Allegro Red 33A, Itasca Meridian 34 B or Newmar Ventana LE

[wildwoodrver]

Hi,

We are buying a new class A diesel pusher. We have noarrowed our search to the following|

Tiffin Allegro Open Road 33A
Itasca Meridian 34 B
Newmar Ventana LE

We want to stay in the 35-36 range and want as deluxe a coach as we can find. We are full timing and accessibility to State and National Park campgrounds is important. So is a residential fridge....had it with Norcold!

How about some feedback on real life experience build quality, initial issues, service with those problems, and even real life experience MPG with the smaller Cummins Engines.

Ready to hear the good, bad and ugly...but hopefully more good. Especially in the pricing dept.....to save time haggling.

Thanks!

[GMandJM]

You're right, the Phaeton 36GH is 36'9".

I know of three people who have recently purchased Tiffin Phaeton's, us included. We purchased a show model 42LH at the Hershey RV Show through Colton RV near Niagara Falls, NY. Someone we met purchased a 40QBH at a Tiffin Rally through (IIRC) North Trails RV in FL. And a third couple purchased a new 36GH via the Tiffin dealership in Nashville.

I'm happy with mine and feel comfortable recommending Colton RV, although other's have written about having a less-than-perfect experience with them. They're a high-volume dealership and of course some transactions will go better than others.

The other two couples had coaches to trade in, but ours was strictly a purchase. All of us are happy with the deals we got, as far as I know, if that counts for anything.

From what I've been seeing, 25% off MSRP is fairly common and some people claimed they got around 30% off. (Good for them, eh?) It seems like the more loaded a coach is, the better deal people claim to have gotten. Perhaps there's not as much markup in a base-equipped coach as there is in the ones with all the bells and whistles.

You asked for facts and not advice, but I just gotta add: Know what you want and make an offer you feel comfortable with.

[wildwoodrver]

Thanks all....in spite of model numbers, all the coaches are 36 plus feet in length. Appreciate comment on short wheelbase. That gives me pause on the Tiffin as well. Spoiled by stability of present coach.
How about question of dealer and pricing?
Thanks.

[GMandJM]

x2. The Phaeton 36GH may be worth looking into, even though it's not on your list. I'm looking at the floorplan in the brochure and it seems like the bath would have good functionality (-sink, shower & commode in a room and then another sink/vanity outside.

Tiffin really stands behind it's products.

[luvlabs]

Tiffin also makes the Red in a 36 ft version. If you want nicer, then look at the Phaeton 36GH. Still relatively short but so much nicer than the Red 33AA.

[rr2254545]

They are all good but full timing I would get at least 36 ft to keep all your stuff. I have never had a problem getting my 36 into state or federal parks (except california but never really tried as I like full hookups) and we stay in alot of campground. You say 35-36 but all the models listed are smaller, hence my comments above.

You will regret it if you do not go bigger.

Our Winnebago has been great, over the last 18,000 miles my Cummins 360 HP has got an average of 9 mpg and that includes many hills and mountains.

[J-Rooster]

I'm not going to tell you what 3 of the coaches to buy that would be a disservice, especially if something should go wrong after you bought it! Just because someone had good luck with there coach does me you are! All 3 are good brand coaches! I would go with the floor plan of the one of the three would that suit your needs best, then check the records on maintenance! Good Luck

[RWjSIM2003]

Newmar would get my vote.

[capnqball]

We looked at pretty much the same but in various sizes. Went with the Newmar LE 3847 with bath and half. Main reason: Comfort Drive. The Tiffin 33 had too small a bath was the DW's main gripe, and the short wheel base gave me pause. The Winney wasn't bad, but I don't like all the complaints of late on the Schwintek (sp) slide issues that Winney and others are using. Drove a Newmar 36 LE and was very impressed with the driving. We've had our 3847 for 3 weeks now and have put 1800 miles on so far, totally happy with its fit and finish. We've noted only a couple minor issues that will be easily rectified when we get to the factory since we'll be in the vicinity in a couple weeks. We special ordered ours and feel that's the best avenue to go to get what you want. Good luck in your search.