1st timer, please help! Best RVs 34-40' under $350k ??

[SenorApples]

Hi everyone! I'm BRAND NEW to the awesome RV community and would really appreciate some advice on this stuff. I'm looking to buy an RV soon but there's so much info out there, I'm feeling a bit lost.

The question is... Who truly makes a well built coach? Every site/blog I read seems to say something different.

So far I have my eyes on Tiffin, but I want to know what y'all think is the best! How do you feel about Nexus or Entrega?

I'm looking to get a Class A diesel between 34 - 40 ft. and under $350k.. any thoughts???

[Blackdiamond]

Gottahaveit wrote:
OP has not replied to any comments

Maybe just a troll.

[Bill_Satellite]

I might not come back either after reading the flaming responses in between those actually trying to give the OP an answer. :h

[Gottahaveit]

OP has not replied to any comments

[xctraveler]

While not quite as thorough as NCC-1701 we spent a lot of time researching companies and visiting factories. We did this while living and traveling in our second MH a sweet Soutwind 36E with a Chevy 8.1L gas engine. We knew we were going to keep RVing for the long haul. We came down to Tiffin, Newmar and Winnebago. At the time Newmar did not manufacture a DP under 40 feet. We are limited to 36-37 ft by a family driveway in the woods. When we actually went to buy the Winnie salesman could not put me in the driver seat of the coach he promised he had on the lot, nor could he even show an equivalent to me. The Tiffin was sitting on a red carpet, freshly spruced up for max sales appeal. We have been very happy with the dealer - Colton RV in North Tonawanda NY (Niagara Falls area). They have been very accomodating when we happen to be in the area and I would highly recommend them. The coach is a joy! It has its flaws, some of which we choose to live with and most have been taken care of either at Red Bay or by very competent service centers that Tiffin has recommended. For the record we started with a 33 ft entry level '01 Damon which we used hard for 3 years - 3 cross country trips! It was junk when we bought it and not much better when we traded it.

[AllegroD]

Tiffin, Newmar, Entegra.

[NCC-1701]

Songbirds wrote:
First, all Class A, B, and C fall under 31-foot motorhomes.

I must be misunderstanding what you are saying.

Class A's could stretch up to 50 feet (George Jones had a custom 50') Super C's go well over 31'. If the OP is looking for a Class A DP, washers are very common. Wet bath vs dry bath??? All Class A DP's are going to have a dry bath.

Like I said, perhaps I'm just misinterpreting what you are saying. :? :h

[NCC-1701]

SenorApples wrote:
Who truly makes a well built coach? Every site/blog I read seems to say something different.

I have my opinions, as everyone else here does. It's "interesting" to hear people's opinions on who is "best," but I personally will not make a major buying decision on that alone.

So I'll answer by telling you what I did when I purchased my first diesel pusher. I spent over a year researching and looking for myself. We went to rallies where we could look through dozens of coaches a day. I went to all of the websites of the coachmakers in my price range and made a spreadsheet comparing all of the CONSTRUCTION specifications. If the website did not have all the information I needed, those questions were asked when I was looking at coaches and I had the salesman SHOW me how what he said was a fact. Salesmen lie and salesmen will say something they think you want to hear. We had a number of times when the salesman said one thing, but then could not show me what he was claiming.

Another thing we did, even though we were looking for a new coach, was to go to used lots and look at older units. The idea there was to see, first hand, how various brands held up over years of use and abuse. Let me tell you, this exercise was a valuable eye opener! Look at enough used coaches, and you'll start to see real differences in how they hold up over the years. You can't just look at a few because clearly how an owner cares for a particular unit can make a big difference. But when you look at a lot of them over a period of time, you start to see, on a larger scale, how they hold up.

When my wife and I finally narrowed it down to two manufacturers that the research showed were the top quality in our price range AND had the floorplans and other features we were interested in, then we went shopping and negotiating with confidence.

I will say that Tiffin was definitely on our top quality construction and service list. In fact, I would have rated them #1 on my list...sadly, at the time, they did not offer dual pane windows, which was a critical feature for us as we camp in cold weather. Of course, Tiffin has long since offered dual pane insulated windows, so that would not be an issue for us anymore. Newmar and Winnebago were the other top two on our list. We ended up with a 2001 Winnebago Journey DL. That coach was the most trouble free RV we have ever owned...from initial quality and throughout our years of ownership with it. We had Newmar inbetween and now own our second Winnebago Journey.

Good luck in your shopping and in your final purchase decision, and welcome to the community.

[Mile_High]

At $350K you'll probably be near the top end of Winnebago, Tiffin, probably a little over the top of Thor. Probably midrange Newmar, Entegra.

[4x4van]

Bill.Satellite wrote:
The "best" RV has nothing at all to do with resale value. The best RV is the one that best suits the owners needs. That starts with floor plan followed by floor plan and lastly floor plan. There are other considering following that short list but price is not in there anywhere as long as the buyer is happy with the price.

Agree 100%. I've never, ever, bought a vehicle of any type with resale value in mind. Never. It's irrelevant to me.
I'm buying to use, not to sell. I'm buying because it does exactly what I want it to do, the way I want it to do it, for a price that I'm willing to pay. I couldn't care less what value "others" place on "my" stuff, neither while I have it nor when I'm done with it. At the end of my use, if it falls apart into dust, so be it. But I also don't replace vehicles every 3-5 years. I drive them for at least 10+ years, so when I DO replace them, the selling price is nothing more than a bit of extra spending money anyway.

Heck, I'm still riding my 1985 ATC250R that I bought brand new. It's value has actually increased over the last 10-15 years, to where it is now worth more than I paid for it.

[Bill_Satellite]

The "best" RV has nothing at all to do with resale value. The best RV is the one that best suits the owners needs. That starts with floor plan followed by floor plan and lastly floor plan. There are other considering following that short list but price is not in there anywhere as long as the buyer is happy with the price.

[John_Joey]

Best RV is one that has a good resale value when you're done with it, especially if you're laundering money. :B :B :B

For that knowledge all you need is a blue book. Figure out how long you'll keep it then look at all the big brands, their original price, then there trade in value. That should give you a good idea of quality.

[DallasSteve]

soren wrote:
I'm going to have to disagree on that one. I know a handful of folks who are well into the 10 mil.net worth and beyond, and I'm not exactly eating cat food out of a can, myself. That said, you don't get to that point by casually throwing $400K around, just for giggles. Smart folks use money to make money, not to buy expensive toys that they know nothing about.

I stand by my original thought. In general you're correct, but, again, we don't know his specific circumstances. In the first place, you don't know he made the money. Maybe he inherited it. In the second place, if he buys a $400K RV it doesn't suddenly become worthless. If he decides he wants to do something else after 6 months maybe he loses $50K or $100K. If his net worth is in 8 figures he's not going to feel any pain. But, OK, I probably overstated by saying $400K is nothing to someone like that.

I'm looking at spending maybe 10 or 20 percent of my net worth on an RV when I retire in 6 months. I figure I'm only going to do something crazy like this once or twice more in my life. I can afford to make a bad decision at this point. If I change my mind I've lost maybe 5% of my savings. If I was eating cat food I would make a different decision. I've budgeted out my finances and I'll probably die with money left in the bank. If it gets tight I'll go back to work. I'm just saying, $400K doesn't mean a lot to the 1% (and again they wouldn't lose all of the $400K anyway).

[soren]

DallasSteve wrote:

soren wrote:

donn0128 wrote:
Boy, you either have a lot of money to throw down the drain, or you really have no clue.
Spending that much as a first timer on a deprecating asset is a huge mistake. If you were to spend 350K today to buy that luxury motor home and six months or a year from now wake up and discover you really hate the life style. What now? You basically try to sell it and discover that it is now worth maybe 200K. Even less if you drop it at some dealer on consignment. Maybe you should rent a MH for a few weeks first. Heck at those prices your apparently looking at a diesel pusher. Having that much disposable income I have to assume your prepared to spend thousands a year on maintenance?

Spending that kind of coin, and being a newbee, is an extremely dangerous move for many. As donn0128 so correctly notes, you drive out of the lot with a new beast like that, and you just threw $60-80K or more, right out the window. If you have never been a part of this world, take it slow and determine if it's even to your liking. I have met many people who spent the last few years of their careers daydreaming about hitting the road, full time, in their new RV. A significant number of those spent a few months on the road and said, "gee, this isn't what I expected". In fact I spent this snowbird season next to a couple that did exactly that. They were smart enough to find an older fifth wheel and diesel pick-up owned by an elderly man, who couldn't do it anymore. The whole rig is real sharp and ran them about $20K. They discovered that they are not thrilled with the lifestyle, and are probably going to bail. They will end up getting very close to what they paid for their RV and truck, maybe a few grand in depreciation. If you buy a new $400K rig, you are looking at a few grand of depreciation a MONTH, in the beginning.

I'm of the camp on this forum who believes that most new RVs are a foolish way to waste your money. If you have to get a big class A immediately, a 6-8 year old one is the sweet spot, and a my order of preference would be Newmar, Tiffin, then Winny.

Good luck, I hope you find what makes you happy.

We don't know who the OP is. If he's worth $10 million then $400K is nothing to him. But then would he be posting here if he's got that kind of net worth?

I'm going to have to disagree on that one. I know a handful of folks who are well into the 10 mil.net worth and beyond, and I'm not exactly eating cat food out of a can, myself. That said, you don't get to that point by casually throwing $400K around, just for giggles. Smart folks use money to make money, not to buy expensive toys that they know nothing about.

[Tntman]

You should consider the EPA regulations regarding diesel engine. In 2006 required a "collector" muffler, 2010 required a DEF system. You will also find most responders will recommend their choice for purchase, kinda have to back up their purchase choice. You need to find a floor plan that works for you. Personally, I dislike the new coaches as they are all electric, no propane. I boondock and use propane for fridge and hot water. I am not a fan of the bath and half models, would rather have living space to use. Holding tank size should be a consideration also.
Good luck with your choice and remember to subtract about 25 per cent from MSRP.