After 30 years of going to RV shows and owning RV's there is one thing I have learned. Motorhomes are a box on wheels with stuff in it. They are all basically the same with different stuff in them. What makes them unique it that it is yours. I was considering trading my 40 ft. quad slide for a 43 ft. quad slide when a little voice said what are doing. The cabinets were a little nicer, counters a little nicer, same size bed, still had wheels. I guess it is human nature to always want the latest greatest but I think the key is to just have fun. I decided 3 more feet was not going to increase my happiness level. Have Fun!!!

boaters have a saying....3-foot itis (EYE-tiss). :)I agree with your basic premise but we have been looking to replace our 2000 model Itasca Suncruiser for a few years now. we just can't find a floor plan that we like or even makes sense for the way we like to live and travel.

mrubaum@aol.com wrote:After 30 years of going to RV shows and owning RV's there is one thing I have learned. Motorhomes are a box on wheels with stuff in it. They are all basically the same with different stuff in them. What makes them unique it that it is yours. I was considering trading my 40 ft. quad slide for a 43 ft. quad slide when a little voice said what are doing. The cabinets were a little nicer, counters a little nicer, same size bed, still had wheels. I guess it is human nature to always want the latest greatest but I think the key is to just have fun. I decided 3 more feet was not going to increase my happiness level. Have Fun!!!Congratulations for curing your FOOTITIS. Apparently you did not have a bad case.

mrubaum@aol.com wrote:After 30 years of going to RV shows and owning RV's there is one thing I have learned. Motorhomes are a box on wheels with stuff in it. They are all basically the same with different stuff in them. What makes them unique it that it is yours. I was considering trading my 40 ft. quad slide for a 43 ft. quad slide when a little voice said what are doing. The cabinets were a little nicer, counters a little nicer, same size bed, still had wheels. I guess it is human nature to always want the latest greatest but I think the key is to just have fun. I decided 3 more feet was not going to increase my happiness level. Have Fun!!!Can always add more bells and whistles for less money than buying an additiona/new to you. Even change out cabinets or add tile or new TV or new plumbing fixtures or have someone detail the interior/exterior.Happy trails!!:W

While that may be true with the category you are buying in, stating that all motorhomes are basically the same, means you are not looking very deep. If you look at the construction of a low end Fleetwood product, and compare the construction of a Foretravel, you would very quickly discover huge differences int he way they are built, and the way they drive. You will also find there are manufacturers that claim you need to do yearly roof maintinance, and if you develop a leak, they will blame it on the end user. A higher end coach will not have those issues. (For instance, in 30 years, my coach has only had the bathroom vent re-sealed)

Yep, Daveinet said, "huge differences in the way they are built, and the way they drive." Also in the way they handle. I love to go to a RV show and compare the fit and finish of my '94 Foretravel to the the new coaches at the show. And its road behavior is so much better than any gas motorhome, new or old, out there. And that is without air bags! Motorhome magazine said of it when it was introduced in 1990 that "During our exclusive preview and test-drive of the coach, we noticed that the effect of passing 18-wheelers was hardly noticeable, and body roll was tightly controlled even on winding roads. The motorhome stayed steady while deliberately wandering off the pavement onto deeply rutted dirt shoulders." It still handles that way today, at 19 years old. And this is a 36 foot coach!!! No, they are not all the same!

There all the same! | Good Sam Community

AllegroD
Nomad
Oct 13, 2013
DanTheRVMan wrote:
WOW

Both points of view are correct

New or better made coaches are nicer. I plan to upgrade - eventually

But a nicer MH does not make the hike at logans pass more fun. It does not make the grand canyon more majestic. It does not make enjoying life on the road better.

but it does make the ride better. It does make coming back to the camp site, after the long hike, much better. We are, by far, not rich. We do not throw our money away. That is why we opted not to go diesel, as we believed the best bang for the buck, in what we wanted and could afford was in the Tiffin Allegro 36LA. We there fore look hard and long for the BEST rig we can afford, with the amenities we want. You have to pay for it.

The wood in the cabinets, the sound system, they undercarraige, and so on, are different among many different coaches and levels of coaches. Each piece has an impact on the entire feel and pleasure of the rig.
wny_pat1
Explorer
Oct 13, 2013
Horsedoc wrote:
Sure they both have wheels and a box on a chassis. BUT, when I leave the east coast for Tucson this winter, I will be, on arrival, in better shape, less exhausted, and less sore driving the DP than driving my BIL's 30 ft Thor Hurricane gasser. Nothing to do with anything except ride and comfort. We camped together for years and I guarantee he had as much fun as we did.
Expecially true of the winter storm I ran through in Ohio, Kentucky, and Tennessee several years back. I cut teeth driving on snow and ice, but that trip with a 28' Allegro P32 chassis under me, was excessively exhausting!!! That was the year I decided to buy a DP, in particular, a older Foretravel! Now I am glad I experienced that trip and ended up listening to some very knowledgable people around here.
DanTheRVMan
Explorer
Oct 13, 2013
WOW

Both points of view are correct

New or better made coaches are nicer. I plan to upgrade - eventually

But a nicer MH does not make the hike at logans pass more fun. It does not make the grand canyon more majestic. It does not make enjoying life on the road better.
Lantley
Nomad
Oct 13, 2013
chili's trip wrote:
Sdlineman wrote:
AprilWhine wrote:

they are both used for RVing and going down the road. The sights we see from the Winnebago View are just as nice as the views from the Prevost. :B

It appears there are a lot of people here that are completely convinced otherwise. That the RV experience is much better if you can come on the message board and rub the "lower class" people's nose in the fact that their RV is better, and therefore they are having a better time and/ or just better people than the common folk that would dare be seen in a lesser model.

I won't necessarily agree with the above but cost seems to be ignored as consideration in many of these discussion! Thanks.
Jack H

Does cost matter? Fun and enjoyment are the great equalizers.
Do you have more enjoyment because you spent more? Do you have less fun because you spent less?
Do you still make it to your destination and enjoy the RV experience?

In many ways RV's are all the same.
Maybe the bigger question is the objective or point for having our RV's? I imagine our objectives are more alike than our RV's
Horsedoc
Explorer II
Oct 13, 2013
Sure they both have wheels and a box on a chassis. BUT, when I leave the east coast for Tucson this winter, I will be, on arrival, in better shape, less exhausted, and less sore driving the DP than driving my BIL's 30 ft Thor Hurricane gasser. Nothing to do with anything except ride and comfort. We camped together for years and I guarantee he had as much fun as we did.
Sully2
Explorer
Oct 13, 2013
deacon123 wrote:
After reading some of these entries, I realized why I will never join
FMCA. We owned a 1986 Mallard 31' gas. Nothing fancy, but we had a heck of a time camping. Now we're looking into an 08 Hurricane, which needs a couple of upgrades to meet our needs, but, will be sweet.

deacon123

Whats one got to do with joining FMCA??
ferndaleflyer
Explorer III
Oct 13, 2013
I happen to own what was a high end DP---when it was new!!!!! Its 15 years old now and looks pretty mundane even when parked next to, what some call, a entry level unit......I sure wish I got the fuel mileage those folks get with the newer technology units......But we are all just rolling down the highway enjoying life, till the ice maker floods the freezer--LOL.
rgatijnet1
Explorer III
Oct 13, 2013
For the DW and I, the travel experience is the SAME for us. We recently celebrated our 50th and we were just as happy, shortly after we were married, when we traveled and slept in a tent, in a pick-up topper, or converted step van, as we are now, in our fully equipped Class A. What remains the SAME is the enjoyment we have from traveling and experiencing the many wonderful sights in this world TOGETHER. What/where we sleep, or travel in, is way down on our priority list.
BillMFl
Explorer
Oct 13, 2013
Sdlineman wrote:
AprilWhine wrote:

they are both used for RVing and going down the road. The sights we see from the Winnebago View are just as nice as the views from the Prevost. :B

It appears there are a lot of people here that are completely convinced otherwise. That the RV experience is much better if you can come on the message board and rub the "lower class" people's nose in the fact that their RV is better, and therefore they are having a better time and/ or just better people than the common folk that would dare be seen in a lesser model.

Hope your nose feels better after venting. Variety is a good thing and this board has lots of it. Probably more posts from people with older units than newer or high end. I don't waste time worrying about what others have or don't have. And a brand new unit becomes last years model really fast!
chili_s_trip
Explorer II
Oct 13, 2013
Sdlineman wrote:
AprilWhine wrote:

they are both used for RVing and going down the road. The sights we see from the Winnebago View are just as nice as the views from the Prevost. :B

It appears there are a lot of people here that are completely convinced otherwise. That the RV experience is much better if you can come on the message board and rub the "lower class" people's nose in the fact that their RV is better, and therefore they are having a better time and/ or just better people than the common folk that would dare be seen in a lesser model.

I won't necessarily agree with the above but cost seems to be ignored as consideration in many of these discussion! Thanks.
Jack H