whats the best 34'r on the market new...gas or diesel

[MYRV2]

we bought a 34' alpine, although we are lov'n the coach,... driving down the road with a new to me 14 yr old coach is kinda uncomfortable
I find my self thinking about what will break and where.....I usally by new and although they still break,... you just call them and say come and get it ,its on the s. bound 95 at mile marker 56... we just did a round trip down to havasu and back from vegas...ran flawless but, the whole trip I was say'n to my wife..."WHAT WAS THAT?".... I guess time will cure that, but makes me uncomfortable..... I bought the coach from a dealer that got it in florida from Paul Dilley in homestead...I think...maybe a lot better if I knew who the one owner was....
I've done a lot to the coach already ,fluid ,filter changes and remodel... dumper over 10 in it already...still haven't changed out the hoses..the dash air flat doesn't work in the desert,... but I knew that was gonna be a problem, I watched the guys charge it and they just added Freon and never evacuated the system and checked for leaks... just kept adding and letting some out... to proper charge a system... you must evacuate it and put the proper amount in..make sure the orfice tube , condenser is not plugged and a host of other possible failures..

my sons went to school for auto air, so I'll be taking it to them next...

the other thing that happened was at night, I turned the roof A/C to low fan, so now , no dash A/C and the roof air on low added to the dumb mistake of leaving havasu at 2pm after the coach set closed up, A/C off in the sun.....you guessed it..dogs tounges hanging out and them looking at me as if to say... what happened to the coach that used to freeze us so we cuddled together in the blankets?

so now,... chaising the sun, roof A/C on low, dogs tongues hanging out, wife has baggies of ice on her neck, and a bag of ice on her lap with the dogs lay'n on it...all the while I think'n... "WHAT DID I DO?"... what possessed me to trade of a perfect brand new coach that I spent all the time and money fix'n up to the way we liked it.....when driving it I never tought of anything but what I was gonna do when we got to our destination..



so my question is, what could I have done that was better..or what can I do now???..I have limits, not only financual, but size limitations... I'm at the biggest that will fit with the 34'r actually measuring 34'11"  34'11'' inch is the max

 

[Gary RV_Wizard]

Shed your "used car" mentality. An RV is first and foremost a house, not a vehicle, and most people are quite accustomed to the idea of buying a used house. And a hand-built new RV is rarely up to the standards of a massed produced automobile,so buying new does not insulate you from problems at all. Often much the opposite. Nor is warranty service necessarily all that great unless the brand offers factoryservice and you are close enough to take advantage.

That said, what is your criteria for "best"?  Least defects in the first year? That's a crap shoot. Even the high end RV makers produce lemons regularly. An a typical production day there will be 1 with numerous issues, 1 near perfect, and a bunch somewhere in between.

Since you want a diesel under 35 ft, your choices are limited anyway. The high end builders with the best materials and components don't do that size, so you are basically looking at Winnebago, Tiffin and Thor.  Buy the most expensive 34'11" coach to get the better materials and maybe better workmanship, and hope you get one that came down the assembly line on a good day. I would choose Winnie or Tiffin over Thor because they offer better Customer Service, including a factory service option, if things do go awry.

Your Alpine Coach was one of the better ones in its day, and my personal recommendation would be to give it some TLC and enjoy it. Spend some money on chassis and house if needed, either to tailor more for your desires or to give you a warm fuzzy feeling about condition.

 

[TonyDtorch]

In order for him to ever appreciate how nice the average Alpine RV is.... he should have owned an entry level Fleetwood or Winni for a while.... 

 

[kdbgoat]

Keep what you have. Coach-net and a credit card should give you all the warm fuzzy feeling you need.

 

[scottydl]

ran flawless but, the whole trip I was say'n to my wife..."WHAT WAS THAT?".... I guess time will cure that,

Yes, time WILL cure that.    The more you drive it, the more accustomed you will get to the various squeaks/rattles/bumps that motorhomes make as they rumble down the road.  There are so many things screwed and bolted throughout the "house" of the RV that you can't avoid all the noises.  Some things you can tighten up, and some just happen.  Don't worry, it's all normal.   

You may already have it, but I too highly recommend good roadside assistance coverage that you can contact 24/7 if you DO have a serious problem.

 

[Becks]

You have a better built coach than any 34 ft diesel you can buy today. As others have said, do all necessary maint and enjoy. Coachnet for when, not if something breaks.

 

[Utclmjmpr]

Put your "big boy pants" on and enjoy the coach.>>>Dan

 

[Ernie n Tara]

You've gotten good advice! We bought the best 34 footer (for us) and in my opinion its still that way. We bought it with a year and 4, 000 miles on It but it has not been completely trouble free. In the house we've replaced both the Splendide w/d and the toilet - both could have neen repaired, but..... As for the chassis its been the fan clutch, transmission control module, and water pump.  Cost of repairs on chassis about $2,500 and one tow (Coachnet), and for the house $1,250 in four years/25,000 miles.

Annual service, four batteries, and a set of tires probably add about $4,000. Overall that's about $2,000 per year or about 25% of depreciation.

I consider that to be well within my expectations and quite reasonable for what we've gotten. With an older, or less expensive, motor home, the depreciation may be lower but it still will be the main cost of ownership. I guess my point would be your  maintenence costs are likely to be less than mine and you will avoid most of the depreciation. If you're happy with what you have, keep it!

Ernie

 

[MYRV2]

In order for him to ever appreciate how nice the average Alpine RV is.... he should have owned an entry level Fleetwood or Winni for a while.... 

I've had 12 dp and this is my 13th.. ive had bounder, expedidition,discovery,excursion, journey. and this alpine..

all the others were freightliners,...under powered for what I do and not so good of a ride... I did get the excursion riding fair, bigger tires and new bilstien shocks... but no power and had to run DEF... I traded a new winne gassers for the alpine..

 

[MYRV2]

Put your "big boy pants" on and enjoy the coach.>>>Dan

I parked in the shade and took them off.... it was hot in there

 

[MYRV2]

You have a better built coach than any 34 ft diesel you can buy today. As others have said, do all necessary maint and enjoy. Coachnet for when, not if something breaks.

how I found out about the alpine was a thread like this...never even knew they put 8.9's in the 34'rs... that 1200tq really keeps you rolling....but I'm 63 and probley gonna die leaving money on the table...so if there's an up grade...one I don't know about...what is it ...or do I have the best 34'r you can get??

not just me , but that anyone can get..

 

[MYRV2]

Shed your "used car" mentality. An RV is first and foremost a house, not a vehicle, and most people are quite accustomed to the idea of buying a used house. And a hand-built new RV is rarely up to the standards of a massed produced automobile,so buying new does not insulate you from problems at all. Often much the opposite. Nor is warranty service necessarily all that great unless the brand offers factoryservice and you are close enough to take advantage.

That said, what is your criteria for "best"?  Least defects in the first year? That's a crap shoot. Even the high end RV makers produce lemons regularly. An a typical production day there will be 1 with numerous issues, 1 near perfect, and a bunch somewhere in between.

Since you want a diesel under 35 ft, your choices are limited anyway. The high end builders with the best materials and components don't do that size, so you are basically looking at Winnebago, Tiffin and Thor.  Buy the most expensive 34'11" coach to get the better materials and maybe better workmanship, and hope you get one that came down the assembly line on a good day. I would choose Winnie or Tiffin over Thor because they offer better Customer Service, including a factory service option, if things do go awry.

Your Alpine Coach was one of the better ones in its day, and my personal recommendation would be to give it some TLC and enjoy it. Spend some money on chassis and house if needed, either to tailor more for your desires or to give you a warm fuzzy feeling about condition.

whats the better one of today?

 

[TonyDtorch]

whats the better one of today?

the problem is your limit of 35 foot.....no real market for short DPs... and there are no manufactures still in business like Beaver and Safari that made short DP rigs, everyone else wants bigger.

if you want a short motorhome that can pull a big trailer, maybe you should look at a Toterhome. you get a real truck that is made to pull trailers.

 

[Larry N.]

Actually, Tiffin makes a 33' and a 35', Newmar makes at least a couple of 34' plans, and there are likely others.

 

[MYRV2]

Actually, Tiffin makes a 33' and a 35', Newmar makes at least a couple of 34' plans, and there are likely others.

every one I see has the little 6.7 motor...I remember when I traded up my 5.9 to the 6.7 cat... listened to all the people that did it rave about the extreme power and 15-20 mpg.... boy was I disappointed..whent straigt to the cat dealer to get it fixed...nothing wrong.... I cryed no power and 8mpg.... he said... that about right..charged me 1400 to reflash the computer..my wallet was so light it felt like I was going faster..

 

[MYRV2]

the problem is your limit of 35 foot.....no real market for short DPs... and there are no manufactures still in business like Beaver and Safari that made short DP rigs, everyone else wants bigger.

if you want a short motorhome that can pull a big trailer, maybe you should look at a Toterhome. you get a real truck that is made to pull trailers.

only pull'n a 22' box with 2 rzr 1000's in it.... don't wanna slow to 35 on a 6% grade...

 

[MYRV2]

I bought a half a dozen gassers, and 3 dp over the last 2 years... the excursion was the slowest,..35 mph, next the 350 hp journey...37 mph
the fastest was the gasser winnabago... but keep in mind, it was only a 26' and weighted 23'000 lbs loaded pulling compare to 30klbs on the two pushers...

I did a test with the alpine, 400 hp 1200 tq... went up the 6%grade @ 66 mph, towed the trailer @61 mph without the rzrs...
I pulled the trailer with the gasser at that same speed... slowed to 56 with the rzr's...

the alpine might be the new king of the hill on the trailer pull...
I had to take the razors in for a recall, waiting to get them back..

 

[MYRV2]

here's the gasser... notice my mod I did to quite that bad boy down..this was a slower run... bout a 30 mph head wind...

but still 15 mph faster than the journey and the excursion...


https://youtu.be/LvoX5OLGYSA

 

[scottydl]

I bought a half a dozen gassers, and 3 dp over the last 2 years...

Boy, that is a lot of trades over a short period of time!  Unless you kept them all?  ???  I hope the dealer(s) didn't make money on you every time you walked in the door... although it sounds like they probably did.

 

[MYRV2]

started out with the happy wife... happy life... we has a 13 Winnebago, I did a bunch of mods... 22.5 wheels and tires, new bilstien shocks.. banks kit, sumo springs and a ton of other mods... wife says she wants a coach with a couch... soooooo we get a coach with a couch....we bought a 2015 fr3

which I had to fix a bunch of stuff to even be able to take it out......get already to go...happy campers...right.... wrong.... we make it to the 56 mile marker headed out of vegas and the wheel falls of the front...spen the whole night in the tow truck to go back to vegas...coach just sits at the repair place.... can't get parts...so the coach is in lemon law status.... I bought 42 motorhomes for this dealer so I call him and tell him I don't want it .. it's junk... so he sends me a Winnebago...27 tribute....wife hates it..doesn't wanna run around in this old looking coach....so any way... get all the mods done...hit the road....make it about 100 miles out by rosies.... you guessed it.. left front wheel locks up.... I put it up on the front jacks.... wheel won't spin...now... here I am no tools big enough to get the castle nut off... I have big channel locks... won't cut it  ... end up having to borrow a big socket and ratchet... still won't come off..so added a piece of pipe...bearing is on sooo thight it smoked it..but..took pics of every thing and greased it and put it back...bout 30 days later... I find out... something was going on at the factory that ford was shutting down... over 5000 rv's with the same problem...the guy at ford says ... it's gonna be awhile.... so.... we go boating... when we get it back, I'm driving down the road with my head out the window listening..so now ... you got ...we both hate it...done with ford... I trade it for a 15 excursion on the freightshaker chassis..drum brakes and all... whooping 300 hp 660 tq...everyone says just enjoy the quiet ride...lol... the motor was theonly thing quiet on it... ratters every where out of round un balanced little 255-70-22.5s... that what I had on my little 26' gasser..so UI go to work on it... change out the 255's to 275..world of difference..didn't have to pump them up harder than chinesse arthmatic...next to go was the sucks shocks... went with konis... pulled them and went with gas charged bilstiens...fix all the rattles...added gps and nav... had it buffed out twice to try and make the horrible paint job look diecent.... so now we are cruising...slow but we get there....we both really like the coach... not enough power,,, everyone says slow down ol timer... you gotta stop and smell the roses........every where I stopped all I seen was snakes and lizards....