Solara--what's it get on the road?

psutton · 06-01-2013, 12:52 PM

We have not purchased an RV yet. looking for advice about the Solara 24S or 24R. looks like a nice unit. Is it reliable and workable. And what is the REAL gas mileage I can count on? Thanks.

Sandiegodoug · 06-01-2013, 02:01 PM

14 to 16 depending on wind
I have the s and choose because of the huge amount of storage inside and outside

psutton · 06-01-2013, 02:16 PM

well. I feared the 17 figure was too good to be true. Thanks a million. reading all the blogs I have seen in the last two days makes me think we should stay away from the RV scene altogether. 8 weeks in the shop for new units??? unbelievable. and unacceptable. It's like people are buying a mercedes and getting Yugo quality. really? what kind of luck have you had with reliability? thanks

Sandiegodoug · 06-01-2013, 02:29 PM

No problems with mecedes
A dream to drive
A few issues with fit and finish but forest river took care of it
Have used our s more in the 9 months than my stupid 28 foot trailer which I had for 5 years and it fits on all the state campgrounds
The best mileage I got was driving from flagstaff to San Diego and got 16 .5
I should have got rid of the trailer years ago

psutton · 06-01-2013, 04:21 PM

that's very useful to know. of course, Flagstaff to here (SD) is downhill mostly. so the mileage should be good. we got more than 60 mpg coming out of the rockies to denver in our subaru! but the fit and finish thing, while minor, can still be very annoying. My first house in SD cost about what I am looking at for the 24S and the house had no fit or finish issues. Where do you go for service in SD?

DebbieMH · 06-01-2013, 04:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by psutton

well. I feared the 17 figure was too good to be true. Thanks a million. reading all the blogs I have seen in the last two days makes me think we should stay away from the RV scene altogether. 8 weeks in the shop for new units??? unbelievable. and unacceptable. It's like people are buying a mercedes and getting Yugo quality. really? what kind of luck have you had with reliability? thanks

RV's are houses on wheels - so there is a lot more things that need fixing than a house. A house doesn't bounce around roads. The quality of both the sprinter and the house is fine. But if you aren't up for any "issues", might want to "stay away altogether" as you said.

psutton · 06-01-2013, 04:54 PM

fair enough, but I have never had a house issue that took 8 to 10 weeks to fix and that rendered the house entirely unusable during that time. I find that unthinkable. In all fairness, these seem like houses that are pretty rickety. For $20K, one might expect that, but for $100,000, where these are stickered, I expect MUCH more. I don't want to take on the entire RV world, who seem, too often, to have settled in with the idea of settling for what they get. I have considered an RV to be a fun possibility for a long time. But when I read the blogs here, it's downright scary how much doesn't work and how long it takes for even the simplest "fixes" to be done--and on NEW vehicles. I can't thing of any product on the market that seems to have such a bad track record when it is SO expensive in the first place! Really!? I am disappointed to read of such experiences by so many people.

But I appreciate your thoughts.

Sandiegodoug · 06-01-2013, 05:07 PM

We bought ours at rvsolutions in Kearny Mesa so that is where we take it
Really haven't had much go wrong other than a leak issue
We mostly local camp so haven't put much mileage on it in fact we are at Carlsbad state beach right now
I'm sure I won't even put 10k on it this year

psutton · 06-01-2013, 05:38 PM

That's where we looked, but they didn't seem interested in dealing; nice enough sales guy, but he seemed indifferent to two broken latches I found while looking at a new one. good grief, really? (I found one for $30k below sticker somewhere else.; so that's hard to ignore.) They also didn't seem to know a lot about the line. maybe one day we'll see you at Carlsbad. We're planning on doing some short AND long haul driving with it (NY). but we plan to use it for business, so it's tax deductible. That helps with gas and price.

Our issue is we have a beautiful place in east county with a view of the mountains--pool and huge yard. so, we wonder if we'll get homesick when on the road. I'd want to park it next to the pool and look at the view. but the beach will be nice, too.

Ogsarg · 06-01-2013, 05:56 PM

Keep in mind that you will always hear the worst about anything when you go on a forum. Not too many people that post to say nothing is wrong with their new RV.

I have a 2011 24S and have only had a couple of minor issues that were both taken care of by the dealer in one day.

As far as mileage goes, I'm typically in the 13 range +/- a bit. I think it will depend a lot on how fast you drive and wind conditions. I'm typically driving 60-65 on the freeway.

Sandiegodoug · 06-01-2013, 06:09 PM

We got it for about 23 under sticker
We live in pq and can ride our bike to beach but would rather camp there
I also have an 85 degree pool at home but just would rather go some where in comfort on my weekends off
I work in el cajon and we camp a lot off hyw 79
But now that we own something easy to park and drive I plAn to go further like Yosemite

reinerka · 06-01-2013, 07:36 PM

We usually get between 12 and 17mpg depending on how we drive.

Our 2011 Solera 24S did have one issue that was fixed with the dealer sending someone to our house to get it done right away. They even did give us a price that was hard to beat - even by online dealers.

Now we have 21k miles on the unit and all I can say we still love it - especially with the upgrades we've done to it like Solar and Inverter. With a new mattress we can even sleep in utmost comfort.

I still think that many times the dealers and not Forest River is to blame for the long time it takes to fix issues. It is the same in the car business - lots of bad dealers and service persons out there. I have more issues with Mercedes service people than with the home part of the Solera.

Reiner

Sandiegodoug · 06-01-2013, 08:07 PM

I really want to put a large solar panel on my roof
Just don't want to drill holes in my roof

Luvnlife · 06-01-2013, 08:14 PM

We have had our 2013 Solera 24R since February and have put on about 9000 miles. We are just returning from Charleston, SC to San Diego. Mileage is about 12 to 17 as previously stated depending on how fast your drive. I have had two issues. One with the city water and the other with a water leak. Rather than go to the dealer I elected to fix myself. On the return home we will take in for the Mercedes service. I will have to see what that will be like. We love our Solera. And yes the nature of forums is you will see more negatives than positives.

psutton · 06-01-2013, 10:47 PM

I considered that. prepare for the worst and hope for the best, they say. Thanks!

Displaced2 · 06-02-2013, 08:01 AM

Sounds like Payton wants room service with his RV.
It is a lifestyle just as four wheeling, antique cars or any other interest.
It is the peace of mind of being where you want when you want The choice to have that mountain view from a different direction.
It is your choice to stay home and enjoy your pool. Mine is to enjoy the world.
Best Wishes

Taylorgso · 06-02-2013, 11:23 AM

In defense of the Solara (and the RV lifestyle in general). Anyone new to RVing should NEVER decide they MIGHT enjoy RVing and go out and buy one, never having camped in one before. Advice from other forum strings - go with a friend who has one; maybe go rent one, go camping for a week or so and then decide whether it's for you!

Comparing an RV with a home is not apples and apples. If you bought a home today for the (discounted) price of the Solara you would undoubtedly be buying a 4-room piece of junk (even in economically depressed NC); and if you subjected ANY home to bouncing up and down the road, you'd have issues, no matter the quality of the construction. Remember that most of these RV's are delivered from the factory to the dealer over the road, and that helps reveal any problems that the factory didn't detect. It gives you a chance to repair them before delivery. My experience has been that issues repaired by the dealer by and large do not reoccur.

I've been RVing for 40 years. During that time I've experienced every imaginable trouble. I've learned to fix almost every problem myself, and I install all of my own upgrades and accessories. If I wasn't prepared to do this I would either rent, or get out of RVing altogether.

The OP was initially concerned about fuel mileage. Of course it will vary, depending on driving style terrain, etc. The fuel mileage any salesman would brag about would be close to accurate for an empty RV on level roads with no wind driving 60mph!!!

And that salesman who didn't know much about what he was selling? Last time I bought property, the realtor - nice as she was - knew nothing about the age of the appliances, how much it cost to heat/cool the house. The warranties on the roofing, etc., etc., etc. She knew whatever the homeowner had put on the fact sheet, and that was it. Pretty much like RV salesmen - knows what the brochure says!. I think that's why many homebuyers (and some lenders) now require a repair policy by the seller

The PDI will reveal a lot. Insist on seeing everything work, and don't take it off the lot until it does. Guarantee you if you find a problem, you won't have to wait even a day before it's fixed! They want to close the sale, and it's not yours until you drive it off their lot. If you're a newbie, you might find an experienced RV owner to go to the PDI with you.

psutton · 06-02-2013, 12:40 PM

Taylorgso,

excellent advice. we are in touch with a good friend who is an RV'r. he has given sage advice on some of the things you and others have offered. we considered renting. but our first trip is to NY from Cal. And that would cost $10k. The timing is such that we don't have time to rent before that. So, we considered buying. I have done plenty of camping (tent and motorcycle all over the country), so I don't doubt we would enjoy it.

and to Mr. Displaced2, our tradeoff is not to sit in our yard admiring the mountains, but to use the $100k we saved to fly all over the world using our timeshare trade weeks to stay in marvelous resorts for $200 per week and then to return home to our own paradise to regroup for more travel. So, it's not like the world ends at our fence. I understand it's a lifestyle change. I am retiring, so I am up for lots of lifestyle changes...Just want to make the right, smart ones.

2012WhiteSolera · 06-02-2013, 04:10 PM

Psutton, your retiring, chill. If your handy, you'll understand what all these good people, who "made constuctive contributions" in response to your inquiries, to help you out mean. DH said it best, it's a mini house on wheels. RVers are a helpful bunch, embrass it.

Sandiegodoug · 06-02-2013, 04:54 PM

Basically I'm not a rv-r. I'm a camper, like to cook outside on my stove and BBQ and enjoy a fire. The solera just makes the experience nicer. It carries all my junk and enough food and clothes for an army. And I can park anywhere. And it's reasonable to drive places. I will never full time.
Mine is painted so it looks kinda cool too.

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