To Thor or not to Thor...

[BarbaraRose]

There seems to be an excessive amount of Thor Class C's for sale. (Am looking for anything 2019 or older. No Covid junk campers for me!)

Am wondering what experience any of you have with Thor RV's. Seems odd that there are so many of them for sale versus other brands. They look nice but just concerned...

[chalet05]

Barbie, might check this out - https://www.rvinsider.com/Thor-Motor-Co ... or%20Coach

You have to weigh the good with the bad. My first and 3rd Lance campers were fine, the 2nd one was a nightmare.

[BarbaraRose]

Thanks Anita for that link. Looks like the really bad reviews are mostly on the 2019 and newer models, which isn't surprising. The older models are kind of hit and miss. I don't like that the service people are not helpful or dependable, according to many comments.

[OregonLuvr]

I found this article that tells you who owns what brand. Some I knew, some I didnt. Just thought you might find it helpful.

https://www.godownsize.com/which-rv-brands-own-who/

[Cougarfan]

I'm pretty sure all the used Thor Majestic's were rentals that have had the rental decals removed, and new designs added. They can have high miles and even though they are presumably maintained on a regular basis, things can and do go wrong.

Thor started as a small company (now big) that buys up RV manufacturers. Most of the time nothing changes with the company, but they can change the way a company does business which may affect quality (like they can build 25 quality rv's in a day and now they have to make 35 which means things just get thrown together to meet the manufacturing goal). I have heard that the Thor Class A's have issues with quality control, but you have to remember that this is a rolling house and things get shaken and stirred on a regular basis, so you have to stay vigilant.

I know when I was looking for a small Class C/B+ years ago, I looked at several BT Cruisers that ALL had water damage to the ceiling. All of them! I decided that wasn't a brand I would look at anymore. I had a Class B+ that was a Thor product and it was fine. There were no quality control issues and it worked out fine for the time I had it.

There really isn't ONE manufacturer of RV's that doesn't have issues.

It sounds like you're getting your pro/con/compromise list together so just let that guide you. The suggestion to get a certified RV person inspect one that you find you like is a great idea if you can find one that will do it.

Laura

[chalet05]

These are things that could apply to most RVs but I found forums like this gave me a heads up if something did go wrong. I wasn't totally clueless.
https://www.thorforums.com/forums/f4/

[Colliemom]

Thor has not had a good reputation for a long time. I would steer clear of them. It’s usually a pretty good giveaway, when you see a lot of RVs for sale from the same company that something is wrong. Forest River is a good brand. Are you looking for a class C or what?

[BarbaraRose]

Karen, that was a very interesting article! Thor owns a lot of other brands. I wonder where they are all made? They can't be all made at the Thor factory so maybe still made better. Who knows?

Either way, I will still avoid anything newer than 2019. I found a website that shows where to find certified RV inspectors in different areas. I have seen RV's on CL that had obvious delamination issues and I know to steer clear of that mess. If you can see it in a photo, it can't be good!

Sue, My first travel trailer (the one I towed out to CA) was a Forest River and it was a nice trailer. I am looking for a Class C around 24 or 25 ft that has a back corner bed. I had a price limit of $30K but am considering going higher to get something a little better. Will see what I find that speaks to me! Like they say, you will know the right one when you see it.

[Bethers]

I'd not be afraid of the brands Thor has purchased because many of them still have control. However Thor has a bad name, v as Sue stated, going way back and I avoided them when looking back on 2014. You can get a good one, just like you can get a bag one from any manufacturer. But they always had the most issues when I looked.

[Pooker]

Exciting time, Barbie. RV shopping is fun, but also frustrating. Both Beth and I have had the layout you are considering. My Flitter was an Itasca Spirit 26' and I loved that rig! I liked having the larger living area that the corner bed provided, but that bed did take a lot of getting used to. I had a sofa and swivel chair instead of a dinette. I just ate on a tv table. As for manufacturers - like everyone has said, there are good and bad apples with almost all of the RV brands. Personally, I had good luck with Winnebagos, but a lot depends on previous owners and how they took care of their rigs. I think I drove sales people crazy because if a rig looked like I might be interested, I'd whip out my list of things to check and start at one end with them following me and breathing down my neck. After awhile they would give up and wander away, leaving me to poke and probe to my heart's content. Both times I bought my rigs alone (the Class C and the B) I was very happy with my choice. I saw a lot of frogs before finding the prince both times. And you are right -- you kinda know when you see it.

Happy hunting. Hope your house sells fast.

Evie

[Acadianmom]

My favorite motorhome was a 1992 Allegro Bay Class C made by Tiffin. It was probably one of the last Class C's they made. It had twin beds in the back, middle bath and shower, sofa and dinette and over head bed. That was when my son was still traveling with me and I wanted one with twin beds. I was on the way to my mother's and there was an RV place that sold used RV's. I alway looked to see what they had. I saw that Rv and stopped to look at it. Drove it down the road and back and told the man I would take it. While we were doing the paperwork a couple showed up to buy it. They had looked at it and had to think about it. I knew Tiffin had a good reputation and I didn't see any problems. I think I had fewer problems with that motorhome than any of the other ones.

Martha