Is anyone happy?

[Redheadedmacdaddy]

Originally Posted by mrw

Why do you have such an attitude?

Because I just lit 100k on fire buying a Thor product and I am pissed about it.

[Bob Montgomery]

Originally Posted by larryjeans

Hi, we are considering a new Thor ACE 27.1 but have been reading a lot of negative reviews. I realize it is entry level but a little worried. We love the floor plan and the amenities but not sure. We are not new to MHs. We would be selling our 12 Winnabego View, which we know is top of the line Sprinter and be sacrificing quality and mpg for comfort and space. Can we get any input, good or bad. Are we crazy even though we need more room?

We have a 2016 Ace 29.3 and yes we are happy. We have had a few things that needed fixing but Bretz RV and Thor have been good at taking care of things. Be sure to drive it before you buy it as the seats do not move up and down and you want to be sure you can reach the brakes etc. We did take out a service contract, not the most expensive but one that kicks in after the first year and would take care of things like the slides, levelers etc.

Any questions, please let me know.

Bob

[mrw]

Try Thor.... There's where you need to go with a lawyer

[Norrirn]

Having purchased a 2015 model Thor, you should be still under the coach's manufacturer's warranty. Call Thor and they should honor it. Next thing to consider is a 3rd party extended warranty. Not cheap but then neither are out of pocket repair costs.

Our ACE 29.2 was purchased used, 1 year old, and subsequently suffered a failed radio, levelers, one slideout motor, and steps. Our total out of pocket expense was $50, everything else was covered either by Thor's warranty, the extended warranty or the component manufacturer's warranty.

Thor coach's are most likely no worse than those from any other manufacturer. Incidentally, we worked through a dealer which might have helped resolution.

[Redheadedmacdaddy]

My unit was purchased from the original owner through a small local RV dealer. It is obvious that the guy was glad get as far away from it and dump it on me. The 2015 model I purchased had 7400 miles but was over the 12 month period so S.O.L. Bottom line if you want a decent coach, stay away from Thor. They are the Kia or Yugo of coaches. They are cheaply made with substandard components. The interior wall board and trim molding is coming off in places, I find screws laying on the floor after every trip. I would bet that a 15 year old UHaul rides better. The ride is so rough I am going to chip a tooth. The water pump sounds like a jack hammer when engaged. The leveling system is not even the model that is described in the owners manual that came with the coach so you can reset it to zero. Good luck getting it level. The living room slide does not open. The bedroom slide does. Yea! If you can't afford to pay 50% more for a coach, stick to tent camping or take up water polo. You get what you pay for but for 100k you'd at least think you were getting something that didn't keep you in a constant state of frustration. I will be sure to continue to share my bad experience with my Thor so I may keep, even if just one poor soul from purchasing a Thor and relieve his suffering .

[TyCreek]

Wow ... rough ride, wrong leveling system, loud pump, trim molding, etc... Did you purchase without an inspection and taking a drive in it? ...

Apples to Apples, $ for $, they all suck about the same.

Luckily, Thor found it possible to build us a fun to drive, nice riding RV with most of what we wanted! Feeling blessed to still be happy and issue free.

[mrw]

Well said TyCreek... I'm very happy with mine. This isn't our first RV they all have minor problems. If we stayed as dissatisfied as some folks I sure would get out of the RV business

[Redheadedmacdaddy]

Sure I drove it. The crooked bastard that sold it to me had a route planned that was on a newly paved road where the ride was bearable. He had the slides opened when he demonstrated their operations. The leveling system goes up and down fine but it does not level a damn thing. The water pump was not shown to me. You are correct, they all really do suck for what they cost. Don't forget that it is a 2015 model. I see 20+ year old models running up and down the road all the time. Now I realize that if I ever get another RV, it will be at least 20 years old. Take the $85,000 and use it for maintaining the thing. I assumed that this thing was going to be a decent product. My bad.... Bottom line Thor is like every other greedy company out there today where profit is number one and commitment to providing a quality product and doing the right thing is dead last or not even considered at all. I wouldn't be suprised if they could, they would make these in China....for all I know they do.

[laberj45]

Bought a Thor Miramar 33.4 class A, our third rv - and last.... Started with a used 30 ft 2001 coachman Mirada class A. No problems - great RV. Bought our second, a new 32 ft 2011 Winnebego Itasca 31JP bunkhouse class c. Awesome RV! Had only the water pump inop when first purchased (probably burnt out at a show). We sold it for a good price and decided to purchase a mid-level class A in order to enjoy with the kids before they got too old to camp. Boy was that a mistake.

The Miramar had too many problems to list. After 4 repairs to a improperly manufactured super slide (last repair attempt in Indiana at Thor facility) - we relinquished ownership and hired an attorney. Thor, in our opinion, markets a vehicle that will cause a plethora of headaches....

I do agree with a previous post that suggests all RVs have problems, and the positives usually do not find forum posts. But Thor just seems to really skip out on the QC one would expect. And any prospective buyer should take this in consideration. They drove us out of RVing for good!!!!

Good luck shoppers.... Do your homework!

[SuperD]

We are in our second Thor, the first was a Tuscany 41 ft DP which we sold due to storage problems. We now have a smaller Windsport 29M which we are very happy with!

We owned our Tuscany for 5 years and never really had any problems, couple of loose screws and black tank valve, but really a good coach! Our Windsport is doing well, taking it in tomorrow for a small bubble in the TPO roof and an oven that won't light.

I've owned several RVs over the years, read other forums frequently, have yet to find ANY brand that doesn't have problems! Guess I've been luckier than many, I get in, buckle up and have fun!

[brianh442]

Originally Posted by laberj45

Bought a Thor Miramar 33.4 class A, our third rv - and last.... Started with a used 30 ft 2001 coachman Mirada class A. No problems - great RV. Bought our second, a new 32 ft 2011 Winnebego Itasca 31JP bunkhouse class c. Awesome RV! Had only the water pump inop when first purchased (probably burnt out at a show). We sold it for a good price and decided to purchase a mid-level class A in order to enjoy with the kids before they got too old to camp. Boy was that a mistake.

The Miramar had too many problems to list. After 4 repairs to a improperly manufactured super slide (last repair attempt in Indiana at Thor facility) - we relinquished ownership and hired an attorney. Thor, in our opinion, markets a vehicle that will cause a plethora of headaches....

I do agree with a previous post that suggests all RVs have problems, and the positives usually do not find forum posts. But Thor just seems to really skip out on the QC one would expect. And any prospective buyer should take this in consideration. They drove us out of RVing for good!!!!

Good luck shoppers.... Do your homework!

Hi Laberj45,

Sorry to hear of your issue! I feel your pain. Not sure why there are so many QC issues with Thor. We are happy with our replacement coach, so far we've only had a few (3 or 4) minor issues and it's been almost a year and a half.

The only thing that really stands out to me with our old unit was the fact that it was a new model, in a new model year. Add to it that our unit was one of the first 15-20 on that new line may be part of the issue? Our last coach was a 2014 Miramar 34.2 with the giant wall slide.

That 34.2 was a nightmare!! After hiring an attorney and jumping through all of those hoops, Thor finally made thing's right for us! Our replacement coach is a 33.5, which at the time was in it's 3rd production year.

Overall the 33.5 arrived in much better shape then the 34.2 did. The 34.2 was a pre-order and was not demo'd at shows. It was just poorly built!!

I hope you can find another unit be it Thor or another manufacturer that you can trust and be happy with. When we can actually take our unit out and not worry about stuff breaking or not working right, we have a lot of fun!!

It sounds like you were there once, I hope you can find that place again!!

Good luck and thanks for sharing your story!!

[Norrirn]

We own a 2013 Thor A.C.E. 29.2 that we purchased in 2014 with 9700 miles on it. There certainly have been issues, steps failure, stabilizers failure, radio/camera failure, windshield wiper arm failure (honest), but all of these I attribute to supplier quality controls rather than Thor. The expense has all been borne by either Thor's warranty or the component supplier's warranty so I've got no beef from a out of pocket expense standpoint BUT, it occurs to me that a more rational decision regarding which RV manufacturer's products to avoid would be a central clearing house where all issues would be tracked and reported, sort of like a CarFax for RV's.

If I made a purchase decision based on what I've read on this forum, and others, I wouldn't touch a Thor on a bet. However, having owned one for three years now, I can see where that would have been a foolish decision.

I think the value in all of this though, is to seriously consider buying used, the knowledge of what to look really closely at when buying new and, which dealers to steer clear of if a new purchase is pursued. I would also say that establishing an early relationship with the factory's C/S manager would be highly beneficial when encountering a warranty issue.

[croused]

Originally Posted by larryjeans

Hi, we are considering a new Thor ACE 27.1 but have been reading a lot of negative reviews. I realize it is entry level but a little worried. We love the floor plan and the amenities but not sure. We are not new to MHs. We would be selling our 12 Winnabego View, which we know is top of the line Sprinter and be sacrificing quality and mpg for comfort and space. Can we get any input, good or bad. Are we crazy even though we need more room?

Ha ha, I just joined forum also and am about to take delivery of a Thor Vegas 24.1 2018 and I had the same reaction! Sounds like there are some fundamental issues with any of the RVs that the great people on this Forum have rooted out and found solutions for. It sounds like a lot of the issues are in the quality of the dealers. At any rate, I'm heartened by the energy and enthusiasm that the folks on this forum have for their rigs and hope can get through the initial break-in pains quickly.

[wredman]

I am happy...

[cgavery]

We have a 2016 ACE 29.3 for the money it is a good value. One thing you need to know is that none of the gas MH on the Ford F 53 chassis is going to drive/ride like a diesel pusher that weighs twice as much. We invested in saf t track steering stabilizers, front and rear Roadmaster stabilizer bars it now drives and handles much better. We tow a 2016 Cadillac SRX with no trouble.

[dcbenny]

Have a Windsport 27K 3 minor issues fixed by dealer within first week and 3 hours love our Thor Brother has Mirimar 34.1 had issue with couch Thor replaced in the first month no more issues

[Chance]

Originally Posted by Norrirn

We own a 2013 Thor A.C.E. 29.2 that we purchased in 2014 with 9700 miles on it. There certainly have been issues, steps failure, stabilizers failure, radio/camera failure, windshield wiper arm failure (honest), but all of these I attribute to supplier quality controls rather than Thor. ...cut....

I'm not sure I understand why Thor should get a pass on these items considering they are the ones selecting them for use on Thor motorhomes.

[1fortheRoad]

Originally Posted by croused

Ha ha, I just joined forum also and am about to take delivery of a Thor Vegas 24.1 2018 and I had the same reaction! Sounds like there are some fundamental issues with any of the RVs that the great people on this Forum have rooted out and found solutions for. It sounds like a lot of the issues are in the quality of the dealers. At any rate, I'm heartened by the energy and enthusiasm that the folks on this forum have for their rigs and hope can get through the initial break-in pains quickly.

The wife and I are also considering purchasing a 24.1! I am newly retired and she is working another year or two so I am on the hunt! I'm stoked to see how your 2018 works out… It sounds something we would be interested in! Keep us posted please. Again good luck on your travels!this looks like a great forum..i'm happy to be part of that and someday be able to contribute.

[Muggs]

I have a lightly used Vegas 24.1. Bought through a dealer with less than 2,000 miles. Is now past 8400. Only issue was shower drain connection drip. I put a redneck rubber coupling over it, problem solved. I would not hesitate to buy another Thor product. This thing is cheap entry level and has been great. This is our first RV and Ford product, I am impressed. I do understand it is a box on wheels and it does, things will loosen. So I check things periodically. Dealer gave us great prepaperwork inspection and training. Maybe we got lucky or just paid a lot of attention to detail.

[Baddad53]

Originally Posted by 1fortheRoad

The wife and I are also considering purchasing a 24.1! I am newly retired and she is working another year or two so I am on the hunt! I'm stoked to see how your 2018 works out… It sounds something we would be interested in! Keep us posted please. Again good luck on your travels!this looks like a great forum..i'm happy to be part of that and someday be able to contribute.

Same boat - I'm retired and wife working until next August. The Axis/Vegas is great for weekend trips because of its size. We had a 38 ft DP and its so much easier to just go and not have to plan because of its size. Looked at B+ but too small for us.