RV consumers Purchase question ?

[Dan_B]

My wife and I are looking to purchase our first Motorhome and have been doing a lot of research. We purchased RV consumers group program as suggested by some people on this site. We liked the Hurricane floor plan but after reading RV program on the Hurricane we are rethinking. Rv said on highway control that the Hurricane would be fatiguing to drive and wander and be difficult to steer most of the time along with being dangerous in collision or rollover and may be prone to fire and that the quality is substandard . My question is for people that have a Hurricane or have used RV Consumers does there information seem to be correct it seems when reading there information that it is outdated,example would be that when looking up the Hurricane info they did not have the 32 N listed but had 32 A listed which is not made anymore. Also RV made a lot of quotes that seem outdated just wondering if some one with more experience then me thought the same thing and found the info incorrect . I also should add that based on RV consumers ratings most people are driving dangerous motorhomes.

[n7bsn]

2gypsies wrote:
They are not even RVers and have never owned an RV. ...

Google for a Hurricane owner's group and start reading. Good luck!

Complete BS, where did you hear that, some RV salesman?

The founders of the RV Consumer Group are full-time RVers. Many of the working members are also.

[xctraveler]

It has been a while since I looked at RV Consumer. I used it when considering our first two buys. Their biggest negative was wheel base under 60% (?) of overall length resulting in potentially difficult handling. I would not disagree with that thought. Not only will such a coach be difficult to handle in any kind of wind or any passing large vehicle, the overhang will swing out and hit objects would would not expect to hit in low speed maneuvering. If you are stopped parallel to a wall 1 foot away and turn the wheel sharply away from the wall your tail will hit the wall before forward motion moves you clear.

I did some other research on them and found them to be honest if somewhat biased.

[Dale_Traveling]

Well I guess I'll be the first Hurricane owner to reply (unless someone posts while I am typing).

Acquired a 2006 31D in the spring of 2011 with 18K miles on it. Very good price below what others were selling the same model for but I guess being a repo may not have helped. Four seasons, 25000 miles and over 100 nights camping later I have zero regrets. Fit and finish is fine, exterior and roof are still in good shape, the Ford chassis suits the coach and has never let us down. Done several 400+ miles days behind the wheel and was a bit tired but no worse than I would have been in a car. I'll set the cruise control for 62 and drive with one hand for hours. Road wonder is no worse than my daily driver but with how wide any coach is you don't have a lot of lane room to wonder in. Bad roads will get things to banging and windows rattling though.

Everything in the coach (fridge, A/C, water heater, furnace, generator,,) is no different than any other coach. Windows, fiberglass walls, roof, floors are not much different than any coach within the same general class (gas coach with an MSRP of say $100K). The cabinets are a bit light but that keeps the coach weight down which gives me either more carrying capacity or better fuel usage.

Now the big question, would I recommend a Hurricane? New, nope not a chance, not to my x-wife. Well maybe the X. Just way to many post delivery problems but my recommendation applies to any manufacturer. As a first time owner a two year old at a good price is a much better purchase. Let the last owner sort out warranty issues.

Are budget RV's dangerous? Sure but what 10 ton vehicle moving object isn't. At speed any RV accident that results in a roll over is going to be ugly just as it is with any vehicle. But we do have one feature in our favor concerning most common accidents. The floor in the coach is about the same height as the roof of 90% of the vehicles that are most likely to be the second party involved, cars. As such the impact will be going into the chassis below the floor and not the occupants. Hit a tracker trailer, tree, light pole, bus and other such tall objects and the outcome is going to change not in our favor.

Good luck with your search.

[afrescopXx]

Winnebago uses a steel cage up front and roll tests its RVs.

[WyoTraveler]

Hurricane is an entry level MH which means thinner cargo doors, a little less spent on appliances, maybe plastic commode, The V10 comes from Ford but may be on a lighter chassis. You really have to look and compare. That is why RV shows are good. You can compare RVs all in one place.

[fourmat]

If you are looking at class a Gas units new you pretty much are going to wind up with a Ford Stability has a lot to do with how its loaded tire pressure and so on. Danger of fire hurricane is using same components as all other entry level class A. I don't know of any class A that is not dangerous in a collision or roll over with out spending a LOT of money. Driver fatigue well it will not be as comfortable to drive as a quality diesel pusher also will be no where near the price. As others have recommended test drive the unit you are interested in

[2gypsies1]

They are not even RVers and have never owned an RV. They get their specs from the same mfg. specs you can obtain online - free. You can also tour mfg. plants yourself. Read other folks' experiences with different manufacturers. I would take their comments as more factual.

Google for a Hurricane owner's group and start reading. Good luck!

[n7bsn]

The RV Consumer Group can be a valuable resource, I have used them every time we have bought a rig.
No they don't "buy" every rig, no they don't even walk into an example of every model offered.
They tour factories to look at construction methods, they look, in detail, at an example from every model line, they do have "formulas", but these formulas are based in common sense, like the ratio between total length and wheel-base. As noted above, a longer wheel-base (for the same total length) is safer then shorter. Yes it will not handle well in "in town" driving, but honestly, were are you using the rig?
Another thing they look at is were tanks are located. Well, located, centered, balanced gets a higher "score" then a builder that puts all the tanks on one side, or towards the back (better balance, better handling)

[msmith1199]

I think RV Consumer Group is the same group (or guy) that I paid for a subscription to before I bought my first RV over 12 years ago. The guy sounded very knowledgeable and I trusted what he was saying, at first. However, after more research and looking at some of his stuff, I finally figured out he had a political agenda. He basically felt that every RV was unsafe that had a slide and he even didn't like some that didn't have slides. He also felt that RV's should all be built to the exact same crash standards as cars. On the surface that seems like a great idea. But the problem is you wouldn't have an RV on the road cheaper than $500k if he had his way.

[mtrumpet]

Dan B,
I would recommend that you check out Midway RV, 5590 S. Division Avenue there in Grand Rapids. We bought our Dutch Star from them and they were terrific people to deal with. The salesman that we dealt with was named John. I can't remember his last name, but recall that it was an Italian sounding name. I believe that started with an "M". Unsure if he is still there. We bought four years ago.

[Bumpyroad]

Dan B wrote:
My wife and I are looking to purchase our first Motorhome and have been doing a lot of research. We purchased RV consumers group program as suggested by some people on this site. .

other people here probably said it was a waste of money.
bumpy

[WyoTraveler]

If I read that stuff in some RV consumer report I would throw the info in the trash. All the MHs on the road are dangerous in a crash. There is nothing up front except a plastic grill. All MHs could have a propane fire. Ever see pictures of RVs in an accident? Not just MHs but 5ers and TTs as well. Read some accident reports about commercial MCI buses. Driver usually dies. Those are $500K or more units. In many gas MHs after you buy one you will be adding a steering control, anti sway, and rear trak device. Even most diesels don't drive down the highway like a Provost, MCI, or old Crown bus. In a gasser you may want to look for a longer wheel base Vs length. Highway handling will be better but driving around town not as good. You won't know until you drive one yourself. If you are buying used and comparing look underneath for the items mentioned above. JMHO and I have driven MCIs and Crowns.

[bsinmich]

I also would recommend General RV in Wayland. They were great when I bought my Newmar there and I had my previous Pace Arrow from the Wixom location.

[KazooTom]

You are correct that much of their information is outdated. Also be aware that many of the reviews are based on spec sheets and the group has never set foot in the unit they are reviewing.

It is true that the Hurricane is considered more of an entry level unit. The build quality and fixtures may be at the lower end. That said, the chassis under the box will be the same as any other in that length class. If a newer gas unit, it will be a Ford chassis.

As far as handling, test drive the unit and decide for yourself. I see you are in the Grand Rapids area. There are several dealers in your area. One of the largest is General RV in Wayland. If you would like, PM me and I will give you the name of a salesperson that can help you explore the units. He is very low pressure.