Are Thor's getting better?

[burgess001]

When we were shopping for a new RV a few years ago, the Thor models did not have a very good reputation. I don't want to write them off this time, based on historical input. Are the newer ones any better?

[Chainwright]

Ralph Cramden wrote:

Chainwright wrote:
Well, if you go the simple math route, Thor has close to 50% of the RV market and Forest River (which most folks never even consider) has 30+%. So it makes sense that you'd hear or read more "stuff"(complaints) about Thor.

Exactly.....and if you look at the Forest River boards you'll find that their Forester and Sunseeker class C's and FR3 or Georgetown class A's can be far from a peach in the build quality basket. Even the top of the line Berkshire has some horror stories surrounding it. That site however is biased with the Forest River Kool Aid guzzlers whose rig can be falling apart, but they'll still sing the Forest River company song till the cows come home. You also have the faithful who attend the FR sponsored rally in Goshen every August to get their rigs repaired gratis for defects they never should of left the factory with.

Well dang if I could get my Rig fixed Gratis I'd be singing whatever tune you want me to.

[mike_brez]

Ralph Cramden wrote:

Chainwright wrote:
Well, if you go the simple math route, Thor has close to 50% of the RV market and Forest River (which most folks never even consider) has 30+%. So it makes sense that you'd hear or read more "stuff"(complaints) about Thor.

Exactly.....and if you look at the Forest River boards you'll find that their Forester and Sunseeker class C's and FR3 or Georgetown class A's can be far from a peach in the build quality basket. Even the top of the line Berkshire has some horror stories surrounding it. That site however is biased with the Forest River Kool Aid guzzlers whose rig can be falling apart, but they'll still sing the Forest River company song till the cows come home. You also have the faithful who attend the FR sponsored rally in Goshen every August to get their rigs repaired gratis for defects they never should of left the factory with.

Sounds like Tiffin :B

[Ralph_Cramden]

Chainwright wrote:
Well, if you go the simple math route, Thor has close to 50% of the RV market and Forest River (which most folks never even consider) has 30+%. So it makes sense that you'd hear or read more "stuff"(complaints) about Thor.

Exactly.....and if you look at the Forest River boards you'll find that their Forester and Sunseeker class C's and FR3 or Georgetown class A's can be far from a peach in the build quality basket. Even the top of the line Berkshire has some horror stories surrounding it. That site however is biased with the Forest River Kool Aid guzzlers whose rig can be falling apart, but they'll still sing the Forest River company song till the cows come home. You also have the faithful who attend the FR sponsored rally in Goshen every August to get their rigs repaired gratis for defects they never should of left the factory with.

[tropical36]

burgess001 wrote:
When we were shopping for a new RV a few years ago, the Thor models did not have a very good reputation. I don't want to write them off this time, based on historical input. Are the newer ones any better?

Thor Industries owns 17 different companies and Thor is one of them, with their gasser MH's being base line and their top DP being a lot better. If one was to be buying newer or new and money wasn't an object, They'd do better with looking at their Entegra line of coaches, with the top model being a Cornerstone and probably with an MSRP of around 3/4 mil. They have now offered a gasser as well, but have yet to look at one. Thing is about gassers, these days, it's all about the house with most all being built on a Ford chassis and with next to no additions to it.
For me and for that kind of money and since we always buy used, I could get a nice used one in the top 3.

[Chainwright]

Well, if you go the simple math route, Thor has close to 50% of the RV market and Forest River (which most folks never even consider) has 30+%. So it makes sense that you'd hear or read more "stuff"(complaints) about Thor.

[Groover]

I have a 2013 Thor and recently looked at the current version of the same model. Most of the design/hardware issues that I have had have been improved on the current model. I was rather impressed. It is really hard to say about the labor but I really haven't had that many issues with things put together poorly. Even though their market share has increased since I bought mine I haven't seen as many complaints here as I did 5 years ago.

I was able to compare mine somewhat with very similar Forest River and Winnebago models and would agree that those were better built but they cost quite a bit more too. There were some things that I still like better about the Thor even ignoring the price.

[10forty2]

I'm certainly not well-versed in Thor's products. I have seriously looked at the ACE units several years ago and was not impressed when compared with comparable units by other manufacturers. It just didn't seem well-built to me. I suspect, though, that if you look hard enough for complaints on most any product, you'll find it in today's inter-web world. I would consider how many Thor units are on the road and their owners are too busy to stop having fun to post a complaint, vs. those who have trouble and immediately want to report it. Again, not saying that there are or are not inherent problems with the Thor brand of products......just saying that if you look for something long enough, you'll find it!

[MetalGator]

I have had some issues with our Thor product but my dealings with Thor customer service have been very good. I would base my decision on floorplan not manufacturer.

Burch

[fivejackie]

I like Thor. I have good service from Thor and also our dealer.

[suprz]

Ranger Smith wrote:
NO Not at All

X2... Worked at a dealer that carried Thor rv's... There's a reason they are cheaper than comparable rv's of the same model.... " you get what you pay for"

[burgess001]

I was actually looking at the Sprinter based units. Maybe the little "crossovers" or whatever they call them. The 25 to 26 foot units. I like the Coachman Prism 2200LE, and the Winnebago Via. Thor has some counterparts. Not sure I trust the Thor brand yet?

[Ranger_Smith]

Entegra is also a Thor product . . . Expensive paint job

[et2]

We purchased our new Fleetwood just over a month ago. We've owned a couple Thor platforms in the past with terrible results. They look great and have all the fancy after market stuff. The problem is their fit and build. Worse of anything we've owned. We vowed never again.

Our salesman encouraged us to look and a Thor product while we were shopping recently. I told him if it was a Thor ... Forget it. I was looking at Tiffin Allegro bus and Fleetwood 44H LXE. The reason he suggested the Thor was I was hoping for a side radiator. It wasn't the deal killer. Looked at that Thor Tuscany ... It took 2 minutes and I walked out and back to the Fleetwood.

" If " you're interested in that, seriously look at the Discovery LXE 44H. It has the 450 hspwr and is buildt on the same chassis as the American Coach line with independant front suspension and tag axle.

Had this coach a month and honestly it's more than I imagined. Great coach.

[purplekeenah]

I looked at a 2018 Tuscany two weeks ago, Freightliner chassis with Cummins 450 and MH3000 6-speed. Everything looked like near top tier components as one would expect for the MSRP that they posted. A few items such as a side radiator, full length auto awnings, HWH levelers,
Maytag stack washer and dryer, LG TVs, etc. all seemed like quality items to me.