WEnt to a show here in California, and sat inside a few of the upper price DP's. The first one was a Winnebago...Holly Molly! we just had an earthquake as I am Typing this! I heard this rumble and then the house started shaking. Cat's ran around like WTH is going on. Only lasted about 10 seconds. Probably around a 4.5...Anyway, the Winnebago Grand Tour had app 10,000 miles and looked nice, had a Tag, app 43',IFS, 2014 It had the sun roof above the drivers seat. So, i get in start driving, and i can barely hold a conversation with all the rattles going on.. I mean it was so bad that within 5 minutes of the drive i turned around. I couldn't wait to get out of it... and the List price...$329,500 Then, we saw a Tiffin Phaeton, that was also used about 40' Single axle, 2014, DP, with app 2000 miles on it. the salesman said it had Pinch rolled walls, the are the best in the industry...? It only had the cummins 380hp 1050 torque, and solid front axle. It was newer and didn't rattle so much, but it seemed the power was lacking. I left kinda dissapointed that RV's will always drive terrible...? I really hope something out there will drive better, not have so many rattles, and feels a bit tighter. Dont get me wrong i understand that RV's will rattle and those items can be fixed, but for a first drive i left unimpressed...I forgot which one, but one had the MAXUM chassis. It seemed like both were on some type of freight-liner chasis. with 4 or 6 airbags. the saleman said that we not want the inside and outside bags because the front tire is right there and could pop the airbag...?He also said that he wouldn't take a Monaco if they gave it to him for free.. Something about thers no one there to service themI have hope that Newmar, or CC, or pre 2007 Monaco, or...?? will feel tighter, and have some quality engineering done.

The Maxum chassis is the Winnebago's chassis, which is basically a renamed Freightliner chassis. Thank you for review of test drive. I wondered if the Grand Tour was any good.

We must be pretty close as my house was shaken with 4.1 pretty badly.

Fleetwood and Monaco are now owned by ARV and the Fleetwood factory will service both. Monaco built some really nice coaches.My Revolution has few rattles and drives like a dream on a Spartan chassis.It is Winnebago that calls their chassis the Maxim. It is made by Freightliner.

I'm over in the valley and just saw the news about the earthquake, didn't feel anything here.Don't judge all RV's by those two test drives. My RV drives and rides very nicely. It's not as nice as a luxury car, but I would say it's very comparable to my SUV. As far as the salesman telling you no one is out there to work on a Monaco.............gee, I wonder where all the Monaco, Safari, Holiday Rambler, National, Country Coach, Alpha, and others, that are no longer being built get work done..........obviously what he told you is not the case.

Were the rattles in the Tiffin internal stuff or in the chassis.Reason I ask is that my last MH, a Beaver PT was dead quite except it had mini blinds that rattled and squeaked. This coach is also dead quite and has MCD vs. the miniblinds but I can not quiet the occasional "clinking" from the wine glasses hanging in the bar. Also, almost every time we get underway after stopping for awhile, DW has to go on "noise" quest.Point is, the rattles may be just loose gear, doors, or etc.

Test Drove 2 DP's this weekend... and an earthquake...lol

Skid_Row_Joe
Explorer
Aug 20, 2015
rjxj wrote:
Sun roof? Just what an RV needs.
Done right, they're pretty nice!
Mr_Mark1
Explorer
Aug 20, 2015
mtrumpet wrote:
Ocean Mist wrote:
WEnt to a show here in California, and sat inside a few of the upper price DP's. The first one was a Winnebago...Holly Molly! we just had an earthquake as I am Typing this! I heard this rumble and then the house started shaking. Cat's ran around like WTH is going on. Only lasted about 10 seconds. Probably around a 4.5...

Anyway, the Winnebago Grand Tour had app 10,000 miles and looked nice....

HA! Ocean Mist is a true Californian indeed! Wait, we just had a 4.5 earthquake here! Oh well, as I was saying about these motorhomes...

Being from the northeast, I would've been under the desk!:B

While in California, we like our martini's shaken, works for us! LOL!

MM.
Ava
Explorer
Aug 19, 2015
Hi, Ocean Mist , I have a 36'. 1994 Diesel Fleetwood Bounder on an Oshkosh chassis. 5.9 Cummins, 6 speed Allison trans. Ava
mtrumpet
Explorer
Aug 19, 2015
Ocean Mist wrote:
WEnt to a show here in California, and sat inside a few of the upper price DP's. The first one was a Winnebago...Holly Molly! we just had an earthquake as I am Typing this! I heard this rumble and then the house started shaking. Cat's ran around like WTH is going on. Only lasted about 10 seconds. Probably around a 4.5...

Anyway, the Winnebago Grand Tour had app 10,000 miles and looked nice....

HA! Ocean Mist is a true Californian indeed! Wait, we just had a 4.5 earthquake here! Oh well, as I was saying about these motorhomes...

Being from the northeast, I would've been under the desk!:B
mtrumpet
Explorer
Aug 19, 2015
SCVJeff wrote:
rjxj wrote:
Sun roof? Just what an RV needs.
yeah..
We stress over drilling holes for solar and coax, and what's the best sealant, then the manfacturer comes along with a Sawz-All

LOL! You guys beat me to it! I was thinking it while you were typing it! :B
BennieH
Explorer
Aug 19, 2015
Before we bought our Monaco last fall, I did a lot of research. Part of the process was a call to their tech support group. That call alone was one of the key factors in our decision to buy. As any other coach, do a very detailed inspection or hire someone to done for you. Get everything in writing. Just like any other sales operation, if it isn't in writing they will deny that it was agreed to.
I think the salesman was saying that just to keep you in his facility. Did not want to lose a sale.
Bruce_Brown
Moderator
Aug 19, 2015
Ocean Mist wrote:
W
Then, we saw a Tiffin Phaeton, that was also used about 40' Single axle, 2014, DP, with app 2000 miles on it. the salesman said it had Pinch rolled walls, the are the best in the industry...?

I left kinda dissapointed that RV's will always drive terrible...? I really hope something out there will drive better, not have so many rattles, and feels a bit tighter. Dont get me wrong i understand that RV's will rattle and those items can be fixed, but for a first drive i left unimpressed...

I forgot which one, but one had the MAXUM chassis. It seemed like both were on some type of freight-liner chasis. with 4 or 6 airbags. the saleman said that we not want the inside and outside bags because the front tire is right there and could pop the airbag...?

He also said that he wouldn't take a Monaco if they gave it to him for free.. Something about thers no one there to service them

I have hope that Newmar, or CC, or pre 2007 Monaco, or...?? will feel tighter, and have some quality engineering done.

A few things;

First, based on what you're saying here your salesman was an idiot. There is so much misinformation it's almost laughable.

1. The Tiffin has laminated walls, like 95% of every other MH on the market today. "Pinched Rolled" - what the heck is that??? Sure, during the lamination process they pinch the walls between 2 rollers, but it's still nothing more than a laminated wall - and if it's laminated it will delaminate over time.

From Tiffins own web site:

We guarantee against all exterior fiberglass delamination or wall separation for 5 years.

2. A test drive of an empty coach is a bear, although thats usually our only option. The air pressures will usually be set of a loaded coach, and air pressure makes a big difference. Having said that, try a Newmar with Comfort Drive some time. If you can, get the most gusty windy day you can and do a back-to-back with another that doesn't have Comfort Drive. You'll see what a nice driving coach is all about. :B

3. Outside airbags have been used successfully for years. I'm thinking if tires popping them was a real issue you'd see it on here every day. I'm been on RV.net a long time and not once have I ever heard of such a thing. See above opinion on your salesman.

4. While Monaco sure has gone through some rough times since 2008, and they had a few dark periods along the way, they still are a quality coach. The pre-2008's were some of the finest quality MHs on the road, and with the new owners I suspect we'll be seeing that again. Look what they've done for Fleetwood. By most (all?) accounts the new overs have done an exceptional job of not only taking care of the mistakes of the past, they've also improved quality across the board. I wouldn't shy away from a Monaco one bit.
smlranger
Explorer
Aug 19, 2015
Any of these beasts can rattle but, as noted, most of that comes from the stuff we have in cabinets, etc. Once you address those rattles, it gets much better. We traded a Winnebago Journey on our current coach and one of the most impressive things when I test drove the Allure was how quiet it was, even thru some construction on I-85. After we added our stuff, we had a few rattles in the galley due to dishes, etc.

Country Coach has a 37' Allure with tag for sale at their place in Junction City. If I was looking for something in the 35' - 40' range, I would certainly give it serious consideration. That coach should have plenty of power and drive like it is on rails.

37' Allure

Also, beware of lying salesmen. You need to do your research and know when they are lying. Pinch rolled walls is a reference to laminated walls which is how most of them are made (some use vacuum bonding, most just apply the glue and run the wall units thru rollers). Some like Newmar and Entegra use hung wall construction where they glue the fiberglass on after the wall is set on the coach. The statement about air bag placement is a bunch of hooey. No one builds a coach where the tires will contact the bags unless there is some mechanical problem.
MRUSA
Explorer
Aug 19, 2015
My Entegra coach is extremely quiet. There are no rattles on most roads and I cannot hear the engine at all. They use a Spartan chassis and then Entegra welds in added x-bracing for extra chassis stiifness and strength. The ride is awesome.

Try to test drive an Entegra.
Skid_Row_Joe
Explorer
Aug 19, 2015
Ocean Mist wrote:
WEnt to a show here in California, and sat inside a few of the upper price DP's. The first one was a Winnebago...Holly Molly! we just had an earthquake as I am Typing this! I heard this rumble and then the house started shaking. Cat's ran around like WTH is going on. Only lasted about 10 seconds. Probably around a 4.5...

Anyway, the Winnebago Grand Tour had app 10,000 miles and looked nice, had a Tag, app 43',IFS, 2014 It had the sun roof above the drivers seat. So, i get in start driving, and i can barely hold a conversation with all the rattles going on.. I mean it was so bad that within 5 minutes of the drive i turned around. I couldn't wait to get out of it... and the List price...$329,500

Then, we saw a Tiffin Phaeton, that was also used about 40' Single axle, 2014, DP, with app 2000 miles on it. the salesman said it had Pinch rolled walls, the are the best in the industry...? It only had the cummins 380hp 1050 torque, and solid front axle. It was newer and didn't rattle so much, but it seemed the power was lacking.

I left kinda dissapointed that RV's will always drive terrible...? I really hope something out there will drive better, not have so many rattles, and feels a bit tighter. Dont get me wrong i understand that RV's will rattle and those items can be fixed, but for a first drive i left unimpressed...

I forgot which one, but one had the MAXUM chassis. It seemed like both were on some type of freight-liner chasis. with 4 or 6 airbags. the saleman said that we not want the inside and outside bags because the front tire is right there and could pop the airbag...?

He also said that he wouldn't take a Monaco if they gave it to him for free.. Something about thers no one there to service them

I have hope that Newmar, or CC, or pre 2007 Monaco, or...?? will feel tighter, and have some quality engineering done.
It all depends on what you want, and what you're willing to pay for any given coach. You've got a lot of narrowing down to do and shopping is the only way you can do it sensibly. Two different coach models from the same manufacturer will drive and sound differently. Like I said, you're a long ways off from any decision. I would definitely avoid the units waay out of your geographic area. Too many pitfalls buying an RV from waay across the Country.;)