Fleetwood 40G Vs Berkshire

[amarzano]

So things were going so well and then we looked at a Fleetwood 40G Bunkhouse.

We have narrowed our search to either a

- 2010 Fleetwoo 40G or
- 2011 Berkshire w/ Opt 350hp DEF and Allison 3000

Both tow 10k and have floor plans that work for us.

Both have an MSRP of about $240k

I feel the quality of materials is a notch above in the Fleetwood.

This said - how much of a premium would those that like the Flleetwood more be willing to pay over the Berkshire? $30k. 40k? Even though the MSRP is the same -- the deals are not! (I know this is the Berkshire forum - but thought I would ask... )

Thanks!

[tmmar]

I would just make sure that you are comparing apples to apples ie. does the Fleetwood have a fiberglass roof like the Berkshire? Are there things on one that are not on the other? Is the Fleetwood really worth the $40k difference to you? Never really looked at a Fleetwood so can't comment on the coach itself but there should be a Fleetwood site similar to this that you can look at.
Good luck and let us know what you decide.

[NWJeeper]

I have owned Fleetwood in the past. Generally I have had good experience with them but that being said the construction of the cabinets, electrical, plumbing, etc is all going to be close to the same when you really start poking your head inside things and looking closely. Fleetwood has had some issues in the past with their construction just like all the rest. I believe that around 2005 or so they started making changes for the better. It was my understanding that Fleetwood had filed for bankrupcy and was in trouble. Think of the impact of that on warranty issues in the future. FR with the backing of Berkshire Hathaway isn't going away anytime soon and has been generally very good with legitimate claims even out of warranty. Look at more than just the rigs, look at the bigger picture.

[amarzano]

There is a lot of content on the 40G.

Residential Fridge
2 inverters / 2 more batteries
2 more TVs
Nicer materials

That said - it feels like a higher end coach
From 2 or 3 years ago - if that makes sense.

Fleetwood did come out of Bankruptcy and
Did right by owners on warranty - from what
I read.

My gut tells me there can be that much more
Quality or Resale - but that is what I am
Really asking. My mind tells me to get into
RVs as cheap as possible and upgrade down
The road if we really like it.. :-)

Other thoughts

[NWJeeper]

One HUGE mistake you can make is to assume there is such a thing as "resale value" in ANY RV. You will always loose money selling an RV no matter what the inital cost or quality. Yes, go in for as cheap as you can.