Thinking of buying 2013 Thor Hurricane 29x. Anyone have feedback in terms of build quality?

[I_did_that]

We bought a brand new Thor Quantum 2023 and didn’t have it inspected and have had nothing but trouble.

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Should get you started on what you’d want with an inspection.

It may cost some $$, but we paid way more than that fixing problems an inspector might have caught.

I'm sorry to hear that. This is exactly why I will not buy New, because you pay full price and don't even get your money's worth

 

[Isaac-1]

My concern is things like the shredded slide toppers may be an indication of other overall neglect, if they could not be bothered to maintain the slide toppers, did they perform chassis maintenance, do oil changes, how about annual inspection / replacement of the anode rod in the water heater (if it has one), was the plumbing system properly winterized each year, if repairs were done were they done right, or were they bandaid fixes, ... Too me this coach would probably be a hard pass, instead I would look for a coach that showed signs that the previous owner cared for and maintained it, this may be little things like aftermarket bug screens on the appliance vent covers, rain guards added to the roof vents, any signs of aftermarket upgrades of any type, sure service records would be great too, but any sign that the owner paid attention to maintaining the coach would be a BIG plus. At the end of the day the issue is not the obvious issues, but it is what you can't easily see.

 

[Ohiosnowbird]

I'm sorry to hear that. This is exactly why I will not buy New, because you pay full price and don't even get your money's worth

We didn’t know that at the time. (Newbcake here) We thought new - no problems. We were afraid of used! Boy were we wrong, though as someone else said “I spent that whole first year fixing, upgrading and changing things, I got a better camper out of the deal” that’s where we are headed as well. Once the sting of it all wears off, and you have the ability to DIY (master carpenter and mechanical engineer, both retired) you just march forward and deal with the surprises. We’ve had 3 really great month long trips so far. Looking forward to many more!

 

[A Traveler]

I looked at the pictures. WOW!

I wouldn’t take that thing if they gave it to me for free. There are far too many signs of neglect there.

 

[I_did_that]

I looked at the pictures. WOW!

I wouldn’t take that thing if they gave it to me for free. There are far too many signs of neglect there.

Strong reaction. You think it is in that bad of condition?

 

[Isaac-1]

To answer that question, I really don't know, there are warning signs, but it is really hard to tell much from those photos and short videos. A professional RV inspection would take at least half an hour on the roof alone, most of it spent an hands and knees looking at every inch of sealant, not a 15 second long walk around, which would only spot glaringly obvious faults. What I do see is shredded slide toppers, cracked vinyl graphics, and failed upholstery. The failed fake leather upholstery is common for coaches from this era, the thing that worries me is that the owner appears to have done NOTHING in the way of repairs for these obvious shortcomings, combined with it having the original tires makes me wonder if it was either neglected or basically abandoned? Did you inspect for water penetration, there was a seal loose at the top of a side window, did water get into that wall and cause rot or delamination? If the tires have been allowed to age out, were the fluids changed on schedule, have other time based preventive maintained been ignored, .... The one thing that is certain is that NOTHING here inspires me to think this is a diamond in the rough.

 

[Larry N.]

Strong reaction. You think it is in that bad of condition?

Note that pictures often tend to show things as looking better than they really do, and sometimes problem areas aren't easily visible in the pics. So if they are inspiring comments such as those above, I think you'll want an in-person, very careful, very detailed inspection before considering what may well be a "pig in a poke."

 

[Kirk]

This is exactly why I will not buy New, because you pay full price and don't even get your money's worth

That is an interesting comment. I have about 40 years of RV experience, and have bought 6 different RVs, 3 new and 3 used but to date have not had your experience. I do shop dealerships as well as RVs and have not owned any Thor products, but Thor owns several of the top line price/quality RV brands. The Hurricane is one of the lowest priced and thus most cheaply built motorhome available. It is very unlikely that you will find a high quality RV that is at the price of a Hurricane. Price negotiation is part of the process of buying an RV whether now or used and I have never paid what I'd call "full price" but I suppose that would depend on how one defines the term. Shopping dealers is also something that takes some time and effort and with most dealerships the used RVs get little if any free support once sold. Dealer reputation and service department are very important whether you are buying new or used. To check out a dealership service department, spend a little time there and visit with the owners who come there for work. I know that it is currently popular to say that used RVs are better because they have been repaired, but most people I know do not bother to spend much fixing anything just to sell it.

 

[A Traveler]

Strong reaction. You think it is in that bad of condition?

Yes, I do.

With a bit more research, I think you could find something a LOT better than that unit. As I said above, in my opinion it shows too many signs of outright neglect.

 

[Gary RV_Wizard]

Agree--I realize that all the tires will need to be replaced + chassis maintenance = ~$3k in cost. What would be a good price for the RV, given the knowns?

I hesitate to hazard even a guess without seeing it. Mid 30's? It would probably sell for low 40's if in prime condition. The RV market is soft and prices are falling, but it's the summer season and that helps RV sales.
Look at PPL's own sales prices on their website. This search will pull out there recent (last 2 years) sales in the size & age range you are looking at. 2022 prices were higher than today and 2023 was drifting lower as the year progressed. I see newer (2015) Hurricane 29's selling for $38k-$43k.

 

[Kirk]

JD Powers says that they fall between $30,250 and $36,450 while RV Trader has some listed for sale from $34,999 to $40,500 which would be asking prices and probably more that the seller actually received.