New class A Motorhome

[racechaser]

Hey all....I currently have a 35 ft fifth wheel trailer and will soon be trading up to a class A motorhome. Being a newby to motorhomes , I was hoping for opinions from everyone. We are looking at 2 rigs right now. One is a 2015 Jayco Precept 35un and a 2003 Tiffin Allegro Bus 38TGP. The Jayco is a gas engine with 3500 miles while the 2003 Tiffin is a diesel with 88,000. Opinions on the choices ? Is a 2003 motorhome getting to the point of major repairs ? Thanks in advance for any advice that may help us in our decision.

[Kayteg1]

Even with short trips diesel will beat gaser as you will not have to worry about 2 years old fuel and other stuff.
Than go back to resale value.
I just sold 44 years old diesel coach and new owners are very happy with it.
How many buyers will consider > 20 old gas coach?

[Effy]

racechaser wrote:

Effy wrote:
The question makes me wonder if you are throwing darts. Not sure I understand why you are looking at coaches that are in no way similar. Did you stop at one dealership and see these 2 and just like them? The primary thing you should be looking for first is a floorplan that meets your needs. Forget 2 different MH's years apart with different drivetrains. Floorplan. What will you be doing with the coach? How will you be using it? What's your budget? THEN look at what models in your price range offer what you need. Might be a dp, might be a gasser, might be newer or older. But it seems like you are starting comparing coaches that are in no way similar. Forget apples to oranges, you are comparing apples to elephants. There is no real comparison between these 2.

Trying to get input from "those who know" on all aspects as we are early in the shopping process and we are trying to get tips that will play to what we need/want. Because we've never had a motorhome we don't yet know exactly what to look for/avoid. So far we've just done some online inspecting.

This will be used in roughly an 8 hour radius of our home for long weekend trips. We aren't looking to go cross country for months at a time. Longest trip would likely be a week or so.

Then I would go with a cheaper gasser. An older DP would be overkill for weekenders. But that's just my opinion. There are countless used Rv's for sale so finding one that fits what you need in your budget should not be a problem.

Questions to ponder while looking. How many of you, kids or no, you need an outdoor kitchen, you need bunks, dinette, TV's? carpet or no, one bath or bath and a half, queen bed or king, walkaround or against the wall, you need lots of storage, how about the type of camping, dry camping and need a lot of batteries, or mostly CG's where you have electric, 50 amp or 30 (2 ac's or one), residential refer or lp? Will you be towing a car, if so towing capacity is a factor.

Just some things that will help you figure out the kind of coach you need. Weekend trips sounds more like you can save a lot of money on a gasser vs a Diesel. Sure diesels are nice but they cost more and are great for long trips and full timing. But you can get a nice gasser for a lot less money and fit your needs. And above all, floorplan floorplan, floorplan. Go to a show and walk through a bunch. Sure they're all new but what you want to figure out is the layout that works for you (slides in and out) and find that floorplan in an older, cheaper model - unless you want new. But you need to figure out what you need in a coach and then find models that fit those needs.

[racechaser]

Effy wrote:
The question makes me wonder if you are throwing darts. Not sure I understand why you are looking at coaches that are in no way similar. Did you stop at one dealership and see these 2 and just like them? The primary thing you should be looking for first is a floorplan that meets your needs. Forget 2 different MH's years apart with different drivetrains. Floorplan. What will you be doing with the coach? How will you be using it? What's your budget? THEN look at what models in your price range offer what you need. Might be a dp, might be a gasser, might be newer or older. But it seems like you are starting comparing coaches that are in no way similar. Forget apples to oranges, you are comparing apples to elephants. There is no real comparison between these 2.

Trying to get input from "those who know" on all aspects as we are early in the shopping process and we are trying to get tips that will play to what we need/want. Because we've never had a motorhome we don't yet know exactly what to look for/avoid. So far we've just done some online inspecting.

This will be used in roughly an 8 hour radius of our home for long weekend trips. We aren't looking to go cross country for months at a time. Longest trip would likely be a week or so.

[Effy]

The question makes me wonder if you are throwing darts. Not sure I understand why you are looking at coaches that are in no way similar. Did you stop at one dealership and see these 2 and just like them? The primary thing you should be looking for first is a floorplan that meets your needs. Forget 2 different MH's years apart with different drivetrains. Floorplan. What will you be doing with the coach? How will you be using it? What's your budget? THEN look at what models in your price range offer what you need. Might be a dp, might be a gasser, might be newer or older. But it seems like you are starting comparing coaches that are in no way similar. Forget apples to oranges, you are comparing apples to elephants. There is no real comparison between these 2.

[Mr_Mark1]

jplante4 wrote:

racechaser wrote:
For you guys that have 10 plus year old units,other than the obvious ( tires roof etc... ) what are some things I should check out on a diesel unit.

You want to look for evidence of water leaks; sagging headliners, peeling wallpaper etc. If you can verify the maintenance history make sure the fluid changes have been done at least yearly. It's recommended that the tires be replaced after 6-8 years; sooner on Michelins showing side wall cracking.

Tiffin, being a high initial quality bus, will exhibit fewer issues than a 10 year old Winnie or Fore Travel. Things in a Tiffin were put together very well and are less susceptible to the rigors of bouncing down the road. As long as the rig was reasonably well cared for, you should get many years of service from it.

I tell people to reserve 10% of the purchase price for the first year's maintenance to deal with deferred items and changing things you don't like.

Tiffin's are built just like any other motorhome in their given price range. The DIFFERENCE is that Tiffin has excellent customer service and stands behind their product.

I don't think Foretravel is in the same ballpark as Tiffin or Winnie.

If I was looking in the price range of a certain level where Tiffin, Newmar, Winnebago, Fleetwood, etc. would fit, I would put Tiffin at or near the top of that list.

MM.

[racechaser]

Great info everybody. Thanks, and please keep it coming.

I have an additional class A on my radar, but it's a different setup. It's a 2006 Tiffin Allegro 37DB that was upgraded to a front diesel Cummings engine.

Thoughts on this upgrade and setup?

Thanks again!

[jplante4]

racechaser wrote:
For you guys that have 10 plus year old units,other than the obvious ( tires roof etc... ) what are some things I should check out on a diesel unit.

You want to look for evidence of water leaks; sagging headliners, peeling wallpaper etc. If you can verify the maintenance history make sure the fluid changes have been done at least yearly. It's recommended that the tires be replaced after 6-8 years; sooner on Michelins showing side wall cracking.

Tiffin, being a high initial quality bus, will exhibit fewer issues than a 10 year old Winnie or Fore Travel. Things in a Tiffin were put together very well and are less susceptible to the rigors of bouncing down the road. As long as the rig was reasonably well cared for, you should get many years of service from it.

I tell people to reserve 10% of the purchase price for the first year's maintenance to deal with deferred items and changing things you don't like.

[dahkota]

With the Jayco, everything is 1-2 years old.
With the Tiffin, you will need to investigate how old anything really is. When were the tires last replaced (on a 6 year cycle, they should be due for replacement soon - $3000). Is the fridge, microwave, TVs, water heater, toilet original? If so, they may need to be replaced soon. Has the roof, tranny, and engine been taken care of? Are there records of repairs and maintenance?

If I was at the top of my budget and looking for a bus with the least amount of potential cash outlay for repairs, I would pick the newer coach. Gas coach maintenance is typically cheaper. If I was buying at the middle of my budget and had a nice cushion for repairs, my choice would come down to which was in better condition with a better floor plan.

[nma33]

Not apples to apples, We purchased a new 2015 Precept 35un, We love it, drives extremely well, The kitchen area in the 35UN is outstanding. My wife loves it.

[ncrowley]

We have a 2004 Newmar diesel that we have had for 3-1/2 years. Love the space and the driving comfort. However, we have put more money into it than we thought we would. Not for major repairs because there have not been any. But there seems to be always little stuff to do and the preventative maintenance is higher than we thought it would be. We follow all the Freightliner and Cat maintenance schedules.

Then we had the issue with paint checking and brought it back to Newmar for a sidewall replacement and repaint. The fact that we spent the money on the sidewall replacement and repaint also tells you how much we like the coach and for us, it was worth it to have it done and keep this coach. We plan to have this coach for many more years and many more miles.

[2chiefsRus]

if all else is equal, and you can afford the initial purchased, I prefer diesel for these reasons:
1 - fueling at the truck pumps makes life so much easier when traveling in an unfamiliar area which we normally are. Trying to decide if we will fit in a "regular gas station" can be difficult. If we can get in, can we get out again?
2 - normally better braking setup
3 - generator is normally away from the bedroom sleeping area (quieter while parked)
4 - engine is normally away from where the driver and passenger(s) are riding (quieter while driving)
5 - typically more cargo carrying capacity. That being said, you can absolutely travel in the mountains with a gas coach. We did it for 5 years in a 34 foot motor home with one slide. Our longest trip at that time was 3 months and we still had a sticks and bricks house to keep all our "stuff" in. We learned a lot about rving and ourselves as rvers during the time we had the gas coach and we don't regret having it. We did know that we definitely wanted a diesel coach once we decide to sell the house and go full time. There was no way, we could safely travel in the gas coach with the amount of "stuff" we wanted to carry with us.

[racechaser]

For you guys that have 10 plus year old units,other than the obvious ( tires roof etc... ) what are some things I should check out on a diesel unit.

[Gottahaveit]

Comparing apples to oranges ..Tiffin DP hands down

[J-Rooster]

I would also go with Tiffin! I bought my coach new in 2004 and 12 years later still very little problems with it.

[GPWayne]

Tiffin wins by far. Jaycos are good for what they are, but not even in the same ball park as Tiffin. You'll see what I mean when you drive one.

I don't own one but wish I did. My Winne is a DP, I love the ride and I'll never go back to a front engine. I could go on and on, but you get the idea.