advice

[ScooterTheDJ]

In the process of purchasing a 2014 Thor Tuscany 42wx. Love the look and smooth drive. It only has 11,500 miles on it?! Is this bad?

Tires look brand new... Michelins. Do some of you guys drive places and let them sit? It has the solar panels and Satellite TV antenna on the roof. 3 AC units too.

Please help with any tips or advice. Do we need an extended warranty?

Hear mostly complaints on these forums. Anyone have great and positive Thor experiences?

Thanks in advance

[mountainsam]

Most of the owners on this forum do like and enjoy their Thor RVs. Most of the complaints have to do with dealers poor response to warranty issues or final fit and finish that require some elbow grease and/or a little wrench turning. Seldom are they issues that prevent one from getting out and having a good time.

At 11,500 miles, I have that many on my 2017. It sounds like yours has some great mods. Good luck with the purchase and welcome to the forum.

[SuperD]

With that mileage that engine isn’t even broken in good yet. A properly cared for diesel should last for 500,000 miles or more. If you like the coach and there aren’t any other problems, go for it! We had a Tuscany and loved it!!!

[Bob Denman]

Welcome to the forum!
The rig sure seems to have been nicely set up for some serious RVing...
Have you tried to find out why the prior owner is giving it up?
The best of luck to you during the negotiation process. Please let us know how this turns out, and post some pictures of it!

[TurnerFam]

with only those miles it was very 'lightly' used and hardly 'broken in' well, at least I would think, as most of us have put many, many more miles and time with our coach's before we found 'everything' about them! These machines are sometimes complicated to us average folks who have not 'RVd' much of our life... I had never really 'camped' any before we purchased ours.
Things like slide systems, Inverters, generators, RV electrical, and water and sewer connections are some of the 'systems' that take some experience and time getting 'accustomed' to how they work. And, sometimes it's not how we 'expect' them to work, either. Experience is the best education.

Without knowing a lot about the RV, you are susceptible to not being able to really check out all the systems before purchase, which is why some will hire an experience 'RV inspector', similar to a house inspector when you purchase a home. They go thru all the systems and determine the working order and whether any issues might need attention. Without an inspector, at least someone else who has experience with larger RVs might be a good person to at least give you a general idea.

If the coach has water in the water tank, try using the water pump and see if all the faucets and showers work properly. If the coach has access to a water spigot, also try it, including how to 'fill' the water tank.
If the coach has access to electricity nearby, try turning on everything possible, especially air conditioners. If the electrical is less than '50amp RV service'(which is really up to 100amps to the coach), such as typical 30amp service found in many campgrounds, try running everything at the same time until you trip a breaker, then you'll know that there is a limitation to what you can do at parks with less than 'full' 50amp service. Also, plug into a regular household outlet, which is only 15amps, and see how much 'else' you'll have to limit yourself to if on little outside power.
Unplug from electricity and run the generator, and do the same tests again. The generator should provide as much power as you'll need to run everything at the same time, even all three air conditioners, AND the microwave, etc. Also, check on how to setup and use the AGS(automatic generator starter) as it will come in HANDY!

Unplug and allow the INVERTER to provide 'off grid' power and see what all works while you have no other power source. The inverter is a mystery to many, but it simply takes power from your batteries to provide 120v power to your fridge, microwave, coffeemaker, and all your outlets in the coach. Plug stuff in, use them, and see what the Magnum Inverter panel reads while you are doing these things. You'll start to see what effect it creates with the Inverter 'Volts' and the status of your house Batteries. If you use them enough, and your batteries fall to a set 'Volts', then the AGS will automatically crank the Genrerator in order to recharge your house Batteries. This is how you 'dry camp'. If you need the air conditioners, crank the generator yourself and it will provide the additional power for them.

While the current owner or dealer might not want a potential buyer to 'use' the bathroom facilities, you can create some tests that will show you how they work. Use several gallons of water down the toilet, and then go out and see how to connect your sewer slinky to the main drain and use the black tank sewer drain sliders to dump the liquids. This is not just a test for yourself, but a test that things are working as they should.

Also, look at the leveling system for the coach, which is probably hydraulic 'legs' that come down and level the coach once you are parked and ready to 'camp'. You can try it on 'automatic' and you can try it with 'manual' leveling, which you may wind up preferring to use.
Experience also the air bags, as they will provide great comfort when driving such a large motorhome, but are also very useful when parked, as in 'lowering' them in order to provide the best firm 'foundation' before you even deploy the leveling system when you've arrived at your rv park or campsite.

Everyone thinks about 'test driving' a vehicle, and you certainly should, but few RV buyers think about 'test driving' all the systems within this machine before they jump in!


enjoy!

[Muggs]

Though complaints seem abundant, I think real issues are not a super high percentage.

Out machine was used, original owner put less than 400 miles on it and got something bigger. When we consider what we paid, ease of use, simplicity it was a killer deal. We have used for vacation trips, Mobil apartment and even a moving van at times.

It effectively replaces the 2007 suburban I used to tow open racecar trailer. It also cost less than new suburban.

We are very happy after 2 years. We are also hesitant about a little bigger, we are aware of some very real horror stories with a range of brands.

Good luck with your purchase. I should have done this year's prior.

[BradnKaren]

Originally Posted by ScooterTheDJ

Tires look brand new... Michelins. Do some of you guys drive places and let them sit?

I see you're in Florida. Do NOT assume because the tires "look brand new" that they are brand new or are ok. If they are the original tires they MUST be replaced. Check the date codes on the tires. If they are over 4 years old they need to go, especially on a Florida coach. Take it from someone who had two blowouts in two different motor homes with tires that were 5 years old but still looked new and with excellent tread. Figure the cost of new tires into your purchase.

Also, we LOVE our Thor! First brand new motor home for us. On our recommendation friends recently purchased a new Hurricane. Then one of his neighbors saw it, took his 90's Winnebago in to trade on a new Winnebago. He did not like what he saw and bought a Thor instead. ALL RVs have issues. It helps a lot to be very handy. If you are not, find a good, reliable RV mechanic and be prepared to learn a lot.

[jpmihalk]

We have had a very positive experience with our Thor Hurricane. As stated before, many others have also had positive experiences, they just don't get as much press as the negatives. As far as the tires go, typically tires on RVs age out before they wear out. 5-6 years is the general rule (depending on if the tires are covered, UV treated, etc.) Check the sidewalls for cracks and separation. Google "tire date codes" for the Michelins and check the manufacture date of each tire.

TurnerFam did a great job outlining some of the steps to check all of the systems prior to buying the unit. I would check every possible thing that you can.

Best of luck to you! It sounds like a very nice coach, especially with the solar and satellite dish already installed.

[Gary A]

Originally Posted by BradnKaren

I see you're in Florida. Do NOT assume because the tires "look brand new" that they are brand new or are ok. If they are the original tires they MUST be replaced. Check the date codes on the tires. If they are over 4 years old they need to go, especially on a Florida coach. Take it from someone who had two blowouts in two different motor homes with tires that were 5 years old but still looked new and with excellent tread. Figure the cost of new tires into your purchase.

Also, we LOVE our Thor! First brand new motor home for us. On our recommendation friends recently purchased a new Hurricane. Then one of his neighbors saw it, took his 90's Winnebago in to trade on a new Winnebago. He did not like what he saw and bought a Thor instead. ALL RVs have issues. It helps a lot to be very handy. If you are not, find a good, reliable RV mechanic and be prepared to learn a lot.

Ditto. My MH was originally a Florida purchase and was a 2014 with tire dates of 2013. I had to replace them at 4 years.

[Muggs]

As previously stated, watch tire age. Heat load in Florida summers is enormous.

I check tire pressures early hours. Then at very minimum check tire temp at 1st stop with heat gun. After that I will check by touch at every subsequent stop. After initial stop, I am looking for differences between tires. A failing tire or inflation change usually adds heat. So far all 6 of my tires with loose around 1 PSI every month and a half which could be checking loss. I also do this for trailer tires as well and also feel for warm hubs.

Do not be surprised at how hot they can get middle of summer day.