Thor Forums

[Chance]

Originally Posted by Sam54

Well someone has to luck out. However it looks like you're the exception to the rule. For most it seems that quality control is pretty lax, just like American cars in the 80's. Maybe a Japanese company will take over one of these plants like the movie "Gung Ho" and rid the RV's of all the defects, BEFORE they hit the showroom.

My daughter traveled to Japan on a business trip, and brought me a book of Japanese motorhomes as a gift. I’ve gotten a lot of great ideas from their designs in case I ever try to build my own Class B.

Anyway, most are very small — even smaller than European motorhomes. The majority start out as vans or mini buses. And like European motorhomes, they seem designed more for mass production, which in my opinion makes it much easier to control quality (or at least avoid/prevent mistakes).

By comparison, in the US we want our campers to have more space and more capabilities, but want it at a low cost. That’s asking a lot.

For example, cassette toilets that are popular in Europe are simpler and less likely to have issues compared to a black tank system, but who wants to be limited to 5 gallons? And can everyone dump a 40+ pound tank?

Slides are the most reported problem area, yet Thor wouldn’t offer a single Axis/Vegas floorplan without a slide for those of us who want to keep it as simple as possible. If I need more space, make mine longer. A solid wall is “nearly” 100% reliable. I suppose there is a slight chance they could screw that up too.


P.S. — From what I’ve noticed, quality of newer Class Bs which are more popular now than in a long time seem higher. But the cost for what you get in size and features is much higher. I think buyers to some degree can choose greater quality by compromising in other areas. Some buyers may prefer a smaller Tiffin than a larger Thor if at the same price, based on perception of higher quality.