Should I buy a Berkshire?

[J3c7l]

I'm in the market for a diesel pusher with bunks. I am considering a Fleetwood Discovery 40G but came across the Berkshire 390B with a much better price. My question is, " do you get what you pay for or is the quality equivalent?" I own a Jayco Seneca and have been disappointed with it's quality and would like to avoid that again. Also there are no dealers anywhere near me vs a Discovery dealer about 50 miles away. Any input is appreciated.

[polkatronron]

All I can say is that I had a Discovery and found it to be less than quality. I would never buy another one. I also had a Winnibego Diesel and it was a real lemon. I do not think that Fleetwood is a quality manufacturer. I have had 3 Pushers and keep in mind that no matter the brand, they are a money pit. I went back to gas.......no more Diesels in my plans. I suspect the Berkshire is just as good a unit for less money. This is of coarse, only my opinion. Good luck making your decision.

[wnytaxman]

We have the 390bh and love it. The issues that we have had have been no different than those that we had on our Itasca gasser. I believe that both units are on a Freightliner chassis. The Fleetwood does have the bigger Cummins engine and the Allison 3000 tranny which are above and beyond what the Berkshire has. We looked at almost every bunk house out there and the Berkshire was by far the best buy for the money. We did luck out in that Buffalo RV is just a few miles from our house, so if you think service may be a huge issue, then you would have to consider the distance in your decision. Be aware that Forest River may allow you to have it repaired at a non-Forest River dealer if it is required.

Good luck on your choices and happy motoring.

[rjdoner192]

I'm new to the forum. My wife and I are in the process of purchasing a new 2011 Berkshire 390BH. Last April while in Florida we visted a dealer that had both models on the lot. We liked both, but the thing that made us decide in the Berkshire was the bathroom. Since we have two curtain climber's (2 boys), the Berkshire has a tub/shower. Where as the Discovery is just a shower unit. We're looking at picking up our unit late March in Buffalo.

[tmmar]

We have had our 390bh for almost 3 years now and so far it has been great. No major problems and we average 10mpg on the road with the 340hp engine. We feel that this engine is adequate since we are not planning on towing. You can opt for the larger engine. As wnytaxman stated, if service is an issue, Forest River will let you bring it to a local dealer for repair. You would have to pay them for any work done and then get reimbursed from FR.
Happy hunting!

[wnytaxman]

By the way, a lot of us on here have purchased our rigs from Buffalo RV or from one of their other locations. Overall most of us have been pleased with the experience. Just to let you know that a lot of us agree with your choice of dealers.

[polkatronron]

Great to hear. I have a new Georgetown 360f waiting at the dealer for me to pick up in a couple of months. The Itasca Meridian was a disaster. The majority of the problems was with anything that winnebego did or supplied...everything failed ...even the steps fell off while driving. We had all kinds of things electrical, plumbing and heating go wrong. The list is too long. Even the w/s wipers fell off. We had water leaks and tons of slide problems. Winnebego forgets all about you as soon as the inital warranty period is over. They USED to make a quality product, but have done away with that thought to mass produce and stay afloat. Never again a Winnebego or Itasca for me.

[amarzano]

We have a 2011 390BH w/ the optional 360hp and Allison 3000 tranny.

We did consider the Fleetwood as well. To be honest - I liked the Fleetwood. I can't speak to the quality as I did not actually own one. This said - my feeling is RV's are a bit of a money pit and the more it costs to get into one - the more you are going to lose..

For us the price difference between the Fleetwood and Berkshire was almost $50k. That is a huge chunk of change and pays for a lot of camping!! :-)

At the time - I was also NOT able to find a 2011 Fleetwood - only left over 2009's. (Yes - almost $50k more for a left over 2009 vs. a new 2011 390). The Fleetwood does have some very nice features - Residential Fridge, Full Slide vs. 4 slides on the 390) and this is of course subjective - but perhaps a slightly nicer floor plan.

As far as repairs FR has been great dealing with my local independent RV repair center. I have had several small warranty issues handled and am working on another right now. The Dealer calls FR directly and they are working out the costs. I was worried about not having a dealer nearby - but luckily this has not been a problem.

I like the 390BH - for the reason that it gives you a lot of bang for your buck at this price point.

I also talked to Tom at RV Direct and can recommend him, as well as Evan at Terrytown RV in Mi. I would not hesitate to deal with either of them. They both offered a great price and were very eager to earn your business.

Good Luck with your search!!

Alex


have been happy with the unit and the

Originally Posted by J3c7l

I'm in the market for a diesel pusher with bunks. I am considering a Fleetwood Discovery 40G but came across the Berkshire 390B with a much better price. My question is, " do you get what you pay for or is the quality equivalent?" I own a Jayco Seneca and have been disappointed with it's quality and would like to avoid that again. Also there are no dealers anywhere near me vs a Discovery dealer about 50 miles away. Any input is appreciated.

[brevin66]

Tough call, I have had a pretty large number of headache problems from roof leak to door laminate problems. Could be standard across the board for all coaches, but more hassle than fun so far

[Team Wilhelm]

Have had lots of issues to date. Unit still running but FR won't help. I'm sour on this

[wnytaxman]

Originally Posted by Team Wilhelm

Have had lots of issues to date. Unit still running but FR won't help. I'm sour on this

What sort of issues have you had and what has FR response been? So far we've had good luck with FR and their responses to any issues we've had.

[amarzano]

My support from FR has been very good thus far! We bought our unit out of state and have NEVER step foot into our local (about 100 miles)dealer. We have had issues - which have been taken care off at our repair facility and paid for by FR under warranty directly to the garage. I would be happier if there were NO issues, but am happy with how the are being handled by FR.

I recieved an email about a month after buying the coach stating if there were any issues that sidelined the coach for more than 5 days to contact them. I have pinger them several times with questions and they have been responsive..