioned, some features are great in one way, but restricting or problematic in another. It's all about trade-offs.
way2roll
Navigator II
Aug 05, 2019
pnichols wrote:
mike brez wrote:
pnichols wrote:
way2roll wrote:
When looking at used mh's quality at the build is a moot point. You want proof of how they were maintained. A lesser quality mh that was well maintained is far better than the best quality that wasn't.

As far as roof material - Bumpy has this thing that it has to be fiberglass - that's his criteria, it doesn't need to be yours. Plenty of TPO roofs out there for decades without issues. Nevermind the winnie fiberglass roofs have been known to peel back going down the road.

How can my (Winnebago) Itasca's Class C one piece fiberglass roof peel off when the vents, air conditioner, and TV antenna are mounted on the roof using bolts/screws that go all the way through to the coach ceiling and/or the aluminum framing inside the coach ceiling ... plus having roof caps on the front and rear of the one piece roof that are attached to the coach's vertical sidewalls?

IMHO, any RV roof construction method that does not consist of a single piece of fiberglass or consist of aircraft riveted aluminum panels - is used because it's cheaper for the RV builder.

One piece fiberglass roof edges lifting up is not exactly "the roof peeling off".

I suspect that plenty of photos could be found of TPO and/or rubber RV roofs ripping loose, having tear separations, peeling here and there, etc.. FWIW, I'll bet that it is just plain cheaper for an RV manufacturer to use TPO or rubber to cover the roof instead of using a large, mold-shaped, single piece of fiberglass instead.

For years boats have been made from molded fiberglass - not the same as Winnebago fiberglass roofs - but similar ... and as far as I know the boats have been getting by just fine. They have to remain leak-free, too.

The point is; all roof types have their advantages and pitfalls. They all require maintenance. Fiberglass roofs are likely more resistant to a puncture type issue but are far more costly to repair when they do and they are not immune to issues. No matter what type of roof you have they still drill the same number of holes in them to mount everything up there. But based on the personal experience (I've had fiberglass and TPO) - I couldn't tell a difference in performance. There are a LOT of MH's out there without fiberglass roofs doing just fine for decades. In short, it would not be a deal breaker. To each his own. Some folks get on here and make claims that it has to be this or that, it doesn't. Whatever your roof type, if you take care of it, it will last.
pnichols
Explorer II
Aug 05, 2019
mike brez wrote:
pnichols wrote:
way2roll wrote:
When looking at used mh's quality at the build is a moot point. You want proof of how they were maintained. A lesser quality mh that was well maintained is far better than the best quality that wasn't.

As far as roof material - Bumpy has this thing that it has to be fiberglass - that's his criteria, it doesn't need to be yours. Plenty of TPO roofs out there for decades without issues. Nevermind the winnie fiberglass roofs have been known to peel back going down the road.

How can my (Winnebago) Itasca's Class C one piece fiberglass roof peel off when the vents, air conditioner, and TV antenna are mounted on the roof using bolts/screws that go all the way through to the coach ceiling and/or the aluminum framing inside the coach ceiling ... plus having roof caps on the front and rear of the one piece roof that are attached to the coach's vertical sidewalls?

IMHO, any RV roof construction method that does not consist of a single piece of fiberglass or consist of aircraft riveted aluminum panels - is used because it's cheaper for the RV builder.

One piece fiberglass roof edges lifting up is not exactly "the roof peeling off".

I suspect that plenty of photos could be found of TPO and/or rubber RV roofs ripping loose, having tear separations, peeling here and there, etc.. FWIW, I'll bet that it is just plain cheaper for an RV manufacturer to use TPO or rubber to cover the roof instead of using a large, mold-shaped, single piece of fiberglass instead.

For years boats have been made from molded fiberglass - not the same as Winnebago fiberglass roofs - but similar ... and as far as I know the boats have been getting by just fine. They have to remain leak-free, too.
mike_brez
Explorer
Aug 05, 2019
pnichols wrote:
way2roll wrote:
When looking at used mh's quality at the build is a moot point. You want proof of how they were maintained. A lesser quality mh that was well maintained is far better than the best quality that wasn't.

As far as roof material - Bumpy has this thing that it has to be fiberglass - that's his criteria, it doesn't need to be yours. Plenty of TPO roofs out there for decades without issues. Nevermind the winnie fiberglass roofs have been known to peel back going down the road.

How can my (Winnebago) Itasca's Class C one piece fiberglass roof peel off when the vents, air conditioner, and TV antenna are mounted on the roof using bolts/screws that go all the way through to the coach ceiling and/or the aluminum framing inside the coach ceiling ... plus having roof caps on the front and rear of the one piece roof that are attached to the coach's vertical sidewalls?

IMHO, any RV roof construction method that does not consist of a single piece of fiberglass or consist of aircraft riveted aluminum panels - is used because it's cheaper for the RV builder.
pnichols
Explorer II
Aug 04, 2019
pianotuna wrote:
Well I think the Laze Daze may put the Winnie to shame--so the OP should at least look.

Well ... maybe not necessarily do the Ford chassis Lazy Daze models put certain Winnebago Ford chassis models to shame:

1. The Laze Daze is low-profile (not very tall) Class C because it is not a basement-design Class C - which means it's cab floor is about the same height as the coach floor. This means it's outside storage cabinets are not very tall and hence can't carry as much stuff as a basement-design Class C can. However this also means that in a non-basement-design Class C it's easy to have a passenger seat that swivels to face the coach area without having one's legs sticking out straight in front of them, plus have a swiveled seat that's difficult to get up out of when facing back towards the coach.

2. A low-profile Class C also will have a cabover bed area with less vertical headroom - meaning one can't get upright enough in the cabover bed to exit it as conveniently, and will have to bend down a lot to get into it ... if they want to use it for serious sleeping night after night.

3. A low-profile Class C (hence having matching coach/cab floor heights) will also have a cabover bed requiring about one more step on it's ladder to get up into it and down out of it.

4. If the Lazy Daze is still using wood wall framing (as they used to) ... then that is not the strongest construction technique. Aluminum or steel framing is of course more preferred.

5. The Lazy Daze aluminum roof has one disadvantage. One best not get caught in a nasty hail storm in a Lazy Daze ... aluminum roofs can be dented by hail.

Our Itasca (Winnebago) Class C is a basement design with 6 generous outside storage cabinets. Due to their additional height, two of them even have sections that go all the way laterally across the chassis (under the coach floor) for storage of long items. I'm 6'2" and can comfortably get into, get out of, and sleep in, the cabover bed without any feeling of claustrophobia - using just 2-3 steps up/down the ladder on it's comfortable flat rungs. Our interior wall framing is all aluminum for lightness and strength ... and the one-piece fiberglass roof will not get dented from freak hail stones.

However, we can't retrofit our passenger seat into a swiveling one unless we use about a 4 inch thick cushion on the seat whenever it was to be facing back into the coach area.

So ... as many in these forums have stated so many times ... choosing an RV is all about trade-offs and compromises! What can you live with, and what can you live without?
Bumpyroad
Explorer
Aug 04, 2019
pianotuna wrote:
Well I think the Laze Daze may put the Winnie to shame--so the OP should at least look.

agreed, but the original choice did not include LD.
bumpy
pianotuna
Nomad III
Aug 03, 2019
Well I think the Laze Daze may put the Winnie to shame--so the OP should at least look.
Bumpyroad
Explorer
Aug 03, 2019
lets get real here folks. the OP was talking Thor vs. Winnie. a no brainer.
bumpy
pnichols
Explorer II
Aug 03, 2019
way2roll wrote:
When looking at used mh's quality at the build is a moot point. You want proof of how they were maintained. A lesser quality mh that was well maintained is far better than the best quality that wasn't.

As far as roof material - Bumpy has this thing that it has to be fiberglass - that's his criteria, it doesn't need to be yours. Plenty of TPO roofs out there for decades without issues. Nevermind the winnie fiberglass roofs have been known to peel back going down the road.

How can my (Winnebago) Itasca's Class C one piece fiberglass roof peel off when the vents, air conditioner, and TV antenna are mounted on the roof using bolts/screws that go all the way through to the coach ceiling and/or the aluminum framing inside the coach ceiling ... plus having roof caps on the front and rear of the one piece roof that are attached to the coach's vertical sidewalls?

IMHO, any RV roof construction method that does not consist of a single piece of fiberglass or consist of aircraft riveted aluminum panels - is used because it's cheaper for the RV builder.
Community Alumni
Aug 03, 2019
I'm on my third Winnebago and never had the roof leak, let alone blow off.