WOW I had no idea I would get such response. I really enjoy this forum and all the feedback, a breath of fresh air compared to some of the car forums I'm in where it seems overrun with teenagers (no offense meant to any teenagers I was once one...)
Plenty of great info here and I think I like this quote the best:
Son of Norway wrote:
I'll just add an opinion for when you are test-driving motor homes. I believe that a well-engineered and properly-maintained motor home should essentially handle and steer like a comfortable car. Even my HR still does, and you should expect that when you move into a class A.
Miles
I actually do expect something to drive well. I work in the automotive industry and I can't imagine building a coach and sending it out the door without proper steering and handling.
My first choice right now is a Tiffin Allegro Open Road 35QBA and IIRC it has a 242" WB for a 35'11" length, which I believe is a good ratio. If that doesn't work out I'll be looking older, like a Tiffin Allegro Bay 37DB of which I have seen quite a few on the W22 chassis, which I think I might prefer for the larger displacement / lower revs / Allison argument.
There are some others in the running but I'm not narrowing it down too much until I get a clear picture of what our budget will be, and that won't be until around springtime I think.
There are two RV lots relatively close by who "specialize" in repos / used RVs and one day I'm going to drop by and see what I can test drive. I'd like to get a feel for what is out there.
pop-sicle wrote:
TriumphGuy
We bought our 2000 coachmen mirada last Nov been happy with the handling.
I had only road in a few motorhomes and not driven any,ours has both front and rear sway bars as well as rear air bags.
I have not had any problems with the handling just sit there with the arm rest down and point it down the road, yes I do feel when trucks come by and feel the bad roads but I try to remember what I am driving.
Your signature TriumphGuy is that car or bike? Have a 69 bonnie 650 still trying to get on the road it's been apart since around 1975 have started to work on it but still a ways to go, recently retired so maybe here soon.
Pop-sicle I made my username waaay back in the day when I still had a motorcycle. I rode for about 10 years before kids and my last ride was a Triumph Sprint ST - sport touring bike. My wife and I put about 6000 a year on that bike going everywhere. We phased that out for two kids, an RV bunkhouse and a huge assortment of bicycles. One day I'll get two wheels with a throttle again but we're having a great time right now as a family!
When it comes down to it I believe I've read about a number of mods that make sense to me from a vehicle standpoint, so at least there are options for the F53. My plan for a class A is to make multiple cross country trips with it and the family ... there must be solutions to make it comfortable for driving.
