need help with purchase of new bunkhouse

[Nsopti]

Hello everyone,
I am new to the forum, and need help deciding which class a bunkhouse to purchase. I have narrowed my search to the thor miramar 34.3 and the Winnebago vista 35b. I can purchase both for about the same price. I like some of the extra features on the miramar, but am concerned with the quality and the tpo roof. The Winnebago comes with a fiberglass roof, but has less options than the Thor. Is one significantly better than the other. Please help.

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[Effy]

jdwky wrote:
Unfortunately, I just noticed the OP hasn't made a post anywhere on this forum since their join date of 4/30... Hopefully these posts benefit someone else comparing these models.

LOL. I didn't notice either. Oh well. Good morning chat over coffee fellas.

[jdwky]

Unfortunately, I just noticed the OP hasn't made a post anywhere on this forum since their join date of 4/30... Hopefully these posts benefit someone else comparing these models.

[jdwky]

Great review Effy!!!

Ont hing to note, when front bunk is down on Miramar, it does indeed block usage of front seats. But when we are in "day mode", the bunk is up and the seats are useful. When it's nighttime, the bunk is down and nobody would be sitting in those cockpit seats anyway...

Sounds like the Miramar is a winner, as long as you can confirm the FWS will be covered under a warranty for duration you plan to own coach!

[willald]

I haven't looked at the two units in detail, but must say, that is an EXCELLENT review of them that Effy just provided! Lots of great info and good points to think about there.

If it wasnt for the full wall Scwintek slideout, my vote based on that review would definitely be for the Thor Miramar. However, given some of the horrendous issues they have had with that slideout mechanism on larger slideouts.....I would be very, very nervous about buying a unit with such.

At the very least, only way I'd buy that Miramar is if they threw in as part of the deal, a really, really good extended service contract that would cover EVERY aspect of that slideout!

[Effy]

A close look at both and I have these opinions (My opinions and may mean nothing to you).

The Winnie has a 3 slide system, so while it may be schwintek, it avoids the full wall slides that seem to plague this system. This is a big deal and a plus for the Winnie. The layout does not suit me, the bunk mechanism looks clunky - arms, cables etc. Just reeks of "we slammed in a bunk cuz everyone else is and can't copy their design". The dash and all the décor is really stark and dated compared to the Thor. Curtains on the bunks have always bothered me no matter the brand. Carpet in the dinette. Everyone has been doing this forever and it's just he dumbest thing in the world. The Winnie looks and feels like a dated RV inside. The Thor feels like an updated apartment. It's not an argument just an observation from my point of view and opinion. The Winnie's tanks are almost twice the size of the Thor.

The Thor has it all over the Winnie in terms of style and décor (for me). Granted some say all show and no go but style and décor are important otherwise we'd all be driving Ford Escorts. The bunk is a proven system and really robust and well done - the exception here on this particular bunk mechanism is that it hits the top of the front seats rendering them useless despite the fact that they spin around and could otherwise be used as "living room" seats. No carpet in the dinette - well done. Solid doors on the bunks, nice touch. I like the Thor all around over the Winnie but the one thing that bothers me is that full wall schwintek slide. Lots of problems with those on the Palazzo and not sure they don't exist on the Miramar. I would be afraid of that. Does it offset the many things I like he Thor better over the Winnie? - that's long hard think - I think. I would research the heck out of that full wall slide on the Miramar - check Thor forums etc, before I would risk that. No way I would buy a full wall slide Palazzo and it seems to be the same set up. I could be wrong, but you don't want to be. For all intent and purpose the Miramar is a Palazzo on a gasser chassis.

I should mention , I have never driven either so that would definitely be a factor. All bets are off if one handles better and is much quieter than the other. 2 VERY important factors.

Again these are merely my opinions. I am certain many have very different opinions and isn't that the point of asking on a forum.

I hope some of this helps.

[Effy]

TPO roof is fine. Ask the thousands of us out there that have them trouble free for decades. Fiberglass is great until you have to fix it (TPO is easy to fix). They all have seams and holes no matter what roof you have and that's where an issue will be, not the roof material. This would not be a deciding factor for me. All have the F53 chassis and all have the same components. Quality, for some reason Winnie is held in regard as the Apple of the RV world and frankly after walking through some at a local dealership the quality was the same as anything else you'd walk through. Plastic faux metal faucets, veneer luann cabinet side panels, rippled wall seams, same slide mechanism etc. The only thing higher end on a Winnie IMHO is the price tag. Not that the Thor Miramar is better, it's just not worse than the vista. Frankly I walked through a lot of gassers from every manufacturer and they are all the same quality - including Newmar and Tiffin. I challenge anyone to walk into several rigs ignoring the badge and tell me what brand you are in. Pick the floorplan you like. Despite the brand bashing you hear, many of us are very happy with our Thors and their stellar customer service. I would caution one area; stay away from a full wall Schwintek slide. The system is just too weak to handle the big slide and you could have problems. Other things to consider, weight and tow weight, wheel base (longer is better), tank sizes, if residential refer then battery and inverter sizes, slide mechanism (mentioned this already), seats - I know this is crazy but you will spend a lot of time in the driver's seat, I have found on some really higher end rigs the seats just weren't comfy - not that they were bad per se, just didn't fit me. You need to find the unit that fits you, spend less concern on brand and more on layout and what you want. Any brand will be fine and will support you, sans some things to look for.

[Y-Guy]

Fiberglass roof wins every time.

We've had our Sightseer 35J with bunks for 7 years. Really no major problems and none related to Winnebago construction.

[JimM68]

Winnie all the way, unless tiffin has an option for you.
Thor not so much. thor vs Winnie is not an apples to apples comparison.

[colter]

We looked at the 35b and thought it was "the one" until we looked at and then purchased a Tiffin Allegro open road 35QBA. Main difference is the Winnie has the half bath and the Tiffin doesn't but has a kitchen slide. We chose the Tiiffin due to the extra living space with that extra slide as well as we liked some of the interior features and options over the 35b. Sure, the half bath would be nice sometimes but we even lived in ours for a couple months while our house was finished and it wasn't a big deal. Between the 2 you are looking at I would go with the Winnie. Good luck with your search!

[jdwky]

We looked at both models as well but different floorplans. For us, the biggest deal breaker was the crappy little twin sized fold down bed over the cockpit on the Vista. The Miramar has a sturdy, full size bed that powers down. Don't worry about the TPO roof unless you're going to keep this for 10 years or more 😉 Store it inside when not in use and roof will last a very long time. Have owned a winnebago and now a thor, Winnebago quality was better but you get more for your money with Thor. Tough choice!