Class A Opinions - Testimonials

[Mile_High]

We are having fun seeing if the Class A pusher works for us, and we seem to bounce back and forth between these three in a 2011-2013, all with 450 Cummins and all with tag axles:

• Winnebago Tour / Itasca Ellipse
• American Coach Revolution
• Entegra Coach Aspire

Not knowing too much about them, we may not be comparing apples to apples, but these seem to fit in a price bracket anyway. Looked at a Tiffen Ellegro Bus, but a bit out of reach for us. There were others that are way out of reach.

Any recommendations - or did I leave a good one out?

[toolttime]

Freightliner can be serviced at a lot more places then spartan

[Dale_Traveling]

Mike, all the manufactures you mentioned produce great rigs. Most are on a Freightliner chassis a few on Spartan while Tiffin has an in house frame under the Allegro Bus model line. You might find a Cat engine if you go back in time a few years and maybe a rare Volvo but for the most part Cummins has the market locked up. Same with Allison regarding transmissions. All will get you down the road at maximum comfort and minimum efficiency.

Side radiators can be found but not as common as the rear radiator. Some Freightliner chassis will have one while common on the Spartan and Tiffin chassis. Side radiators have the advantage of easier access to the engine when maintenance is needed.

Don't worry so much about what is under the floor and first focus on what is above the chassis. You'll spend a whole lot more time in the bed than the driver's seat. You want a layout that suits you intended life style while on the road. I do like your long term plan. Moderate trip for now then hit the road. Gives you time to know a rigs individualities.

Check the pre-owned inventory at Motorhomes of Texas and consider opening your year range a bit. Even at 9 years of age a Foretravel Nimbus will last long enough be included in your will.

Good luck with you search.

[Mile_High]

Oh man, I've been running around the block on this - flown into two different states - awaiting a third just to get an idea on floorplans. The wife keeps turning to the Tour/Winnebago as he likes the dishwasher and floor plan with the front corner TV and L shape couch with the built in ottomans. As silly as it sounds, they paint the sides of the slides to match and they do the 450D aqua hot that lets the engine heat do the work while rolling, and for some reason those keep sticking in my like list.

I've found some gorgeous Revolutions - but she does not like the kitchens - all seem to require standing on the slide carpet to cook and prepare. Allegro Bus is high on our list, just need to find the right one, Newmar Dutch Star as well. Entegra Anthem is also in there at a stretch of the budget, but the Aspire is just missing too much critical equipment like the diesel aqua-hot.

Looked at the Newmar Ventana, nice and maybe we could go new with that one, but its on a Freightliner.

Is the biggest advantage of Spartan being the side radiator?

[2gypsies1]

For what it's worth, we absolutely loved our Newmar Dutch Star - excellent workmanship and cabinetry. Our 370 got us up those Colorado mountains easily, including Red Mtn. Hwy. 🙂 Ours was a Spartan/Cummins.

When we were switching from a 5th wheel we talked to every Newmar owner that we saw along our travels. Nothing negative was ever said and that sold us.

[Mile_High]

tropical36 wrote:

I like the Revolution and especially an 06 when it was still called a Fleetwood, but still built on the American platform.
We've looked at a few 1 1/2 bath models of this vintage with low mileage and what seems to bring the best bang for the buck. As for being dated, one could remodel to their hearts content with all the money saved. Thing is, many like ourselves would be perfectly satisfied with the layout and especially with all the leather upholstery throughout.
Entegro's are nice too. I would probably pass on the Winnie/Itasca by comparison.

Interesting on the Winnebago. For some reason I was under the impression they were pretty high on the list given their practice of serial numbering everything so you can easily get parts. Glad I asked.

I noticed the Revolutions have felt lined interior cabinets - everwhere. Kind of a nice look and probably quiet.

I'm learning a bit about the side radiator, vs rear and repair costs. Makes sense.

[Mile_High]

sprintmod1 wrote:
After having just purchased an American Coach Revolution a few months ago, my list would be the American Coach, throw in the Newmar Essex, Entegra and then the Winnebago. My first consideration was that I definitely wanted to stay on a Spartan chassis.

Floor plan was the next consideration. Beyond that, they are all using pretty much the same parts and pieces.

Good luck with the search, it can be fun and frustrating at the same time!

Thank you for the info on the Spartan! I do notice the Spartan on the Revolution. The winnie had Freightliner.

[Mile_High]

wolfe10 wrote:
Mile High,

Don't think anyone is trying to pry into your personal decision-making or finances.

But, the more you tell us about what you like/dislike, "must haves", desires in a coach the better we can advice. The range of quality and price in motorhomes is far greater than in other RV's. Prices for the high end are roughly 10X that of entry level coaches. Most of us have to place ourselves on the sliding scale of age/quality, with many of us going older/high-quality vs newer.

There is no single ideal motorhome any more than there is a single ideal 5th wheel.

So, feel free to "help us help you".

I appreciate what your saying, but would have to disagree. I didn't want this to turn into discussions on why I would like a mid kitchen better than a front kitchen or how many baths - My wife and I can do that as we have done it before with several 5th wheels. Besides, when looking at used we are learning we will have to compromise because we don't get to pick options to build the perfect coach.

What I don't know anything about is chassis, engines, or the manufacturers and their different market targets (low, mid, high end). That was why I threw out the three we were liking, because I have no basis to compare. From the sound of it, I better put the Ellegro back in the list 🙂

Our plan is to vacation with one for a few years, maybe use it for business some, and when I retire we may go on trips for several months at a time. We won't ever full time. We have had several 5ers over the years, and this last one pushed us into a Dually pickup, which to me is a detachable engine that does not have many other uses on vacation. Sounds weird, but I hate going into a major town with a dually not knowing if we are going to be able to park anywhere close to the feature we are trying to visit, or going into the mountains knowing we probably won't be getting off the pavement. For our vacation style, I think we would be much happier towing my little Jeep behind a coach.

[tropical36]

Mile High wrote:
We are having fun seeing if the Class A pusher works for us, and we seem to bounce back and forth between these three in a 2011-2013, all with 450 Cummins and all with tag axles:

• Winnebago Tour / Itasca Ellipse
• American Coach Revolution
• Entegra Coach Aspire

Not knowing too much about them, we may not be comparing apples to apples, but these seem to fit in a price bracket anyway. Looked at a Tiffen Ellegro Bus, but a bit out of reach for us. There were others that are way out of reach.

Any recommendations - or did I leave a good one out?

I like the Revolution and especially an 06 when it was still called a Fleetwood, but still built on the American platform.
We've looked at a few 1 1/2 bath models of this vintage with low mileage and what seems to bring the best bang for the buck. As for being dated, one could remodel to their hearts content with all the money saved. Thing is, many like ourselves would be perfectly satisfied with the layout and especially with all the leather upholstery throughout.
Entegro's are nice too. I would probably pass on the Winnie/Itasca by comparison.

[wolfe10]

Mile High,

Don't think anyone is trying to pry into your personal decision-making or finances.

But, the more you tell us about what you like/dislike, "must haves", desires in a coach the better we can advice. The range of quality and price in motorhomes is far greater than in other RV's. Prices for the high end are roughly 10X that of entry level coaches. Most of us have to place ourselves on the sliding scale of age/quality, with many of us going older/high-quality vs newer.

There is no single ideal motorhome any more than there is a single ideal 5th wheel.

So, feel free to "help us help you".

[sprintmod1]

After having just purchased an American Coach Revolution a few months ago, my list would be the American Coach, throw in the Newmar Essex, Entegra and then the Winnebago. My first consideration was that I definitely wanted to stay on a Spartan chassis.

Floor plan was the next consideration. Beyond that, they are all using pretty much the same parts and pieces.

Good luck with the search, it can be fun and frustrating at the same time!

[Bill_Satellite]

You might be surprised if you look into some of the 2000-2005 Prevost conversions by Country Coach or Marathon. While they may have been "dated" when built, most owners have done the updates as the years have gone by and often have better amenities and many less troublesome electronics than a much newer coach might have.
How you plan to use it will also make a difference in the coaches you want to look at. IMHO, buying a coach without a residential fridge is a mistake unless you plan to spend the majority of your time without hookups. Are you planning to use satellite TV? If so, is the RV setup so you can receive the HD signal and watch different channels on different TV's? There are just many more details that need to be considered than the year of the coach.
I really like the Tiffin coaches and the way Bob Tiffin supports his product. However, you really need to be an East Coaster to get the maximum benefit by going to the factory at Red Bay when issues pop up. Newmar also has an excellent reputation.
I am not a fan of Winnegago but there are many loyal owners out there. Entegra is built using the old Travel Supreme facilities and molds which was an excellent coach with good support. I don't know, but I speculate that it is many of the same folks under a new name. American Coach appears to me to be over priced compared to similar coaches of other brands.

[sch911]

IMHO: Of those models for me it would be Entegra, American Coach, and last Winnebago. But you should also consider Monaco/HR, Tiffin, and Newmar products. All of which I would put equal too or slightly ahead of those three brands.

[Mile_High]

Gee - I've been profiled!

I don't think we would consider going much further back that 2011, just seems too dated. As far as how we will use it and the cost - I'll cover that discussion in-house.

[Ivylog]

I usually look at previous posts before answering questions. 2014 TV and 5er and only six posts in Class A out of thousands in fifth wheels, so welcome to the dark side.

Any recommendations? Switching to a tag DP is going to be expensive so my question is... How many days/year will you use? If less than 100 keep what you have and if more... Keep what you have unless going FT. Sorry but you asked for any recommendations.

As to your question... I would look for something a little older and higher up the food chain for the same price. A ISL 450 is just a ISL 400 with more pollution stuff added.