By Cheri Sicard
Duane, our favorite certified RV inspector from the RV Inspection and Care YouTube channel, is back with his picks of the best brands for used Class A motorhomes.
Duane’s advice, as always, is down-to-earth and practical. And buying used when it comes to RVs is nothing if not practical. After all, you can save a TON of money by buying used over new. Not only that, your used RV might come with all the bells and whistles that might have pushed the budget on a new unit over the top.
To help narrow down your search, Duane came up with the three best brands he has seen over the last 10 years or so and featured them in the video below. This top three list contains diesel pushers as well as quality gas models.
Duane’s top three best brands for used Class A motorhomes
#1 Newmar
This company has been building quality motorhomes for more than 50 years and had a stellar reputation among dealers and consumers. Plus, they have a Class A motorhome for just about every price range.
On the high end, put Newmar’s King Aire, Essex, or London Aire in your used RV searches. Duane says these models are rolling palaces.
In the midrange, look for the iconic Newmar Dutch Star, the Mountain Aire, or Ventana.
Those models are all diesel pushers, but Newmar also makes some quality gas-powered Class A motorhomes.
On the low end, search for the Newmar Bay Star Sport and the larger Bay Star. Newmar also made some Canyon Star motorhomes in a gas model in certain years, although they no longer do.
#2 Tiffin
Tiffin’s company history goes back 45 years and they’re known not only for the quality of their builds but also their outstanding customer service. Family-owned for decades, Tiffin was acquired by Thor in 2020. However, if you are buying used, there’s a good chance you can get a model made by the Tiffin family.
On the high end and for maximum amenities, look for the Tiffin Allegro Bus or the Tiffin Zephyr.
In the midrange, the Tiffin Phaeton has legions of fans, but the Tiffin Allegro RED is a great, albeit lesser-known, midrange option.
If you prefer a gas-powered motorhome to the above diesel pushers, you’re in luck. Duane says Tiffin makes one of the best gas-powered Class A motorhomes on the market. They played around with the name over the years, but Duane says you can’t lose with an Allegro or Allegro Open Road gas-powered Class A, and if you find one in good shape from the last 10 years or so, you have an excellent find.
#3 Winnebago
Building motorhomes since 1966, Winnebago generally put its emphasis on midrange gas-powered motorhomes. However, the Tour and the Grand Tour are both higher-end diesel-pusher Winnebagos.
In the midrange look for the Winnebago Horizon, Journey, or Forza, also diesel-powered.
For a midrange gas-powered Winnebago Class A motorhome, search for an Adventurer or a Sightseer.
On the lower end, the Vista or the Sun Star make good choices.
Best brands of used Class A motorhomes wrap-up
Duane says there are many more quality brands of Class A motorhomes, but these three are a great place to start your searches as they have stood the test of time.
Do you agree with his picks? Why or why not? What other Class A motorhome brands would you add to the list? Drop your thoughts in the comments below, please.
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On the used class A motorhomes I didn’t see any of the upper end coaches, any reason for this.
Yep…Prevost conversions, Foretravel, Country Coach, American Coach, etc. not mentioned.
American eagle
Fleetwood is a good used class A.
we have a 2000 Fleetwood Bounder DP 39z. Roomy and spacious and a lot of storage.
It is a workhorse.
Frieghtliner frame, Cummins and very solidly built.
Not sure where Duane came up with his high-end, midrange categories. For instance, in its high end range, Newmar has the Mountain Aire…we owned one for six years and it’s a loaded luxury coach. He has Ventana in the mid range, but for much of its existence, the Ventana was in Newmar’s bottom DP lineup…especially the LE version. Only recently has it become mid range. Canyon Star? Still produced but they moved away from the Ford chassis and upgraded to a Freightliner front engine diesel.
Absolutely agree!
Thank you for reviewing the video’s points, Cheri! I agree that Newmar makes a good, solid RV. Their diesel line-up tops out at Dutch Star. Their luxury line-up only includes diesels, but with higher-quality finishes with more stuff standard that are options for the diesels or unavailable. We had a 2016 American Revolution that served us very well for six years until we down-sized from 43 to 36 feet. Have a great day and safe travels!
Well shoot. I purchased my 1988 Winnebago 27 RQ Superchief almost 20 years ago. It was sitting in a yard for 7 years with 60 K miles.
It now has 130,000 miles and I have never had any issue going down the roads. Three tune-ups and I have been using synthetic lubes. No metals in the Turbo 400 trans. I only had to pay $5,000 way back then.
So for sure Winnebago wins my choice of a well built rig, Chevrolet also deserves a pat on the bottom/ er- back, don;t want to get in trouble here. PC coppers, Poopheads…
Ready to hit the road after another doctor’s appointment. Before winter hits..
We had a 98 Bounder 34V gasser bought used for 14 years. Would have kept her but, we were going further and needed a bigger rig.