Can one be happy buying a brand new low end model motorhome ...

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SissyBoyFloyd

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... or are you just asking for trouble?

If the size/length is right, the floor plan and accessories all suite your needs, and if the classier items like solid wood drawers/cabinets, leather seating, fancy tile and high end counter tops doesn't really matter that much to you, is there any reason you can't be happy and make one of the lower priced motorhome models last for many years? 

I keep asking myself what on the cheaper coaches I would have to worry about.  It seems like most, if not all these days, ride on the same chassis, have same engines (Ford V10), same showers, TV types, DVD and other entertainment features.  Solid nice looking solid counter tops seem standard now, along with GPS, Sirius radio, charging ports for cell phones, generators, the ball bearing sliding drawers, pull down night shades, centralized air/heat, backup/side cameras, same appliances for the most part, same type of improved roofs, auto hydrolic levelers, etc.  For a few hundred dollars one can always upgrade the mattress, faucets, put on MaxxFans, satellite system, solar battery chargers, better inverters, and other things that might not come or be available on a cheaper coach.

Am I missing some important things that should be taken into account when going cheap over more expensive?  Aren't you getting pretty much the same coach without the frills and more upper class decor/items?  I am speaking of low end products in the discounted price range of $80-$100k, like the Thor Ace/Axis, Fleetwood Flair, Holiday Rambler Admiral, Winnebago Vista, Itasca Sunova, or the $100k class C 2018 Dynamax Isata 4.
 
I get to see a lot of folks with entry level motor homes come in to my RV park.....those people typically appear to be very happy.

if fact,  they appear to be happier then many of the Newell owners I see.
:eek:


 
Whew I'm glad my Winnebago Adventurer wasn't mention with the 'low end" coaches mentioned. Would of screwed up my night..... :)(
 
I have a Winnebago Vista LX and love it. While it is considered low end industry standards it isn't by mine!  My thinking is if it has what you want, floor plan, stuff, etc, it doesn't matter if it is considered low end or high end. It is what fits into your price range and works best for you is what counts in the end and screw those who think otherwise!
 
john owens said:
Whew I'm glad my Winnebago Adventurer wasn't mention with the 'low end" coaches mentioned. Would of screwed up my night..... :)(

No, the Adventurer is the main higher end coach I am considering used.  They are so nice and I can get one of those 5-10 yrs old for $50-70k.  So I keep wondering if a new low end coach with new warranty, roof, tires, engine, etc would give me more peace of mind or not.  None of the new coaches I could afford come close to the niceness of the Adventurer, and you wouldn't expect it to, being that it cost $50k more when new.
 
Absolutely not, the only way to be happy in a motorhome is to buy a new, huge,  diesel coach from a top end manufacturer.

After all, it is only money! ?
 
  NO!!    In your case, you are so paranoid you would NOT be happy regardless of WHAT you did..There would always be that question...So why do anything???you can't go wrong that way.>>>Dan
 
As I see it many of the lower end materials wear faster / show weathering faster than the materials used on upper end models, traditionally this has included vinyl graphics vs full body paint, read wood cabinets vs particle board, solid surface counters vs laminate, plastic vs fiberglass showers, ...

Then of course there are features that may be missing in entry level models, leveling jacks come to mind as a big one, others may be little things until you need them like a water distribution manifold that allows you to isolate a leaking water pipe.  With all sorts of things in between such as smaller water and propane tanks, no inverter, lower cargo carrying capacity, ...

None of this means that a person could not enjoy an entry level coach, just that it may come with some limitation and while many newer entry level coaches come with lots of bells and whistles like color changing lighting, such features may be cheap to install and provide distraction for unwary buyers, as a few color changing LED's that add pennies to the cost of construction, is no substitute for an expensive hydraulic leveling system.
 
I went three years back and I'm happy, but I would have been real happy with a new one too!  :)
 
utahclaimjumper said:
  NO!!    In your case, you are so paranoid you would NOT be happy regardless of WHAT you did..There would always be that question...So why do anything???you can't go wrong that way.>>>Dan

Good thinking.  That ranks right up there with killing yourself.  Never heard of anyone buried in a graveyard who had a care in the world.

Seriously though.  I am not the smartest guy in the world and have made many many financial mistakes in my life.  And this choice of buying a motorhome will surely be the largest and last major decision of my life.  It is how I will spend my few remaining years, and I suspect the odds are I will die in it.  So, getting as many of others advice seems only prudent to me.  Things like Isaac mentioned, a water distribution manifold, is something I have never heard of before and would never have knew that some coaches have it or not, need it or not, etc.  It is the hundred of tidbits like this that add to the learning experience, or add to the confusion level.  One or the other.
 
All these bits and odds and ends will keep you guessing and get nowhere. You will, (at some point),have to forget all you hear and FINALLY decide on SOMETHING in order to move on..I decided I wanted an older coach with NO slides,,then it also had to be an upscale and open floorplan that we could travel in with comfort... I started looking at EBay and found what I was after,,,an American Tradition gently used and up for auction do to being repossessed by a bank....I plugged in 30k and sat back to see the fireworks..
  After the 7 day sale was over I was the OWNER at 28.1k... Been loving it ever since for 8 years,, 80K miles and no regret's.>>>Dan
 
I basically agree with all of the previous comments, but Isaac-1 mentioned something that triggered a memory.  When we were selecting the fabrics for our current motorhome we wanted blue which was very out of favor at the time.  The interior designer was helping me find appropriate fabrics from other lines in their current motorhomes as well as what they had in inventory from previous years.  I saw one that looked nice in another current, but lower-end, model.  Her comment was that it was a low-end fabric that would not hold up very well.  She instead found fabric we liked even more from several years previously and it was a better quality that would be more durable.  In fact we're still using it more than ten years later.  So it's what you don't always see that probably is of lesser quality in the lower-end models.  That's not to say you couldn't be happy in a lower-end model if it has want you need and want; you just have to recognize that it might not hold up as well as a higher-end model.  Tradeoff, tradeoff, tradeoff.

Study what extras the upper-end motorhomes have and learn how useful they might be, such as the aforementioned water distribution manifold.  One thing that's really neat in our motorhome is that all the electrical lines are pre-marked so you know which one is which as you trace it from one end of the coach to the other.  Take some factory tours to learn how the different manufacturers construct their coaches.  You might be surprised at some of the differences.  When we became interested in getting a diesel pusher we took tours at eight different DP manufacturers.  That allowed us to make some preliminary want vs. don't want decisions because we could see quality issues first hand.

Finally, it might be better to get an older high-end model that is affordable.  You won't really know what you like until you've lived in an RV for a while.  Most of us who have been RVing for a good many years started out with something we could afford when we were younger and gradually upgraded.  Some people start out with a trailer and move up to a motorhome; others do the opposite.  We began with an 18' Class C (no TV, no microwave, no A/C) and have moved up over 45 years to our current 40' Class A DP which now has 102,000 miles.  We've owned each one for quite a few years because we liked what they offered at the time.  We changed RVs as our needs and wants (and income!) changed.  Choosing an RV can be difficult because of all those tradeoffs, but sometimes you just have to make a decision and go for it.  Good luck with your search!

ArdraF
 
"Happiness is a state of mind."

You can be happy in a used truck camper or unhappy in a new Prevost.
 
halfwright said:
"Happiness is a state of mind."

You can be happy in a used truck camper or unhappy in a new Prevost.

:)) :)) :))

While UtahClaimJumper is a little gruff he does make a point.  Every journey starts with the first step.  Go ahead and take one.
 
One factor to consider... are you going to live in it full time?  Use it every weekend?  Use it a few times each year for a few weeks?

If it will be your full time and only home... you might want to at least take a look at the other ones, even a few years old... If they are a few years old but still in excellent condition, you save big $$$ but, like you say, you probably don't get the warranties, etc.

If you are a part-time user... why spend more than you want?

Just another view point.
 
Yes Yes and H@LL Yes.
Actually some of the lower end Motor Homes have the better floor plans that suite your needs.  In a lot of cases that is what it boils down to, the floor plan and sleeping arrangements.  IF you  have a big family then most High End MH's only sleep 2 not 6 or 8.
 
I was looking at a new Entegra 45ft Class A and it seemed absolutely amazing to me. It was available at about $160,000 off the MRSP, which brought it down to $506,000. I checked my bank account and I was only $500,000 short so I didn't buy it. But maybe next week if I win the lottery.
 
My previous coach was a 2000 Winnebago Adventurer 37g. It was a v10 gasser. I had it for five years and it was very functional for us. It had most of the higher end bells and whistles that come with more expensive coaches. I got a great deal on a 2000 Coachmen Santara Diesel pusher, so I sold the Winne and bought the coachmen. The dp is certainly more comfortable to drive, and I dont have the limitations on towing that I had with the frame extension on the gasser. Other than that, I was very happy with the Adventurer. They are a bit loud in the big hills, as are all front engine coaches.
 
SissyBoyFloyd said:
No, the Adventurer is the main higher end coach I am considering used.  They are so nice and I can get one of those 5-10 yrs old for $50-70k.  So I keep wondering if a new low end coach with new warranty, roof, tires, engine, etc would give me more peace of mind or not.  None of the new coaches I could afford come close to the niceness of the Adventurer, and you wouldn't expect it to, being that it cost $50k more when new.

I had to make the exact same decision two years ago when I purchased my 10 year old Adventurer. I looked at the low end models of Thor, Forest River, and Winnie and saw a fairly large difference in workmanship, quality of materials used, fit and finish, etc. between the new, cheap MH's and the Adventurer that I bought. In my opinion, you get what you pay for when buying new. If you want a unit that will spend half the time in the shop fixing things that came in wrong from the factory for the first year or two, buy new. If you are handy with small repairs, you'll be in good shape when the molding begins coming off because the manufacturer spent less money on putting in on right.

I look at it this way: I spent $52K on a 10 year old coach that cost $190K when it was new and got it tricked out nearly completely, having every option I wanted except nicer seats and 50amp service, both of which we took care of ourselves. With the upgrades and all repairs we have made in two years, we have put roughly $14K into the coach, but much of that money was spent on preventative maintenance because we got no service records with the coach so we didn't know when we should even change the oil. New plugs, wires, fuel filter, serpentine belt, starter, batteries, slide out and jack solenoids and I'm sure a few other items over the next few years have or will be put into the coach, but I now have something I know has been taken care of and should last me another few years. So I am still ahead of buying a brand new one for $85-100K or more that would have much smaller than what I wanted and wouldn't have had the floor plan that we wanted, and would have been an obvious downgrade regarding quality at less than half the price of mine when it was new. I don't have a warranty, but if I really want one, I can always spend the money on a Good Sam extended service plan. As far as tires and engine goes, you can make sure you get low mileage on both and still get a good unit with some age on it. Mine had 23K miles when I bought it and the tires were only a year old. My only regret is buying a gasser instead of a DP, but it still tows my toad without a problem. I think you should be more concerned with finding the floor plan you want, regardless of it being new or used.
 

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