We have a 2019 ACE 30.2 thinking of jumping to a Thor Challenger

[bilet69]

We have a 2019 ACE 30.2 thinking of jumping to a Thor Challenger...

Has anyone done anything similar? any likes or dislikes?

Just want more water, king bed, more storage etc. More of a full time setup.

Thanks!
Mark

[wrapped]

20months fulltime in 2019 Challenger 37FH does everything we need,want and more. Good luck and happy hunting . Floor plan!

[Bob Denman]

It's all about the search...

Happy Hunting!

[99dart]

Originally Posted by bilet69

We have a 2019 ACE 30.2 thinking of jumping to a Thor Challenger...

Has anyone done anything similar? any likes or dislikes?

Just want more water, king bed, more storage etc. More of a full time setup.

Thanks!
Mark

I would be looking at an older, higher quality MH if I was you. Oh, I was already you. I bought a 2014 Itasca Meridian 36M. So, much nicer quality! Rear engine diesel is quieter and 2.3 mpg better fuel economy. Simple things make using the rig so much easier. Water pump switch in the wet bay for when you disconnect from "city" water. You can fill the fresh water tank from the city water hookup, just move a shut off lever 45 degrees. There is a water pump switch in the bathroom, in case you have forgotten to turn the pump on. That's three things just on the water system. Consider other possibilities before you stick with Thor. Just my 2 cents worth.

Capacities:
Fuel Capacity100.0 gal.
Fresh Water Tank Capacity 85.0 gal.
Total Gray Water Tank Capacity 61.0 gal.
Black Water Tank Capacity 46.0 gal.

[bilet69]

We are looking at the 2021 Challenger 37YT
Alof of upgrades we see to the 2021s

Originally Posted by wrapped

20months fulltime in 2019 Challenger 37FH does everything we need,want and more. Good luck and happy hunting . Floor plan!

[bilet69]

We have looked doesnt seem to be alot out there in the diesels either too old or to much in price range. Definitely have noticed the swing in the more modern coaches by way of interiors.
Some of the older stuff is hideous lol momma won't go for that lol.

What about the maintenance cost? Much higher I hear. And the diesel fuel is more... which makes NO sense being that it is less refined.

I'm not opposed to a diesel, but it has to fit our needs and budget of 150ish

Originally Posted by 99dart

I would be looking at an older, higher quality MH if I was you. Oh, I was already you. I bought a 2014 Itasca Meridian 36M. So, much nicer quality! Rear engine diesel is quieter and 2.3 mpg better fuel economy. Simple things make using the rig so much easier. Water pump switch in the wet bay for when you disconnect from "city" water. You can fill the fresh water tank from the city water hookup, just move a shut off lever 45 degrees. There is a water pump switch in the bathroom, in case you have forgotten to turn the pump on. That's three things just on the water system. Consider other possibilities before you stick with Thor. Just my 2 cents worth.

Capacities:
Fuel Capacity100.0 gal.
Fresh Water Tank Capacity 85.0 gal.
Total Gray Water Tank Capacity 61.0 gal.
Black Water Tank Capacity 46.0 gal.

[EA37TS]

We had a 2015 Challenger 37ND for over 5 years before we bought our current Super C. The Challenger was roomy and the quality of build was, IMHO, extremely good for the price point of the coach. Since you are paying under 200K you are getting materials and workmanship compatible for the price point.

We looked at quite a few diesel pushers. When you are looking below 200K the DPs have no towing capacity because they use the Allison 2500 trans. The Palazzo, Forza and Legacy are prime examples of this. Some of these based on specs should not be towing anything over 2000 pounds.

You are correct on the additional cost of ownership and maintenance of a DP. A normal periodic service for a DP will run close to twice that of a gas motorhome. Also with DPs most chassis dealers such as Freightliner will only work on them on certain days and will have an up charge because of the hassle accessing the engine components. That up charge can be 25.00 per hour or more. I talked to my local Freightliner Service Advisor before we bought.

We got out of the Challenger because it wasn't conducive to traveling with 3 cats. I got tired of having to secure and insecure three cat crates during every day of travel. We went with a Super C instead.

Again, the Challenger served us well for over 5 years and if it came to be I wouldn't have a problem buying another.

If he's monitoring maybe BigBen will give his perspective. He bought his Challenger the same time we bought ours but he put a lot more miles on his.

[bilet69]

Originally Posted by EA37TS

We had a 2015 Challenger 37ND for over 5 years before we bought our current Super C. The Challenger was roomy and the quality of build was, IMHO, extremely good for the price point of the coach. Since you are paying under 200K you are getting materials and workmanship compatible for the price point.

We looked at quite a few diesel pushers. When you are looking below 200K the DPs have no towing capacity because they use the Allison 2500 trans. The Palazzo, Forza and Legacy are prime examples of this. Some of these based on specs should not be towing anything over 2000 pounds.

You are correct on the additional cost of ownership and maintenance of a DP. A normal periodic service for a DP will run close to twice that of a gas motorhome. Also with DPs most chassis dealers such as Freightliner will only work on them on certain days and will have an up charge because of the hassle accessing the engine components. That up charge can be 25.00 per hour or more. I talked to my local Freightliner Service Advisor before we bought.

We got out of the Challenger because it wasn't conducive to traveling with 3 cats. I got tired of having to secure and insecure three cat crates during every day of travel. We went with a Super C instead.

Again, the Challenger served us well for over 5 years and if it came to be I wouldn't have a problem buying another.

If he's monitoring maybe BigBen will give his perspective. He bought his Challenger the same time we bought ours but he put a lot more miles on his.

Awesome thanks for the input... wish the budget was higher but buy a house soon too so only so much money to go around lol
Thanks for the input [emoji106]

[99dart]

Originally Posted by bilet69

We have looked doesnt seem to be alot out there in the diesels either too old or to much in price range. Definitely have noticed the swing in the more modern coaches by way of interiors.
Some of the older stuff is hideous lol momma won't go for that lol.
Yes, the older ones can be quite hideous. If you do some searches in your area on RVTrader and RVT.com, you can set up alerts for what you are looking for.

What about the maintenance cost? Much higher I hear. And the diesel fuel is more... which makes NO sense being that it is less refined.
Fuel is slightly more, but it looks to be a wash getting better fuel economy. Engine oil can be sent of for analysis instead of just changing it every year. I'm new to diesel ownership, but I know Cummins engines are pretty much bullet proof. And, for towing, our rig does have the Allison 3000 trans. If you are willing to travel, you can find a very nice used rig.

I'm not opposed to a diesel, but it has to fit our needs and budget of 150ish

We negotiated ours down to just below the 150 mark. And, you can find several models under that mark in a quality 2011-2015ish MH. Good luck! )

[bilet69]

Thanks! For the info

[Pete'sMH]

I actually like the Ford F53 class A’s. They are “reasonably” priced, easy(ish) to work on and more than adequate in power, towing etc. To hear some folks here complain you’d think they are barely better than ox carts! Take a good test drive, spend time looking, do the best pre-delivery inspection you can and buy what works for you. Enjoy the search and have fun. You can buy a very, very nice coach for 150k!

[bilet69]

Thanks man

Originally Posted by Pete'sMH

I actually like the Ford F53 class A’s. They are “reasonably” priced, easy(ish) to work on and more than adequate in power, towing etc. To hear some folks here complain you’d think they are barely better than ox carts! Take a good test drive, spend time looking, do the best pre-delivery inspection you can and buy what works for you. Enjoy the search and have fun. You can buy a very, very nice coach for 150k!

[axis earl]

I of course do not want to offend but I would look elsewhere. I have read many times that it is probably best to stop your length at 34' if you are a gasser for obvious reasons. I have been at two service centers where I have seen one of these huge Challengers sitting on the lot and the service techs have just quietly commented that they feel sorry for the owner because of all the problems.

[bilet69]

2021 have new V8 engine, more horse, better mileage...

Originally Posted by axis earl

I of course do not want to offend but I would look elsewhere. I have read many times that it is probably best to stop your length at 34' if you are a gasser for obvious reasons. I have been at two service centers where I have seen one of these huge Challengers sitting on the lot and the service techs have just quietly commented that they feel sorry for the owner because of all the problems.

[BradnKaren]

Originally Posted by axis earl

I of course do not want to offend but I would look elsewhere. I have read many times that it is probably best to stop your length at 34' if you are a gasser for obvious reasons. I have been at two service centers where I have seen one of these huge Challengers sitting on the lot and the service techs have just quietly commented that they feel sorry for the owner because of all the problems.

That's a Thor quality issue not a length issue. I can go on about the issues we've had with our Challenger, but towing isn't one of them. We tow our 24ft SeaRay or a small trailer with a golf cart with no issues. Also, this is our second 37ft motorhome. The last was a Fleetwood Southwind. No issues with that one at all. Should have kept it.