Which one to buy?

[Deere hunter]

We are looking for a new motor home, have narrowed it down to the Challenger 35MQ or the Miramar 35.2. Same floor plan and chassis. I can’t see what the difference is between the 2. Also a dealer near me has 2 that look alike but are $40k different in price. I can’t see a difference in them either.
What steering and suspension upgrades are people doing to these. I have only driven a class A a few hundred yards so I don’t know how bad they handle , but reading the internet sounds like upgrading is a smart idea.

[halfprice]

Originally Posted by Deere hunter

We are looking for a new motor home, have narrowed it down to the Challenger 35MQ or the Miramar 35.2. Same floor plan and chassis. I can’t see what the difference is between the 2. Also a dealer near me has 2 that look alike but are $40k different in price. I can’t see a difference in them either.

What steering and suspension upgrades are people doing to these. I have only driven a class A a few hundred yards so I don’t know how bad they handle , but reading the internet sounds like upgrading is a smart idea.

The most common upgrades are a rear track bar, doing the chf on the front and rear stock anti sway bars or upgrading to new sway bars. Sumo springs front and or back is popular also

For steering the safe t plus is probably the most common

If you're handy with a wrench you can do all these yourself. If not expect to pay a lot for installs

I had the safe t plus, rear track bar, chf front and back, and front sumos on my 29m. One finger driving except in very high wind and very minimal semi push

Jerry

[EA37TS]

Originally Posted by Deere hunter

We are looking for a new motor home, have narrowed it down to the Challenger 35MQ or the Miramar 35.2. Same floor plan and chassis. I can’t see what the difference is between the 2. Also a dealer near me has 2 that look alike but are $40k different in price. I can’t see a difference in them either.
What steering and suspension upgrades are people doing to these. I have only driven a class A a few hundred yards so I don’t know how bad they handle , but reading the internet sounds like upgrading is a smart idea.

We had a 2015 Challenger 37ND. No upgrades needed. Added a Safe T Plus for blowout protection if needed. Money is better spent on other things.

[Pete'sMH]

It’ll scare you at first if you’re not used to driving a gas class A. But after a few thousand miles you’ll be fine. I enjoyed driving mine every time. Some folks spend many (MANY!) thousands of dollars on hardware or liquid springs. And no doubt it makes a difference but most of the units on the road are stock and do just fine.

[dkoldman]

Originally Posted by Deere hunter

We are looking for a new motor home, have narrowed it down to the Challenger 35MQ or the Miramar 35.2. Same floor plan and chassis. I can’t see what the difference is between the 2. Also a dealer near me has 2 that look alike but are $40k different in price. I can’t see a difference in them either.
What steering and suspension upgrades are people doing to these. I have only driven a class A a few hundred yards so I don’t know how bad they handle , but reading the internet sounds like upgrading is a smart idea.

Ask the dealer when they received both units. The older one has likely had price dropped to sell quickly. Expect the $40k less one to have hidden issues that you may or may not see during PDI.

The more time on the lot, the more things go wrong or get broken.

[m1noel]

Also, check the chassis vin for the year. The two coaches could be the same year and have different chassis years which could have had price increases.

[RACarvalho]

Originally Posted by Deere hunter

We are looking for a new motor home, have narrowed it down to the Challenger 35MQ or the Miramar 35.2. ...
What steering and suspension upgrades are people doing to these..... reading the internet sounds like upgrading is a smart idea.

I was in your situation back in August 2020 but we bought a Hurricane 34R which is basically the same floor plan you are looking at but on a more economic presentation .

After 14K miles I would say no upgrades needed to the suspension, the new chassis with the beefed up stab. bars do a good job keeping you in your lane.

I added Safe T plus when I bought it but I end up taking it off for aligning the steering wheel after the install was a nightmare.

So I recommend:
1 - not spending $ on safe T plus but instead in an extended warranty.
2 - Ask the dealer to lube the front axle, they will say it is a new unit but in my case it did a big difference.
3 - Add Centramatics.
4 - At PDI Make sure the big slide is installed properly and aligned as it needs to be, attached is a guide so you can measure yourself and make the dealer correct any misaligment.

It is a really nice floor plan and we love it.

[paulwadley]

We bought a 2022 Thor Miramar 37.1 with the two full baths and bunks. I had the Safe T Plus steering stabilizer installed on it after taking a few local trips. It has helped out. Since then we have gone on several long trips and have planned out our summer going from California to Florida and all parts in between. We also take our Ford Flex by flat towing it using the blue ox tow bar and base plate with the demco braking system. We are now looking at installing a washer/dryer combo unit since it is already set up for one.

Paul

[Beau388]

Originally Posted by Deere hunter

We are looking for a new motor home, have narrowed it down to the Challenger 35MQ or the Miramar 35.2. Same floor plan and chassis. I can’t see what the difference is between the 2. Also a dealer near me has 2 that look alike but are $40k different in price. I can’t see a difference in them either.
What steering and suspension upgrades are people doing to these. I have only driven a class A a few hundred yards so I don’t know how bad they handle , but reading the internet sounds like upgrading is a smart idea.

Both the coaches are built in the same factory by the same people (Thor MC plant 850). The Challenger is built on the 24,000/30,000 lb ;where as the Miramar is built on the 22,000/26,000 lb chassis. List for the Miramar is $269,250 and the challenger is $272,250. I would say the heavier chassis is worth $3,000.

[RACarvalho]

Originally Posted by Beau388

... The Challenger is built on the 24,000/30,000 lb ;where as the Miramar is built on the 22,000/26,000 lb chassis. .... I would say the heavier chassis is worth $3,000.

If I'm not wrong plant 850 is where they build the diesel pushers...

That heavier chassis on the Challenger may be worth the $3K difference because of payload.

My 34R has the 22K/26K chassis and 3900lbs of payload but I saw a Miramar , which has the same chassis, and the payload was only 2000lbs which I think is too low for a motorhome with lots of storage space....

[16ACE27]

Originally Posted by RACarvalho

If I'm not wrong plant 850 is where they build the diesel pushers...

That heavier chassis on the Challenger may be worth the $3K difference because of payload.

My 34R has the 22K/26K chassis and 3900lbs of payload but I saw a Miramar , which has the same chassis, and the payload was only 2000lbs which I think is too low for a motorhome with lots of storage space....

Thor Motor Coach
Address: 606 Nelson Parkway, Wakarusa, IN 46573 (Plant 850)
Type of RV: Motorhome Class A Gas: Outlaw Class A, Challenger, and Miramar Motorhome Class A Diesel: Palazzo, Aria, Tuscany, and Venetian

They do. As well as the Miramar and Challenger.

[Beau388]

Originally Posted by 16ACE27

They do. As well as the Miramar and Challenger.

and Class A Outlaws. It is the old Damon Plant in Wakausa which Thor Industries bought in 1999. The present Thor MC coach lineup includes many Damon names as well as Four Winds.