new rv viking or fleetwood????

[BrianM]

if you had your choice fleetwood or viking.  if all options were the sam everything the same and it was coming from same dealer price very similar which route would you go?

[AustinBoston]

if you had your choice fleetwood or viking.  if all options were the sam everything the same and it was coming from same dealer price very similar which route would you go?

If I had a marginal tow vehicle (a.k.a. a minivan), I'd choose the Viking.  If I was looking for something that was more solid than it needed to be, I'd go with the Fleetwood.

Austin

[brainpause]

Fleetwood.

Unless my local dealer for Fleetwood was horrible.

Then I'd drive somewhere else and get a Fleetwood.

Ok ok...Viking probably makes a decent camper. It's just that the one time we went to look, we had a horrible impression of them; it could almost be attributed to the salesperson as much as the product.

Larry

[rccs]

I would pick Fleetwood because of the swinglevel galley and the stepper door.

[mountainrev]

I sold my '92 Coleman/Fleetwood this spring and purchased an '03 Viking, so I have experience with both makes.  I guess the one thing that steered me toward the Viking more than anything else is price.  You said that if everything were the same (including price), which would you buy, but I don't think you'll find the price to be the same.  That goes for both used and new.

I think there are pluses and minuses for both makes.  A previous post mentioned the swinglevel galley and stepper door as being advantages for Fleetwood.  I agree about the stepper door, but my Viking has a swinglevel galley, so that's a wash.  I like the E-Z Lube hubs on the Viking (yeah, I know some folks still insist you should repack the hubs anyway, but I think this makes for an easier and less messy way to maintain your hubs).  

Floorplan, features, price, and dealer (unless you're buying used from a private party) trump manufacturer, I think.  The only wild card might be warranty (if you're buying new).

When it comes down to it, all pups have their advantages and disadvantages.  All are made fairly cheaply.  All do what they are supposed to do.  And all manufacturers will make the occasional lemon.

[CampDirt]

I don't know, but I think you get what you pay for.  Our used Fleetwood was a steal.  However, looking at all kinds of new RV's the new Fleetwoods looked and felt more stable, was (at least to us) easier to set up, and had great floorplans that we liked compared to the Vikings, even though Vikings were cheaper.  The biggest selling point was, as mentioned in previous posts, the wide step.  My roomate is a HUGE guy and the step is wide enough to get up.  

I'm willing to spend a little extra for something that seemed a little more stable.  And ours pulls like a charm, something to consider when buying any kind of trailer.