class c - seneca or endura

[gil]

hello everyone -

this is my first post and i hope i am in the correct area to ask these questions.

we have been looking at some class c rv's - jayco seneca's or gulfstream endura's.

then as i was looking at ebay and through some other researching, i have discovered this site.

initially we were thinking of spending $100 - $150k for a unit.

we are not interested in a lot of the "glitz" - mirrored ceilings and a lot of fancy accesories.

i am hoping to get some direction and a lot more info based on the things i have listed above.

thank you all in advance for any help you can give us.

gil

[Matt295]

Had an Endura before. After it started to self-destruct we got rid of it.

Had nothing but problems with the thing.

What do you intend to use your motorhome for?

[gil]

hello matt295

we would be using it to do extended traveling.

at the most we would be towing a vehicle for around town traveling once we get to our destinations.

what did you get in place of the endura?

i am interested in a unit that we could keep up with most of the traffic in steep terain as well as highway speeds and feel safe.

we have had several boats in the past and would have to raise the waterline because we wanted to carry eveything including the kitchen sink - so we would want to do the same thing with the rv.

have i given you enough info?

one thing that concerns me about most of the truck conversions as well as the endura models as well - is the height of the "pass through" area between the cab and the living area - is always as low as it looks? - are there other cab configurations that would allow you to walk through normally?

thanks,

gil

[Matt295]

hello matt295

"we would be using it to do extended traveling."

-So did we. We owned it for just over a year and put 40,000 miles on it.

"at the most we would be towing a vehicle for around town traveling once we get to our destinations."

-We used it towing a 20' trailer the whole time with dirt bikes, golf cart, toolboxs, water tanks etc. Probably about 3,000lbs of cargo in the trailer.

"What did you get in place of the endura?"

- a new Showhauler garagecoach.

"i am interested in a unit that we could keep up with most of the traffic in steep terain as well as highway speeds and feel safe."

-The Endura could keep up easy enough, but there have been several times in the Showhauler when you dont pay attention to the speedometer and you are doing 85. when you do 85 in a smaller motorhome, you KNOW you are doing 85, and it dont feel too comfortable, especailly if there is a cross wind!

"we have had several boats in the past and would have to raise the waterline because we wanted to carry eveything including the kitchen sink - so we would want to do the same thing with the rv."

- We had our Endura pretty loaded up and it was probably just about maxed out, for sure. This, plus the uneven ground that was often parked on then leveled, might have had something to do with the deterioration. We have loaded everything we can think of into the showhauler and we still have room to carry an extra 16000 lbs. Plus it tows a 20' trailer with a car in it with ease. The endura w/ lighter trailer got the same milage as the Showhauler w/ heavier trailer.


"have i given you enough info?"

- I think so.

"one thing that concerns me about most of the truck conversions as well as the endura models as well - is the height of the "pass through" area between the cab and the living area - is always as low as it looks? - are there other cab configurations that would allow you to walk through normally?"

- On a truck conversion you can get walk through cabe. you would have to purchase a full height sleeper to be converted on. The most common one used is a Kenworth T-2000, Freightliner century, and I have seen a couple and Peterbilts and Volvos. On the endura or seneca the cab is cut away in the middle and it is fairly easy to get into the front seats.

[gil]

hello matt -

thanks for all the info.

you talked about doing 85 in a "smaller motorhome" - were you referring to the endura or another unit you had previously?

also - you talked about the deterioration - was it to the powertrain due to the heavy loading as well to the body, etc. when you used the levelers? i have read some posts on the rv sites detailing a bunch of problems with the workmanship and level/grade of materials used in the seneca/endura models. i usually take the posts with a grain of salt thinking that people with concerns about products might be more likely to post than contented customers.

could you give me an "ball park" idea of the price of a showhauler like yours would be?

again, good info and thanks for taking the time to respond.

gil

[Matt295]

we had a fun mover prior to the Endura...wouldn't even dream about doing 85 in that..thats a death wish. Its still sketchy in the endura, but much better then fun mover, but still not as good as a truck conversion.

The duramax/allison powertrain on the endura's is a pretty good setup for the size. The Exhaust brake on it works really well too. You notice hte exhaust brake more on the endura, than you notice the exhaust brake on our showhauler.

the deterioration:: I don't know what it was from, the levelers would be ag ood place to start. we had a 4 inch crack in the fiberglass exterior right in the corner of the rear b/r slideout. The roof leaked, creaked and everything. It was much better then the fun mover, but again, not near as good as showhauler. Our fiberglass sink in the endura cracked, the slideout wouldnt come in some days. Those units are thrown togethor in weeks, so there is always stuff wrong.

we paid 208,000 for our showhauler, and our endura was 135,000 CAD. so pretty much double. keep in mind, our showhauler is equipped with alot of options compared to the endura. Our Endura was fully loaded, but still everything on the showhauler is bigger and better.

[Camping Dutchman]

85 is easily done without even realizing it in our unit as well. You don't feel the wind at all. The problem wit hEnduras and Senecas is the 19,000 chassis, if they built onthe bigger chassis, it may be better and if they kept an eye on quality, not quantity

[anthony desnick]

I have seen many showhaulers and they are nice units. We build coaches - one at a time for specific clients - in Minnesota (not Indiana) and our prices seem to be about 30-40% less than most of the large manufacturers. You can see our work on the link below and check out the progress pics of our latest in the Coach in the Making section.

I agree with the earlier post about 85mph. When the turbo starts to sing the speed grows so that you can't even tell its happening and before you know it you are going that fast. We have pulled our race trailer behind and didn't even know it was there.

Due to demand we have started to design coaches that can be built by other shops and that has been fun for us. I'm an architect by training and profession and I think we build the only architect designed motorhomes in the US. Airstream has an architect on retainer for the CCD line but to the best of my knowlege no other architects are designing motorhomes.

I'd love to design or build a coach for you.

Tony Desnick

ToolSet Motorhomes

[gil]

hi tony -
thanks for the response.

i have emailed you some questions on your companys email.

gil

[gil]

hi tony (again)

when i clicked on "contact us" on your website, for some reason my mac cannot access that email format.

do you have an email address that i can type in directly?

on your website, you have a motorhome conversion with pictures during the conversion - how much are you looking at for a similar unit?

i dont believe that it had any slides - can you do them?

are the used volvo's alway manual transmissions?

thanks for the info

gil

[Elburn Bill]

Tony,

Just so you know, the link in your signature doesnot work. You have forgot the "t" in toolse"t".

[Camping Dutchman]

Originally posted by Elburn Bill:
Tony,

Just so you know, the link in your signature doesnot work. You have forgot the "t" in toolse"t".

Link fixed, no worries

[anthony desnick]

Gil
You can reach me on my email at:

desnick@toolsetmotorhomes.com

Both of the recent volvos are autoshifts. Our coaches seem to go in the 115K to 150K depending on equipment amenities etc.

Contact me. I'd be happy to talk to you about your project.

Tony

[anthony desnick]

And thank you for the heads up and the fix gentlemen. One would hope I can build better than spell.

Tony