Miramar vs Hurricane vs Newmar

[MetalGator]

The wife and I went to the Tampa RV Supershow this past weekend. I think this is our 6th or 7th show now. We purchased a TT back in July of 2011 and we have been researching Class A motorhomes the last few years. The last two shows, we had pretty much made up our minds that we wanted a Newmar 3401. We really like the floorplan and the quality.

Fast forward to Saturday. I had seen as add for a Hurricane 35M in the recent motorhome magazine. I knew the quality wouldn't be the same but the "bang for the buck" price was really intriguing. We looked at this model and the wife fell in love with the floorplan. We also looked at the same floorplan Windsport but we liked the colors and floor options better in the Hurricane. The fit an finish was OK. Nothing great but it didn't feel cheap or anything.

Then I made the mistake of going back to the show Sunday. Right across from the Hurricanes were the Miramars. The Miramar 35.3 is exactly the same floorplan as the Hurricane and Windsport 35M. The Miramar had the full body paint, had 22.5 inch wheels vs 19.5 on the Hurricane. The taller tires gave quite a bit more storage space underneath. Inside, the cabinets and hinges were much better quality as was the furniture. Of course, this model was $20K more. I found the quality of the Miramar similar to the Newmar models we looked at. I see all the postings about "don't buy Thor" but I read the same thing about Forest River when we purchased our current Surveyor TT. So, does anyone of the forum have a Miramar RV and if so what are your opinions? The sales person mentioned that the Miramar had the More Ride (called something like that) suspension with Blistein shocks and front and rear anti-sway bars that the Hurricane didn't have. I looked at the brochure when I got home and couldn't find any info on the suspension. The wife originally said we could buy the Hurricane and then get the Motorhome we want in 7-8 years but I would rather get what we want now and then keep it a long time. I hate the depreciation on new RVs but I figure if I get the model I want, I can keep it a long time and won't have any reason to upgrade later. It's just to two of us and our dogs.

Burch

[DocP]

Interesting topic. I just went through the same process of investigating Class A's within various price ranges. Although there were differences across brands (e.g., leather driver's seats vs. "leatherette", solid surface vanity tops vs. laminate, etc.), I went with the 2017 Thor Hurricane 35M. I will never be a full-timer in it, and (for me) the additional $10,000 - $15,000 difference wasn't worth the upgrade to the other models. Just my 2 cents.

[Heisenberg]

If you do not like the floorplan you will not be likely to get over it.

[bullydogs1]

Miramar is a Thor product...and while Thor makes some floorplans that are very unique, the quality/construction can't touch a Newmar, (they are not perfect either, but the odds are the construction/materials are way above Thor)...you have to settle on what floorplan is right for you..and as far as the suspension components are concerned..I'd eyeball them by getting under and looking..When I had a gas coach..one of the biggest mistakes I did was accepting the 19 tires...I paid for it with ride and handling.

[MetalGator]

stvdman wrote:
I will NEVER understand WHY you would put a TV in a location that has you either looking UP at it or to a side angle..don't need that frustration in LIFE! 😉

I agree. I hate where the couch is 90 degrees from the TV. Who wants to sit with their neck turned sideways? I don't watch much TV but this type of floor plan really annoys me. That's why I really like the floor plans with the L shaped couch with the angled TV.

[stvdman]

I just took a look at the NEWMARs again (to see why we kind of checked them off our list)... For whatever reason the DW HAS TO HAVE a W/D. I am ok with out them..doing laundry at a campground or similar was not that big of a deal to me, but she INSISTS on it...and since that's a no-go for her, its is for me as well.
The things I didn't like in the couple floor plans (NEWMAR) that we thought may work for us (3403 and 3404) lack of W/D, amount of space dedicated to bedroom and rear bath (I don't spend a lot of time there, need comfortable place to sleep, enough room to shower...not a hang out), and sight lines to TV / windows in the front of coach. I will NEVER understand WHY you would put a TV in a location that has you either looking UP at it or to a side angle..don't need that frustration in LIFE! 😉

[MetalGator]

The sales guy said the Miramars had the MORryde suspension with front and back sway bars and blistein shocks. I looked at the new Miramar brochure and I didn't see any mention of this. I did find a 2015 Miramar brochure online which did mention the blistein shocks. Does anyone have a Miramar that can verify the MORryde?

Burch

[MetalGator]

stvdman wrote:

We hope to move into a Class A this year...Oneother thing to consider if you are financing the purchase..interest rates. I am no financial specialist BUT they may..may..be going up, and can greatly affect "buying power". What may be "affordable" now may be so much down the line.

GOOD LUCK!

That is another thing we are considering. The rates have already gone up and the rumor is the fed will raise rates a couple times this year. We were pretty much set on the Newmar until we saw the floorplans of the Hurricane and Miramar. The Miramar 35.3 is a new model and I haven't found any yet at any of the Florida dealers (except for the one at the show that sold).

Burch

[stvdman]

This is a VERY similar situation we (me and DW)are in. LOVE the MIRAMAR 35.2 floorplan. Looked up and down the HURRICAN/WINDSPORT/MIRAMAR line ups...the 35.2 is unique amongst them while some of the others can be found throughout the line-up.

Also like TIFFIN and NEWMAR products, just cant find a floorplan that we like as much or better.

NOW, after going into them and looking..the MIRAMAR looks to be a pretty sizeable upgrade over the Hurricane/Winsport, although those two are closing the gap in the 2017 updates...and the Miramar is pushing up toward the Challenger.

Their (THOR) whole lineup is moving more "upscale"..thats not to say the QUALITY is moving up either BUT I have been reading and picking up on their increase in customer service. I also think they are currently leading in the "innovation department". They seem to be thinking like "RV USERS" more than "RV SELLERS" with what they are offering, including more "standard" features that others simply don't offer or if they do are "options".

If I had my way though, I would want the new ARIA 3401....that would be the perfect coach for me and the DW.

The thing that attracts me to the MIRAMAR is the heavier duty F53 chassis, floorplan, standards like "motion" King sized bed, ample storage, decent styling, available W/D....did I mention REALLY good floorplans?

We hope to move into a Class A this year...Oneother thing to consider if you are financing the purchase..interest rates. I am no financial specialist BUT they may..may..be going up, and can greatly affect "buying power". What may be "affordable" now may be so much down the line.

GOOD LUCK!

[Bruce_Brown]

Look past the carpet and furniture and look at how it's built, I think you'll see the differences.

Go to any campground and look at a 15 year old Newmar and whatever else you're considering.

For my $$$ the answer is clear.

[outofplace]

we went to The RV show here in our Area and we liked the look of Miramars. Looks as if the miramars are next to the top brand of there gas coachs with the Challenger being top tier gas.If you like the look, floor plan and the finish of the Miramars then go for it.

[jpmihalk]

We looked at a few Bay Stars in addition to Georgetowns and others before settling on our Hurricane. They all seemed about the same in level of build quality (the Bay Stars didn't have slide toppers and were missing some extra features found on most other entry level coaches like USB charging ports. I do believe the slide toppers were listed as optional, though.)

I do agree the Miramar is a step up and does have the larger wheels and a bit more storage space. It is really a trade off for price - we found the Hurricane was a better value and met all of our "must haves" and most, if not all of the "nice to haves." We have been very happy with our Hurricane so far.

Good luck in your search!

[Effy]

MetalGator wrote:

Effy wrote:

I won't get into an argument, but if you tell me I didn't see misaligned bin hinges, no slide toppers, peeling veneer on the walls, buckles in the plastic shower, bubbles in the flooring, corner trim pulling away, blinds pulling out of holes in the wall and a host of other things when I looked at a few Bay stars, I guess I am mistaken. And that is what I noticed in 5 minutes. I've always said, if you go to a show, remove the brand names from the MH's and walk through all the models in the same level, I would challenge you to tell me what brand you are in. I feel confident in a truly unbiased test, you can't tell one from another. But folks will keep saying one is better than another. Whatever helps them sleep better.

I didn't see any of these issues in the Baystar 3401 at the RV show. I don't think it had slide toppers thought. Absolutely not trying to argue but was just telling you my experience from looking at the Baystars at the last few RV shows. I thought the quality was good compared to other RVs in that price range. I have really only looked at the Baystar 3401 as that is the floor plan we really like. I can't really comment on the other models since I haven't been in them.

I will say that I looked at the Palazzo models last year and I thought the quality was really bad. The first one we walked in had cabinets that didn't line up and several of the issues you listed above. I walked in a couple of them this past show and didn't see near as many issues. Maybe it's the "was it built Friday or Monday" type of thing.

I think you are spot on here on a few points. The Palazzo was described to me by a dealer once as " an ACE on a Freightliner chassis" which means is about as entry level as it gets. We love our ACE but I am not kidding myself to say it's fit and finish rivals a King Aire. You are also right about the built on Friday or Monday. I have seen so many RV's - exact same models off the same assembly line, at different times where one was an absolute lemon and the other no issues at all. If you watch complaints on this forum you'll see that is the case a lot. Our ACE (our one previous too) has had little to no issues at all. But folks complain about Thors all the time. Am I lucky, or are they unlucky? (I have to say though, few people complain about their ACE's, maybe the price point sets realistic expectations). Good luck in your search.

[MetalGator]

wildtoad wrote:
Have you looked at the Bay Star 3403 which more closely matches the Thor products with bath and a half? I had a 2000 Hurricane and it served us well. Had very few issues with the unit. Our biggest complaint was the cabinetry was awful. They must have had to improve them. Also on the Hurricane check carefully on the exterior storage. I had a problem with getting stuff in them due to the odd sizes. I paid more for the Newmar quality. They are not perfect but also provide good post sales customer support.

I just took a look at the floorplan for the 3403. It's nice but we were really hoping to have a kingsize bed.

You are right on the Hurricane storage. I couldn't believe how much more storage the Miramar model had versus the Hurricane. That is a big plus.

[MetalGator]

Effy wrote:

I won't get into an argument, but if you tell me I didn't see misaligned bin hinges, no slide toppers, peeling veneer on the walls, buckles in the plastic shower, bubbles in the flooring, corner trim pulling away, blinds pulling out of holes in the wall and a host of other things when I looked at a few Bay stars, I guess I am mistaken. And that is what I noticed in 5 minutes. I've always said, if you go to a show, remove the brand names from the MH's and walk through all the models in the same level, I would challenge you to tell me what brand you are in. I feel confident in a truly unbiased test, you can't tell one from another. But folks will keep saying one is better than another. Whatever helps them sleep better.

I didn't see any of these issues in the Baystar 3401 at the RV show. I don't think it had slide toppers thought. Absolutely not trying to argue but was just telling you my experience from looking at the Baystars at the last few RV shows. I thought the quality was good compared to other RVs in that price range. I have really only looked at the Baystar 3401 as that is the floor plan we really like. I can't really comment on the other models since I haven't been in them.

I will say that I looked at the Palazzo models last year and I thought the quality was really bad. The first one we walked in had cabinets that didn't line up and several of the issues you listed above. I walked in a couple of them this past show and didn't see near as many issues. Maybe it's the "was it built Friday or Monday" type of thing.

[Effy]

MetalGator wrote:

Effy wrote:
I think at that level the Hurricane and Bay Star quality is the same.

That's interesting. When I looked at the Hurricanes, they had wrapped cabinets with particle board wood. Also, the cabinet hinges were very basic/cheap. The Baystar had real wood cabinets and heavy duty hinges on the cabinets. The furniture was also a little better quality. Not a huge difference but the Baystar definitely had better quality cabinets. The overall fit and finish just seemed a little better. That being said, I'm not sure the quality was worth $20-25K more!

I won't get into an argument, but if you tell me I didn't see misaligned bin hinges, no slide toppers, peeling veneer on the walls, buckles in the plastic shower, bubbles in the flooring, corner trim pulling away, blinds pulling out of holes in the wall and a host of other things when I looked at a few Bay stars, I guess I am mistaken. And that is what I noticed in 5 minutes. I've always said, if you go to a show, remove the brand names from the MH's and walk through all the models in the same level, I would challenge you to tell me what brand you are in. I feel confident in a truly unbiased test, you can't tell one from another. But folks will keep saying one is better than another. Whatever helps them sleep better.