Calling all Owners of Solera RV

[serv523]

Originally Posted by Stardust8385

Hi! We may be taking the huge leap in buying a used Solera RV.

I would love to hear from those who owns or owned a Solera Rv with corner bed in whether you were either very happy or not quite so happy with your Solera RV.

We will be traveling in ours for at least two years across the nation with our three Border Collies and cats. We will be selling our home beforehand. Needless to say, we are novice at this and are abit nervous.

We do like the layout of the one with corner bed because it is more open for our dogs.

Any tips or suggestions would be so appreciated!

Thank you so much and have a wonderful day!!

Janet

We currently have a View with a very similar layout to the 24s Solera. We are seriously considering purchasing a Solera for several reasons. That's another story. However, we travel all the time with 3 large dogs and have found the layout to be excellent - when traveling - the dogs sit up on the dinette and look out the window and at night we sleep in the corner rear bed and they sleep under the dinette or on the floor in front of the galley. Two years ago we actually traveled with a 4th dog (a pup we were raising for Leader Dogs for the Blind) and even that worked fine. We had two kennels on the rear bed (one of the pup and one for the 51 pound rescue Lad/Pit mix) the other two (a 105 pd Golden and a 95 pound Lab) slept under the dinette. We then slept up in the front bed over the cab.

Traveling with dogs is a decision one makes and can be quite fun or at times very challenging. Best of luck in your decision - we would be more than happy to travel full time in the unit if we had the time - but I am still working.

[serv523]

Originally Posted by Stardust8385

Thank you all for your two cents worth! I appreciate them. Yes, we would be travelers for two years and definitely are committed to selling our home in Florida for various of reasons. This was not a decision made lightly at all, I tell you. LOL

We hope to buy some land out west and settle there after a couple of years. We do alot with our dogs, Apollo, Jack and Meg. I am not worried about the closeness for we all can make that work. These dogs are very well-behaved; travel extremely well and a joy to have around too. They are our four legged children.

The gas mileage is very important to my husband. We can not afford to go to anything bigger than the 24 ' Class C rv. I am so grateful we "move out of" considering any of the Class B rvs! We are also looking at the Itasca NavionJ as well. We want the roomiest Class C on the Sprinter chassis we can find for our family. Solera RS and Navion J seems to fit the bill the most.

I am 5'1/2" tall and Bill is 6' tall. Our Border Collies, Apollo weighs 56.4 lbs; Jack 64.4 lbs and Meg 44.6 lbs. The dogs somehow fit pretty decent in the back seat of our Toyota Corolla sedan.

What an adventure we will be embarking on eventually!!

Have an superb day!

Janet

If you are looking for the roomiest - the SOLERA is the way to go. We have a View (exactly same as a Navion) and it has given us excellent service. However, the interior space of the Solera seems so much more open due to the larger slide - not to mention the exterior storage space. The other issue is that there is a 20k difference in MSRP between the Solera and the View/Navion. THERE IS NOT 20K better quality in the Winnebago products if our estimation. There might be a slight higher quality in fit and finish but in design and practical use - the Solera has the View/Navion beat.

[hkreck]

We are returning home at this time and yesterday we went through the Allegheny Mts on I-68 pulling a tow with a Chevy Aveo and I was completely surprised to see that we were still getting 12.5 MPG. Surprised and happy.

[DebbieMH]

Originally Posted by hkreck

We are returning home at this time and yesterday we went through the Allegheny Mts on I-68 pulling a tow with a Chevy Aveo and I was completely surprised to see that we were still getting 12.5 MPG. Surprised and happy.

Wow - that is great. Hope you had a nice time.

[hkreck]

We had a great time Debbie, 2 1/2 weeks out visited 13 states and 10 Civil War Battlefields.

[DebbieMH]

Originally Posted by hkreck

We had a great time Debbie, 2 1/2 weeks out visited 13 states and 10 Civil War Battlefields.

Cool! Sounds like fun - we are ready to hit the road again, but work seems to get in the way :-(
We do have a reservation at Buccaneer State Park in Mississippi the end of this month for 3 nights - but not the same as being gone for over two weeks. 13 states too - wow - I'm impressed!

[dswiss]

When you first talk to the salesman, the mileage is 22 mpg. After you make a deposit, it drops to 16 mpg, and when you pick it up, the service guy told us to expect 14 mpg.
We now have 6000 mi on it and the best we got was 15, and most the time we get 12.7.

[Taylorgso]

Originally Posted by hkreck

We had a great time Debbie, 2 1/2 weeks out visited 13 states and 10 Civil War Battlefields.

Yeah, but you need to come east and see the other Civil War battlefields - Virginia has some great sites. And you can fill in your map!!

[Gonzo]

I have a large German Shepard. We took him across the country in our Solera. Good and bad. The RV is just big enough, however, the dog does get in the way a lot. if you want to do detailed visits of sites dogs can be a problem. Nice for protection and companionship. Three dogs will be a challenge, if you are very flexible and happy go lucky it could work.

[bclemens]

Originally Posted by dswiss

When you first talk to the salesman, the mileage is 22 mpg. After you make a deposit, it drops to 16 mpg, and when you pick it up, the service guy told us to expect 14 mpg.
We now have 6000 mi on it and the best we got was 15, and most the time we get 12.7.

1. Knows nothing
2. Was corrected after misinforming (CYA)
3. knows the truth (since he checks the units in from the delivery drivers.)

The 22mpg is not far off...if its a Road Trek non-dually wheel with a much lighter GVWR.

Also when Gulfstream first built their Sprinter they were telling everyone 22mpg because that's what the Sprinter brochure said...for a delivery truck. Not a 11,000lbs motorhome. I still have to correct salespeople on a daily basis.

[Sandiegodoug]

Actually our salesman told us delivery drivers we reporting 17mpg
I'm happy with the 14 to 16
Maybe I'll pump the tires to max rating and see if that helps

[Taylorgso]

Originally Posted by Sandiegodoug

Actually our salesman told us delivery drivers we reporting 17mpg
I'm happy with the 14 to 16
Maybe I'll pump the tires to max rating and see if that helps

Delivery drivers are driving an empty coach - no fluids except fuel... makes a lot of difference not having an extra 1000-1200 lbs on board. Then again, they probably drive with the pedal to the metal!!!

[pmueller]

We have been full time RV'ers for 3 years in a 2009 Solera 24S with the corner bed. Towing a 2000 Chevy Tracker, we have averaged just shy of 15 mpg over 58,000 miles. To achieve this we set the cruise control at 2,000 rpm or 53 mph. We find the Solera to be adequate for life on the road. It might be a bit crowded with multiple pets, but perhaps you can adapt.

[PaDawg]

How many miles does this MB engine need to be considered "Broken in"??
Just bought one brand new and have heard that we need to break it in before we realize improved mileage. We are new to this whole diesel world.

Thanks.....PaDawg

[DebbieMH]

I bought mine in October of last year and have 13000 miles as of yesterday. (Yes, mine doesn't just sit!). I'm starting to get some better gas mileage. Around 13-14 depending upon the wind. I keep track of it with every fill up with Fuelly.com. Average over the 13000 miles is 12.9 mpg.

[hkreck]

Bought my new last year put about 8000 on it then, did an oil change this Spring before starting out this year. Last year got about 13 MPG this year so far been getting about the same. However this year I've been towing a car and dolly with it. I'd like to try a trip with the MH alone and see what I get.

[DebbieMH]

I also need to point out that the MPG really depend upon how you drive it as well ... all highway ... speed you cruise at .... terrain .... wind .... how many stops you make, etc.

So ... I would think you can safely figure you will get somewhere between 12-16 mpg - again ... based on the above.

[hkreck]

Very true Debbie just like any other vehicle a lot depends on the driver and conditions.