vinniechains
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Re: Dealership service challenges if buying coach elsewhere???
dougrainer wrote: 1. Your local dealer is BUSY. WHO gets prompt service? The customers that PAID the dealer for their unit. If service is not backed up, then ANY customer will be brought in as soon as possible 2. Any dealer that would tell a customer that you purchased elsewhere and will not service it has no idea about customer service. Now, a SALESMEN will tell a potential customer that you go elsewhere, then good luck getting prompt or any service under warranty. The Salesmen ARE NOT in charge of the service dept. IF the Service is busy then the usual response is "we are booked for 3 to 5 weeks". 3. NOT under warranty, the Service dept should have not put off any service work if they are not booked up. 4. There are a lot of items that warranty does NOT cover and if returned to the selling dealer, those items will be covered by that dealer. Go to another dealer and those items will be on YOUR dime. 5. MY pet peeve is the out of state dealers that did not do anything resembling a PDI and delivery because you got that great price and then drive it back and hand us a laundry list of defective items that the low ball dealer did not address or just stated to get it fixed at your local dealer. A LOT of those items are lot damage, removed parts and the OEM does NOT cover those items. So the Rv'er gets mad at the local dealer instead of that great low ball dealer. Doug Very valid points for sure. I understand the dealers can be in a tough spot.581Views0likes0CommentsDealership service challenges if buying coach elsewhere???
I'm currently doing my research and shopping for a Class A motorhome. I am finding that many dealerships are very strict about the "Don't buy here, don't service here" policy. I understand their challenges with internet sales (which they participate in), current customer demands/issues, warranty work, etc...However, it's scary as a consumer to not know what to expect when I have service problems. Everyone seems to say that MH's have many more issues that can and will go wrong with them. If I was buying new, no question I would buy local. I agree that would be a slap in the face to that dealership if I didn't give them a shot. However, when looking for a specific coach, 1-3 years old, you have to go broad in your search. For example, I don't want to buy a MH in Florida, bring it back to PA, and find out my levelers don't work, and am told by my local dealership that I have to wait 2 months for service. I may have some work arounds. However, just curious what some of your experiences have been and what your thoughts are on this. I'm sure this has been going on since the rise of the internet sales and is a growing concern for dealers. They make more of their money on the sale vs. service (more so for MHs). Thanks!5.8KViews0likes24CommentsRe: Tiffin Allegro 34TGA good with kids??
Rick Jay wrote: Hi, We don't have bunks in our Class A and, from what I've seen of most bunk floorplans, we wouldn't want them. For several reasons. First of all, kids will sleep anywhere. We opted for dedicated living space over dedicated sleeping space. Change-over at night-time and morning is about a 5 minute process. Less, now that they are all old enough to do it themselves. (When we got the rig the kids were 7,4,3,1.) We keep the sheets & pillows in the overhead cabinets. No big deal. Yet having those two sofas and dinette really gave us plenty of space so we could all watch a movie on a rainy day, or play games at the table. Second, the bunks take up what would usually be closet & drawer space. With 3 kids, you'll need lots of closet space. You never have enough, but we certainly wouldn't want to give up any of what we have. Third, and I didn't think of this until after we got the rig, is that the bunks are too close to the "mommy & daddy" space for most bunk floorplans. On our rig, the kids are sleeping up front, we have the bathroom/closets/hallway separating us with our bedroom at the end. We turn on the overhead fan (AC or heat or just fan) for some background noise and now wifey and I can watch what we want in the bedroom without worrying about any inappropriate language being heard by the "little ears". Or, should things progress and wifey is feeling a bit romantic, we know there aren't ears pressed on the other side of a paper-thin wall trying to hear what's going on. :) Now, as to the two floorplans you mentioned. 35QBA: I don't like the bunks for the reason mentions. But, I do like the "all in one bath". In fact, with cabinets where the bunks are, this would be a very nice floorplan, in my opinion. I guess on those "amorous nights" you could always have the kids sleep up front. :) Seriously, though, I would ask Tiffin if they would replace the bunk area with closet & drawer space. 34TGA: I don't like the split bath. I believe in that floorplan, when someone is in the shower, the rig is now divided. People in the front can't get to the back, and people in the back can't get to the front. This is an OK floorplan with 2 adults where your spouse might not mind you walking through, but obviously won't work with kids. Picture this: You're all trying to get dressed to go out somewhere. All of the clothes are in the bedroom area, but if someone needs to take a shower, how will people get to their clothes? How many can you comfortably (and with modesty) fit in the bedroom to get changed together? Just something to think about. By the way, 100% correct thinking on Tiffin. They are on the top of our list IF we ever buy another motorhome. But our dual sofa, dual slide 36' rig has been the PERFECT floorplan for us. My biggest problem with many Tiffin units is that they seem to have lots of floorplans with the split bath, and that isn't our preference. Just out of curiosity, have you priced the 36LA? I'm not crazy about bath and a half units, but with kids, it's a nice floorplan. In my opinion, an extra bath is far more useful than bunks. But as I look at it, there is still that paper-thin wall between the living area and the bedroom area. So, I guess this one wouldn't pass our test. :) Oh, and I would highly recommend the optional driver's side door. Very convenient. Good Luck on your search. While Tiffin is a great company, I'd recommend Winnebago as well. Keep looking. It took over 2 years of research for us to find our ideal solution. The rig we have is our first RV and I spent lots of time soliciting opinions from the fine people on this forum to help us arrive at our final solution. It was time well-spent. :) We went from looking at small hybrids to tow behind our Honda Odyssey minivan to the 36' Class A rig towing the Odyssey, with all sorts of ideas in-between. But we ultimately arrived on what worked best for our family of 6. Good Luck, ~Rick Thanks Rick! Very insightful. In fact, the 36LA (which I should have mentioned) is my top pick if I decide to go without the bunks. I like some of the Georgetown XL floor plans as well. We have been looking at Winnebago also. There are some small details I feel like they are missing at the price range I'm in though.414Views0likes0CommentsRe: Hurricane 34J vs Thor Super C vs. Tiffin Allegro . Opinions?
DazedNConfused wrote: vinniechains wrote: Curious on what you decided? We're looking at the approximately the same thing. With 3 small kids, but soon to be big, debating on whether the bunks are a must. I looked at the Thor Miramar 34.2 which is suppose to be an upgrade from the Hurricane. Love the floorplan and electric bunk. In fact, I would consider buying one but was really not impressed with the quality. Thor scares me...at least in the price range I'm looking. Love the Tiffin 35QBA too. However, when trying to find one a year or two old, it's nearly impossible. I have an opportunity to buy the 34TGA but there are no bunks. Still contemplating. So....we did get out to a dealer a few weekends ago and spent 3 hours there looking at and driving a Tiffin Allegro 35QBA and Hurricane 34J. Without going into huge details, I kept my opinions to myself while my wife and kids all walked around and through the coaches and provided feedback. They came to the same conclusions I did. In every way, the Tiffin is a nicer coach. The build quality was SO much better, the storage compartments were bigger, easier to access, and every single one of them was pass-thru over the drivetrain. The deciding factor really came from the test drive. On this particular day, it was VERY windy. Steady 15-17mph winds with gusts up to 25mph or more. We test drove a twisty road, around town roads, and did 12 miles on the Interstate at highway speeds. The Hurricane was SO loud. The wind was whistling in the cabin...it was SO annoying. And the wind was knocking us all over the road. I had to fight from doing full lane changes when a gust came up. These were really the worst conditions I'd expect to encounter on a trip in our parts. By comparison, the Tiffin was so much smoother and quieter. There was very little wind noise. And the coach, while it did move around during the gusts -- was never an issue. Dunno if it was the heavier base weight or the fact that it had the bigger 22.5" wheels and the Hurricane had smaller wheels...but it was a far more pleasant experience. There were other niceties as well -- like how the Tiffin A/C units don't poke through the ceiling...so you never hear the loud return fans. It was $30K more...but I feel worth every penny after comparing these two coaches side by side. If we buy one, we'll order one for the simple fact that Tiffin just released a new option for the 35QBA in the form of a manual drop-down bunk over the driver/passenger seats. It's not electric...it's manual...but easy enough to us. You get at 250lb capacity vs. the electric's 500lb capacity. I also really like the full MCD shades on every window...and electric on the main windshield. With all that said, I'd still really like to find a roughly 2011-2012 38QBA Red. I think that would be a neat coach...but can't afford a new one. So...we're still talking. I do know that I've been in heavy/gusty winds in my current 40' fifth wheel and super duty pickup. I can hear the wind...and I can see the trees bending over. But I never feel the truck or camper move. Fifth wheels are so stable when towing!976Views0likes0CommentsRe: Hurricane 34J vs Thor Super C vs. Tiffin Allegro . Opinions?
Curious on what you decided? We're looking at the approximately the same thing. With 3 small kids, but soon to be big, debating on whether the bunks are a must. I looked at the Thor Miramar 34.2 which is suppose to be an upgrade from the Hurricane. Love the floorplan and electric bunk. In fact, I would consider buying one but was really not impressed with the quality. Thor scares me...at least in the price range I'm looking. Love the Tiffin 35QBA too. However, when trying to find one a year or two old, it's nearly impossible. I have an opportunity to buy the 34TGA but there are no bunks. Still contemplating.975Views0likes0CommentsTiffin Allegro 34TGA good with kids??
So, we're looking to upgrade to a Class A gas coach. Really in love with the Tiffin 35 QBA which has the bunks. I'm just wondering if I'm putting too much stock into the bunks. Kids are 9,8,4. I have an opportunity to buy a 34 TGA which doesn't have bunks but has the sleeper sofa and dinette bed. Anyone have a coach with kids and don't have bunks? Curious what your opinions are. Thanks!!3KViews0likes8Comments
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