Thor quality

[viajante]

I am looking to upgrade from my current Class A gasser to a DP. One brand that looks good is the Thor Tuscany. I don't have much familiarity with the quality of this unit.

About the only manufacturers that consistently rate highly are Winnebago, Tiffin and Newmar.

I would love to hear from anyone that has experience with Thor. Please tell me about the good, the bad and the ugly.

Thanks much for your help.

[raymondfl]

Put me down for being a Thor advocate. We purchased a 2004 Country Coach Inspire new, the lowest end model of a high end maker, not an inexpensive unit just CC's low end, what a mistake!!!! By 2007 we traded it on a new Mandalay, the high end model of Thor. What a difference, we have had nothing but great things to say from the day we owned this unit. The moral for me is buy the high end of a lower maker rather than a low end of a higher maker. Thor takes pride in their higher units, for sure there was no pride in the Inspire we had. Dollar for dollar our Mandalay was the best unit on the market. Very seldom will you find an unhappy Mandalay owner. You can always pay more not sure you always get more. Best of luck as never an easy decision.

[Effy]

Thor seems to have cornered the market on "affordable" motorhomes. Makes sense that they sell a lot of them. Other brands I think are known for better quality but at a price. Some brands are simply overpriced based on the name. Comparably equipped units from different manufacturers Thor almost always seems to win the price war. Granted some of the fit and finish may not be as nice on some coaches. But a reminder that every manufacturer uses the same components (refer, Ac's, WH, pumps, toilets, furnaces etc) as well as the same chassis and drivetrain with very few exceptions. The difference really comes down to the build. Granted my unit is no DP, but I have had no issues with the Thor side with respect to build other than a few things here and there. From what I have read on here that's the same for every brand at every price point so to me Thor is no worse than anyone else. But I will say this, Thor is hands down the best company I have ever had the pleasure of dealing with. And I don't mean just for RV's, they are a fantastic company in general from a customer service standpoint. Their support is knowledgeable, friendly and willing to help with anything. That is worth a lot to me. Enough to buy another Thor. Shopping Palazzo's currently. I have been shopping a lot of units lately and frankly the quality appears to be just about the same across the board. I don't think you really get the quality we all would like unless we spend the money most of us don't have. Pick your floorplan, find a price you can live with and think about the level of support from whatever company you might go with, because you will need it regardless of manufacturer. Frankly in terms of quality control (or lack thereof) when compared to other products and for what you spend, motorhomes suck. All brands. But we all know that don't we.

[gone2dadesert]

topflite51 wrote:
Thor is not considered to be among the "top tier" of manufacturers, but then again neither is their price. They must be doing something right. Haven't heard of any build problems for Thor, the same cannot be said for other manufacturers who are routinely listed as a "top tier" manufacturer.

I guess you "get what you pay for"...

[topflite51]

Thor is not considered to be among the "top tier" of manufacturers, but then again neither is their price. They must be doing something right. Haven't heard of any build problems for Thor, the same cannot be said for other manufacturers who are routinely listed as a "top tier" manufacturer.

[gone2dadesert]

Dance Chick wrote:
It seems to me that I've seen people say "no way", and I've seen just as many say, "no problems". It does seem that when someone asks for a list of the top manufacturers, Thor doesn't seem to make the cut. I'm not sure I've ever seen Thor on anyone's top list.

We have a Thor product that we're happy with. It's not a higher end unit, but we also didn't pay a higher end price for it. We feel like we got some nice features for the money spent.

I think that within any manufacturer's offerings, you're going to have poor quality issues from time to time. No manufacturer will have 100% satisfaction.
I'd find a Thor/Tuscany owners' forum and ask there. They'll be able to give you first-hand answers.

X2


Good Luck with your decision.

[Doug_and_Cassi_]

A guy two sites down from me has a new Redwood fifth wheel. Not a m/h but made by Thor and it is absolutely gorgeous. About the prettiest I've ever seen.

[RedG]

I looked at a couple of Mandalays (in the 2005/2006 range) when we were looking for a coach. They were equipped nicely, but the quality just didn't seem to be there to me. Also, both had terrible looking cracking of the paint under the clear coat - mostly the darkest colors. One salesman tried to convince me it was supposed to look like that.
Also, on one, the main slide had been dragging and the covering on the bottom was worn off until the plywood was showing.
We opted to pay a little more for a Newmar and I'm still in awe of the quality and detail compared to a lot of other brands we looked at.
That being said, I'm sure Thor products are fine, but I feel there are others with better quality.

[Dyngbld]

the 37kt is on my short list. I hope I can find a good deal on a nice gently used one in a couple of years.

[Dance_Chick]

It seems to me that I've seen people say "no way", and I've seen just as many say, "no problems". It does seem that when someone asks for a list of the top manufacturers, Thor doesn't seem to make the cut. I'm not sure I've ever seen Thor on anyone's top list.

We have a Thor product that we're happy with. It's not a higher end unit, but we also didn't pay a higher end price for it. We feel like we got some nice features for the money spent.

I think that within any manufacturer's offerings, you're going to have poor quality issues from time to time. No manufacturer will have 100% satisfaction.
I'd find a Thor/Tuscany owners' forum and ask there. They'll be able to give you first-hand answers.

[desobelman]

The word in the RV circles I roam in is that Thor make a very decent quality coach, for the money.

I have not seen many negative comments from Thor Brand owners. mostly positive comments.

The Hurricane is comparable to the Bounder, with just as good a service record.

Just my 2c, and worth EVERY penny!

Happy Trails! :W

Darryl

[ata3001]

My TT is a Thor unit & in 5 yrs use, has not needed a single repair.

[AikenRacer]

We own a 2012 Tuscany Tag 42RQ. I do the maint on it and just got back from the factory in Indiana for some work. Feel free to pm me and I'll give you my phone where we can talk easier. Overall, we love this motorhome. Thor did what they said they would do and even a little more.

[lunch_surfer]

We have a 05 Mandalay old Thor prior to Tuscany. No issues other than maintenance and warranty stuff no problems in 25000 miles. I can assure you the factory folks are second to none. I would buy another tomorrow if we needed / wanted to upgrade.

ctc

[Devonm2012]

We met a couple that had a Tuscany that was 9 months old. It had so many problems that they sold it and have quit RVing. We have not yet been inside a Thor product that displayed the quality we would expect to see in a coach. Just our two cents. We found Newmar to be our manufacturer of choice. The couple we met had a dead fridge, jacks that did not work, broken tiles, torn dash, and on and on. They were disgusted.

[Mike_and_Trish]

We've driven a 2008 Mandalay (a Thor line no longer made, but more-or-less folded into the Tuscany line) for over 3 years, and are still pleased with our choice, having no serious issues. It's a solidly built tag-axle DP, on Freightliner chassis, with Cummins ISL 425 and lots of comfort and convenience -- bath and a half, 3 heat pumps, hydronic furnace/water heater, ceramic tile floors, etc. We actually chose it over a Newmar after driving both, because the Mandalay gave us more features for the $$.

For the most part, I don't buy the notion that a particular manufacturer (with the exception of the high-enders like Newell, Foretravel, or the Prevost-based builders) is "known" for quality or not. Most big RV manufacturers (and Thor is, by most measures, the biggest) make a wide range of products, from entry-level to some degree of luxury. You generally get what you're willing to pay for. That said, some manufacturers have a reputation (deserved or not) that lets them charge more for a similar product. Smart shoppers might steer away from those lines toward one that provides more bang for the buck.

Just my opinion, others will vary ...