Solera vs View/Navion

[rcbruba]

Hi all!

Jan and I have spent several months researching various types of RV's and have settled on 22-26' class C's with either diesel or gas chassis. We like the perceived quality of the V/N models, but have recently discovered the Solera which seems like it might be a better value.

Am curious as to why any of you out there chose the Solera over the V/N and if you continue to be pleased with your selection. We are interested in the 24SLED.

Reading the V/N forum we find that many owners have found issues with quality control on new units -- have you found a lot of issues with your new units?

Thanks in advance!

 

[Sandiegodoug]

When we choose 3 years ago , solera s model had way more storage and seemed a lot bigger inside. When we camp we bring a lot of stuff with us. We liked the full body paint too, which views didn't have at the time. A few issues in the beginning but perfect since.

 

[RedLdr1]

Reading the V/N forum we find that many owners have found issues with quality control on new units -- have you found a lot of issues with your new units?

We were supposed to take delivery of our new Sunseeker 2400W today but a Check Engine Light has delayed the delivery.

Since we were already at the dealership my wife and I did a very close visual once over of the unit. We thought any thing we pointed out today might be addressed before our next visit.

During an hour of our closely looking at our 2400W, both inside and outside, we found three issues:

1. The rear bumper paint was damaged in transit and needs touched up. We have the full body paint option so it is quite noticeable.

2. One of the passenger seat belts installed at the dinette table looks like it was caught in the slide mechanism. It's pretty mangled and has a hole in it.

3. The cargo style net that supposed to be installed above the USB Device Charging center wasn't installed.

I'm pretty happy with our Forest River issues list so far... We will do a real, full PDI, testing all the systems, when it comes back from M-B. I'll post the results of that as well.

We also spent a long time looking at various brands of Class C's, and big B's, before choosing our unit. Forest Rivers decision to re-brand the Solera MBS as Sunseeker MBS and Forester MBS made it easier as it added greatly to the dealer network. The introduction of the "W" floor plan closed the deal as it is the roomiest Class C, in the under 25 foot arena, we've ever seen. While we haven't taken delivery yet, we both think we chose the right Class C for us...

 

[Beach Bums]

We take possession of our Forest River Forester 2401W MBS (pretty close to the Solera...with a few other options) on Monday. We too spent what seemed to be an eternity looking and reading about different units. We knew from the start 26' was our absolute max. We have rented the large units for 2 weeks for the last 16 years and enjoyed them immensely we took them 1K miles parked and returned the same 1K miles. This also taught us that when we wanted to get our own and see all of the United States, we wanted a much smaller unit. In our humble opinion, in the under 24' class, it is the best one going as far as space, towing, and power train. My biggest concern that we already have a solution for, is the limited LP gas for the LP generator.

Starting Monday we will be driving it about 3500 miles over a 10 day period so we should have a pretty solid 'real world' understanding at that time.

I am sure you are looking at a number of models and makers....one thing we visually noticed from our inspection is they are not all put together the same...I will leave names out, but some looked like they may not last a year from purchase.

 

[bikendan]

Reading the V/N forum we find that many owners have found issues with quality control on new units --

See, even the sacred Winnebagos have quality control issues.

as i and many have said before, poor quality control is a industry-wide problem throughout the RV business, not just Forest River.
EVERY brand, including Winnebago and Airstream, have quality issues.

i often challenge complainers here to check out RV.net or other brand-specific forums. then they'd see that everyone else complains about their non-FR brand's poor quality control issues too.

is it right, of course not! but it's where the Industry is at nowadays.

 

[Still Kickin]

All that being said, I think 20 grand more just doesn't seem to fit. Besides, I thought it just seemed better (Solera), but thats our personal opinion.

 

[hkreck]

X2 with sandiegodoug and Still kickin, Had our Solera for 3 years had it out for 4 summers total and love it. getting ready to go out again next week before school starts.

 

[devilsquid]

Didn't see the value added with the more expensive V/N, the Solera has more storage space and opening the passenger side bay door (to the big compartment in the back) didn't also open the bedroom to the outside. What were they thinking when they designed that?

 

[MiataHoarder]

Agree on the +$20k price differential between FR and W/N units. The W/N certainly have lots of eye candy ... fancy biz jet style cabinetry ... Alcoa wheels ... chromed plastic name plates .. among others. Our Solera 24S has more storage and we just couldn't see the added $20k of value. We have no regrets about choosing the '15 Solera.

 

[MarsMan-FRF]

Dick and Jan

We also spent considerable time (approx a year) noodling about the size and options. We finally decided though a bigger space would be nice, we needed a more maneuverable, fuel efficient rig. Hence the 22-26 foot range was the goal. We plan to do very little extended stays, couple nights here and there and then move on. We did decide on the MB Sprinter chassis vs. the Ford or Chevy. Looked at the View etc. Ended up with a Coachmen Prism. We do not like the duck bills over the cabs and the Prism we got (24J) fit the list. We have had it for a month and not only are using it for camping we are using it as a local transport. It is easy to park, level, and can put almost anywhere. It comes standard with a 40gal propane tank. Handy to have the extra gas storage since the Genny is LP. While I really liked the View, it was a bit more $, and the dealer was significantly further away. By the way you can get a diesel genset on this rig. However, we bought ours off the lot and did not want to bother placing order, and waiting...waiting... waiting.

 

[rcbruba]

Thanks to everyone for your input; you have reinforced my thoughts on price differences and it's good to hear that you have not had any major issues. We are currently in NB and will be visiting Lewis RV in OH on our way home next week. They seem to have a decent rep and a good selection of N/V/FR models.

 

[SSmbs]

We had a quote from Lewis RV that was very good but our local dealer reluctantly got close to the price so we bought it local (100 miles away) due to servicing. As you read this forum you will notice that servicing after the PDI is almost a for sure thing and you will be on the bottom of the list at another dealer. They will honor the FR warranty but they will put all vehicles purchased from them ahead of you.
Another thing to think of when buying a sprinter based is where the closest Mercedes or freightliner dealer is located. I have a freightliner dealer 125 miles away and a Mercedes dealer that services Sprinter(they all don't)160 miles away.

 

[hkreck]

Amen it that, I don't worry so much about the FR coach warranty things I do a lot of my own work there. But if something happens with the MB chassis that's another matter all together. Luckily for me I have a MB dealer about 15 miles away which work on Sprinters. Good luck on your MH and Happy Travels.

 

[Mikegjax]

We had a quote from Lewis RV that was very good but our local dealer reluctantly got close to the price so we bought it local (100 miles away) due to servicing. As you read this forum you will notice that servicing after the PDI is almost a for sure thing and you will be on the bottom of the list at another dealer. They will honor the FR warranty but they will put all vehicles purchased from them ahead of you.
Another thing to think of when buying a sprinter based is where the closest Mercedes or freightliner dealer is located. I have a freightliner dealer 125 miles away and a Mercedes dealer that services Sprinter(they all don't)160 miles away.

Not all Freightliner dealers will work on MB Sprinters so take that in consideration.

 

[rcbruba]

Thanks SSmbs and hkreck -- good points to consider.

We have an MB dealer w/in 25 miles. They have several Sprinters for sale and I have left a message with them just to be sure.

We also have a RV dealer that has several FR/Win/Itasca models, but not near the inventory at Lewis. I suppose this would work if we were to order a new one. In any case, we'll see what Lewis can do for us w/o leaving a deposit so that we have that leverage if needed.

 

[Tranquil Jim]

Another thing to think of when buying a sprinter based is where the closest Mercedes or freightliner dealer is located. I have a freightliner dealer 125 miles away and a Mercedes dealer that services Sprinter(they all don't)160 miles away.

And, just know that a Mercedes dealer that does service Sprinters will frequently also put you at the bottom of their service list since you didn't buy it from them. Been there and done that.

I've had one MB dealer treat me exceptionally well and another treat me like dirt. The latter took 11 days to complete a very simple, one-hour charge warranty repair.

 

[hkreck]

I've never had a problem with my MB dealer/service, they've also checked for warranty issues and computer updates every time I've gone into see them. It really depends on the people your dealing with.

 

[Mikegjax]

I've never had a problem with my MB dealer/service, they've also checked for warranty issues and computer updates every time I've gone into see them. It really depends on the people your dealing with.

X2. I have used two different MB Sprinter dealers. One for warranty work while traveling and another for servicing and both were very helpful and thorough. I did make appointments, as I would any dealer.

MB sends out surveys after service and a complaint gets their attention.

 

[rdjjef]

I agree with most other folks who selected FR over Winnebago. We are not long time Rv owners but we did have 2009 Winnebago ERA before we got our 2014 FR Solera. For us the main factors for choosing Solera over Winnebago was price, floor plan, storage, and interior color options.

Also based on our experience with new Winnebago and FR RVs, all RVs owners will have to go through a year or so of getting the rig fine tuned (warranty repairs, little bugs, individual add ons and learning how it works best for you).

Also, regarding warranty/after sale support, FR wins hands down in my view (no pun intended). While I have not been overly impressed with the dealer we bought our Solara from, the FR Factory warranty folks have been great and never blinked on any item covered under warranty period but also covered two or three other items after the initial warranty had expired. I cannot say I had the same experience with Winnebago. We now go to Camping World instead of dealer for any repair. The FR Forum is great too!!

 

[halbright]

Buying a new motor home is not like buying a new car. A friend of mine warned me of this before my Solera arrived. It's more like buying a new house and a new truck. When you buy a new house, you will most likely come up with a "punch list" of things that need fixed. That's exactly what happened when I bought my Solera. I had a punch list. After two months, just about everything has been fixed. Fortunately, the core big ticket items have all been just fine. All of the systems work: heat, AC, water heater, refrigerator, electrical systems, etc. Except for cables controlling the waste valves, and one miss-wired light, everything else has been cosmetic. I too looked at the Navion/View. I liked them and almost bought one. I chose the Solera because of the W floor plan, which nobody else has, and because of the value. To me, the Navion/View was just not worth the price differential.

I am fortunate to live close to a Sprinter dealer. I used them to verify the VIN in order to get my Solera titled and registered in my home state and they re-balanced the front wheels for me. They were very accommodating when scheduling and performing the work. I have not yet needed any other service work, but I don't expect any issues there.