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Old 10-02-2016, 12:59 AM   #1
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Prospective owner

Hello all, my wife and I are seriously contemplating the purchase of a small (under 30 ft) class A. I hope to get some insight on the purchase, care and feeding of the beast. Thanks in advance for putting up with some probably silly questions.

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Old 10-02-2016, 01:10 AM   #2
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Originally Posted by Mitch S View Post
Hello all, my wife and I are seriously contemplating the purchase of a small (under 30 ft) class A. I hope to get some insight on the purchase, care and feeding of the beast. Thanks in advance for putting up with some probably silly questions.
Mitch,
I think you'll find that no one on this forum thinks any question is stupid, because I think all of us have been in your boots. One conclusion I have come up with is that no matter how much you spend, what brand you choose, etc., this is NOT like buying a car or truck, especially when it comes to warranty issues, dealership service, etc. It also helps if you can do a few things yourself, even if you buy new with a warranty. Oh yes, most units do not come ready to go camping because you have to buy certain things that don't come with the unit that you MUST have, i.e., sewer hose, water hose, etc... To me the most important thing when making your decision is how comfortable it is to drive. Others may not think so, but it is a priority in my book. I went out looking for a diesel class C and ended up with a gas class A because of it. Keep reading, watch Going RV too so you can get some quick information. Good luck and hope you make the right decision for you.
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Old 10-02-2016, 01:12 AM   #3
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There are no silly questions. They have all been asked here before. Use the search mode in the top bar (use the "show posts" button for best results) and I bet you will be surprised at how many of your questions have already been answered and how many you may never have thought of.
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Old 10-02-2016, 01:38 AM   #4
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Originally Posted by Mitch S View Post
Hello all, my wife and I are seriously contemplating the purchase of a small (under 30 ft) class A. I hope to get some insight on the purchase, care and feeding of the beast. Thanks in advance for putting up with some probably silly questions.


Welcome to the forum! RVs are like shoes, many different types and everyone's tastes are different. The answers to your questions depend on so many factors, starting with your budget. Suggest you try a rental first, and spend some time visiting with fellow campers. You'll find everyone has an opinion of what works for them, and not everything they say will apply to your particular situation.

On this forum, you'll find several folks like me happy with their Vegas/Axis 25.2, others happy with their Vegas/Axis 24.1 and others happy with various other Thor rigs. You'll also find some complaints. Folks here are happy to share their experiences and their knowledge.
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Old 10-02-2016, 02:06 AM   #5
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We love our Axis, but it's certainly a hobby, always something to tinker with or maintain. If you're able, rent a unit comparable to one you're interested in. We rented a class C for 2 weeks and learned a ton, mainly that a small class A was more to our liking. Good luck!
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Old 10-02-2016, 02:40 AM   #6
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The only stupid question is the one you don't ask! I've been doing this a long time and have owned several rvs. Here is my advice for what it's worth:

What do you want to do with your coach and how often will you use?
Floor plan, make SURE you like it or you will never be happy with your coach!
Look at how much you want to spend and then see what is available in your price range.
If you locate a good dealer get a test drive to make sure you are comfortable driving whatever you plan to buy.
DON'T buy on impulse, think out your decisions and options.

Like many others my wife and I love the Rv life style. We sleep in our own bed and use our own toilet, biggy for my wife. I wish you the best in your search and hope you enjoy many happy miles!
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Old 10-02-2016, 12:02 PM   #7
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Welcome and good luck on your search. We have only owned three RV's. We generally do a lot of research first and then start actually looking at the different makes/models that we have narrowed it down to.


Out of our three RV's, two have been "gently" used and one was new. We have experienced a lot less headaches with both used units compared to the one new unit. You may be shocked at how much money can be saved by purchasing a 2 year old unit compared to new.
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Old 10-02-2016, 12:10 PM   #8
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I agree with Joe although we do not have the experience as he does we luckly bought a used unit while looking at new and saved us a lot. We found a nice Class C that fits our needs and it only had 1600 miles on it and was two years old. The advantage is all the bugs where fixed before we bought it. You will read on this forum that the dealer you buy from is very important I can not over state that, they can be the key to happy RVing. Good luck.
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Old 10-02-2016, 12:47 PM   #9
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I am selling my unit if you are interested. It is a 2016 Thor ACE 30.2 with 2500 miles. It is in excellent condition and I'm not to far from you (North Carolina).
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Old 10-02-2016, 09:50 PM   #10
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Welcome Mitch and ask away the only bad questions are the ones not asked.
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Old 10-02-2016, 11:47 PM   #11
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Mitch, welcome to the forum. You'll find lots of friendly folks here that will answer your questions and help you solve any problems.

My recommendation (that I always make to prospective owners) is that an RV is not like a car or truck. You can't use it periodically and let it sit parked with no attention. An RV is a house that bounces down the road. It is going to require more than just washing every now and then. Things are going to come loose. Systems are going to stop working or completely fail. Things are going to require adjustment. An RV is a do-it-yourself project.


My second recommendation is to work with a dealer locally to get the best price. Also spend lots of time researching the reviews of this dealer's service after the sale. You are going to have warranty issues (that is the unfortunate nature of the RV beast). A second part of the "it's not like a car" is that many dealers refuse to service an RV unless it was bought from them (worse case) or if you didn't buy it from them they schedule you way down in the queue for service. In those cases it might be at the dealer's for weeks waiting for repairs. Also buying an RV from a dealer hundreds of miles away for the great price and then having to drive it hundreds of miles for service is going eat time and be expensive.

We have a 2015 Vegas 24.1 and love it. We have 8800 miles on it and spent about 100 days in it camping. I've had it to the dealer's 4 times the first year for warranty work. The most major items were replacement of the microwave and replacing a stress cracked windshield. The total time the dealer had my RV the past year was 13 days for the 4 visits. My dealer won't take the RV in until the parts are on hand. You can read here on the forum owners who have only had use of their RVs for a few weeks in a year because their dealer had it the rest of the time.

Good luck in your search and research. If you want a more in-depth look at the Thor Vegas/Axis models I compiled an Owner's Manual. If you go to the Motorhome Tech Topic section of this forum the first thread is a sticky to my manual. Go to the 7th response for the updated site address to download the manual.
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Old 10-03-2016, 12:48 AM   #12
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Originally Posted by Mitch S View Post
Hello all, my wife and I are seriously contemplating the purchase of a small (under 30 ft) class A. I hope to get some insight on the purchase, care and feeding of the beast. Thanks in advance for putting up with some probably silly questions.
Hey Mitch S, My wife and I started out with a travel trailer then another travel trailer, then a class C then another class C then the Class A we have recently purchased 2016 Thor Vegas 25.2 (over 22 years). This thing operates and much quitter and rides a lot smother than the Class Cs. We wanted to down size and looked at the Mercedes Diesels and a couple others. I know a little about diesels and know that maintenance and fuel is higher than a gasser. The Ford V-10 has never let me down and seems to always have plenty of power for towing my old jeep. I try and perform all maintenance and modifications myself. Wife is happy and comfortable so I am happy! Have fun looking and deciding and never hesitate to ask a question. These guys on here are great!
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Old 10-30-2016, 03:26 AM   #13
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We have owned a couple of travel trailers, two slide in popup truck campers, so we know a little about rvs, but it has been close to 30 years ago that we sold our last one. I used my dad's trailer a couple of times to go to Nascar races, but that was long ago. We're hoping to be able to take a few trips a year when my wife retires, staying out a couple of weeks at a time. There are a few places we want to visit, and to visit relatives we haven't seen in a few years. My wife has trouble getting in and out vehicles due to knees and other health issues. She tried getting in a 2016 class c on a Ford chassis, but there wasn't much room to move in the cab. We've decided on a class A to make it easier for her to move. Its important that she be able to move around easily in the coach with the slides in (if it has them) and to have a bed that is easy to get in and out of. So far the Axis/Vegas seem to meet our needs, bu I have to get somewhere that she can look at them preferably that has a couple of floor plans for her check out.
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Old 10-30-2016, 02:14 PM   #14
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Welcome Mitch. We have a 2016 Vegas 24.1. two things that sold me on it were the entry has no exterior steps. and other than the step up to the forward cab the floor is flat. many motor homes have a step up near the bathroom or the bed. Have fun and keep reading.
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Old 10-30-2016, 03:15 PM   #15
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Hey Mitch ! As you can see...all of us Forum members are pleased to hear from you. Let the questions roll !
If your wife has specific questions...there are a few ladies who do the communicating on the Forum ... so, she can get feedback from us, as well as the men !
WE LOVE OUR AXIS ! be sure to checkout all of the size options if you look at the Vegas/Axis Class A's . Many floorplan options to consider !

Kay
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Old 10-30-2016, 04:54 PM   #16
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Welcome Mitch. We have a 2016 Vegas 24.1. two things that sold me on it were the entry has no exterior steps. and other than the step up to the forward cab the floor is flat. many motor homes have a step up near the bathroom or the bed. Have fun and keep reading.
Good point about our Axis 24.1. The steps are integrated into the floor design so no moving steps. Simple can sometimes be better.
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Old 10-30-2016, 05:25 PM   #17
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Not to mention how the Axis/Vegas units sit low to the ground so its only 3 steps to the "main floor".

Granted that is a pain if you need to crawl underneath to look at something though LOL.
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Old 10-30-2016, 05:43 PM   #18
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The low floor height and the lack of motorized steps are a couple of the things I like about this coach. The only other one that I've looked at is the A.C.E. 30.1, but would prefer to stay with the smaller chassis. Getting under the coach may be a problem, but a set of heavy duty ramps would solve that problem. Maintenance is some thing I can probably handle, I was a mechanic for 35 years working on anything from weedeaters to graders and loaders. We just want to spend some tome seeing things that we have talked about for years.
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Old 02-23-2017, 03:24 AM   #19
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We finally made the decision to buy. After looking for a few months and a trip to the Florida RV show, we started looking for a coach to buy. There are only a few dealers within about 50 miles, and none of them have a selection of class A coaches, after spending more than a few hours on the net, we found 6 or 7 we wanted to look at. With my niece getting married in St Pete, we decided to check out the ones we had found. To make a long story short, we found 2 in Ft Myers and went to the dealer. After talking to a salesman, he wanted to show us one that had been taken in on trade. The older gentleman that owned it said it was too big for him to handle. It was a little more than we planned on spending, but in the end we decided to take the RV. Its a 2016 Jayco Allente 26 Y, about 27 feet long. This coach has less than 2200 miles, considering it probably was about 1200 miles to deliver it, it's barely used. there is no sign that anyone has spent much time in it. Hopefully we'll be able to start back home the 28th or 1st. That drive will be an adventure.
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Old 02-23-2017, 12:38 PM   #20
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Congratulations.

You can even stick around since Thor purchased Jayco you're still one of the family here LOL.
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