Thor quality

There are better and worse manufacturers of everything.

Tiffin has shipped cracked roofs, rotting wetbays and rotting slide floors in many units. Yet they are still top rated. :h

WILL Bob Tiffin's sons get the same vote of confidence for customer support of poorly designed or manufactured product? Bob has helped many owners.

Bob had to come out of retirement last time he turned it over to his sons from what I have read.

But my real point is how much can these anecdotal posts about good and bad really help all of us. :h

I suspect brand quality posts are all very suspect both good and bad.

Last year we bought a barely used (2000 miles) 2010 Four Winds (Thor) Windsport 32V. It is on a 2009 Ford F53 chassis. I'm not sure why the owners (original) only kept the unit for 5 months but - - -. Since it was a used coach the warranty from Thor was gone. The long and short of this is I needed some information on the unit and doing a few repairs myself (which I enjoy doing) so I contacted a representative at Thor. Now, they owed me nothing but a year and a half later when I have a question about the MH, I am able to contact the same individual and he has been super helpful in providing me information, documentation, parts manufacture contact info. etc. When I have needed a part such as a bathroom sink fixture (which I did replace), I have worked with their local dealer near the factory (Total Value RV) to order original parts so the coach has all original equipment etc. I call that service and support beyond the call. Of course I have had to pay for the parts etc., but everything I have done (and I'm kind of a perfectionist) is, if you will, OEM and very reasonably priced. Bottom line - when we upgrade next, I will consider THOR based on the support I have received on our used coach.

Be aware of one thing, in 2012 Thor made some fairly significant changes in how some models were equiped and manufactured so make your comparisons carefully. Your can go on their website and look at archived literature (specs., standard equpment and options) for all models of motorhomes going back many years.

Dance Chick wrote:
It seems to me that I've seen people say "no way", and I've seen just as many say, "no problems". It does seem that when someone asks for a list of the top manufacturers, Thor doesn't seem to make the cut. I'm not sure I've ever seen Thor on anyone's top list.

We have a Thor product that we're happy with. It's not a higher end unit, but we also didn't pay a higher end price for it. We feel like we got some nice features for the money spent.

I think that within any manufacturer's offerings, you're going to have poor quality issues from time to time. No manufacturer will have 100% satisfaction.
I'd find a Thor/Tuscany owners' forum and ask there. They'll be able to give you first-hand answers.

X2

A Thor product was the top of our list when we started looking for a motorhome about three years ago. We have a Thor DP that we are very happy with.

Actually on a poll thread conducted a couple of years ago on this website Thor gas vehicles were 3rd among those that completed the poll. After Thor was the Monaco line, followed by Tiffin and National. Newmar ended up in 8th position.

Good luck in your search.

Third summer ownership of an 06 Hurricane 31D and I am very satisfied with the coach. The chassis is failure free and I have yet to have anything go wrong with the house side that caused anything more than a mental note to look into it next chance I get.

My thoughts are you have to take each owner and their prospective of a particular coach uniquely. I had the step motor fail the first year I owned the coach. Fixed it myself and didn't think much of it. Others may consider it a catastrophic failure and add it to the ever increasing list of problems. Also what I consider acceptable in terms of quality others may down check the entire manufacturing line. I like the light weight cabinets. Keeps the empty weight of the coach down so I can add more of my stuff to it.

Good luck with the upgrade and whichever manufacture you end up going with.

Put me down for being a Thor advocate. We purchased a 2004 Country Coach Inspire new, the lowest end model of a high end maker, not an inexpensive unit just CC's low end, what a mistake!!!! By 2007 we traded it on a new Mandalay, the high end model of Thor. What a difference, we have had nothing but great things to say from the day we owned this unit. The moral for me is buy the high end of a lower maker rather than a low end of a higher maker. Thor takes pride in their higher units, for sure there was no pride in the Inspire we had. Dollar for dollar our Mandalay was the best unit on the market. Very seldom will you find an unhappy Mandalay owner. You can always pay more not sure you always get more. Best of luck as never an easy decision.

Thor seems to have cornered the market on "affordable" motorhomes. Makes sense that they sell a lot of them. Other brands I think are known for better quality but at a price. Some brands are simply overpriced based on the name. Comparably equipped units from different manufacturers Thor almost always seems to win the price war. Granted some of the fit and finish may not be as nice on some coaches. But a reminder that every manufacturer uses the same components (refer, Ac's, WH, pumps, toilets, furnaces etc) as well as the same chassis and drivetrain with very few exceptions. The difference really comes down to the build. Granted my unit is no DP, but I have had no issues with the Thor side with respect to build other than a few things here and there. From what I have read on here that's the same for every brand at every price point so to me Thor is no worse than anyone else. But I will say this, Thor is hands down the best company I have ever had the pleasure of dealing with. And I don't mean just for RV's, they are a fantastic company in general from a customer service standpoint. Their support is knowledgeable, friendly and willing to help with anything. That is worth a lot to me. Enough to buy another Thor. Shopping Palazzo's currently. I have been shopping a lot of units lately and frankly the quality appears to be just about the same across the board. I don't think you really get the quality we all would like unless we spend the money most of us don't have. Pick your floorplan, find a price you can live with and think about the level of support from whatever company you might go with, because you will need it regardless of manufacturer. Frankly in terms of quality control (or lack thereof) when compared to other products and for what you spend, motorhomes suck. All brands. But we all know that don't we.

topflite51 wrote:
Thor is not considered to be among the "top tier" of manufacturers, but then again neither is their price. They must be doing something right. Haven't heard of any build problems for Thor, the same cannot be said for other manufacturers who are routinely listed as a "top tier" manufacturer.

I guess you "get what you pay for"...

Thor is not considered to be among the "top tier" of manufacturers, but then again neither is their price. They must be doing something right. Haven't heard of any build problems for Thor, the same cannot be said for other manufacturers who are routinely listed as a "top tier" manufacturer.

Dance Chick wrote:
It seems to me that I've seen people say "no way", and I've seen just as many say, "no problems". It does seem that when someone asks for a list of the top manufacturers, Thor doesn't seem to make the cut. I'm not sure I've ever seen Thor on anyone's top list.

We have a Thor product that we're happy with. It's not a higher end unit, but we also didn't pay a higher end price for it. We feel like we got some nice features for the money spent.

I think that within any manufacturer's offerings, you're going to have poor quality issues from time to time. No manufacturer will have 100% satisfaction.
I'd find a Thor/Tuscany owners' forum and ask there. They'll be able to give you first-hand answers.

X2


Good Luck with your decision.

A guy two sites down from me has a new Redwood fifth wheel. Not a m/h but made by Thor and it is absolutely gorgeous. About the prettiest I've ever seen.