Thinking about an ACE 30.3

[Ellen M]

We spent today looking at an ACE 30.3. We currently have a Keystone Cougar Trailer. I’m doing most of the driving and pulling the trailer is just too involved. I’d appreciate any thoughts anyone has on the 30.3 or similar RVs and any advice.
Thanks for any input!
Ellen

[Chateau_Nomad]

Honestly if we were looking today, that floor plan checks nearly all the boxes for our requirements. It's a bit longer than our 24F, but I like the layout/features.

What I DON'T like is the degraded build quality since Covid, and the insane price gouging. New rigs are overpriced for what you get, AND the current 15% to 17% discount off the inflated MSRP is paltry... considering that pre Covid discounts of 28% to 30% were common.

But... if that's not an issue, go for it! I think they're nice coaches for the class they're in.

[16ACE27]

Originally Posted by Ellen M

We spent today looking at an ACE 30.3. We currently have a Keystone Cougar Trailer. I’m doing most of the driving and pulling the trailer is just too involved. I’d appreciate any thoughts anyone has on the 30.3 or similar RVs and any advice.
Thanks for any input!
Ellen

The 30.3 is a great floorplan. Driving a MH by itself is certainly less complicated than connecting and pulling a travel trailer, but most people need a second vehicle for sight seeing once the MH is setup at camp. So they end up pulling a towed car (TOAD) wither 4 flat (all wheels on the ground), on a tow dolly, or on a trailer. That kinda increases the complication factor again. Something for you to consider.

[coachray]

Welcome to the forum

[dkoldman]

Originally Posted by Ellen M

We spent today looking at an ACE 30.3. We currently have a Keystone Cougar Trailer. I’m doing most of the driving and pulling the trailer is just too involved. I’d appreciate any thoughts anyone has on the 30.3 or similar RVs and any advice.
Thanks for any input!
Ellen

Welcome.

Here is my input / feedback.
1. Stay on this forum and read a lot before dropping all of your money
2. Prepare for a PDI as if you were preparing for war, get checklist and check everything. Assume nothing
3. Can you sleep in the bed with slide retracted?
4. The shower across the aisle raise an eyebrow, so are there two doors that can be locked so shower can be private? Not a biggee but seems like you need a room to step out into from shower?
5. Can the Televator TV be raised while driving? Seems like it may block view when parked if watching TV the same time.
6. Did they allow you to test drive?

The layout is nice. I think if you simply verify it ALL works before buying or taking possession you will be happy. It will be easier to drive than pulling a trailer.

[rbykid]

Looks like a nice layout. I have a 2019 ACE 29.3 and love it.

[Ellen M]

Thank you for all your info and suggestions.
We are researching as much as we can on the internet. My eyes are blurry from watching YouTube videos! I’m getting ready to print a PDI checklist. Will probably do this tomorrow unless someone has already bought the thing.
The floor plan is close to perfect for us. I’d rather the bathroom/shower be fully enclosed but there are sliding doors to the bedroom and the living space. And all the features are fully accessible when the slides are in. Some we looked at had a folding bed, wrong for so many reasons!
Our next issue is the TOAD. Friends in our geriatric RV group say towing a car is a lot simpler than towing a big trailer. Next, we need to find an appropriate vehicle.
We need to get this resolved as I’m losing sleep. Yesterday I spent two hours in the middle of the night fretting about all sorts of things and this morning I woke up at 5:00 wondering about where to hang towels….ENOUGH!!!
Again, thanks for the input!
Ellen

[Ellen M]

Bought the thing! Expensive little devil.
Took our maiden voyage to Fallen Leaf Lake, by Lake Tahoe, CA. It’s dry camping so we put a few systems to the test. The all-electric fridge is a pain. The batteries were a nightmare to keep charged, running the generator way to often. Need to upgrade the batteries and add more solar.
Everything else was good. We did discover that the bathroom sink drains into the black water. I see the point, but in almost 20 years of RVing we have never filled the black water tank. This time we had to head to a dump station mid-stay. Probably having kids using the bathroom didn’t help at all!
The RV handled very well, much easier than pulling a trailer. We did buy an elderly Jeep Liberty to tow, 2006, and that was manageable.
Still can’t figure where to hang towels! The toilet/sink side is only slightly bigger than that on an airplane! We have an over-the-door rack but that further reduced the space in the WC. Hanging on the outside is ugly but might be the solution.
Our daughter-in-law, our almost 2-yr-old grandson, two of our three granddaughters, their two massive shepherds, along with the two of us and our two Shih Tzus spent two nights in the RV. A bit crowded but it worked! Our son and remaining granddaughter chose a tent. Then they all moved on to fancier digs. We were there nine days.
Next trip is with full hook ups!

[Dan-sr@perra-us.net]

I just traded in my 1996 28' Tiffin Allegro class A motor home on a 2018 Thor ACE 30.3. I kind of fell into the deal on the ACE. The unit had less than 4000 miles on it and the price was $10,000 - 3$30,000 less than other 2018 ACE 30.3 units for sale on the internet and all those unit had at least 30,000 miles. As others on this thread have said it is an excellent floor plan. On the unit I bought the fit and finish was excellent. In fact, the fit and finish was much better than on my 1996 Allegro. The build on the ACE is a much more thoughtful with a better execution.

I have yet to take a trip because I am still getting it set up for my new towed vehicle and taking care of some small maintenance issues, like replacing the 5-year-old battery's that don't hold a charge and some shrunken trim / seals on the outside of the RV.

Good luck with your shopping

[Ellen M]

We did it. Bought it. There are so many nice things about it and a few little nightmares. The all-electric refrigerator is a pain. It drains the battery it seconds and requires hours of generator time when dry camping. Need to figure that out. And the wiring to the fridge doesn’t seem to be connected properly so it doesn’t work most of the time. However it is very well insulated and blocks of blue ice have been adequate for short trips. This is on the repair list for November.
And the dash AC leaks. The dealer” fixed” it with tape and some black goop. Needs new parts so we will be arguing with them about that sleazy attempt.
And now that we have installed steering stabilization it drives pretty well. If I win the lotto I’ll add some rear stabilization as well.
I’m not in love with the Ford chassis. Nearest service that will take it is 75 miles away. Expensive drive and a lot of wasted time.

[Dan-sr@perra-us.net]

Originally Posted by Ellen M

I’m not in love with the Ford chassis. Nearest service that will take it is 75 miles away. Expensive drive and a lot of wasted time.

Tell me about it! With the old RV I could get chain oil change places to do my oil changes as long as I could fit into the bay. Sadly, the new unit is about 14" taller and will not fit through the 12' doors. I assume your "dealer" is the RV place that you purchased the RV from. So far with the possible exception of Camping World, for some things, I have not found an "RV" services provider that will work on any Class motorhome chassis. I found them by accident trying to identify a place where I could get an oil change. Luckily, I have found a local repair shop that will work on any vehicle from Boats and little ATVs to cars, motorhomes and semi-trailer tractors and trailers for more than just oil changes. I just visited them yesterday to get a sense of what kind of operation it was, and I was impressed. Front desk people presented a professional appearance and attitude. It was not a one stall shop; the shop was bigger than the shops in some of the car dealer's around here. They even had a Ford F53 chassis motorhome (The horror of it, this is that same chassis the Thor ACE 30.3 has) up on a lift for a motor replacement. My ACE has the 6.7l V10. Does your unit have the V10 or do you have the 7.3L V8?
Good luck getting your problems fixed.

[Ellen M]

We have the V8.
Glad you found a good service place but it’s a bit far for me!!!
There are a couple of decent rv repair places 30-45 minutes away for rv related issues but not for chassis issues. Warranty work is probably the dealer again. Ugh.

[Rvman12]

Ellen M

Did you get your dash ac fixed?

I just bought a 2023 ACE 29g and now at General RV with same issue.

[Ellen M]

AC repair is on-going. They are trying to locate a part.

The fridge….my husband figured out that a wire to a fuse was the wrong gauge and overheating the fuse, thus shutting off the fridge. It was a bit nuts as the fridge would work for a few hours while the rig was parked at home and we were packing up. Then it would just stop. Last trip it worked well. I still would prefer the dual power variety but it is what it is.

[Lwbisquit]

Hi I’m Lila from st Simon’s Island Ga

I’ve never even been in a camper so I clearly don’t know what I am doing…

I bought the Sequence BClass and I am wondering if all my problems are because it’s Covid built or just a lemon!

So many issues and I have only had it less than 2 months and the third trip I got it it and the whole house was dead and I was told to switch the master fuse but it wasn’t located where Thor said it was…. The response was “I guess they decided to put it someplace else”. This is crazy! Then he said “It’s beat to buy uses because all the kinks are worked out”

Is this true?

[Ellen M]

Or that used one was traded in because it drove someone nuts!
My recommendation: watch YouTube videos. Even ones that about other rigs. I’ve learned so much from them. Some of the full-timers who post almost daily are loaded with interesting and useful information. I watched quite a few about our model when we first got it and then some others sort of for fun but there was usually a useful nugget or two.
This morning I get to move it from one repair place to another. The fun never ends.

[Mark Anderson]

Originally Posted by Ellen M

We spent today looking at an ACE 30.3. We currently have a Keystone Cougar Trailer. I’m doing most of the driving and pulling the trailer is just too involved. I’d appreciate any thoughts anyone has on the 30.3 or similar RVs and any advice.
Thanks for any input!
Ellen

We have an ACE 30.1 and love it. We don't travel with children but do travel with pets and the size is perfect. We had a Freedom Elite 26 HE C class but it was just too small. Also, any of the smaller class A's seemed too small. I'm 6'4" and have plenty of room.

[Dan-sr@perra-us.net]

IF you buy any used motorhome on any Ford chassis that has Kingpins be sure to have the Kingpins checked. I just purchased a 2018 ACE 30.3 that had only 3900 miles on it. When I was driving it to Camping World to get the RV portion of my TOAD braking system installed, I noticed the motorhome was a little squirrelly at highway speeds. So, then the next stop was to get the front alignment checked. They found worn Kingpin Bushings. It turns out the factory apparently did not properly lubricate the Kingpins and the delivery service on the unit did not include a grease job. To be sure the motorhome was still a good deal I just might have been able to knock a few more dollars off the price. The bottom line is, if you are buying a used one be sure to have a full mechanical inspection. If buying new be sure the all the predelivery service is done.