Winnebago vs Tiffin

Winnebago doesn't know how to glue the hood to the hardware. A problem I thought would be fixed when I bought mine. NOT!

The choice is yours as both are good coaches. Our experience is only with Tiffin. We are on our third coach. We started with the Allegro Bay then the Phaeton and now the Bus. Every motor home will have some problems. What we like is Tiffin has never let us down, They stand behind their products. They have repaired things free of charge way after the warranty has expired if they know something was a problem.

Tiffin has changed their repair policy recently. They don't do much repair if out of warranty any longer. We travel with a group of Tiffin owners and they don't much like the change.

Tiffin over Winnebago but IMHO Entegra (Aspira and up) and Newmar are the better Model A's in this class.

Ranger Smith wrote:
Generally in the Itasca they put a better grade of materials and components in it. The Itasca will have standard things that are an option in the same model Winnebago

That was true in 2001 when we bought our first Winnebago, but the differences vanished by 2013 when we bought our current motorhome. We visited several dealers trying to decide whether to purchase a Winnebago Adventurer or an Itasca Suncruiser. The Suncruiser listed for about $3,000.00 more than an identically equipped Adventurer. When we asked the sales people why the difference in price we never got any good answers.

We emailed Winnebago asking for a list of differences and got back a list of 16 differences between the models. 15 of the 16 differences were badging in that one model would be badged as an Itasca where the other would be badged as a Winnebago. Likewise on would have the Suncruiser nameplate while the other would have an Adventurer nameplate.

The only real difference between the two was that the Suncruiser offered 1 interior color scheme that was not offered on the Adventurer. Other than that all the systems, appliances, standard equipment, and options were identical.

Still not sure which model to purchase we were able to take a private tour of the production facility and several completed coaches at the factory. We asked our tour guide (a senior training manager) which one would be the best value. His immediate response was the Winnebago Adventurer. He said the quality was equal, the price was slightly lower, the name recognition was better, and the resale value would be higher.

One thing we were also alerted to was that (at least at the time) is that any component either standard or optional on any other Winnebago product can be ordered as an option on any other coach as long as it will physically fit in the coach you are ordering.

At the time a 6 way power passengers seat and a couple other options were not offered on the Adventurer or Suncruiser models. They were however available on the Journey. We were able to order those options even though they were not listed in any brochure or ordering form.

The Itasca nameplate has recently been dropped from the lineup, but models like the Sunstar and Sunova formerly in the Itasca lineup are now offered under the Winnebago nameplate

When we bought or '11 Journey 40L there was no difference between Winnie & Itasca. We thoroughly checked out both and also they cost the same dollar for dollar including options. Factory tours can tell you a lot about build quality. Winnebago has a "mile" long powered line with laser guides for locating hardware, while a horn blows at the Tiffin factory and someone drives the RV to the next stage.

Generally in the Itasca they put a better grade of materials and components in it. The Itasca will have standard things that are an option in the same model Winnebago

rr2254545 wrote:

Airdaile wrote:
The Itasca line of Winnebago approaches the quality of a Tiffin.

Absolutely no difference in the Itasca and Winnebago coaches - just the name

Maybe you're just a little biased. I've inspected both a Journey and and Itasca Solei and in my opinion the Solei was a nicer coach.

Had two Winnebagos and when we bought new again in 2014, Tiffin won hands down. Fit and finish on the Winnebagos was so much inferior to past years. Was actually quite unacceptable. Maybe Winnebago has improved quality/build but look carefully. I have been very happy with Tiffin support and customer service. In 2014, I would not buy a Winnie even though that was where we thought we were headed. Also think resale values and do some checking. Good luck with your decision making.

When RV quality is discussed, this forum has always brought up the "piece rate pay" production model as part of the problem. Do both Winnebago and Tiffin use that system?