The "Ultimate" 40'+ DP Motorhome Reviews!
Hidy-Ho Good Neighbor,
“Ultimate” may be pushing things a little but we’re talking Pushers here right!
I’ve been assembling information on DP’s that fit my interest from all the major DP manufacturers with an MSRP of under $400,000.00
Of major importance to me mechanically are;
• Cummins diesel
• Freightliner chassis
• Tag axle
• 6 Speed Allison Transmission
• Exhaust breaks
• Air bag suspension
Important interior features are;
• Master bath at rear of coach
• Half bath
• Separate washer & dryer
• One piece windshield
• King size bed
I’ve been looking all over the internet for review and rating sights and as you know they are few and far between. I did find one however that I will mention later.
I’ve read many posts regarding “the best motorhome” and of course everyone has they’re likes and dislikes. So I developed the features list above, looked through all the coach brochures and websites and selected the floorplan. I wanted to ask questions based on the specifics of what I want instead of generalities.
After I put it all together I thought there may be others lurking here on the forum who may be interested in similar information and decided to post it here. I find it helpful to see information all in one place and hope its helpful to you.
I’ve included two manufacturers, Holiday Rambler and Monoco that do not fit my criteria but are major brands and thought you’d like them included in my list.
Here’s my data - I hope you find it worthwhile...
2014 Make & Model............ MSRP....... Dealer Pr.. GVWR/GCWR.. Rating.. Reviews
*American 42' G Revolution $369,000 $269,900 44,600/59600 .....65.8 .....10
**Entegra 42' RBQ Aspire $369,600 $254,995 46,600/61,600 ..... None .....0
*Fleetwood 42' M Providence $354,250 $295,253 44,700/59,700 ..... 56.92 .....87
*FR 43’ 430 FK Charleston $360,291 $227,000 44,320/59,320 ..... 52.9 ..... 208
*Itaska 42' QD Ellips $380,085 $290,194 44,600/59,600 ..... 61.2 ..... 124
*Newmar 43-9' 4369 Dutch Star $387,400 $298,436 44,600/54,600 ..... 63.6 ..... 80
*Thor 45' LT Tuscany $373,350 $258,400 44,600/59600 ..... 59.3 ..... 59
*Tiffin 42' LH Pheaton $365,370 $289,998 44,320/54,320 ..... 65.9 ..... 63
*Winnebago 42' QD Tour $382,250 $334,856 44,600/59,600 ..... 60.3 ..... 336
±HR 43’ DFT Endeavor $343,100 $248,721 43,000/53.000 ..... 60.9 .....201
±Monoco 43’ DFT Diplomat $368,440 $269,900 43,000/53,000 ..... 60.8 ..... 99
(sorry all the information is so spread out but I couldn't format it from my word processor to here.)
* 450-HP Cummins ISL Engine • 6 Speed Allison MH-3000 Automatic Transmission • Freightliner Chassis, Tag Axle • Air Brakes w/ABS • Exhaust Brake • 2-Stage Engine Brake • Automatic Leveling Jacks • Air suspension.
** Has Spartan Mountain Master chassis.
± 405 horsepower MaxxForce 10 engine • 6 Speed Allison MH-3000 Automatic Transmission • Roadmaster raised rail chassis. Other items same/similar to above.
Reviews provided from the website below.
http://www.rv-coach.com/rv/manufacturers/survey/rate_your_rv_results.html
So what did I learn from the above information.
• Forest River (FR) has the lowest reputation with a 52.9 customer rating.
• Tiffin and American have the highest reputation at 65.9 & 65.8 respectively.
• All coaches in this category are within $20,000 of each other in MSRP.
• *Dealer prices can have dramatic swings as shown.
I tried to get three different dealer prices for each coach and post an average. Obviously the actual price as you negotiate with the dealer can change dramatically. The most difficult dealer price to find was Newmar and I found only one.
My hope is this information will promote a good discussion on the brands based on the facts at hand. What I would really like to see from your posts are;
• What coach do you have now?
• Would you buy that brand again?
• If “NO” what would you now buy and why?
There are very few things I buy without research. Go to any web sight, Sears, Lowe’s, Walmart, etc and look at any item. You will see ratings for the product based on people who bought and are using the product. It also shows the number of people who have reviewed it. That information factors into 80% of my purchase decision.
A motorhome is different because there are many things that factor into the equation. Like the perfect floorplan and/or the perfect drivers position and that can trump a point system. But you’re doing it with the information at hand and that’s important.
But the “KEY” is, if we generate the kind of information we’re talking about here, we’re going in with knowledge and that means everything. And even though I only have new rigs listed, the information will also pertains to older rigs maybe 4 to 5 years down the line.
Let me thank you all in advance for helping me find the perfect motorhome. I sure look forward to the journey with you…
Harry
“Ultimate” may be pushing things a little but we’re talking Pushers here right!
I’ve been assembling information on DP’s that fit my interest from all the major DP manufacturers with an MSRP of under $400,000.00
Of major importance to me mechanically are;
• Cummins diesel
• Freightliner chassis
• Tag axle
• 6 Speed Allison Transmission
• Exhaust breaks
• Air bag suspension
Important interior features are;
• Master bath at rear of coach
• Half bath
• Separate washer & dryer
• One piece windshield
• King size bed
I’ve been looking all over the internet for review and rating sights and as you know they are few and far between. I did find one however that I will mention later.
I’ve read many posts regarding “the best motorhome” and of course everyone has they’re likes and dislikes. So I developed the features list above, looked through all the coach brochures and websites and selected the floorplan. I wanted to ask questions based on the specifics of what I want instead of generalities.
After I put it all together I thought there may be others lurking here on the forum who may be interested in similar information and decided to post it here. I find it helpful to see information all in one place and hope its helpful to you.
I’ve included two manufacturers, Holiday Rambler and Monoco that do not fit my criteria but are major brands and thought you’d like them included in my list.
Here’s my data - I hope you find it worthwhile...
2014 Make & Model............ MSRP....... Dealer Pr.. GVWR/GCWR.. Rating.. Reviews
*American 42' G Revolution $369,000 $269,900 44,600/59600 .....65.8 .....10
**Entegra 42' RBQ Aspire $369,600 $254,995 46,600/61,600 ..... None .....0
*Fleetwood 42' M Providence $354,250 $295,253 44,700/59,700 ..... 56.92 .....87
*FR 43’ 430 FK Charleston $360,291 $227,000 44,320/59,320 ..... 52.9 ..... 208
*Itaska 42' QD Ellips $380,085 $290,194 44,600/59,600 ..... 61.2 ..... 124
*Newmar 43-9' 4369 Dutch Star $387,400 $298,436 44,600/54,600 ..... 63.6 ..... 80
*Thor 45' LT Tuscany $373,350 $258,400 44,600/59600 ..... 59.3 ..... 59
*Tiffin 42' LH Pheaton $365,370 $289,998 44,320/54,320 ..... 65.9 ..... 63
*Winnebago 42' QD Tour $382,250 $334,856 44,600/59,600 ..... 60.3 ..... 336
±HR 43’ DFT Endeavor $343,100 $248,721 43,000/53.000 ..... 60.9 .....201
±Monoco 43’ DFT Diplomat $368,440 $269,900 43,000/53,000 ..... 60.8 ..... 99
(sorry all the information is so spread out but I couldn't format it from my word processor to here.)
* 450-HP Cummins ISL Engine • 6 Speed Allison MH-3000 Automatic Transmission • Freightliner Chassis, Tag Axle • Air Brakes w/ABS • Exhaust Brake • 2-Stage Engine Brake • Automatic Leveling Jacks • Air suspension.
** Has Spartan Mountain Master chassis.
± 405 horsepower MaxxForce 10 engine • 6 Speed Allison MH-3000 Automatic Transmission • Roadmaster raised rail chassis. Other items same/similar to above.
Reviews provided from the website below.
http://www.rv-coach.com/rv/manufacturers/survey/rate_your_rv_results.html
So what did I learn from the above information.
• Forest River (FR) has the lowest reputation with a 52.9 customer rating.
• Tiffin and American have the highest reputation at 65.9 & 65.8 respectively.
• All coaches in this category are within $20,000 of each other in MSRP.
• *Dealer prices can have dramatic swings as shown.
I tried to get three different dealer prices for each coach and post an average. Obviously the actual price as you negotiate with the dealer can change dramatically. The most difficult dealer price to find was Newmar and I found only one.
My hope is this information will promote a good discussion on the brands based on the facts at hand. What I would really like to see from your posts are;
• What coach do you have now?
• Would you buy that brand again?
• If “NO” what would you now buy and why?
There are very few things I buy without research. Go to any web sight, Sears, Lowe’s, Walmart, etc and look at any item. You will see ratings for the product based on people who bought and are using the product. It also shows the number of people who have reviewed it. That information factors into 80% of my purchase decision.
A motorhome is different because there are many things that factor into the equation. Like the perfect floorplan and/or the perfect drivers position and that can trump a point system. But you’re doing it with the information at hand and that’s important.
But the “KEY” is, if we generate the kind of information we’re talking about here, we’re going in with knowledge and that means everything. And even though I only have new rigs listed, the information will also pertains to older rigs maybe 4 to 5 years down the line.
Let me thank you all in advance for helping me find the perfect motorhome. I sure look forward to the journey with you…
Harry
