Motorhome rankings

[BillyandDonna]

Hello All,

My wife and I have recently decided to buy a motorhome.  After many months of research, we decided on buying a used (no more than 3 years old) Class A deisel pusher.  We found what we wanted, a 2003 Allegro Phaeton, had a signed sales contract and had even placed the required deposit.  The next day the dealer called to tell me that they had decided to sell this to another person.  We have started looking via the web again and haven't been able to find another like we want.  It now looks like we may need to broaden into other manufacturers and are wondering what manufacturers we should tend towards and which we should shy away from?

We realize the answer to this question my be personal preference, but where best to get good info than from RV owners?

Thanks in advance for any help.

Billy and Donna Crowell

 

[DonJordan]

Billy & Donna, welcome to the RV Forum  We are happy that you found us and hope you will stick around and participate on a regular basis.

Hello All,

My wife and I have recently decided to buy a motorhome. After many months of research, we decided on buying a used (no more than 3 years old) Class A deisel pusher. We found what we wanted, a 2003 Allegro Phaeton, had a signed sales contract and had even placed the required deposit. The next day the dealer called to tell me that they had decided to sell this to another person. We have started looking via the web again and haven't been able to find another like we want. It now looks like we may need to broaden into other manufacturers and are wondering what manufacturers we should tend towards and which we should shy away from?

We realize the answer to this question my be personal preference, but where best to get good info than from RV owners?

Thanks in advance for any help.

Billy and Donna Crowell

One thing for sure, I would never go back to the dealer who sold your unit to someone else after you had a signed sales contract and had put down a deposit.   It's dealers like that who give ALL dealers a black eye by association.  There are a number of reputablle manufacturers and your choice will be dictated somewhat by what you can afford.  In the diesel pusher field Country Coach, Monaco, Beaver, Holiday Rambler, Newmar, and a few others are considered to be very reputable.  I'm sure that I'm leaving out some that should be included, but my mind is not hitting on all cylinders as I am still stuffed from Easter Dinner  ;D  Others will undoubtedly jump in to point out my omissions.

Good luck and let us know how your search is going.

 

[Ron]

Billy And Donna,

I think if that happened to us we would take them to court.  A signed contract and a deposit amounts to a written contract which they are legaly bound to honor.  No way I would let them off the hook.  I'm not a lawyer but I think you have a very good case and pressing the issue may just save somebody else from the same thing.

The Allegro is a good coach as is the Newmar, American coach in addition to those mentioned by Don.  Personally I would not even consider a coach without IFS (independant Front Supension)  Having driven coaches with and without IFS I am sold on it.

Good luck.

 

[JerArdra]

Billy & Donna,

Attached is a list of motorhome features that I wrote on 6/18/2002.  There probably are more features available today but this might help you.

JerryF

 

[Chet18013]

Sounds to me like the dealer is open for a brich of contract action. He must have had someone come in and offer him a higher amount and  though that he could just dust you off. Please tell us who the dealer was so we can be sure to avoid them in the future. Like Ron says, if he accepted your deposit, you had a sale.

Chet

 

[Ron]

I would suspect that since they had a signed contract and a deposit the dealer could be charged with breach of contract and possibly even Grand theft Auto.  I think if it were me I would suggest the dealer talk to his lawyer since I have talked to mine and insist the dealer provide the MH I made signed the contract for or any MH I chose to replace the one they sold regardless of how much more it cost.  Personally I think they have a valid case.

Would sure like to know whoi the dealer is and their location.

 

[Smoky]

Billy & Donna:

We are just a few months down the road ahead of you, having finished a 6 month search and selecting our coach yesterday.  Our short list was the Beaver Santiam (Monaco family) and the Newmar Kountry Star.  We settled on the Kountry Star, a very cost efficient way to get a reasonably priced mid level coach with IFS.  If you favor horse power over economy, the next step up is the Newmar Dutch Star, also worth a look.

My advice is take your time, do lots and lots of test drives, listen to everyone, and in the end make up your own mind.  See ya down the road! 

 

[Bob Maxwell]

And don't miss www.rv.org, the RV Consumers Group as well.

 

[Smoky]

I wonder if anyone knows how well the 2005 Newmar Kountry Star coach made out in the RV consumer ratings this year?

 

[Ron]

I wonder if anyone knows how well the 2005 Newmar Kountry Star coach made out in the RV consumer ratings this year?

Personnally I don't really give much credibility to  RV Consumers Group ratings.  Don't even worry about them.  Get your new Coach use it and enjoy.

 

[DougJ]

I wonder if anyone knows how well the 2005 Newmar Kountry Star coach made out in the RV consumer ratings this year?

Hi Smoky,

I'm with Ron on this issue.  Don't start second guessing your decision--those sorts of doubts are worse than the paralysis that can be induced by analysis.

Doug

 

[Alaskansnowbirds]

I wonder if anyone knows how well the 2005 Newmar Kountry Star coach made out in the RV consumer ratings this year?

Don't worry about it Smokey! Your coach is ordered.

I agree with Ron and Doug. I don't give much credibility to the RV Consumers Group. To the best of my knowledge they are NOT like the Consumers Reports. They do NO testing. It is just one mans opinion that he is charging you a lot of money for. You can get LOTS of opinions here for FREE!!!!!  ;D

 

[Jeff]

I wonder if anyone knows how well the 2005 Newmar Kountry Star coach made out in the RV consumer ratings this year?

Smoky:

Second guessing yourself already?

 

[BillyandDonna]

Hello again!

I thought I'd update everybody on our dealings with the dealer that backed out on a signed contract.?

Several folks have asked who the dealer is.? I don't want to give the name as it might cause un-neeeded problems.? However, I will say that the dealer is in Birmingham, Al.? After a week of contemplating what to do, I talked to a lawyer.? He looked over the contract and believes it really leaves the dealer with no wiggle room.? He does think that we would be better off working out a deal without getting lawyers involved.? I agree with that since the lawyer will get 30%-40% of any monetary award.

I have talked to the salesman several times.? I expressed to him that we could end this if they sold us a better MH at the agreed upon price for the MH they sold out from under us.? As of this writing I have had no luck.? The salesman tells me they do not believe they have done anything wrong.? They have a used MH on the lot that I have asked them to sell us, but they say they have too much money in it.? They seem to still want to make money off this deal.  I will talk to the manager/owner tomorrow and if they don't want to deal, we have another MH we will buy and let the lawyers take over.

Wish us luck!

 

[Ron]

Thanks for the update.  We hope you get that dealer to come around.  One thing that might work is to have your attorney give them call and let them know what can be done.  I hate lawyers but sometimes they do come in  handy.
  Please let us know how it turns out.

 

[Gary RV_Wizard]

... After a week of contemplating what to do, I talked to a lawyer.  He looked over the contract and believes it really leaves the dealer with no wiggle room.  He does think that we would be better off working out a deal without getting lawyers involved.  I agree with that since the lawyer will get 30%-40% of any monetary award.

The lawyer gets a percentage only if you hire him on a contingency basis, i.e. he gets his fee from the settlement and no fee if you lose.  When you have a solid case like this one, you are usually better off paying the lawyer out of your own pocket and keeping the entire settlement for yourself. Of course, you take the risk of losing in that case, whereas in the contingency method the lawyer takes the risk.  That's why contingency percentages are high.

You might want to get a second opinion from another attorney. If he also thinks the contract is ironclad, your risk of losing is probably very low.

Sometimes a letter from an attorney will move a recalcitrant dealer off square one. It convinces them you are serious! Obviously the dealer doesn't think you will actually sue him or have any chance of winning.

But think about what you want to achieve. If you buy another motorhome elsewhere, then what settlement will you ask for in your lawsuit? Cash? Public apology?  Are you trying to "get even" for his shoddy treatment of you or trying to protect consumers at large by forcibly correcting this jerks devious business practices?  The latter are laudable goals, but perhaps not worth risking your own cash on attorney fees.

We will watch for further posts from you - this is a very interesting story and will be instructive to all of us, I think.

 

[BillyandDonna]

Update time!

I have talked to our salesman at the dealer several times and he "seems" to be trying to help.  Unfortunately, the dealership owner is always "out"  when I call or go by.  My latest offer to them was to buy a 2004 Allegro Bus for the price they quoted us on the Phaeton.  That has been turned down.  The samesman called today and they have just gotten an '03 Allegro Phaeton as a trade-in and have offered it to us for $102,000.  After looking at the NADA guide, that looks like a fairly good price.  The wife and I are discussing it and we hope to go see it Saturday.  My wife is also looking seriously at an '03 Fleetwood Revolution from a private party.  It's pretty well appointed and they are asking $145,000.  After talking to them, I think they might come off the asking price a little.  Anyone feel like offering their thoughts on the pros/cons of these 2 motorhomes?

We are really trying to keep the lawyers out of this so whatever deal we make doesn't have to be split with them.  Once we talk to the dealership owner we may have a better feel for how he's taking this.  He either thinks we're not serious about a lawsuit or, if we are lucky, he realizes we are trying to be fair.

My wife and I really appreciate those that have offered opinions so far.  They have been helpful.  RV Forum is a tremendous resource and it's hard to find better advice than from those who are already in the trenches and can offer unbiased advice.

Thanks again

Billy and Donna Crowell

 

[Ron]

Make an Appointment with the owner for a given time and day.  Let it be known that if you are not satisfied with their solution Lawyers will be involved and once started you will have no choice but to go all the way to resolution in the courts.

 

[rambler]

Billy and Donna
Would like to see a follow up on what the dealer has done.  I live in the Birmingham area and think I know which dealer you are dealing with. We have purchased two from this dealer and was thinking of going to a deisel pusher from them. 

 

[Smoky]

Billy and Donna:

I know very little about the Allegro line, but am quite familiar with Fleetwood.? However my familiarity with Fleetwood is restricted to the 2005 line.

I will say I was quite impressed with the Revolution.? It is the top of the Fleetwood pusher midrange group and the first point at which you can get full passthrough basement, one of our requirements.? The appointments are spectacular for that price range, but in some cases (at least in the 2005 line) impractical.? For example the head of the bed is up against a full size window.? While this gives an attractive appearance, my wife and I learned to hate that arrangement.? Our Fleetwood trailer has the same thing, head of bed against a full sized window.? We like to do a lot of reading and watching TV at night and leaning up against the window has its problems.

There were a number of other problems like that but I do not have my notes handy.? It was the kind of coach that blew us off our feet in the first ten minutes, but two hours later we had things we did not like.? Nothing serious, but just annoying.?

The full size oven was nice.? As a fulltimer I would like that, but was worried about the space it consumes as storage is so important to full timers.? I loved the sales lady's answer.?

She said, "Just think of it as storage with features!"..?

Good point as it made for very nice storage area when not cooking.? ?;D

Overall I found the Revolution a real showpiece, and likely great for weekending and vacationing, but not so suitable for fulltime or most time usage.