Advice for first time buyer please.

derger2004 · 06-26-2016, 09:39 PM

Hello, I have yet to buy my first camper, however have been looking online for a couple years now. I grew up with a love for campers since my grandparents were Airstream owners and camped regularly. I have toyed around with trailer VS class C for my entire search. I have narrowed down to Class C I believe, and will be buying new. I have my eyes set on the Thor Chateau 22E. However since deciding that is what I want, I started looking for reviews and came across a site with nothing but negative Thor reviews, mainly stating "lack of quailty control". I find this hard to believe because from the research I've done they appear to be a large, multi-branded company. So I'm confused because I thought I'd found something with good reputation, however it has bad reviews. Should I reconsider my decision? Is Thor a good brand/company? Is the Chateau a good RV? Any and all advice is appreciated! Also, I personally have accesed Class A VS B, slide VS non-slide. I don't care for slides, cost is a factor, I don't want to buy another RV down the road, plan on keeping this one as long as possible. Thanks in advance!

JamieGeek · 06-26-2016, 10:01 PM

Search around for any RV manufacturer and you are bound to find dissatisfied customers; its the nature of the business. Combine that with the fact that the happy campers are out camping and not posting on the boards and you get a lot of loud voices that say: "Don't ever buy brand XYZ camper they are junk".

The key to a good RV purchase is the dealer. They are your first point of contact for the brand. If you get a bad dealer that will taint your entire experience as even the smallest issue will get blown up ("I had to leave my new RV at the dealer for 6 months while they fixed some trim"). Thus while you are doing your RV research it is essential that you do dealer research as well (one rule of thumb: If you are planning on picking it up at a Camping World..really investigate that Camping World store as many have very very bad reputations as camper dealers).

RV's don't have the quality control like Cars do and thus a few lemons do make it out there; having a quality dealer can mean all the difference between that lemon ruining your entire RV experience and it just being a blip towards a happy camper.

Thor as a company seems to stand behind their products as many on these forums (including myself) have had great experiences when contacting Thor directly.

winder1 · 06-26-2016, 10:35 PM

Actually the title is a misnomer, THOR has no QA. Listen to what you are hearing, if it was the same with all manufacturers, why are you hearing it about THOR? Run.

DocMike · 06-26-2016, 10:52 PM

Ditto to what Jamie says.

No RV is perfect and a bit of effort, work, sweat and some aggrevation you'll get there with an RV you are comfortable with. Go thru this Forum and you'll find "the good, the bad and the ugly" on just about every line in the Thor Products ...but there are also many here who have found a way (with or with out Warranty coverage) to fix it, replace it or live without it.

The Dealership is the key and the service/supply manager(s) are the ones that will keep your unit running. One year later my salesman and my service manager know me on a first name basis and have been very helpful dealing with warranty, repairs and just the "RV Ownership Learning Curve". Also, thanks to this Forum, I have been able to advise them about some of the issues that have been discussed here - Recently, I really scared 'em with pictures of BigBen's problem of the torn metal/weld on his Unit.

We are no longer in our Rookie Freshman Year, now "Sophomore" but still a lot to learn.

I hope your travels are safe!

Doc

Chance · 06-27-2016, 12:38 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by derger2004

.....cut.... Any and all advice is appreciated! ....cut....

I typically recommend first-time prospective buyers rent a similar unit and try it out first if possible. We rented before buying our first time and it helped us fine tune what we wanted and or needed.

Some things are difficult to predict without actually living with it first. It's one thing to imagine how you will use a motorhome, and another to know whether the shower is large enough, or whether climbing over your mate to get in and out of a corner bed will affect your sleep, or whether the aisle is wide enough to pass each other, etc.

Bob Montgomery · 06-27-2016, 02:54 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by winder1

Actually the title is a misnomer, THOR has no QA. Listen to what you are hearing, if it was the same with all manufacturers, why are you hearing it about THOR? Run.

Just wondering why you don't sell your rv and with another brand since you seem to dislike Thor so much....just asking..

Bob Montgomery · 06-27-2016, 03:03 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chance

I typically recommend first-time prospective buyers rent a similar unit and try it out first if possible. We rented before buying our first time and it helped us fine tune what we wanted and or needed.

Some things are difficult to predict without actually living with it first. It's one thing to imagine how you will use a motorhome, and another to know whether the shower is large enough, or whether climbing over your mate to get in and out of a corner bed will affect your sleep, or whether the aisle is wide enough to pass each other, etc.

Good advice. Our first motorhome was a Coachmen Leperchaun 230CB. We thought it would be our last rv. Just my wife, myself, and two small dogs. After a couple trips we found it way too small for us. We traded it a few months later and lost a lot of money. Make sure it is big enough for what you want to do and you will be fine. Don't let the cost be the sole factor when making your choice.

KNMIB · 06-27-2016, 03:08 AM

I have no complaints with our Four Winds which is not the highest price unit Thor makes. With that said we bought used 2 years old with only 1600 miles on it and saved us about 17,000 plus it was debugged because we bought from a dealer that debugs all the units they sell, they where the seller of our unit when it was new and consigned it for the original owner. The key I think is the dealer and if our 23U didn't fit us perfect I would buy from the same dealer. I agree the quality control in the RV industry is weak but I also think it applies to all RV manufactures. Make sure you find a good dealer evrn if you pay more, and there is some great used pricing low mileage units out there. Good Luck

Travelin' Texans · 06-27-2016, 04:33 AM

Regardless of brand or price you need to be somewhat of a handyman to own ANY rv, otherwise the repair facility will have it more than you. The dealer service after the sale is the important part of the deal, you can buy one anywhere, but if it takes 6 months to replace a piece of trim then you're without a rv for 6 months. Don't remember who/where, but someone's signature says "the only thing that works on a rv is the owner" & that is as true as it is funny.

laberj45 · 06-27-2016, 06:52 AM

Do your homework on your RV.

I am in my second new RV in 5 years. First bought an Itasca Impulse class C 31JP (by Winnebego) with 2 slides. The quality of the RV was outstanding... Only a water pump did not work right the whole 5 years we owned. So our experience with delearship and RV manufacterer was incredible - making our investment satisfying.

We just purchased a Thor Miramar 34.3 this month and have had major problems with the slide due to the fact that Thor mistakenly placed a older antiquated slide in our RV. I am now holding my breath that the dealer can fabricate and make the slide into the 3Trax system that was advertised.... Our investment so far, has not been very good. And our relationshiup with Thor has been suspect, at best. Going to try and work out some sort of warranty on the arts and crafts on our new rig.

Hope this helps.... Only the facts - but be careful with Thor.

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