RV make recommendations

[mdalli]

My wife and I are seriously thinking about purchasing our first RV, a class-A gas 25-30' rig, used. 

I'd like to ask a simple pointed question: What are some makes/ brands to avoid and give me some names of better-quality RV manufacturers.

We have our eye on a 2000 Georgie Boy Pursuit 30', for example.

 

[Gary RV_Wizard]

Tough question, since we (and probably you as well) have no real idea about how you will actually use it.  Traditionally there are three categories of rig - vacation, snowbird and fulltimer.  I see no real difference between Snowbird and Fulltimer, but vacation class rigs are built for much lighter use than the other two.  In particular, cabinetry and furnishings are made with lesser materials and craftsmanship and things like insulation are usually of lesser quality as well.  Price is a fair indicater of which class you are looking at - the vacation rigs are notably cheaper.

I recomend buying an older high-end rig rather than a newer one of a lesser brand. I think you get more for your money that way. However, the size range you are looking at is not well populated with high end models, since they are typically 34 feet and up.  Class A's start at about 26 feet but most are quite a bit larger. And depending on you trravel plans, you may want to reconsider the size.

I would recommend that you look at Holiday Rambler, Monaco, Country Coach, older Safari & Beavers, and the Newmar brands (Dutch Star, Kountry Star, Mountainaire).  That is not to say that others are not acceptable, though. Our first motorhome was a Fleetwood Southwind and it served us well and its brethren (Pace Arrow & Bounder) are equally good. Winnebago makes a number of nice rigs, as does Georgia Boy Manufacturing. All depends on your wants & needs and your budget.

Personaly I steer away from Coachman &  Damon, but others have had good results from tem.

 

[Shayne]

We had a 93 MB34 Coachman and put 73K miles on it  the next guy used it and sold it and that guy now has over 115K on it    It's been great to allof us and still going. No motor nor Tranny work  Big items had been shocks and tires.  OH and the catalytic convertor.

 

[Steve CDN]

I would recommend that you look at Holiday Rambler, Monaco, Country Coach, older Safari & Beavers, and the Newmar brands (Dutch Star, Kountry Star, Mountainaire).

Though I usually agree with my distinguished colleague on most days, I would respectfully disagree on considering older Safaris and Beavers.  From about 1995 to 2003 when the Safari Corporation essentially went out of business, their products were a constant source of serious and in most cases uncorrectable problems.  There were serious engineering and design flaws resulting in twisted upper body frames, which caused windows and windshields to crack and no replacements parts available. 

No two Safaris are alike, each one is like a prototype, quality control was totally absent and the basic design flaws cannot be corrected.

Numerous engineering problems resulted in the erosion of their loyal customer base based on first hand accounts from friends who owned these particular models and from friends closely associated with the Safari Owners Club.

Safaris made by Monaco after the demise of the Safari Corporation appear to be more reliable and of course Beaver coaches prior to their acquisition by Safari Corporation were excellent coaches. 

 

[Ron]

I fully agree with Steve about the Safari and Beavers, but would also include Gulfstream products as products to avoid IMHO.  I  recommend looking at American Coach products in addition to those previously mentioned.

 

[mdalli]

I've never even heard of Safari and Beaver, perhaps they tend to make coaches in different classes than I'm looking at. 

When I look at the ads, I see a lot of Coachmen, Georgie Boy, Fleetwood, Winnebago, Four Winds, and a few Damon and Rexhall.

I would say we want something in the "vacation" class -- this is not a fulltimer rig.  And I wouldn't even consider going over 30', preferring to keep it as close to the low end of the 25-30' scale for a variety of reasons, chiefly fuel economy.

 

[Steve CDN]

Safari makes a vacation class motorhome under the brand name Trek, which incorporates a unique motorized bed that rises up to the ceiling.  The comfort of that design of bed is questionable and is difficult for people with mobility restrictions to access, but many people have found the Trek desigh appealing.

If one were to consider a Trek, I would urge them to consider only later models built by Monaco.

Under no circumstances should one give consideration to the "pusher" model of Trek made in the mid 90's on the infamous P-72 chassis using the 6.5 L GM diesel.