Seriously considering Thor

tnedator, thank you and my English teacher mother would thank you too!

You're welcome!

As someone who has been known to post VERY long posts on other forums, I only know because others have pushed me to break them up as well.

A little concerning they are so cavalier with propane lines. At least it was capped so no propane was leaking. Almost makes you think that they put the lines in (probably done by someone other than the person/group that installs the furnace) capped, as a precaution, because they've previously had lines not hooked up and uncapped, leaking gas.
 
We bought a Thor Freedom Elite 30fe from a Camping World. We've had it 3 months and wish we had never bought it. It has issues that Camping World can't fix and Thor customer service is just plain rude. I'm stuck with a bad coach and it's new. Don't go near a Thor.
 
If I could do it all over again and I wanted to stick with the same 1 and a half bath, bunks, king bed and washer/dryer, I would choose either Fleetwood or Winnebago. From what I have heard and seen, both Fleetwood and Winnebago have a better reputation than Thor. That is not to say that Fleetwood or Winnebago don't have there share of problems but they seem to have less than Thor.
 
My husband and I have been looking for almost 2 yrs for our first Motorhome and are leaning towards Thor. I would appreciate your feedback, good and bad, on your experience with yours. Model, gas, diesel etc would be great, as well. Thanks!!
I’ve had a 2000 Coleman Tagos popup, a 2005 Sunline Solaris travel trailer, a 2005 Coachmen Mirada, and a 2018 Thor Freedom Elite 30FE. As far as driveables, I like the Thor. As for as towable, I like the Sunline. The most fun was the Coleman pulled by a Jeep Wrsngler.

My Thor didn’t come with a model specific manual so I get a lot of info here and what I’ve lesrnef in the past. My towable had jacks and driveables didn’t. I think I should have gone with a Winnebago.
 
Our two cents, we've had our Challenger for 30+ months and 35k+ miles. Like many have said, you'll have issues. Be prepared for that but we have found Thor to be extremely supportive in resolving issues. You've also gotten lots info on buying. Again our two cents, hopefully as you've been looking and doing your homework - you've been learning. Keep learning! I don't suggest you have an adversarial relationship with the dealer but make sure you understand the whole written deal. Do not assume anything unless it is written down. When it comes time to close the deal, do a close PDI (or in the case of used - you may want to hire it done) with resolutions BEFORE funds change hands. It took us two iterations of before we'd figured this out. On the third deal we got it fairly straight. Dealer knew going in - no fix of PDI = no check.

If you buy used, you may want to buy an extended warranty for the first year. We bought a tire warranty from Wholesale Warranty, used it once to the tune of $550. Purchase price was $450. Still have 3 years left on the warranty. We did not buy the extended warranty on our new coach, simply because we use the $3000 as reserve to pay for fixes.

We use our coach about 7-9 months each year. In the winter, we often dry camp for almost 3 months. All of the features make this an enjoyable time. The 100 gals of fresh water, 80 gals of grey, 80 gals of black make everyday showers and load of wash every other day - very easy to get done. The massive basement - 171 sq ft in our 37TB - make hauling what we need very doable. Our 37TB sleeps upwards to 10 people. About 2-3 months each year, upwards to 5 of our grandkids are with us. The kingsize bed, washer/dryer, five TVs, residential refrig, 1.5 bathrooms and on board storage are hard to find in virtually any other coach (diesel or gas) anywhere in the neighborhood of the Challenger price point.

We've towed our 2013 Ford Explorer for virtually all the miles we driven our coach. The V10 with the 5 Star Tune has performed very well. The F53 chassis is under most of the larger class As without regard to manufacturer. It is extremely dependable.

In summary, we use our coach a great deal. Spend the time to make sure you know what the "must haves" are, what are the "like to haves" are and what floor plan you want. Then drive the best deal you can and enjoy your home on wheels. We'd buy Thor again.
 
What ever brand you buy..NEVER EVER BUY from CRAPPY WORLD ! OR LET THEIR SHOP TOUCH YOUR COACH..!For ANY REASON..
Find a dealer near you that will at least show so quality concern And shows RESPECT for you coach..
and has a repair shop that you can go and inspect as they are working on your coach.
Good Hunting.
 
What ever brand you buy..NEVER EVER BUY from CRAPPY WORLD ! OR LET THEIR SHOP TOUCH YOUR COACH..!For ANY REASON..
Find a dealer near you that will at least show so quality concern And shows RESPECT for you coach..
and has a repair shop that you can go and inspect as they are working on your coach.
Good Hunting.

If there is one thing I have learned when it comes to RVing, about 90% of all Camping World Stores are horrible at installing and/or repairing RVs. Several years ago a CW in Madison WI installed a Winegard dish and W/D in our fiver and did an excellent job. The next two times we used CW stores in other parts of the country it was a nightmare! The one in Ft. Myers has to be one of the worse in the nation. I honestly do not understand how CW as a whole can stay in business.
 
They stay in business by charging me $190 for a tire rotation. I had my rig break down in their parking lot and while they did a great job in the repairs needed which were new valve stem's I was naïve enough to let them rotate my tires not asking about the price first. Buyer beware. I will try to make my money back on their lost leaders and coupons :)
 
My2017 Freedom Elite has had its share of little adjustments and small repairs but has been reliable and great fun for 8000 miles and over 50 nights. My experience with Camping World, though limited, has been fine. It makes me sad that so many people have problems with their machines but I’m pretty confident that it is not the prevailing experience. My recommendation is to do your research meet your dealership staff and make your own decision. Don’t forget to have fun!
 
What ever brand you buy..NEVER EVER BUY from CRAPPY WORLD ! OR LET THEIR SHOP TOUCH YOUR COACH..!For ANY REASON..
Find a dealer near you that will at least show so quality concern And shows RESPECT for you coach..
and has a repair shop that you can go and inspect as they are working on your coach.
Good Hunting.

While everything I've heard about camping world says to me stay far, far away (I haven't actually used them), it's easier said than done to find an RV dealer to live up to what you just described there.

I'm not saying they don't exist, just that it's a small percentage of them that fall into that category and for any given brand or location, no dealer like that might exist.
 
One of the issues with finding a good "independent" dealer is that Camping World is buying them up. Both of my good independent dealers have now become Camping World. One has kept their original name but implemented CW policies while the other changed their name to reflect Camping World.
 
One of the issues with finding a good "independent" dealer is that Camping World is buying them up. Both of my good independent dealers have now become Camping World. One has kept their original name but implemented CW policies while the other changed their name to reflect Camping World.
Same here... probably the same dealers we were working with in VA. We have been fortunate in that we only needed warranty repairs once and they handled them quickly and correctly prior to being sold. Now that we are full timing, finding a dealer to work on our rig will be a challenge.
 
In all of our travels, we have been away from our dealer 80% of the time. I've called the Thor Warranty CSRs and gotten servicing dealers name in my locale or along my route. I've always worked with Tom Overton - but there are more that I have heard that just as competent.
 
In all of our travels, we have been away from our dealer 80% of the time. I've called the Thor Warranty CSRs and gotten servicing dealers name in my locale or along my route. I've always worked with Tom Overton - but there are more that I have heard that just as competent.

Just talked to Tom on Friday (my first call into Thor) and I was very impressed.
 
In my dealings with Thor on warranty issues, I’ve worked with Steve Tobias. He s professional, quick to respond, and has come through each time.
 
My husband and I have been looking for almost 2 yrs for our first Motorhome and are leaning towards Thor. I would appreciate your feedback, good and bad, on your experience with yours. Model, gas, diesel etc would be great, as well. Thanks!!

NatalieD;83098,

As you can see there is a lot of answers out there to your question.
We too are new to the world of camping and THOR.
We purchased a new 2018 ACE this past August. For the most part, all has been good. A few rubs along the way but nothing that hasn't been corrected so far. Note that I said so far. :)
However, if you check the history of THOR you will find that they own most of the camping manufacturing companies in the Country.
Sort of turns out to be regardless which name brand you buy it will have the same poor quality of mfg and you will have to take care of repairs along the way to get things corrected.
Good luck.
PS: Note, this is a very important part of the history listed here and this is why there is a quality issue with all units made. $50,000 unit to a million.

Like several other firms in the industry, Thor offers employee incentives based on productivity, with reductions in bonuses based on warranty work.



Thor Industries, Inc. was founded on August 29, 1980, when Wade F. B. Thompson and Peter Busch Orthwein acquired Airstream. The name "Thor" combined the first two letters of each entrepreneur's name. Despite its image, Airstream had not fared well during the economic downturn of the late-1970s. By focusing on improving quality while reducing costs, Airstream returned to profitability in its first year under the new Thor management.
In 1982, Thor purchased the Canadian company, General Coach, which manufactures travel trailers and motorhomes. Also part of this acquisition was Thor America, which manufactures Citation and Chateau travel trailers and fifth wheels.
In 1984, Thor became a public company and in 1986 was listed on the New York Stock Exchange. That same year, Forbes magazine ranked Thor sixth out of the "200 best small companies in America."[2]
In 1991, Thor acquired Dutchmen, a brand of fifth wheel and conventional travel trailers. Four Winds International, manufacturer of class A and C motorhomes, was acquired in 1992. Komfort, a maker of fifth-wheel and conventional travel trailers, and Skamper, a builder of folding camping trailers, became members of the Thor family in 1995.
1996 saw the start up of Thor California and the introduction of the Tahoe and Wanderer brands of trailers and fifth wheels. These products became instant hits among the recreational vehicle (RV) community and the fastest-growing brands on the market.[citation needed]
With the acquisition of Keystone RV in 2001, Damon RV in 2003, and CrossRoads RV in 2004, Thor Industries became the largest RV manufacturer.[3]
In September 2010, Thor Industries' subsidiaries Damon Motor Coach and Four Winds International merged to form Thor Motor Coach. THOR Motor Coach has become the top retail selling motorhome manufacturer in North America.[4] Thor Motor Coach produces several brands of Diesel Pushers, Class A, Class B Plus, Class C Motorhomes that are distributed in the Italy, United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, India, Japan, Canada, and the United States.
Thor announced its acquisition of Heartland Recreational Vehicles, LLC, a privately held RV manufacturer based in Elkhart, Indiana, for $100 million in cash and 4,300,000 shares of Thor Industries, Inc. common stock, subject to adjustment on September 17, 2010. The acquisition, Thor’s first major purchase since 2005 and just two weeks after its 30th anniversary, was rumored for several days.
In May 2013, Thor sold its ambulance manufacturing company, SJC Industries, to Allied Specialty Vehicles, including the McCoy Miller and Marque brands.[5] In August 2013, Thor announced the sale of its bus businesses to ASV as well.[6] Until that time, Thor had been the largest mid-size bus manufacturer, having acquired ElDorado Motor Corp., National Coach, Champion Bus, Heartland and Goshen Coach companies between 1988 and 2012.[7]
In July 2016, Thor purchased Jayco, Inc for $576 million.[8]
Like several other firms in the industry, Thor offers employee incentives based on productivity, with reductions in bonuses based on warranty work. Thor encourages employees to be actively involved in community programs and Thor executives serve on the boards of numerous civic organizations.[citation needed]
Subsidiaries[edit]
Recreation vehicles
• Airstream
• Bison Coach
• Breckenridge
• CrossRoads RV
• Cruiser RV
• Dutchmen RV
• DRV
• Entegra
• Heartland RV
• Jayco, Inc
• Keystone RV
• KZ RV
• Livin Lite RV
• Redwood RV
• Thor Motor Coach (combined Four Winds International and Damon Motor Coach)
Other
• Postle Aluminum Co.
Former subsidiaries[edit]
Commercial bus unit was sold to Allied Specialty Vehicles, now REV Group in 2013.
• ElDorado National (August 2013)
• Champion Bus Incorporated (August 2013)
• General Coach America, Inc. (August 2013)
• Goshen Coaches (August 2013)
• SJC Industries, along with the McCoy Miller and Marque brands. (May 2013)
 
We bought a Thor Freedom Elite 30FE that had a flaw in the upper bunk bed that was corrected by Campers Inn in Byron, GA. We haven’t had any problem. It’s a gas, Class C.
 

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