We have discussed this in the past and I had decided to keep my current RV, but circumstances have changed and it's time to move up the market a bit.
I'm motorhome shopping again. Time to upgrade the Blunder Bus into something a little nicer and with more room. We will be spending more time, race tracking, camping, and traveling. We will also probably be living in it for a year or so while a house is being built.
I'm looking at diesel pushers in the 40'-45' range. I'm looking at used RVs pre-emissions (pre 2010) and under $60-$70k. I would like at least 2 or more slides. It needs to tow at least 10k pounds.
I really like the build quality of the Tiffins. My current RV is a 1996 Tiffin Allegro Breeze and has held up very well. I have looked at several Allegro Busses and they are nice machines and command the $$$$.
I have looked at a Winnebago Journey. It was also nice.
I have looked at one Thor and wasn't impressed with the interior durability.
I have heard and read some bad things about Cat engines. I have a friend with a C7 that seems to eat exhaust manifolds. He's also had some issues with his Freightliner chassis breaking trailing arms. Any brands to stay away from?
So, what do you have? Would you buy it again?
Options you wish you had or don't need?
If slides are not a deal breaker there is a Wanderlodge PT40 in Texas that is looking to get firesaled out. It is well kept and updated but not started for a while and now will not start. Go on the WOG site for details
My parents first RV was almost exactly what you're describing. Here were their thoughts on it, as copied from your previous thread.
Who made your coach? 2007 Neumar Kountry Star
What chassis is it on? Spartan Mountain Master GT with IFS
What engine does it have? Pre-Emissions Cummins ISL 8.9L 400hp + Allison 6-speed
Do you like it? Yes. The engine and trans were flawless. The chassis was super solid. Using tire inflation charts over the 1-size-fits-all factory recommendations noticeably improved ride quality. The coach was nice enough, but was not overly 'high end' either. When we purchased, we narrowed it down to Tiffin and Neumar. Gulf Stream didn't seem to have as good of a reputation, at least at that time. If I had to do it again though, I would also be looking at Super-C's, and wouldn't shy away from gas engines. While they don't pull through the mountains with quite the same ease, they're considerably cheaper and easier to operate and maintain when (like most RV's) you're not actually racking up the miles at a particularly high overall rate. At this age any RV has an increasing potential for some major issues, especially if there has been deferred maintenance, and the diesels get expensive FAST. Getting something a little smaller and with a gas engine that lets you go newer newer might ultimately be a better choice.
What kind of problems have you had? Some minor issues in the interface between chassis and coach, and typical RV industry QC fixes in the 1st year. The large windshield WILL get beat up, and ours being 1-piece was rather expensive to replace. No major systems issues though. Proper maintenance is important, but also expensive. Back then it was at least $1k-$1.5k per year, sometimes more, and almost regardless of miles driven. Make sure previous owners didn't skimp on this. Overall we took care of it and it took care of us.
Jump over to irv2.com forums and ask. Way more info on what brands/years are good.
I never owned one but some of my family has had them. My uncle's was an early 90s Monaco with a 6BT. It couldn't pull itself up a hill and with his 3500 lb boat it was just painfully slow. It also made an oily, sooty mess of the boat.
Any engine will have some icky spray from it, but at least if it's in the front, most of it becomes rustproofing on the frame before it gets to the trailer.
Maintenance was likely not any worse than a Class C/van chassis, but his Monaco was awful. He needed boost hose on the turbo and he worked for three days on it before taking it to a shop. They had to go in by removing the bed and vanity in the bedroom to get at it from the top.
