Favorite Class A RV That is not over the top

[Chainwright]

So I asked what Y'alls top 6 picks were, when it comes to best Class A's. I got some good replies, but I was also somewhat disappointed because I'm being lead to believe that the only Great Class A's out there are the ones that are (subjective) Over the Top. Newell, prevost, liberty, Are top, I get it. But what if I DON'T Need/Want 43-45 feet of Bus? What if I don't want marble floors and Bellaggio Type Coffered ceilings? (believe me If I want the Bellaggio Vegas 5 star experience I'll go to Vegas) If I'm going by the lake or River or Nat'l park, I don't want a "Caesars Palace" looking RV interior. I know, to each their own. God Bless.
So Pls, I still want a Great RV with a Great Motor and amenities and under 40 feet, that requires minimal maintenance, like newells or prevost. If I'm dreaming, let me know. If I'm not, just jot down 3 or 4 brands you may know about. thanks

[Chainwright]

mockturtle wrote:
I hear you. Quality but not 'luxury'. Well-constructed but not gaudily decorated. And, yes, 'paid for' is possibly the most important feature. My late husband and I had a Foretravel in the 90's and it was beautifully built and tastefully decorated. I thought their later models were 'over the top' but à chacun son goût. Many motorhome manufacturers that had once built quality units went berserk with the 'decor' thing later on.

Unfortunately they don't make the appropriate Class A's that are Agreable avec mon gout. I may have to go the Foretravel way. thanks so much.

[Chainwright]

wvabeer wrote:
I tried to find an outside kitchen, almost an extinct animal. You may have to build one into one of the basement storage compartment. I have been thinking about doing one myself. Good luck

thanks. I thought of that. But I have a knack for procrastinating, that's why I retired at 49. LOL

[Carlos___Ranae]

I have not owned a Class A, thus I can not give you personal experience on which is best, however,
The prevalent premise that slightly broken in is best has to be viewed as a two-edge sword. Think about it, you buy a Class A and you are happy with the coach. Unless you are rich and can afford to trade in at a tremendous loss to you, you keep that coach.

As to the coaches loosing equity, is also a smoke and screen. It looses a lot of equity when you go to trade in. That same coach will be moved somewhere else and will be sold for a heck of a lot more than what the dealer gave you as a trade in.

To get that perfect RV the first time is somewhat unlikely. The best advice I can give you is to look very closely at the dealers maintenance shop. How quickly and efficiently will they repair your unit?

For those that do not agree with my opinion, please be civil and enlight, don't criticize.

[mockturtle]

I hear you. Quality but not 'luxury'. Well-constructed but not gaudily decorated. And, yes, 'paid for' is possibly the most important feature. My late husband and I had a Foretravel in the 90's and it was beautifully built and tastefully decorated. I thought their later models were 'over the top' but à chacun son goût. Many motorhome manufacturers that had once built quality units went berserk with the 'decor' thing later on.

[Cloud_Dancer]

If you want a truly well built motorhome, with a no-Bellaggio interior, drive up to the Foretravel Factory in Nacogdoches and ask them to build you the one you want (without the Bellaggio interior).

[wvabeer]

I tried to find an outside kitchen, almost an extinct animal. You may have to build one into one of the basement storage compartment. I have been thinking about doing one myself. Good luck

[Chainwright]

Mr.Mark wrote:
Chainwright, you just have to get out there and look. Don't let the little things get in the way, you can change the leather to cloth or add an outdoor kitchen in the one of the bays.

What you DO WANT, is a coach that has been maintained and has the records to go along with it. Any decorative item can be replaced to your liking. As you start looking, the important items will float to the top of the list. Every coach is a compromise!

If you want a gas unit, Newmar and Tiffin have nice looking cabinets and interiors.

We had our coach built and chose the interior to be 'quiet' and den-looking. We have baseball glove color leather, hardwood floors and darker type cabinets. It feels like home.

The chassis, motor and roof are the first three important items, then go down from there. Forty feet and under will put you in the gas or diesel arena.

You are going to either find a Cummins or CAT diesel or a Ford V-10 and maybe the GM Vortec depending on how far you go back.

Maintenance is KING!

Good luck,
MM.

Thank you Mr. Mark. I want what you have minus the leather. LOL

[Chainwright]

lanerd wrote:

Chainwright wrote:
So I asked what Y'alls top 6 picks were, when it comes to best Class A's.(But you did ask for "best"....and those are the "best".) I got some good replies, but I was also somewhat disappointed because I'm being lead to believe that the only Great Class A's out there are the ones that are (subjective) Over the Top. Newell, prevost, liberty, Are top, I get it. But what if I DON'T Need/Want 43-45 feet of Bus? (you should have initially indicated what size you were looking for)What if I don't want marble floors and Bellaggio Type Coffered ceilings? (believe me If I want the Bellaggio Vegas 5 star experience I'll go to Vegas) If I'm going by the lake or River or Nat'l park, I don't want a "Caesars Palace" looking RV interior.(Again, you didn't elaborate) I know, to each their own. God Bless.
So Pls, I still want a Great RV with a Great Motor and amenities and under 40 feet, that requires minimal maintenance, like newells or prevost. If I'm dreaming, let me know. If I'm not, just jot down 3 or 4 brands you may know about. thanks

You really need to go to dealers, rallies, rv shows...etc and look, look, look until you find what will really suit your needs. Gas, diesel....how many slides, king/queen bed, combo or stacked washer/dryer, one or two bath, tag axle or not..... there are so many options available that it will make your head spin.

Do you want to pay cash or payments? I assume you are prepared to put a large down payment; willing to purchase something for big bucks that you will never be able to recoup; ready to put up with all the things that can go wrong; able to fix them yourself; have a car that can be towed; have the bucks to equip that car for towing; prepared to pay lots of money for insurance, extended warranties and emergency roadside service.

Personally, when we were looking, I pretty much zeroed in on Newmar, Tiffin, and Entegra. Those three seemed to provide the best motorhome for the buck.

Y'all really need to provide more info for us.

Ron

Mr. Ron
I am happy with the answers to my questions. Everything WAS answered to my satisfaction. Now that I have the answer to my 1st question, Now I'm digging deeper.
I went to the shows and dealers. Slides not a problem, that's why I didn't address them. A Tow vehicle, irrelevant I will not have one (I'm going to put 2 vespas on a 5000Lbs back Hitch), we will not be transiting up north, Las Vegas is as far north as I'll go. I hate the cold our yearly 9000 mile circuit ranges from Key west to Las Vegas. No TV needed. AAA, Go Sam, USAA, all already planned. I got everything already planned down to every CG that I will stay at. All #s are already in my Rollodex (LOL).
My choices are already set in stone: Newmar, Holiday Rambler-Fleetwood, Coachman,Tiffin. But being the perfectionist that I am, I'm exhausting ALL options. I'm probing to see if I missed something, and evidently I missed that Buying Used is a good option, according to many folks here.
No, I gave all the info that I wanted y'all to have and I got good answers. You don't need to know about my insurance and administrative costs and how I'm going to pay for something, because I never made that an issue or concern. Thanks for your kind answer.

[Mr_Mark1]

Chainwright, you just have to get out there and look. Don't let the little things get in the way, you can change the leather to cloth or add an outdoor kitchen in the one of the bays.

What you DO WANT, is a coach that has been maintained and has the records to go along with it. Any decorative item can be replaced to your liking. As you start looking, the important items will float to the top of the list. Every coach is a compromise!

If you want a gas unit, Newmar and Tiffin have nice looking cabinets and interiors.

We had our coach built and chose the interior to be 'quiet' and den-looking. We have baseball glove color leather, hardwood floors and darker type cabinets. It feels like home.

The chassis, motor and roof are the first three important items, then go down from there. Forty feet and under will put you in the gas or diesel arena.

You are going to either find a Cummins or CAT diesel or a Ford V-10 and maybe the GM Vortec depending on how far you go back.

Maintenance is KING!

Good luck,
MM.

[Chainwright]

Executive wrote:

Chainwright wrote:
So I asked what Y'alls top 6 picks were, when it comes to best Class A's. I got some good replies, but I was also somewhat disappointed because I'm being lead to believe that the only Great Class A's out there are the ones that are (subjective) Over the Top. Newell, prevost, liberty, Are top, I get it. But what if I DON'T Need/Want 43-45 feet of Bus? What if I don't want marble floors and Bellaggio Type Coffered ceilings? (believe me If I want the Bellaggio Vegas 5 star experience I'll go to Vegas) If I'm going by the lake or River or Nat'l park, I don't want a "Caesars Palace" looking RV interior. I know, to each their own. God Bless.
So Pls, I still want a Great RV with a Great Motor and amenities and under 40 feet, that requires minimal maintenance, like newells or prevost. If I'm dreaming, let me know. If I'm not, just jot down 3 or 4 brands you may know about. thanks

IMO, you get what you pay for. There's a reason why Newells and Prevosts last forever. Fit and finish will go a long way to protecting your investment. Things like using screws instead of staples, hardwood instead of laminate, doors that fit snug instead of rattling etc. These are some of the things that make luxury coaches what they are. Monaco, Newmar and Country Coach make awesome luxury coaches. Buy whatever fits your wallet....I'm very very satisfied with my Executive. I had a Dynasty before this one. Both excellent coaches....Dennis

Thanks Mr. Dennis.
But it's not about the Wallet. It never has been. The thing is I NEED to get what I WANT. Unfortunately what I like and love are only on Entry level class A's, i.e. Outside Kitchenette. I hate leather upholstery, but just about everything comes in leather. I like 'em simple, but Unfortunately (again) the ones with the best motors and that hardly break down look like the Bellagio on wheels, and we don't want that.
We had our heart set on the Thor Hurricane and windsport, but when you go to the Thread and Forum on this website concerning Thors, OMG, Not one comment is positive about Thors. So there goes that.
I guess what I'm looking for is a newell or prevost Chassis and motor with a Thor Hurricane or windsport interior and outside Kitchenette. LOL. Is there such animal?

[wolfe10]

You are in San Antonio.

Stop by PPL in New Braunfels and then in Houston. Spend a couple of yours (without a salesman hassling you) looking at over 100 coaches.

You are doing a couple of things:

1. Figuring out what floorplan works best for you.

2. Figuring out how you would rank quality. That way, posting "how would you compare coach X with coach Y" should elicit a lot better fact-based opinions than just a "what brand is best".

3. A distant third, see if any of the coaches are in the kind of condition that would warrant your interest in that specific coach.

[Chainwright]

Jayco-noslide wrote:
You're on the right track by keeping minimal and smaller. They all depreciate terribly but those "over the top" ones the worst. Personally, I don't think you would go wrong with Winnebago(Itasca) and they make some nice ones in the 27-30 ft. range or even smaller. Go to their website for all the choices. They're still going to cost a lot but used is the only way to go.

Thanks so much for your NICE reply and your patience.

[Chainwright]

Artum Snowbird wrote:
The topic has been asked and answered so many times on this forum. I think we get tired of answering. Best thing for you to do would be to list your requirements and your desires, all a bit about the size of your wallet and what you intend to do with it, then people would know something of you and your needs.

They all require maintenance, some of that is very expensive, other things can be done if you are handy or have tools.

If you get no responses, do a search for BEST CLASS A on here and read it, then ask more specific questions.

Hmm, sorry to bother you. You too had the option to not reply if you are one of the members that are tired of answering. Bruce was VERY efficient in his answer all it took was 6 strokes. NEWMAR and he was done.

[lanerd]

Chainwright wrote:
So I asked what Y'alls top 6 picks were, when it comes to best Class A's.(But you did ask for "best"....and those are the "best".) I got some good replies, but I was also somewhat disappointed because I'm being lead to believe that the only Great Class A's out there are the ones that are (subjective) Over the Top. Newell, prevost, liberty, Are top, I get it. But what if I DON'T Need/Want 43-45 feet of Bus? (you should have initially indicated what size you were looking for)What if I don't want marble floors and Bellaggio Type Coffered ceilings? (believe me If I want the Bellaggio Vegas 5 star experience I'll go to Vegas) If I'm going by the lake or River or Nat'l park, I don't want a "Caesars Palace" looking RV interior.(Again, you didn't elaborate) I know, to each their own. God Bless.
So Pls, I still want a Great RV with a Great Motor and amenities and under 40 feet, that requires minimal maintenance, like newells or prevost. If I'm dreaming, let me know. If I'm not, just jot down 3 or 4 brands you may know about. thanks

You really need to go to dealers, rallies, rv shows...etc and look, look, look until you find what will really suit your needs. Gas, diesel....how many slides, king/queen bed, combo or stacked washer/dryer, one or two bath, tag axle or not..... there are so many options available that it will make your head spin.

Do you want to pay cash or payments? I assume you are prepared to put a large down payment; willing to purchase something for big bucks that you will never be able to recoup; ready to put up with all the things that can go wrong; able to fix them yourself; have a car that can be towed; have the bucks to equip that car for towing; prepared to pay lots of money for insurance, extended warranties and emergency roadside service.

Personally, when we were looking, I pretty much zeroed in on Newmar, Tiffin, and Entegra. Those three seemed to provide the best motorhome for the buck.

Y'all really need to provide more info for us.

Ron