OT - Friend looking at Discovery 40G

TaterColo · 02-04-2012, 08:52 PM

I know we all own the Berk and I'm assuming all of us are very happy with it. I know I am. I have a good friend looking at a 2011 (new) Discovery. Let me know your opinions and I'll pass them along.

Details on 2011*FLEETWOOD*DISCOVERY*40G at Holiday World of Houston

wnytaxman · 02-04-2012, 09:39 PM

Honest opinion is that the Fleetwood is a little bit more of a higher end than the Berkshire and the price listed is reflective of that. A leftover Berkshire 390bh should be about $30,000 less than the Fleetwood. Other than the price the major difference will be the engine. Fleetwood uses the Navistar engine which does not use the DEF system but rather exhaust regeneration. Some feel that their system shortens the engine life more than Cummins which uses the DEF. I would think that your friend needs to see if the extra features are worth the extra dollars.

TaterColo · 02-04-2012, 10:11 PM

He really likes the pass thru bathroom - however I did point out with the bunk slide closed it appears it might be impossible to get to the bunks? With the Berk the kids can easily access the bunks while traveling down the road.

The Discovery does have 380HP compared to ours at 340 or 360 in addition to not using DEF.

I told him with the extra HP he will get me on the hills but I'll give him a big air horn honk as I pass him at the gas station. :-)

BamaCorner · 02-05-2012, 09:06 AM

2010 Discovery, and a 2010 Phaeton, all loaded. The Birkshire was $159,000, the Discovery $169,000.00, and the Phaeton around $178,000.00. All great coaches but we selected the Birkshire. Came down to the floorplan and perceived value.

lefaivre · 02-05-2012, 12:25 PM

We have just trader a Fleetwood Discovery in on a 2012 390BH-60. So far, we love our Berkshire.

Having spent last weekend at the local RV show, I can honestly say that the only two units that even came close (at any price) were the Tiffan and the Discovery. That being said, dollar for dollar, I still think the Berkshire comes up to. Al three of these coaches are top notch and are very well fitted to families. Although the finish is better in both the Tiffan and the Discovery, you take a big hit to the wallet for these extra frills.

We loved our out Discovery but two things that I did not like about the new model were;
1) The residetial fridge with its large battery bank and high future cost
2) The pass thru bath and lack of accessability to bunks and back BR when closed up. This would be a bit factor when loading and unloading coach in tight areas.
3) The angled position of living room TV and its associated loss of counter space.
4) The addition of a stove ... no need the a convection microwave
5) Service bay in Berkshire is second to none with its individual water shut off

A couple of things that I prefer about Discovery
1) Pantry
2) Finish of Cabinets

At the end of the day it comes down to personal choice and how much they are willing to pay. No matter what unit you get ... at the end of the day it comes down to compromise .... on finish, layout, price, cabinet, storage etc.

Good Luck ... its a big decision

TaterColo · 02-05-2012, 02:02 PM

He currently has a 2008 Fleetwood Providence 39R. He found a coach that has the porch that folds out on the passenger side he was interested in.

I told him that is not family friendly - but pretty cool. I have been on him for the last couple of years to get a bunkhouse since he has twin 8-year old boys.

I think one reason he is not seriously considering the Berk is because I have one. We camp together a lot and he wants something different I suppose. Plus he likes the looks of the Fleetwood. It's his money I guess....

BamaCorner · 02-05-2012, 04:21 PM

However, one feature that I liked that both the Discovery and Phaeton had that was not offered on the Berkshire is the king bed. Sure would like to have one.

wnytaxman · 02-06-2012, 07:59 AM

Bama, we've talked about that also. It would have been a nice feature to have, but I don't think there is enough room in the bedroom to move around if they would have put a king in there.

One side note about Tiffin. Apparently there have been some major quality control issues with Tiffin. I don't know if they have resolved those issues yet, but things like cracked roof radiuses, cracked front and end caps, and rotted out wet bays are some pretty serious issues. Right now I would think long and hard about going that route. I hope they have resolved their issues because they have always been a real quality family business that went out of their way for the customer.

BamaCorner · 02-07-2012, 08:48 AM

a king bed would require taking a foot or so from the other areas of the motorhome and I wouldn't want to give that up either. It's all about comprimises.

TaterColo · 02-07-2012, 10:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BamaCorner

a king bed would require taking a foot or so from the other areas of the motorhome and I wouldn't want to give that up either. It's all about comprimises.

With our smaller beds it allows us to be closer to our significant other!

Frosty · 02-08-2012, 10:27 PM

I have a 2012 390BH 360 w/6400 miles on it and we love it except for the driver window not being dual pane and vibrates in the wind

Joker · 02-09-2012, 01:22 PM

I, too have the driver window vibration problem. There seems to be 3 components to the noise, but the most significant is the whole window flexing which creates a lower frequency and loud noise. This has got to get fixed.

Frosty · 02-09-2012, 02:28 PM

I totally agree. If it was dual pane the problem would be solved

lefaivre · 02-09-2012, 05:57 PM

We just purchased our 390BH-60 in September. Other than driving it from the dealer to our storage facility, we have not had it on the road. During the 1.5 hour of driving I can honestly say that I did not notice any window rattle. I have my fingers crossed that I may have dodged a bullet and actually have a rattle proof window.

Without being able to look at the window myself ... I can not recall. Does the window have any type of gasket or is it simply a window sliding in an aluminum slots. The reason I ask ... my only house had metal sliding windows that would rattle in the wind. I was able to raplace the gasket with one that lad a slightly longer pile and the rattle stopped. We may have the same option.

The gasket that I am talking about comes on rolls. It has a rigid plastic backing and a fluffy pile front (similar to that on a pipe cleaner). These gaskets are easily obtained though any window company and come in several sizes. If our windows do not have the slots that these gaskets would normally slide into, it might be possible to glue the gasket to the outside edge of the window.

Joker · 02-09-2012, 10:29 PM

I think the chief rattle component comes from the contact of edge of the sliding window that is nearest the front of the coach ( the metal that holds the latch ) and the middle window brace while the window is in its closed position. The reason these surfaces are bumping against each other is that the window assembly isn't stiff enough for the forces it encounters. As it flexes, the middle parts move the most, and that's where the rattle presents.

I also get a lesser rattle from the screen slide there, but that could be fixed with a bit of Velcro to keep it from sliding during travel.

The net result is that you may see me driving down the road with my hand on the window to act as a stiffener so that I can carry on a conversation with my wife.

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