Time to wake up an old thread, with all the pertinent info, rather than start a new one...
Earlier in this thread I said I liked the TS concept, after driving one we liked it enough that we now have a Sunseeker TS2390 on order for July delivery.
We compared the TS to the Coachmen Orion Traveler T24TB (similar floor plan to the TS 2370/1), the Crossfit (also Transit based), and several M-B Sprinter based Class B's like the Galleria and Airstream. After comparing all the units the TS 2390 is the best choice for us to "down size".
The criteria we used for our search was fairly straight forward:
1. The biggest requirement! My wife had to be comfortable driving it. She was quite comfortable driving all of the Class B and small Class C units that we reviewed. Hey the TS isn't a whole lot bigger than my old Ford Excursion anyway...
Our GTS while being
very comfortable when parked wasn't something she wanted to drive.
2. We wanted something that was a more of a RV, not a "touring" coach. That meant all the M-B Sprinter Class B's didn't really meet our needs. Why? The rear couch / bed is not something I would want to sleep on for an extended period. There are too many gaps, lumps, and moving parts to be comfortable. And having to remake it from a bed to a couch every time we wanted more space was another concern...and then back again. The bathroom is adequate but the shower was waaaay too small. And no matter what brand you look at they are all very similar in layout. I suppose you can only do so much with the limited floor space. While they are wonderfully comfortable to drive there just isn't the space in one to spend several weeks at a time...at least for us if we want to stay happily married anyway.
3. No slide outs. Yes, they add a lot of room, our GTS has four, but we've had issues with slides in the past and I wanted to avoid them if possible. Plus smaller units lose a
lot of CCC when you add a slide out. Look at the at the CCC difference between the TS 2370/1, @1654 pounds and the TS 2390/1 @2310 pounds...I have better uses for that ~650 pounds of CCC then the small space the slide out adds.
4. Diesel versus Gas. I wasn't really hard over on this one. But the initial purchase price, and ongoing maintenance costs, of a diesel engine versus a gas engine lead us to opting for the 3.7L gas engine in our TS 2390. We've driven a gas TS 2390 and it has more than adequate power for us. And I'm sure I'd lose some CCC going to the diesel although I don't know exactly how much.
5. Local dealer support. Our TS is on order through Three Way Campers, in Marietta, GA. We have bought several RV's from them and they have always offered excellent support both before and after the sale. Having a good dealer that will work with you and support you is a priority for me.
Down sizing from the "big" GTS to a TS will be "interesting"
I'm sure. The TS has plenty of interior storage, more than our GTS in some ways, but the exterior storage takes a serious hit. At least the CCC of the two units is comparable! The corner shower in the TS is a bit smaller than the corner shower in the GTS...but it is still bigger than the rectangular box in other units. The TS "dinette" is smaller, okay it is a
lot smaller.
No auto levelers either, at least until Bigfoot offers them. And no more TOAD...the bikes will get more use or we'll rent a car when needed. Even with these issues both the DW and I think the TS 2390 will work out fine for us.
I'm not seeing many posts on the TS family on FRF yet, does anyone who owns one have any TS series specific issues I should be watching for when ours is delivered? My only concern is the Truma Combi, that will be a learning curve compared to the traditional separate furnace and water heater we've always had...
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