Opinions on the Fleetwood Bounder and other class As?

[Drifted_Cowboy]

I see what I would consider a disproportionate amount of fleetwood bounders for sale. Are they just a very common brand or a hot potato? Same with the pace arrows. Between mid eighties and mid nineties these are by far the most common brands.

 

[Lucky mike]

that was because they were the best deals for mid entry level class A's.......I have owned both and have no complaints.....just look the running gear over and maintenance records and plan on buying tires in the near future......good rigs for the money they sold alot of them!

 

[Drifted_Cowboy]

I was doing some research on the founder of Fleetwood. Pretty neat guy. I see quite a few that have had some work put into them and look very nice through the internet. Thanks for taking the time to help me out a bit. Seeing as they are so plentiful here and if they are relatively reliable (my primary concern) I may end up with one.

Are there any resources aside from experience that discuss the different chassis and builders to some degree? I don't like not knowing things and I'm really in the dark on this stuff.

 

[Lucky mike]

I started out with entry level and mid entry level coach's and fixed them up while I lived in them , then sold it and moved up a level.

if you watch different regions during there off seasons you can pick up some awsome deals....it took me 3 years and 7 coaches to move from a 5k coach into a 40k unit with only the original investment and parts/elbow grease!

then I sold it and bought this one and banked the profits to still buy and sell a couple times a year to supplement my income

 

[blars]

Fleetwood (including pace arrow) uses rubber roofs (repace every 10 years) and cheap parts poorly assembled. They do not seem to last as well as some other brands.

 

[Lucky mike]

rubber roofs only need to be replaced if they are not cared for......a coach is only as good as its owner.....

its kinda like anything else.....if you keep up the maintenance it will serve you well......if you assume it will just keep going it will prove you wrong...as I said its an entry level coach.....of course you could by an abused Provost coach for say a 100k the same year ....it would have the same problem..

NEVER....ask someones opinion on a brand ......do your homework.....look it over....test it....if it meets your needs and budget you have found what you need!!!

A deal is only a deal if you are the happy one!!!!..........and a good deal doesnt need someone elses approval..........and a bad deal is always filled with tons of opinions and finger pointing!

 

[Drifted_Cowboy]

Well to be fair there's really no other way for me to learn about this save the internet and a public library which just tells me to use the Internet.

The resources available to compare and investigate brand reputation, wtf the difference between chassis are, coach builders, etc are very limited from what I've seen.

So personal opinions based on experience are valid. They are no more or less relevant to me than 2 guys talking in a coffee shop or swapping information in a grain elevator. I have kids to watch during the day so I'm not exactly mobile and social. To some degree you chaps are all I've got. So I value your opinions. As I'm on a budget and have a family I'd prefer to not make too big of a mistake.

 

[Patrick46]

I've heard wonderful things about SouthWind Motorhomes, so that's another worth looking at.

Apparently, they use real wood (not veneers) in their cabinetry, and are very well built overall.


however, if one hasn't been maintained properly.......................


Happy RV Hunting!!

 

[Lucky mike]

most brand coaches are built by 3 manufactures......the most important part is the chassis which is built to spec by Ford or Chevy if it is a gasser....and 3 diesel manf. companies.....the brand on the front means nothing

for instance ..
monaco....holiday rambler....safari...beaver........all the same coach with almost identical options in different price lanes out of the same factory............

Winnebago....bounder..Exscursion....fleetwood.....again same coach , different price lane

 

[Drifted_Cowboy]

That's the part I wasn't understanding. It makes so much more sense now.

 

[akrvbob]

The entry level models are cheaper because they cut corners. Less insulation, thinner, cheaper materials, lower level appliances.

That doesn't mean you shouldn't buy one, it just means don't buy one thinking they are all the same. They aren't. There is a reason they cost less.

I know very little about RVs, but I've been told the Winnebago brand found the sweet spot. Nothing's great, nothing's bad, everything's good. Fair price for a fair rig.

Because of that they probably have held their resale better so you may have to pay more. Only you can tell if it's the best thing for you.
Bob

 

[Drifted_Cowboy]

Thanks Bob. I'm starting to get a pretty good idea of how this works. This is so much fun. The possibility. The choice. Right now I'm limited by budget but as time goes by and we get some experience who knows what the world holds. I'm very grateful to all of you guys.

 

[westriver]

most brand coaches are built by 3 manufactures......the most important part is the chassis which is built to spec by Ford or Chevy if it is a gasser....and 3 diesel manf. companies.....the brand on the front means nothing

for instance ..
monaco....holiday rambler....safari...beaver........all the same coach with almost identical options in different price lanes out of the same factory............

Winnebago....bounder..Exscursion....fleetwood.....again same coach , different price lane

Wow. It isn't often that I run into information that's so wildly off the mark, and incorrect. The comment about most coaches being built by three builders is wildly incorrect. Recent stats have one brand, that you didn't even mention, as the sales leader in the class A diesel market, with a less than 12% market share.

As for you first grouping of supposedly "identical" rigs, the only thing they had in common is that they all shared ownership at one point, or another. Two of the brands are orphans, one has been on life support for much of this decade, and one is doing well.

The second group is simply hilarious. Fleetwood flat out collapsed during the great recession, and it stock dropped to a few cents a share before it died a well deserved death. They did make some decent motorhomes at that time, but they also made horrifically bad towables, and junk manufactured homes, at the same time. Current Fleetwood product lines are manufactured by a new company that rescued the motorhome division of the business from the Fleetwood wreckage. Winnebago, a fierce competitor of Fleetwood, OTOH weathered the storm just fine, and continues to build some of the best products in the industry. When it comes to quality, at most price points in the used market, it's pretty tough to beat a Winny product. If you take the time to tour the Winnebago plants, it's pretty obvious that they are a true manufacturer that is not only huge, and cutting edge, but in the business of manufacturing a huge portion of the individual components that are installed in their products.

In comparison, many other manufacturers are more like "assemblers" who just take truckloads of other company's stuff and screw it all together. Some do it well, other's don't.

 

[Delrdr]

We looked at a lot of rigs, went to a lot of RV shows and researched all the major brands and came away choosing Winnebago. I am on my second Winnie gasser and love it. Is it perfect-no, but nothing is.
However the thought and quality that goes into the coach is amazing. Ford chassis is easy to work on. I do my own maintenance if I can. The rest of the coach has been very reliable.
Bottom line... you get what you pay for in a motorhome.
Happy hunting

 

[sparky1]

I have a 84 Pace arrow 103,000 it threw a rod---if I could have gotten a engine it would still be on the road so I bought a Bounder,34 ft. LOVE IT replaced the front springs,$ 500.oo the front brake hoses,145.oo calipers, 150.oo pads bearings seals 200.oo, water heater plastic fitting 3.5-//labor.me .- step motor,$45.oo (1) hydraulic Jack hose $120.oo (LR) need to replace driver side windows-to be inspected.--$$$ some tires (expensive.) & it will be back on the road- rides like a dream. everything works.
just no fun alone is why it sits, tagged & insured,,just sitting.
sparky1.

 

[msbarth]

Has anyone heard of Barth Motorhomes or trailers?

 

[highpsiguy]

I lived fulltime in a 1995 Bounder for a year and 1/2. It was well built and dependable. I would own/buy another one. Only sold it to get a unit with a slide.

 

[Brian_and_Jesse]

Well to be fair there's really no other way for me to learn about this save the internet and a public library which just tells me to use the Internet.  

The resources available to compare and investigate brand reputation,  wtf the difference between chassis are, coach builders, etc are very limited from what I've seen.

So personal opinions based on  experience are valid. They are no more or less relevant to me than 2 guys talking in a coffee shop or swapping information in a grain elevator. I have kids to watch during the day so I'm not exactly mobile and social. To some degree you chaps are all I've got. So I value your opinions. As I'm on a budget and have a family I'd prefer to not make too big of a mistake.

G'morning Drifted Cowboy!

Darlin' (my husband) and I (Jesse) have owned a 1987 Fleetwood Bounder (we call him BUSTER ) for three years. Ours doesn't have a rubber roof - it's fiberglass - and our engine only has seventy-odd thousand miles on it. We love our rig and use it for touring; we're musicians (and authors, photographers) and missionaries and so travel the world working with churches and other groups by putting on benefit concerts and selling our books, CDs and DVDs on the road. We've been doing this for 40+ years. You can see BUSTER on my blog at www.enroutewithjesse.com/ in an article called Life Really Is a Day at the Beach and also in a segment called In the Driver's Seat!

We're gearing up for a five-year tour beginning in October 2015 - God Willing. We like our rig so much (and we have a LOT of musical equipment to carry) that as long as his body stays in good shape, we're keeping him.

We reupholstered all the old foam when we bought him (for $8,500 CAD, which was at par with the USD then) and had his engine overhauled and tightened up the loose stuff, loosened up the tight stuff, made quite a few customizations, but they were our preference and not done out of necessity necessity, and we resealed the roof and windows etc., so the whole thing ended up costing us circa $15,000.

This year, he needs a few minor repairs (mostly just lights and stuff), but we plan to install four solar panels on the roof since we need enough juice to record in our on-board studio.

We're based in the Coastal Mountains in BC Canada and BUSTER can take an 18% grade as well as any Jeep can. We're delighted with him.

Hope this helps.

Shalom Aleichem,


Jesse.

 

[Brian_and_Jesse]

Sorry, I meant to say that we REPLACED all the old foam and bought new upholstery too.

Jesse.