I currently have a 5th wheel and am looking at purchasing a used, moderately small, 28-30ish, gas class A.I have looked at the construction specs for the Winnebago but have not been able to find exactly what I am looking for for the other two mh in the running.I'm getting way too old to be climbing on the roof to treat/clean a rubber roof. With that said, I've been advised that the only mh with the fiberglass roof, which supposedly has less need for maintenance, is that made by Winnebago. Does anyone have a different opinion?In a trailer/5th wheel the Thor is well made, from what I can see, but is extremely heavy. Thoughts about mhs made by Thor?I have absolutely no knowledge of the fleetwood whatsoever. My must or really wants are counter space in the kitchen, the Winnebago lacks this; prefer no carpet except in the bedroom; at least two slides which give, if nothing else, the illusion of more space.Any help anyone can supply will be greatly appreciated.

Our 2000 30' Hurricane (Thor) which we have owned for a bit over two years has done well for what we use it for. It is however, one of the lower end products out there. While there are many outside storage bays they are odd sized and don't hold much. The interior build quality is adequate but not great. Thor does make some higher line units but given the choice I'd choose Winnebago even though I've seen plenty of Winnebago's with issues.

iquilt888 wrote:I currently have a 5th wheel and am looking at purchasing a used, moderately small, 28-30ish, gas class A.I have looked at the construction specs for the Winnebago but have not been able to find exactly what I am looking for for the other two mh in the running.I'm getting way too old to be climbing on the roof to treat/clean a rubber roof. With that said, I've been advised that the only mh with the fiberglass roof, which supposedly has less need for maintenance, is that made by Winnebago. Does anyone have a different opinion?In a trailer/5th wheel the Thor is well made, from what I can see, but is extremely heavy. Thoughts about mhs made by Thor?I have absolutely no knowledge of the fleetwood whatsoever. My must or really wants are counter space in the kitchen, the Winnebago lacks this; prefer no carpet except in the bedroom; at least two slides which give, if nothing else, the illusion of more space.Any help anyone can supply will be greatly appreciated.Look into a Airstream Land Yacht. The quality is outstanding, but most only have one slide in the size/gas your looking for.

iquilt888 wrote: Thoughts about mhs made by Thor?I like my Thor, it meets my needs for my amount of usage. If I was in the market again, I'd consider another Thor product.Good luck with your search.

I don't think you can go wrong with a Winnebago/Itasca MH. I am on my second and love the MH. I prefer a DP, however, my FIL is on his third gas Adventurer and has had great luck with them. I recently looked at the new Winnebago Vista and a 34' Adventurer and they looked really nice. Winnebago has been in business for over 50 years so they must be doing something right. I have also been to the factory in Forest City and it is amazing to watch how these MHs are put together. Good Luck and Happy Hunting!

I think your list needs to be modified. My list for gassers would be Tiffin, Newmar, and Winnebago. Those seem to be the best built with the best factory support.

Winnebago vs Thor vs Fleetwood | Good Sam Community

BillMFl
Explorer
May 29, 2013
Well if you read the posts on here long enough you will discover the same problems crop up for all the makes, even the more expensive ones. Even names loke Winnie and Tiffen. Its the service after the sale that really makes a difference. For example, there have been plenty of new Tiffen owners on here who had a list of issues. But Tiffin is famous for backing up their products and satisfying their customers. But in addition to make/model is there a very good and reliable dealer near where you live or spend most of your time? Most service is done by dealers rather than the factory (there are exceptions of course). Paying more does not guarantee a trouble free product, but generally speaking you get what you pay for. Just about all the gassers are on the Ford V10 chassis and it is a tried and proven product, so the main difference is in the coach construction. My Gergetown happens to have a FG roof. They are in the same price point as Thor. My coach came with all the bells and whistles at a very reasonable cost. Will it last me 10 years? I don't care. I trade after 5 at most. Same with cars, 3 to 5. I drive Fords. I could and have owned expensive imports. Not anymore. Same with RVs. Are there nicer coaches out there? Sure. But I look for a great floor plan at a reasonable price and don't worry about the long term. My goal is not to leave it all for somebody else to enjoy. At 71, I don't buy to impress and I don't buy to hold long term. As a two time cancer survivor I live in the now! Find what really tickles your fancy, keep the price within your budget range. And then enjoy.
crasster
Explorer II
May 29, 2013
I'd go Winnebago. Love the quailty of those coaches... :)
Richert
Explorer
May 29, 2013
I have not read any other posts, Winnebago is my choice.
Pirate1
Explorer
May 28, 2013
Just a quick about roofs. OP seems to think Winny fiberglass may be better than rubber? Anyway, I have TPO on my Windsport from Thor and couldn't be happier. I actually think I like it better than the razer thin fiberglass I had on my Itasca. Just an FYI.
Trap
Explorer
May 28, 2013
DanTheRVMan wrote:

All companies try to make a profit or $$$ as you put it. The easiest way to make money is to sell good products consumers desire.

I have not seen any reason to be negative on Fleetwood or American. Now if you want to say the entire MH industry is second rate I would agree.

They bought fleetwood when it was cheap. They bought Monaco when navistar was desperate for cash. Two good brand names with the public they can build good companies on.

Very well put and accurate, all manufactures are in for the money, some are just a bit better than the others, but at this time I don't see any that are ahead ofthe rest of the industry.
There's definitely room for improvement with all of them.
DanTheRVMan
Explorer
May 28, 2013
xctraveler wrote:
As a former Fleetwood (Southwind) owner with 8 years and 110,000 miles I would be cautious about working with Fleetwood as their financial situation is in the hands of an investment partnership, all they see are $$$.

All companies try to make a profit or $$$ as you put it. The easiest way to make money is to sell good products consumers desire.

I have not seen any reason to be negative on Fleetwood or American. Now if you want to say the entire MH industry is second rate I would agree.

They bought fleetwood when it was cheap. They bought Monaco when navistar was desperate for cash. Two good brand names with the public they can build good companies on.
campguy3040
Explorer
May 28, 2013
iquilt888 wrote:
Yes, but do the fiberglass roofs chalk like the rubber roof? It's having to deal with black streaks caused by the chalking that is my big bug-a-boo.

As for fiberglass, I coated my new Vista's roof with SEP wax when it was still new & clean. Washes up even easier now.

Personally, I'm 100% happy with Winnebago,
iquilt888
Explorer
May 28, 2013
Yes, but do the fiberglass roofs chalk like the rubber roof? It's having to deal with black streaks caused by the chalking that is my big bug-a-boo.
wny_pat1
Explorer
May 28, 2013
iquilt888 wrote:
I've been advised that the only mh with the fiberglass roof, which supposedly has less need for maintenance, is that made by Winnebago. Does anyone have a different opinion?
Several motorhome manufacturers build coaches with fiberglass roofs that I can think of. Winnebago is just one of them. Tiffin and Foretravel are others, and I am sure there are more of them.

And you do need to properly maintain a fiberglass roof, regardless of what others tell you.
427435
Explorer
May 28, 2013
Pirate wrote:
If I could, I would pick Winny for this one particular reason: They easily have all their plans, prints, and diagrams online for easy access. Try and get that from Thor!!!!

X2

I needed a body part for my then 10 year old MH a couple of years ago. They had it in stock.