Wanted: ISO 31L Chateau

[SmithPayne]

We are looking to buy a 31L Chateau.

Thank you so much!



View this ad at Thor Classifieds - ISO 31L Chateau

[blw2]

Good luck in your search.

I'm curious.... why have you homed in on that particular model?

Being an owner of one, i have some good guesses I think....
From what I can tell it wasn't a hugely popular floorplan for Thor, and I haven't noticed a lot of other owners here and on another rv forum I frequent. Something I've been puzzled by.

Anyway, good luck....and if you have any questions about it I may be able to help....

[SmithPayne]

Originally Posted by blw2

Good luck in your search.

I'm curious.... why have you homed in on that particular model?

Being an owner of one, i have some good guesses I think....
From what I can tell it wasn't a hugely popular floorplan for Thor, and I haven't noticed a lot of other owners here and on another rv forum I frequent. Something I've been puzzled by.

Anyway, good luck....and if you have any questions about it I may be able to help....

Thanks, we absolutely love the floor plan, especially the long counter tops. We have been looking for about 2 years and have shy'd away from Thor because of all the horror stories we've heard. But we are having a hard time finding 30'-32' motorhomes with more counter space. But we also want the Chateau over the Fourwinds model because of the leveling system. The only real ynknown to us is how low to the ground they sit. Do you find that to be a problem in more remote arears/ national parks? Any input you could give us would be much appreciated!

[mpinva]

Originally Posted by SmithPayne

Thanks, we absolutely love the floor plan, especially the long counter tops. We have been looking for about 2 years and have shy'd away from Thor because of all the horror stories we've heard. But we are having a hard time finding 30'-32' motorhomes with more counter space. But we also want the Chateau over the Fourwinds model because of the leveling system. The only real ynknown to us is how low to the ground they sit. Do you find that to be a problem in more remote arears/ national parks? Any input you could give us would be much appreciated!

Almost bought a 31L then found the Class A Hurricane/Windsport 31S model. 32 feet. Nice long countertop, outside kitchen, levelers, etc. 2 years and 8k miles, still loving our Hurricane.

[dlbeck27]

Originally Posted by SmithPayne

Thanks, we absolutely love the floor plan, especially the long counter tops. We have been looking for about 2 years and have shy'd away from Thor because of all the horror stories we've heard. But we are having a hard time finding 30'-32' motorhomes with more counter space. But we also want the Chateau over the Fourwinds model because of the leveling system. The only real ynknown to us is how low to the ground they sit. Do you find that to be a problem in more remote arears/ national parks? Any input you could give us would be much appreciated!

We have a 2016 31L and enjoy the extra counter space. Bought it new and we were out in Lasen National Forest a week later. It does sit low to the ground and you have to watch where you are going. The generator exhaust pipe sits lower than anything else. Ours didn't have a levelling system, but at 71 I can still put some plastic ramps under the tires when needed.

Good luck finding one.

Dave

[The_Breeze]

Originally Posted by dlbeck27

We have a 2016 31L and enjoy the extra counter space. Bought it new and we were out in Lasen National Forest a week later. It does sit low to the ground and you have to watch where you are going. The generator exhaust pipe sits lower than anything else. Ours didn't have a levelling system, but at 71 I can still put some plastic ramps under the tires when needed.

Good luck finding one.

Dave

Couldn't agree more. It may not have been a very popular floor plan and I'll throw something else out there. Thor bought Jayco. The Jayco 29MV (my preferred choice) is the exact same floor plan with some things a little better thought out: mid-ship TV location, jRide suspension, and believe it or not the toilet. If Thor keeps the 29MV, little sense in have two coaches with almost the same exact floor plan. I couldn't find one with light cabinets and I preferred a street-side bedroom slide out.

I like the fact my bedroom slide is on the street side. It's opposite most others so when the neighbors party late into the night, my bedroom window isn't facing their patio.

I cook a lot of my own meals and the counter space comes in very handy.

It's a little too big for me but I think it's better than being too cramped. Mine's also loaded, right down to heated tanks. The Jayco didn't have as many options and had the same mileage at the same price. That's good and bad. The more options you have the more things there are to break and cost to fix. Gotta take the good with the bad, as they say. It's really nice to pull in and hit the auto levelers.

The only things I dislike are:
1) Toilet height. I'm 6'4" and my feet do not sit flat on the ground. The toilet is located over the wheel well and sits really high. I respectfully suggest you sit on it before you buy one. It might have changed my mind The height can get annoying at times.
2) TV location - the TV can't be pointed toward the dinette area. It swings toward the overhead bunk instead. This is where the Jayco it right. It sits in the overhead bunk and swings out toward the dinette. It's a little frustrating because I like to watch the news while I'm eating dinner.

Good luck in your search and let us know if you have any questions. We'll help you the best we can.


p.s. I highly recommend RV Trader to assist you in your search and RV USA for specs, brochures, etc.

[pstandiford]

Originally Posted by TheBreeze

Couldn't agree more. It may not have been a very popular floor plan and I'll throw something else out there. Thor bought Jayco. The Jayco 29MV (my preferred choice) is the exact same floor plan with some things a little better thought out: mid-ship TV location, jRide suspension, and believe it or not the toilet. If Thor keeps the 29MV, little sense in have two coaches with almost the same exact floor plan. I couldn't find one with light cabinets and I preferred a street-side bedroom slide out.

I like the fact my bedroom slide is on the street side. It's opposite most others so when the neighbors party late into the night, my bedroom window isn't facing their patio.

I cook a lot of my own meals and the counter space comes in very handy.

It's a little too big for me but I think it's better than being too cramped. Mine's also loaded, right down to heated tanks. The Jayco didn't have as many options and had the same mileage at the same price. That's good and bad. The more options you have the more things there are to break and cost to fix. Gotta take the good with the bad, as they say. It's really nice to pull in and hit the auto levelers.

The only things I dislike are:
1) Toilet height. I'm 6'4" and my feet do not sit flat on the ground. The toilet is located over the wheel well and sits really high. I respectfully suggest you sit on it before you buy one. It might have changed my mind The height can get annoying at times.
2) TV location - the TV can't be pointed toward the dinette area. It swings toward the overhead bunk instead. This is where the Jayco it right. It sits in the overhead bunk and swings out toward the dinette. It's a little frustrating because I like to watch the news while I'm eating dinner.

Good luck in your search and let us know if you have any questions. We'll help you the best we can.


p.s. I highly recommend RV Trader to assist you in your search and RV USA for specs, brochures, etc.

We had a 31L and liked it. The two items you mentioned were about the only things we didn’t like. I’m 5’9” so imagine what it was like for me. I felt like Lilly Tomlinson on the big rocker. And that’s the truth.

[blw2]

interesting take on the TV. We personally loved the location of our TV. honestly we don't end up watching it all that much, but we love that it's not in the way of anything....and just simply does not look like an afterthought, like most low end RV TV installs I've seen.

I've always said that the 31L just didn't look good on paper, but really shined "real world". I have not seen anything else, I don't believe in the same length ballpark, class A or C, that has anywhere near the counter top space or the interior cabinet storage volume. Even some A's that are a bit longer don't have this much. The floorplan is just plain good.

Yes the toilet height was something we didn't realize till after buying.... Used to it though...and we aren't full timing, so....

As far as ground clearance... I don't imagine it's any different than any other class C of a similar size, or even smaller ones. We've had it it out in National forests on the dirt roads a bit, and some of our state park CG's have worse roads than that. It does ok for what it is...

The things I don't like... grey tank size is too small and the rear axle is overloaded without even trying. And the 5,000# hitch limit. All reasons I would have preferred Thor's F-550 chassis super c version of the floor plan.

Just as a discussion data point, I'm going to make a point of looking at that Jayco model online when I get some time....

[The_Breeze]

Originally Posted by blw2

... grey tank size is too small and the rear axle is overloaded without even trying. And the 5,000# hitch limit.

Just as a discussion data point, I'm going to make a point of looking at that Jayco model online when I get some time....

Ditto on the grey tank. In fact, I'd say the black could use an upfit too. I forgot about those until this morning when was it was time to dump - again. Seems I get a week out of them unless I use the shower (which is every day). Then it's ever two days or the shower pan starts to fill - and I take Navy showers.

I chose the 2017 because it's the same year as my Chateau: https://www.rvusa.com/rv-guide/2017-...n-29mv-tr29440. The tanks are bigger and it holds more propane. It doesn't have the overhead storage. Give and take. Mine are half empty anyway and I'm full-timing it.


p.s. I hope we didn't hijack this person's thread

[JoandRandy]

We love our 31L. We have made a lot of modifications to it and it keeps getting better. The toilet is high but not a problem to us. I guess the way we look at it is this is ours and we are happy in it. I hope you find what will be a good fit for your family.