Thor or Entegra

[TxCoast]

Hello fellow travelers,

we currently travel in a Forest River Surveyor 24BHS. We usually travel outside of Texas so for us being on the coast it'll take 6-8 hours just to get out of Texas. Since we like to travel long distance we are considering a Thor Ace 30.2 or the Entegra Vision 31R. I'm just wondering what your thoughts are on either of these Class A's. I would hope that the Thor is a better product than our Forest River. I do like that Entegra has a 2 year warranty. So, thought, opinions personal experiences on of these brands would be helpful. Warranty, Customer Service, Quality, the good, bad and the ugly?

thanks in advance

 

[Gary RV_Wizard]

Not much to say. As entry-level coaches, both of those are much more focused on low price than stellar performance or quality.  Yeah, I know the price tag ain't exactly "low" in any absolute sense, but it is very low for a decently equipped motorhome.  We have another RV newbie here looking to trade their almost new Vision 31 for a diesel pusher because they are fed up with the mediocre ride & handling. I would not expect any better from the ACE.

Personally, I would rather buy used and get a higher grade model, but in that size range choices are limited.

 

[Gary RV_Wizard]

You asked this same question in a duplicate post in Newcomers Corner, so I'm closing that topic and directing everybody to this one.

 

[TxCoast]

Thank you Gary for closing the other post out. I originally meant to post in the Introduce Yourself forum.

Good to know about mediocre quality in both entry level units. I?ve come across a used ?16 Newmar Bay Sport with bunks. We may have to go take a serious look at the used Newmar.

 

[RVMommaTo6]

I have the Thor 30.2 and although I don't have much to compare it to, I love it. I had a pop up and then a TT and then bought this. I got it for a couple reasons, 1- yes the price was a huge selling point and 2- it had more sleeping capacity than any of the other ones I could find (myself and 6 kids) and 3- it has a lot more storage than most of them that I've looked at. And again, we have 7 people who will be living out of it around the country for 10 months, so those were the things I personally needed. I also don't plan on keeping it long term, I will likely sell it after our trip so I wasn't necessarily looking for something to last me 25 years. 

 

[BoomerD]

I'm sure I'll catch some flack for this, but...

ALL manufacturers turn out lemons from time to time...and that trend seems to be getting worse rather than better, but for some reason, Thor seems to be leading the pack in poor build quality. Almost everyone I've ever known with a Thor-built RV has had problems with their rigs...from simple "fit and finish" issues to major  component failures. (yes, components are not built by the RV manufacturer, but are often modified by them for a particular unit.) Forest River seems to be not far behind Thor in complaints about their build quality.
Of course, different models might come from different factories/production lines, and have more...or fewer  problems than those from other production lines, and often, the higher priced "luxury" units get a bit more attention to detail...but not always.
For us, if it's built by EITHER manufacturer, it doesn't even get considered.

just my $0.02

 

[TxCoast]

I have the Thor 30.2 and although I don't have much to compare it to, I love it. I had a pop up and then a TT and then bought this. I got it for a couple reasons, 1- yes the price was a huge selling point and 2- it had more sleeping capacity than any of the other ones I could find (myself and 6 kids) and 3- it has a lot more storage than most of them that I've looked at. And again, we have 7 people who will be living out of it around the country for 10 months, so those were the things I personally needed. I also don't plan on keeping it long term, I will likely sell it after our trip so I wasn't necessarily looking for something to last me 25 years.

Thanks for responding and giving me your reason for going with the Ace. 1. Is price point for us. 2. It is much roomier than our current TT. We travel with 2 small dogs, 3 girls plus husband and myself. It gets a bit tight in the mornings, lol! I?d love just a bit more space. I wish you the best on your upcoming cross country trip, so exciting!

 

[TxCoast]

I'm sure I'll catch some flack for this, but...

ALL manufacturers turn out lemons from time to time...and that trend seems to be getting worse rather than better, but for some reason, Thor seems to be leading the pack in poor build quality. Almost everyone I've ever known with a Thor-built RV has had problems with their rigs...from simple "fit and finish" issues to major  component failures. (yes, components are not built by the RV manufacturer, but are often modified by them for a particular unit.) Forest River seems to be not far behind Thor in complaints about their build quality.
Of course, different models might come from different factories/production lines, and have more...or fewer  problems than those from other production lines, and often, the higher priced "luxury" units get a bit more attention to detail...but not always.
For us, if it's built by EITHER manufacturer, it doesn't even get considered.

just my $0.02

BoomerD,

no flack from me. I appreciate the opinions, it?s what I was wanting. Since we are looking at an entry level Class A I realize we won?t be getting top $$ luxury.

 

[RVMommaTo6]

Thanks for responding and giving me your reason for going with the Ace. 1. Is price point for us. 2. It is much roomier than our current TT. We travel with 2 small dogs, 3 girls plus husband and myself. It gets a bit tight in the mornings, lol! I?d love just a bit more space. I wish you the best on your upcoming cross country trip, so exciting!

Idk how old your girls are, but my kids LOVE that the Thor has the tvs in each bunk lol, I couldn't have cared any less but the kids have slightly different priorities lol, it's nice too that they each have their own space. In our TT that we spend most weekends in, they all share a room so this is super roomy in their eyes.

 

[Gary RV_Wizard]

I have the Thor 30.2 and although I don't have much to compare it to, I love it.

You can love it whether it's the best made or the worst.  A floor plan that is perfect for your needs and a price that fits the budget can make up for a lot of lesser faults.  Also, as was pointed out, any given RV can be a lemon or near-perfect, depending on how the gods were smiling on the assembly line that day.  Not everybody wants or needs the very best of everything.

 

[Gary RV_Wizard]

Good to know about mediocre quality in both entry level units. I?ve come across a used ?16 Newmar Bay Sport with bunks. We may have to go take a serious look at the used Newmar.

I would take a long look at that one. Subject to the previous comments about 'any brand has its lemons',  Newmars are more focused on producing a good rig than on the lowest possible price. Their customer set is not quite so price-driven.  I personally would rather buy a better grade of coach and get one a few years older to stay within my price range.  Put aside your used car-buyer mentality - this is a house you are buying.

 

[Heli_av8tor]

First realize that I tend to be a perfectionist and appreciate good craftsmanship.

We toured two Thor facilities a year and a half ago. The first built the lower end including the Ace. Workmanship was lacking even in areas that would require no extra time to do it right. The (uninstalled) cabinetry looked like it would fall apart in short order.

The second plant builds mostly the higher end (for them) lines. The workmanship was noticeably better.

The tour guide admitted that they have problems getting good, qualified workers. Production Increases has outpaced available workforce.

I suggest touring the factory of the MH model before making a new purchase.

Tom

 

[Ghostman]

If you are looking at new. I would consider a used coach with better quality for the same price. I am on the side of the fence with some of the others with there build quality. I would look around some.more