Opinions on Class A Quality

[aliceinanthemaz]

Hi everyone,

I'm selling my 24ft C and moving up in length to +/- 35ft and was thinking A because I will be full timing. My budget is around 120-140K and of course I'm looking to get the best quality for my money.

Wanted to hear personal thoughts/experiences on brands.

Also, I was thinking of consigning to sell the 24ft C. So far I've read positive things from people on Facebook. Anyone not have a good experience selling this way?

TIA, any opinion welcome.

[bsinmich]

I have had 7 motorhomes over the years with 2 Fleetwoods and a Newmar. The Newmar was definitely the highest quality. My current older Roadtrek is also that type of quality. My Newmar was a 2003 that we had 11 years. The only reason for selling it was the death of my wife and my inability to climb the 6 steps up into it. I just refuse to give up travelling in my RV and now have 1 step up for both of them.

[garyemunson]

One thought on selling your RV separately... Depending on your DMV rules, trading can sometimes be an advantage as it might lower the price you are paying sales tax on.

[Hikerdogs]

With a budget of $120,000.00 to $140,000.00 You're looking at either a several year old diesel pusher or relatively new gas coach. I don't think you'll be able to purchase a "quality" brand new coach for that amount of money, unless it's been setting on the lot for some time.

As for reliability we drove our 2001 Winnebago Adventurer for 12 years and well over 100,000 miles and needed very few repairs. Normal maintenance items consisted of regular oil and filter changes, transmission and differential oil changes, new brakes, new tires, and a few new light bulbs. While it didn't have some of the amenities of a diesel pusher, the repair and maintenance costs were comparably minimal. Almost any gas chassis of that vintage or newer (that has had proper maintenance) can be expected to go 175,000 to 200,000 miles without major component failures.

Keep in mind interior amenities and systems not only wear out but also become obsolete. Microwaves, televisions, refrigerators, furnaces, entertainment systems, and air conditioners have a definite useful life span.

If you're looking at 10 year old or older motorhomes most will have analog televisions that will likely need replacement sooner than later. The same is true of those using the ammonia absorption refrigerators.

Personally I would look for a later model gas coach equipped with a residential style refrigerator and flat screen TV's. The maintenance costs will be more in line with what you spent on your class C, and you'll have minimal costs involved with updating or replacing appliances.

[smlranger]

JetAonly wrote:
Strangely I have found a simple test to see if it a "Quality" MH. Tag axle, Aqua Hot, and Air Leveling. There are few quality MH that have 2 out of 3, those that have hydraulic leveling instead. Any that have all three gets it down to condition and floor plan.

This is very subjective, but it works for me.

Agree and would add side radiator to that list. However, I can't imagine any coach that would have all three on your list and not have a side radiator.

[JetAonly]

Strangely I have found a simple test to see if it a "Quality" MH. Tag axle, Aqua Hot, and Air Leveling. There are few quality MH that have 2 out of 3, those that have hydraulic leveling instead. Any that have all three gets it down to condition and floor plan.

This is very subjective, but it works for me.

[smlranger]

aliceinanthemaz wrote:
Thanks for your input everyone. smlranger hit on why I'm looking for quality. He said regardless, be prepared to fix stuff. This I have learned for sure!
In my 24ft, I put on 50K miles in the last 5 years and it seemed like every cross country trip I took I always ended up fixing something. Maybe it was small or maybe something big, but I had to get used to taking things in stride. But I want to hedge my bets where I can. 🙂

So perhaps I should have also asked, when you do have to fix something on the ones you recommend, would you shy away from any of them because they tend to be more expensive than the others to repair?

That's not always easy to answer. The more complex the coach, the more expensive it will be to repair/replace stuff that breaks. For example, the more high end rigs may have Aqua Hot (hydronic) systems to heat water and provide heat vs. the LP furnace generally found on more mid line to low end coaches. A hydronic system is very nice but more expensive to repair or replace than a LP furnace. I had to replace the Webasto (burner motor assembly) on my Aqua Hot and a rebuilt unit was $1,800.

Obviously labor for repairs on any coach will be your biggest cost in many cases. So, the more you can do yourself, the more you save. Some folks are reluctant to buy orphan used coaches (the original Country Coach went bankrupt in 2010) and folks suggested I might not be able to get parts for my CC. However, now that Winnebago bought what remained of Country Coach, that may not be a big issue. Also, even on 'orphaned' coaches, many of the things installed on them are used by all manufacturers so you can still get those things.

The most important thing to consider if buying any used coach is to confirm if it has been properly maintained. Prior owner/s may be able to provide evidence of that but in many cases you must do your own homework/inspection, etc. to confirm it. You will be surprised how many folks spend big bucks for a coach and don't maintain them well.

[aliceinanthemaz]

Thanks for your input everyone. smlranger hit on why I'm looking for quality. He said regardless, be prepared to fix stuff. This I have learned for sure!
In my 24ft, I put on 50K miles in the last 5 years and it seemed like every cross country trip I took I always ended up fixing something. Maybe it was small or maybe something big, but I had to get used to taking things in stride. But I want to hedge my bets where I can. 🙂

So perhaps I should have also asked, when you do have to fix something on the ones you recommend, would you shy away from any of them because they tend to be more expensive than the others to repair?

[Stutch]

Alice, Quality is a subjective term. One person's definition of quality is another's definition of cheap or garbage.

If I had $140K as a budget and my goal was to buy the best quality +/-35', I would look to Tiffin or Newmar. I consider both to be upper end of the
"moderate priced" quality manufacturer. $140K will buy you a new lower end model of each but the quality is still there. I would buy a low mileage 2014 or 2013 Newmar over a new Thor, Forest River, or Winnebago.

A simple test was to press against the interior walls, say around the bath.... Look at the material flex on the Forrest River... Almost reminds me of cardboard construction with glitzy wallpaper or veneer.

Another test is to look at a 5 year old Tiffin and a 5 year old Winnebago with similar milage. Which one looks like it held up better?

That's my 2 cents!!

[Mr_Mark1]

mpierce wrote:
For that kind of money, I would suggest going into a 8-10 year old Bluebird, provost, etc. tip of MH.

The quality is MUCH higher than spending that kind of money on a new gas one. That is a relatively lower level of quality for a new MH.

A Prevost with a $120,000-$140,000 budget will put you back to a mid 1992-1995 depending on service history. Also, it will most likely not have slides as they didn't start appearing until around 2001 or so.

A bluebird you can bump the year up a few.

MM.

[mpierce]

Financed a 1990 Bluebird, 25 years old.

[sch911]

rr2254545 wrote:
Not all can pay cash for a MH - a unit that old finances at a whole different interest rate and term

Not sure you could finance anything that old. Generally 5 years is about as far as banks will go....

[rr2254545]

mpierce wrote:
For that kind of money, I would suggest going into a 8-10 year old Bluebird, provost, etc. tip of MH.

The quality is MUCH higher than spending that kind of money on a new gas one. That is a relatively lower level of quality for a new MH.

Not all can pay cash for a MH - a unit that old finances at a whole different interest rate and term

[mpierce]

For that kind of money, I would suggest going into a 8-10 year old Bluebird, provost, etc. tip of MH.

The quality is MUCH higher than spending that kind of money on a new gas one. That is a relatively lower level of quality for a new MH.

[smlranger]

$120-140K should get you into a new class A gas motorhome. While they all have quality issues, how the manufacturer and dealer support you during the initial debugging process is important. On that issue, IMO, your best bet would be either Newmar or Winnebago for a new gasser.

That same amount of money would get you into a nice used quality diesel pusher. Diesel is a good bet if you really plan to travel a lot.... more power, better ride, more towing capacity, more cargo capacity. Keep in mind that all these things have issues at times but if you shop carefully and are diligent, you can get a nice gently used well maintained used coach. In used DP's, Country Coach, Monaco, Beaver, Travel Supreme, Newmar's higher end coaches, are examples of higher end, quality rigs. For example, there is a 2008 County Coach Allure listed for $135K on Motorhomes of Texas website. That one is 42' so longer than you desire but an example of a quality coach with a lot of features in your price range.

Regardless of whether you buy new or used, be prepared to fix stuff. IMO, owning any motorhome and using it much is not for anyone who isn't handy with tools. It is just part of the game.

[Kayteg1]

When you will have million opinions about mh build quality, cosigning depends 100% on the person you are dealing with.
I tried it years ago with 2 years old light trailer and the dealer took $500 retainer for the listing.
After 6 months of no offers I took the trailer back and was informed that the retainer "was used-up for cleaning the trailer"
What a scam it was.