Why so many late model Thor's for sale?

[jim1521]

I've been looking at Class A motorhomes and noticing that there are a TON of late model Thor's on the market. I don't know a lot about them, but judging by the number of them for sale, I'm guessing that they're not very high quality.

Can somebody fill me in on this? Thanks.

[bobkatmsu]

I have just gone through that process. I've taken at least the last year looking studying and investigating. At first I narrowed my search to Newmar, Tiffon, and American Coach. The further I looked I really wanted a Newmar. I had to go a little bit older to fit in my budget, but I happily did it. To me the difference was palpable. I guess only time will tell, but at this point I am very comfortable with my decision.

[stickdog]

Lexx wrote:
Don't forget about the issue with paint checking on fiberglass sided MH's built before 2009. If it were not for that issue, I'd be very interested in buying a pre-2008 Foretravel class A. Originally msrp on those is over $550k!

I thought the crackle paint look was 'in'. Saw it on HGTV.

[jim1521]

Lexx wrote:
Don't forget about the issue with paint checking on fiberglass sided MH's built before 2009. If it were not for that issue, I'd be very interested in buying a pre-2008 Foretravel class A. Originally msrp on those is over $550k!

What is that? Sorry, I'm not aware of it. Can someone expand further on this?

EDIT: Found it. Very interesting. I've just read a number of threads about it.

Don't want to hijack my own thread, so I'll leave my questions for one of the many threads already started on this subject.

[Dennis12]

sorry for the duplicate

[Dennis12]

Only makes sense. Biggest seller in the industry leads to more used units for sale.

[Lexx]

Don't forget about the issue with paint checking on fiberglass sided MH's built before 2009. If it were not for that issue, I'd be very interested in buying a pre-2008 Foretravel class A. Originally msrp on those is over $550k!

[StuckinTracy]

jim1521 wrote:

DutchmenSport wrote:
In 2005 Newmar Dutch Star WAS the better unit! 2018 models?... flip a coin and both sides are probably wrong!

So 12 years later (December 2017), sitting side by side out in the dealer's lot, which would you buy?

In fact, let me sweeten the deal. There's also a 2010 Thor (same model, etc.) sitting there for the same price.

Which of the 3 would you choose?

I would be very suspicious of 2 rigs (same model) 5 years apart selling for the same price. Either the newer one has a lot more miles, fewer options, or something hidden wrong that I would steer clear of. That or the 2005 is way over priced.
At any rate, I would vote for the Newmar, but that is just a personal preference.

[tropical36]

bobkatmsu wrote:
I did quite a bit of studying of several RV's in the past year, Thor among them. Their floor plans were actually quite good, at least for what I was looking for, but on closer inspection the fit and finish seemed sub-par to me. My concern was if the little things that I could see were a problem, what about the things I could not see. I could say the same about others as well, it wasn't just Thor.

Yep, and since floor plan and price among new sales seem to be the #1 draw, then it's not hard to see how overall quality can be easily put on the back burner. Did I mention the WOW factors, like a huge TV above a fireplace for getting one's attention.

[jim1521]

DutchmenSport wrote:
In 2005 Newmar Dutch Star WAS the better unit! 2018 models?... flip a coin and both sides are probably wrong!

So 12 years later (December 2017), sitting side by side out in the dealer's lot, which would you buy?

In fact, let me sweeten the deal. There's also a 2010 Thor (same model, etc.) sitting there for the same price.

Which of the 3 would you choose?

[DutchmenSport]

In 2005 Newmar Dutch Star WAS the better unit! 2018 models?... flip a coin and both sides are probably wrong!

[jim1521]

OK, so with that as a backdrop (Thor's aren't really any worse that the rest), let me pose a question (this is entirely hypothetical at the moment):

You have $75,000 to spend on a used Class A. There are two models that you are looking at:
1)2005 Newmar Dutch Star and
2)2005 Thor Four Winds Mandalay Bay.

For the sake of comparison, both units are in very good condition (no major problems), both are similarly equipped (diesel, 2 A/C, etc.), same lengths. Both are selling for $75,000. You're looking to get 5 more years out of them (17 years total age).

Which would you choose?

I ask this question because of some background that I have.

When the USSR collapsed, Boeing was able to begin selling aircraft into former Eastern Bloc countries. In a meeting with the executives of an airline in one of the former Eastern Bloc countries, they were trying to choose between buying Russian airplanes or buying Boeing airplanes. The CEO was really struggling to make a decision. Finally, he went around the room and asked each of his executives what car they drove. "BMW", "Mercedes" they replied. The CEO asked them why no one drove a Russian car. They all voted unanimously for Boeing.

[bobkatmsu]

I did quite a bit of studying of several RV's in the past year, Thor among them. Their floor plans were actually quite good, at least for what I was looking for, but on closer inspection the fit and finish seemed sub-par to me. My concern was if the little things that I could see were a problem, what about the things I could not see. I could say the same about others as well, it wasn't just Thor.

[Mickeyfan0805]

hohenwald48 wrote:

cm2785 wrote:
Well the one I was talking about with the AC problem looked like a pretty nice/big class A rig.. nothing small or cheap and it’s AC couldn’t even cool it off in cool weather 😞

I guess I can't explain what you describe.

It does seem to me that a 15K BTU Coleman A/C in a Thor should work about the same as a 15K BTU Coleman A/C in a Tiffin. So I'm not sure how that can be considered a Thor problem.

Really depends on what the issue is. Faulty unit is initially a Coleman issue, but if it never worked it could/should have been caught by both Thor (at installation) and the dealer (before delivery).

That said, it could also be bad wiring, faulty power, something wrong with the ducting, etc... All of those would be on Thor.

[hohenwald48]

cm2785 wrote:
Well the one I was talking about with the AC problem looked like a pretty nice/big class A rig.. nothing small or cheap and it’s AC couldn’t even cool it off in cool weather 😞

I guess I can't explain what you describe.

It does seem to me that a 15K BTU Coleman A/C in a Thor should work about the same as a 15K BTU Coleman A/C in a Tiffin. So I'm not sure how that can be considered a Thor problem.