BEST Class A Motorhome you have ever owned?

I've gone to the library and looked up the RV section and how to buy.  But I am curious, what is the best Class A motorhome you have owned?  Most reliable, least repairs, brands you would recommend looking at.  We will be full timing it, so we are going for the full monty!

Thanks!

Lisa

None of the motorhomes I have owned could be termed really reliable or minimal in repairs. By their very nature they are a complex beast, bounced down the road in all kinds of weather and climate, plus the initial quality isn't all that great to begin with. Of those I have owned, probably the  2002 National RV Dolphin LX was the most reliable, but the first year with it was pretty bad too. Once it got straightened out, it did pretty well thereafter.

My current coach is loaded with sophisticated electronics that seem to fail - there is always something on the fritz!

Actually our first El Dorado Class C and our two Lazy Daze Class Cs were absolutely the most problem free.  Each of the Lazy Daze Cs had one minor problem easily solved.  As they got older there were occasional problems that had to be dealt with on the road.  BUT, those were before all the fancy "stuff" added to the newer RVs.  Our two Monaco Class As have been pretty good.  Each had some problems the first year, but nothing that was so serious it kept us from enjoying them.  As Gary said, not only are our houses on wheels very complex but the shaking going down the roads means things will loosen.  You need to constantly check things.  For example, I sometimes see loose screws as I'm cleaning and either tighten them myself or tell Jerry if it's something that looks more important.  If you correct problems right away they never have a chance to get serious.  Luckily (knock on wood) we've never had anything really major go wrong with any of our motorhomes.

ArdraF

We have had 2 fairly recent MHs, a Seabreeze by National and a Dutch Star by Newmar.  Both were/are good but t he Newmar stands out.  We have had few problems only a couple Newmar related.  The others were in vendor items like water heater, engine, etc.  The Newmar items were trivial and easily resolved.  One remains and that is a single pane windo along side the driver but I knew that when we bought the MH.  I just haven't been in the right place with money at the same time to replace it.

Newmar makes good MHs and they are still around.

There's a saying about boats... the two best days in a boat owner's life are the day of purchase and the day of sale.  Another one is... definition of a boat- "something that makes a hole in the water where you throw money".  RV's and especially motorhomes are kinda like that in my rather limited experience.  There are lots of fun times and certainly enough things to fix that I would suggest that you, especially if you go full time, focus on floor plans, creature comforts, storage, compatibility with your lifestyle/activities, pleasing colors and amenities, name brand appliances, a dealer "network" to fall back on when there are issues and then... ratings, reliability statistics, repair statistics, reviews to avoid obvious lemons.  For instance, king vs queen beds; number and type of slides; kitchen location; computer table; location of TV relative to seating; diver controls layout (ergonomics); satellite reception; awnings (electric or manaul); enough a/c and/or heat for the climate where you will travel most; enough gen/set power to run your accessories; towing features; and what not will impact your day to day life where as engines, transmissions, tires, chassis, structures etc are very important of course but there are more similarities than differences between the brands.  Go to some shows where there are many models in one place... I predict you'll find one that you really like more than most of the others.  IMHO, FWIW.

Thanks for the great advice.  What a shame that RVs in general are just not built well.  But again, as I stated in another thread, this is why I buy Japanese cars, and also, japanese components for my bicycles.

The richest nation in the world, The US of A, produces junk.  My word, it seems like if someone got the capital up, they could start an RV company that would outshine all others!

Lisa 

itself said:

What a shame that RVs in general are just not built well

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Wait just a darn minute. I don't think anyone said that RVs aren't built well. It's just that there are a lot of different components to an RV and it's a project to get them all working together. Your Japanese cars don't have refrigerators and beds and microwave ovens and furnaces. Has my motorhome been perfect since the day I bought it? No. But neither was my Ford Explorer. And I couldn't sleep, cook, or poop in my Ford. I think you need to look around at RVs and give them a chance.

Wendy

Wendy,

Absolutely I am going to an RV show!  I definitely have to lower my expectations about quality, and make sure I take some "fix it" lessons so I can stay on top of all the repairs that will be required.  Yes, a home on wheels is definitely different than a car....but then again, why can't americans build reliable cars?!!!

Lisa

Our present home on wheels, a 1993 Bluebird Wanderlodge, 40 ft.



Liz

itself said:

why can't americans build reliable cars?!!!

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We put over 212,000 miles on our Ford Explorer. Had to fix a few things off and on but over all it ran great and we loved it just as much as the Toyota P/U we had before we got the Explorer.

itself said:

The richest nation in the world, The US of A, produces junk.  My word, it seems like if someone got the capital up, they could start an RV company that would outshine all others!

Lisa 

Click to expand...

I don't mean to be disrespectful, but you have absolutely no idea what you are talking about.  The U.S. generally speaking produces goods of extremely high quality.  Compare a U.S. made product with its foreign counterparts (and I include all the Honda, Toyota, Mercedes, BMW, Nissan, and Subaru's built right here in the U.S. of A as American made goods) to its foreign counterparts and you will find you are incorrect.  This has nothing to do with patriotism.

To your second point, yes, someone "could" make a product with slightly higher reliability if they really tried hard.  When all was said and done they would have a product that had to compete at a much higher price point.  The point you seem to be missing is that quality costs money.  As someone said, these are complex machines with many many components.  The fact that there are so few problems at the price point you can get a decent class A is remarkable.

Unlike a car, motorhomes are low volume, extremely complex, and built with many options and many floorplans and lengths. If you only build 10 of any one floorplan/length with the likelyhood of major differences due to options (like hydronic heat vs forced air) its is almost like every unit is custom built - yet they are built on an assembly line.

As a manufacturer I can say that the only solution is much higher prices (custom build) OR far fewer floorplans, options and even fewer models. As the Japanese can attest the only way to get quality on a production line is consistency. To have that you must build the same product over and over. This gives efficiency and quality.

Only one problem. The RV buyer is demanding floorplans, options etc. I have seen a small trend to fewer options and fewer floorplans, but then sales are also way down.

All that said my 09 Monaco Camelot had relatively few quality issues off the line. This is surprising in that it was one of the last built before Monaco shut down and never really went through their final inspection and repair stage. I expect few problem after the initial "teething" issues. My 2000 Windsor spent over a week at Monaco having things fixed (none ever stopped us from enjoying the rig). Once that was done it ran just fine for over 9 years before I traded it.

I'm driving a 2000 Ford Ranger with close to 100,000 miles on it and it has never been in the shop for anything more than scheduled maintenance.

I assume you live in a house now. I'll also assume that you think it is well built. Now load it on a truck and drive it down the road at 55 mph and see how long it stays together. When you have a motor home you are driving a house down the road.

They build motor homes with the quality that you are looking for. But when you go shopping for them you better be ready to pay well over $1,000,000. Check out Newell or Prevost for two.

itself said:

Thanks for the great advice.  What a shame that RVs in general are just not built well.  But again, as I stated in another thread, this is why I buy Japanese cars, and also, Japanese components for my bicycles.

The richest nation in the world, The US of A, produces junk.  My word, it seems like if someone got the capital up, they could start an RV company that would outshine all others!

Lisa 

Click to expand...

If everyone followed your logic... everyone would buy Japanese cars, fridges, washing machines, trucks, computers, dining tables, etc, etc, etc they would even go to Japan for haircuts, heart surgery, lettuce, steaks, carpet, coffee, tea, space shuttles, military hardware, airplanes, etc, etc.  There's a reason most of us don't do that... it's not true.  Every machine, even the ones manufactured, actually designed, in Japan, needs attention and maintenance, just like the ones manufactured here or Germany or Korea or Mexico or Brazil or wherever.  I readily admit that Japanese cars have a decidedly strong reputation for initial quality.  I also know that you will hear testimonials here and other places that show the differences you perceive are not as large as many people think they are. 

It's never fails to amaze me how difficult it is to actually build a vehicle, any vehicle, and at the same time most folks assume that it is "no big deal" but have never even met an engineer/scientist or anyone in the business of providing all the technical marvels we take for granted.  My DW often mentions that she is still amazed that there is electrical power at the flip of a switch, all day, all night, 24/7 and that it only costs 12 cents per kilowatt hr.  She said if she had to figure this out, she'd charge $1000 per kilowatt-hr.  LOL, she's right.  Which gets me back to motorhomes... many of the components that go into a motorhome are extremely reliable, there are the same fuzes, bulbs, wiring, hoses, brake materials, bearings, electronics, etc, etc that are used in every vehicle on the road.  Then there are systems that are only in motorhomes, like hydraulic leveling systems, integrated AC/DC and gen/set power systems, fresh water distribution systems, sewage storage systems, and many others and this assembly is capable of running down the road at 60-70 MPH and still achieving a reasonable MPG.    They are actually almost custom made for each buyer... and there are literally hundreds of factories doing this.  Go to the Honda dealer and ask for a custom made vehicle sometime... LOL  they won't know what to say.  Ask a street racing customizer how much they charge for a top-of-the-line race car customized to your specifications... it will be like $150 grand for a custom Honda with no warranty and you will need a highly trained mechanic to keep it running.  If some MH factory built 1,000,000 identical motorhomes per year, I predict that they would reach a much higher level of initial reliability and quality.

So, as I mentioned above, go to a show and find the one you like, learn how to operate it, appreciate it and take care of it... then ask your question again and see if your assertion that US built products are not "reliable" is still true.  As many folks have mentioned, the globalization "revolution" has blurred the boundaries so much that it is difficult to say where something is made anymore.  It's a lot  more about politics, marketing and finance these days... unfortunately.  IMHO, FWIW, as usual.  thx, Gary

No disrespect, Mc2Guy, but consumer reports shows horrible reliablity for american made cars, as well as some of the pricey German cars.  It's good to hear that some ford products might be doing better, but I do know what I am talking about, as I always take great care in doing research before I buy a car.  I've owned Hondas, Subarus and Toyotas, and guess what, consumer reports puts them all in the top three.

We buy things "thinking" they are american made.  Dig a bit further, and they are probably produced afar.  I can't even buy clothing from LL Bean or REI that is american made anymore.

I would so love to support our country but alas, greed for high salaries has pushed everything to foreign countries.

Lisa

It puzzles me too. ???

Why is it that these greedy Americans require more than $4.75 per hour for the privilege of making my cloths.  I'd even pay $5.75, just for the LL Bean label, if only they were made in America. :

Just look at them sorry bib's in my avatar.  Made in Milaysia..

Again, you don't seem to be acknowledging that those "American made" cars you refer too include Hondas, Toyotas, Nissans, Subarus, and even Hyundais.  Many of those cars that score on the top of consumer reports reliability list are made right here by american workers.  More than half of the models were designed by American design studios and engineered by american engineers.  Why is it so hard for you to admit that?  This is not conjecture, it is fact.  If you define an "American" product merely by brand you are really missing the boat since corporate branding is largely irrelevant in today's automotive world. 

BTW, consumer reports has a horrible reputation for inaccuracy in their rating systems.  Look at JD Power...4 of the top 10 brands for initial quality are "American" brands.

As for your comment...you didn't limit your criticism to autos, you said the U.S.A. produces junk.  I find that statement offensive and more importantly, patently false.  The cost of U.S. labor almost guarantees that ONLY products that require highly educated and trained workers that can command a premium will be manufactured here.

Ken is right about most motorhomes being essentially custom builds done in an assembly line environment. The thing that bothers me about RV quality is the defects that are designed in.  I'm talking about wiring and plumbing that is under mechanical stress or subject to abrasion (especially around slides), inadequate ventilation of electronics and battery compartments, lack of anti-corrosion protection for the numerous chassis wire connections, poorly designed a/c and heating ducts, water lines exposed to freezing, etc.  I can comprehend that some of these things may be more prevalent in lower end models where cost-cutting is a prime goal, but the high end rigs seem plagued with them as well. Many of these companies have been building motorhomes for years and ought to know better.  And the same people move from company to company, including the start-ups, carrying their expertise (or lack) with them.

It is fair to say, though, that a complex motorhome is going to need more than just the occasional oil change your car expects.  A fixed house has more than enough routine maintenance to keep it functioning and a mobile "house" with multiple sources of power and movable "rooms" is going to need much, much more. It's the nature of the beast.

In several ways a trailer is simpler in design. Thus, it is likely to be lower in maintenance.

Not wishing to offend anyone, here's another perspective that parallels the RV industry. The "custom built on an assembly line" analogy applies to boats as it does to RVs. My other half remodels/re-decorates the interiors of boats/yachts, many of them costing multiple times what our coach cost.

After stuff has been taken apart, if something doesn't look right, yours truly gets called in to observe and fix. I'm often appalled, but not surprised at what we see.

I say "not surprised", because I've visited some of the factories where these vessels are built, right here in the US, and have observed shoddy workmanship and mistakes being made. What we see all too often in the finished product is that the bad stuff has been covered up. So, on the surface, everything looks very nice, but underneath the surface lies bad workmanship, errors, and poor attempts at fixes.

I usually grab my camera to document what we find for the owner who has shelled out a large amount of dough &/or taken a huge loan on their dream possession.

Some of these revelations are not unlike some of the things I've seen on our coach.

FWIW we've talked on this forum for the last 16 years about the need to "improve quality of RVs". Little seems to have changed beyond technology and materials/finishes.

My Dad has always maintained that the people who build RVs should be forced to live in them. Maybe then they'd notice some of the things we see.

Wendy