Honest Advice on a MH

[Main Street Matilda]

I come here because I know I'm talking to the experts. We rented a Class C motor home for our trip to FW in November. I cannot believe how much we enjoyed our trip! We loved it enough that we've decided to purchase a MH. A Class A would be preferable and we found a barely used Four Winds Hurricane 34B in our price range. I've heard mixed reviews on Four Winds products, but this one is coming from a dealer that has a great reputation for supporting their customers. I'd appreciate any thoughts - good or bad - anyone may have on this purchase. We've scoped out many units, and this one (with bunks) suits our family well.

 

[JCJRSmith]

Check out the discussion boards on IRV2.Com (http://www.irv2.com). They have boards dedicated to various manufacturers with lots of info/tips/opinions.

No coach manufacturer is going to be perfect. For every person who tells you they love their coach/dealer/manufacturer/factory reps/etc, the is probably someone who will have the exact opposite opinion.

For example, SWMBO and I are considering trading our Jayco class C for a 2005 Tiffin Allegro Bay Class A (has only 3000 miles on it and looks brand new). I have read good, bad and indifferent but we are excited about it.

Best of luck whatever you decide.

 

[Main Street Matilda]

We are really excited about this ... I appreciate the advice and the website info!

 

[ftwildernessrick]

I don't have a Four Winds, but I do have a 2008 Damon Challenger and both are made by Thor Industries. The only problems I had with mine, which they repaired under warranty, was a safety recall on the Dometic refrigerator, the electronic controller on two of my slideouts (one went out, but they replaced both with an upgraded version), and I had a window leak that I fixed myself.

Though this may seem a lot to some, I have had far less warranty repairs with this one than with previous motorhomes I have had including Winnebago, Pace Arrow, and an Allegro.

Overall, after crawling over, under, & around it I found it to be fairly well built.

 

[ftwildernessrick]

For example, SWMBO and I are considering trading our Jayco class C for a 2005 Tiffin Allegro Bay Class A (has only 3000 miles on it and looks brand new). I have read good, bad and indifferent but we are excited about it.
.

I had a 1994 Allegro Bay that I kept for 14 years (the longest I kept any motorhome). Even though it had some warranty issues at first, Tiffin Industries was quick to take care of it. Even after the warranty I had a few cabinet hardware problems and they sent me replacements at no charge. When we finally sold it, I got a good retail price for it.

 

[DaveInTN]

We had, until last summer, an Itasca Sunova 35J (by Winnebago) bunkhouse class A. When we bought it in 2007 the bunk model A's were fairly new to market. We also looked at the Hurricane 34B and liked it. The additional slide on the Hurricane bunk model compared to the Winnebago 35J, is a great feature. That floorspace in the Hurricane master bedroom is great! On the other hand, there are some features in the Winnebago you may want to look into, such as the fiberglass roof. The Hurricane has a TPO roof I believe. We decided to go with the Winnie, but the 34B would have fit our family just as well I believe. If you are comfortable with your dealer, that is a big thing right there.

If you have already looked at competing models from Winnie, Tiffin and others, and keep coming back to the Hurricane, that should be your answer. When we were shopping we kept coming back to the Winnebago for whatever reason. It's a very personal decision on what you will be comfortable with and excited about. If the model you want is still under factory warranty and has good dealer support, that should give you a lot of comfort.

You'll love traveling in a bunkhouse class A...at least we did! You'll find yourself making quite a few more trips to the Fort over the next several years. I hope to see you there someday!

 

[Main Street Matilda]

Your advice makes great sense DaveinTN. Although the price is certainly figuring into our decision, we really like the condition of this RV. As you might imagine, you don't want to find out too late that the product you've invested in is not all you had hoped.

 

[thecplusplusguy]

Check out the discussion boards on IRV2.Com (http://www.irv2.com). They have boards dedicated to various manufacturers with lots of info/tips/opinions.

No coach manufacturer is going to be perfect. For every person who tells you they love their coach/dealer/manufacturer/factory reps/etc, the is probably someone who will have the exact opposite opinion.

For example, SWMBO and I are considering trading our Jayco class C for a 2005 Tiffin Allegro Bay Class A (has only 3000 miles on it and looks brand new). I have read good, bad and indifferent but we are excited about it.

Best of luck whatever you decide.

I'd really check the engine out for a 6 year old motorhome with only 3000 miles. Motorhomes need to be driven so that the engines stays good (along with maintenance). A motorhome that has sit that much may have problems. The generator is another thing to make sure you try. These need to be run with a load monthly for a half hour, so a genny with only a few hrs on it is probably not in that good a shape.

Just some things I've learned from the rv forum's, magazines, and my brother ( a mechanic on Diesel and gas trucks).

Dan

 

[thecplusplusguy]

The biggest key when picking out a motorhome is the floor plan (assuming it is in good condition and the dealer is reputable). If the floor plan is not comfortable for you or you are settling with it, you will regret it later. When I bought my class C we looked at a bunch and found 1 that had a floor plan we liked. The floor plan we liked had a slide and I didn't think I wanted that. Now after owning for 3 years, I wish I had bought the one with the slide. We get frustrated with this floor plan and all that is because we settled for it.

I will not buy another RV with out a slide (and the slide should have slide toppers, the little awnings over the slide).

Dan

 

[Old Snipe]

The Hurricane is a good value for the money. They are not trying to set the standard for luxury, but give you what you're going to need in a entry level unit. It probably is on a Ford F-53 chassis, which is a pretty good, trouble free unit. The only negatives I've heard about those chassis is they can ride a little rough. Certainly take it for a good test ride and evaluate to see if you'd be happy with it.

I have not owned a Hurricane but had a Thor/Four Winds Class C that we really enjoyed and were very pleased with. I would not hesitate to buy another Thor product down the road.

As with any product, look at it carefully with your "Head" and not your "Heart". In other words, don't fall in love with it until you've checked it out for soundness.

 

[dblr]

Just curios as to which dealer you are working with? We have camped with alot of people and know alot of the dealers reputations just want to make sure you are working with a good one, some put on a great front when you are shopping and less after you buy.

 

[Main Street Matilda]

Just curios as to which dealer you are working with? We have camped with alot of people and know alot of the dealers reputations just want to make sure you are working with a good one, some put on a great front when you are shopping and less after you buy.

Thanks to all for the valuable advice - we are working with Scott Motor Coach in NJ. We've only heard good things about this dealership, but I'd be curious to know if you've heard anything different.

 

[Bill2e]

If you are sure you want a MH then don't read any more.

Have you thought about a Travel Trailer?

you can get much more bang for your buck with a TT (of course this is my opinion only)

Go to an RV show and look at all the types available before you buy & by all mean get SLIDES and BUY USED!

Good Luck!

 

[dblr]

In all ouwe have never heard travels and folks we have met we have never heard of a bad issue with Scott's. You could also check on the NADA Gude and get the used value on this unit at least it will bive you an idea as to what it is worth. Good luck with your choice I am sure you will love it.

 

[snocrossmechanic]

Buy one and get hooked like the rest of us. Your first RV will be the one that help you decide on what you really want. We kept our first for one season, Our second for three seasons, and we just replaced it with our 3rd. We expect to keep this one for about 5 years then move to something else.

If you buy smart and take care of it you will be able to get a good value when you sell it and upgrade. As your family changes you will get a different type of RV. Our next is going to be a Pusher with bunks for the three kids. They are out now and the used mt should be good in about 5 years.

Good luck and enjoy whatever you get.

Mark

 

[CCIntrigue]

you can get much more bang for your buck with a TT (of course this is my opinion only)

This is true, except that if you don't have a tow vehicle you also have to buy one of those.

We had an Airstream TT for 20 years before upgrading to the MH. DH and I both agree we would never want to go back to a TT. Traveling, setup, take down, everything is just so much easier in a moho!

 

[dkhender]

We bought a used 2007 34B in November 2009 - with a set of twins we love it! Layout is great and it's a solid entry-level MH. Check out the various forum boards (RV.Net, IRV2.COM) and you'll find many ideas to mod your MH and make it work better for you. But as some others have said, ensure you get something you like - you have to camp with it and make it useable. Only thing you might consider on a used MH is an extended warranty (watch me get flamed for saying that) ... but ours has already paid for itself - just 2 claims and I'm glad I had it.

 

[terri01p]

 

[Main Street Matilda]

We bought a used 2007 34B in November 2009 - with a set of twins we love it! Layout is great and it's a solid entry-level MH. Check out the various forum boards (RV.Net, IRV2.COM) and you'll find many ideas to mod your MH and make it work better for you. But as some others have said, ensure you get something you like - you have to camp with it and make it useable. Only thing you might consider on a used MH is an extended warranty (watch me get flamed for saying that) ... but ours has already paid for itself - just 2 claims and I'm glad I had it.

We really love the layout of the 34B and although there were others we also liked a lot, this one seems like it will work best with the size of our family. I'm curious, though, what issues did you need to have fixed under the warranty? Anything major?

 

[dkhender]

We really love the layout of the 34B and although there were others we also liked a lot, this one seems like it will work best with the size of our family. I'm curious, though, what issues did you need to have fixed under the warranty? Anything major?

#1 - Went to use camper a few months ago and had no 12-volt power. Discovered I had 1 house battery that had appeared to gone bad - acid all over in battery bay. Replaced it and still no luck - lots of troubleshooting at RV Service Center and they found the convertor had gone bad. Replaced under warranty.

#2 - Oil leak at front of engine - from the oil cooler. New oil cooler, replaced under warranty.

#3 - Extensive water leaking from under shower ... and throughout bathroom floor, into hallway and rear bedroom. Of course we found this because of damage to wood and carpeting. T-connection had gone bad from lines into shower. Fixed under warranty, however this time I had to cover more for parts.