My wife and I own a 2000 Tiffin Allegro Bay. It has been a good unit, but my wife would like to upgrade to a unit with three slides. She has fallen in love with the Damon Challenger 355 floorplan. It has three slides and a great kitchen. I have found a good deal on a left over 2007, but know little about the brand. I know that it is not a top of the line unit, but that is OK. I am more interested in hearing what experiences you all have had with Damon and is it a good entry level coach. Any comments will be appreciated. Thanks in advance
We now own our second Damon, but it is an Intruder not the Challenger. However, I think they are very similar. They are both gassers and have just about the same floor plans. We bought our first one in 2000 as a used coach. It was 35’ and had no slides. It was two years old and had very little mileage. The biggest problem was that it had sat without use most of those two years. The original dealer said that for a small fee he would get it back into shape. What he did was questionable, but that is not Damon’s fault. We had a few problems after that, but all motor homes have things go wrong at one time or another. The biggest problem I recall was with the furnace. The second winter we had it the furnace would light when you first turned it on, but then would not light again until it was turned off and had sat for several hours. It took several tries, but finally a repair place out in Las Vegas correctly diagnosed the problem and repaired it. It worked like a charm after that. In 2004 we decided to trade for a new unit that is 37’ and has two slides. Also this particular unit was really “tricked out.” It had almost every option that Damon offered, and we were told that with all these options it was actually nicer than their higher ranking units. Again we have had a few problems, but nothing really bad. While it was still under warranty we had a jack that went bad and the dealer repaired it and the automatic awning has had some problems (but according to a discussion on this site many auto awnings do not work well). Our biggest hassle involved the couch. Basically it would not open out into the bed. We did have a little trouble getting Damon to replace it because it was a weird problem. The couch itself was not defective, but when you tried to open it it was blocked from opening by a counter top and a window. In essence the couch was too big for the space. We had a hard time getting Damon to understand the problem, but after about 6 months they finally agreed to replace it. Then wouldn’t you know it when they finally sent a new couch it did not match the décor in the coach. So we had to send it back and wait for another one to arrive. The second one was the correct color and opened out just fine. In all honesty I think this was a bigger hassle than it should have been, but as I said they just couldn’t seem to understand what was wrong. We found out later that the first couch was an upgrade for that coach and was slightly bigger than the standard one. We think they just stuck in the larger couch without testing whether or not it would open in that space. All this leads me to say that we have been satisfied with Damon, and we would consider buying another one in the future. We had not heard of the brand when we bought the first one, and we were told they were not high end, but now that we have much more experience we think they have a lot of features that you find in more expensive coaches. Ours have held together well and all the major systems have worked like they should. Our 2004 model is still taking us on lots of adventures. I looked at the 355 floorplan and it looks quite nice. It is certainly one I could live with. Hope this helps you a little and good luck with whatever you decide.
QUOTE(Texasrvers @ Oct 23 2007, 07:15 PM) [snapback]8788[/snapback] We now own our second Damon, but it is an Intruder not the Challenger. However, I think they are very similar. They are both gassers and have just about the same floor plans. We bought our first one in 2000 as a used coach. It was 35’ and had no slides. It was two years old and had very little mileage. The biggest problem was that it had sat without use most of those two years. The original dealer said that for a small fee he would get it back into shape. What he did was questionable, but that is not Damon’s fault. We had a few problems after that, but all motor homes have things go wrong at one time or another. The biggest problem I recall was with the furnace. The second winter we had it the furnace would light when you first turned it on, but then would not light again until it was turned off and had sat for several hours. It took several tries, but finally a repair place out in Las Vegas correctly diagnosed the problem and repaired it. It worked like a charm after that. In 2004 we decided to trade for a new unit that is 37’ and has two slides. Also this particular unit was really “tricked out.” It had almost every option that Damon offered, and we were told that with all these options it was actually nicer than their higher ranking units. Again we have had a few problems, but nothing really bad. While it was still under warranty we had a jack that went bad and the dealer repaired it and the automatic awning has had some problems (but according to a discussion on this site many auto awnings do not work well). Our biggest hassle involved the couch. Basically it would not open out into the bed. We did have a little trouble getting Damon to replace it because it was a weird problem. The couch itself was not defective, but when you tried to open it it was blocked from opening by a counter top and a window. In essence the couch was too big for the space. We had a hard time getting Damon to understand the problem, but after about 6 months they finally agreed to replace it. Then wouldn’t you know it when they finally sent a new couch it did not match the décor in the coach. So we had to send it back and wait for another one to arrive. The second one was the correct color and opened out just fine. In all honesty I think this was a bigger hassle than it should have been, but as I said they just couldn’t seem to understand what was wrong. We found out later that the first couch was an upgrade for that coach and was slightly bigger than the standard one. We think they just stuck in the larger couch without testing whether or not it would open in that space. All this leads me to say that we have been satisfied with Damon, and we would consider buying another one in the future. We had not heard of the brand when we bought the first one, and we were told they were not high end, but now that we have much more experience we think they have a lot of features that you find in more expensive coaches. Ours have held together well and all the major systems have worked like they should. Our 2004 model is still taking us on lots of adventures. I looked at the 355 floorplan and it looks quite nice. It is certainly one I could live with. Hope this helps you a little and good luck with whatever you decide.
Thanks for all the information. The kitchen in the 355 is unreal. Tons of counter space and a neat slide out table. My wife is in love. I can see a few places where they cut corners, but in all honesty, it is about as nice as my 2000 Allegro Bay. Now a 2007 Allegro Bay is really nice! But if I can swing the $$ I think I'll get the Damon
QUOTE(Bud in Florida @ Oct 23 2007, 12:12 PM) [snapback]8779[/snapback] My wife and I own a 2000 Tiffin Allegro Bay. It has been a good unit, but my wife would like to upgrade to a unit with three slides. She has fallen in love with the Damon Challenger 355 floorplan. It has three slides and a great kitchen. I have found a good deal on a left over 2007, but know little about the brand. I know that it is not a top of the line unit, but that is OK. I am more interested in hearing what experiences you all have had with Damon and is it a good entry level coach. Any comments will be appreciated. Thanks in advance
QUOTE(Lucille Moulton @ Oct 28 2007, 08:55 AM) [snapback]8873[/snapback] QUOTE(Bud in Florida @ Oct 23 2007, 12:12 PM) [snapback]8779[/snapback] My wife and I own a 2000 Tiffin Allegro Bay. It has been a good unit, but my wife would like to upgrade to a unit with three slides. She has fallen in love with the Damon Challenger 355 floorplan. It has three slides and a great kitchen. I have found a good deal on a left over 2007, but know little about the brand. I know that it is not a top of the line unit, but that is OK. I am more interested in hearing what experiences you all have had with Damon and is it a good entry level coach. Any comments will be appreciated. Thanks in advance
We have a 2004 Damon Challenger, with two sliders. I do not like it. The first year we had trouble with some of the locks. The refrigerator door wouldn't stay shut. One leveling jack would not go up, we were in New York. My husband had to pry it up with a 2 x 4. The door shades, sliders side shades came off in my hand. The drawers are the big problem the rear guide holders break and my husband has had to replace most of them. I would not buy another one. The locks still do not work. The side door if you lock it you can try it, it will pull a 16th of an inch out. The dealer fixed everything except the door and the drawers so far.
Lucille, You have really had bad luck with your Damon. Sounds like yours just wasn't made well in the first place. We haven't come close to the trouble you have had. As I said there have been some problems, but we think it is just your typical RV stuff. We, too, had some trouble with the door, but the problem seems to be due to temperature fluctuations. It sticks in cold weather, but we are fair weather travelers so that doesn't happen often. Damons do seem to have tight drawers. Our kitchen drawers are really hard to open sometimes, but we have gotten the hang of it and feel that if they were not that tight we would have the contents flying all over the place if we were on a bumpy road. So that is a trade off. The water heater cover door kept coming off when we drove, but I put velcro on it and that has worked just fine. We really feel that these are things that will happen anytime you drive a "home" down the highway. I hope they get all your problems fixed so that you can enjoy it more--and no I'm not a Damon salesman--I just think life is too short to deal with hassles.
All Rv units have problems but some have more problems than others. We have had our share, over the years, with our 5th wheels and present motorhome. Quality control, by the manufacturers, is almost non-existant on the new units, sometimes wonder if maybe a purchase of a used unit, that has all the bugs out it, is the answer. There are a few, very few, who do stand behind their products after the short warranty period is long gone.
QUOTE(Butch @ Oct 28 2007, 03:00 PM) [snapback]8887[/snapback] All Rv units have problems but some have more problems than others. We have had our share, over the years, with our 5th wheels and present motorhome. Quality control, by the manufacturers, is almost non-existant on the new units, sometimes wonder if maybe a purchase of a used unit, that has all the bugs out it, is the answer. There are a few, very few, who do stand behind their products after the short warranty period is long gone. I will say that Tiffin will stand behind their product no matter how old. I have had help with a 2000 that I bought used. So there are good companies out there
Bud in Florida, I did not want to mention product names, but yes, Tiffin is one very good company that stands behind their product. In fact we are at this point, looking a Tiffin coach, Allegro Bus, and is about everything we would want in a new coach. Good luck in your endeavor.
QUOTE(Texasrvers @ Oct 28 2007, 01:28 PM) [snapback]8884[/snapback] Lucille, You have really had bad luck with your Damon. Sounds like yours just wasn't made well in the first place. We haven't come close to the trouble you have had. As I said there have been some problems, but we think it is just your typical RV stuff. We, too, had some trouble with the door, but the problem seems to be due to temperature fluctuations. It sticks in cold weather, but we are fair weather travelers so that doesn't happen often. Damons do seem to have tight drawers. Our kitchen drawers are really hard to open sometimes, but we have gotten the hang of it and feel that if they were not that tight we would have the contents flying all over the place if we were on a bumpy road. So that is a trade off. The water heater cover door kept coming off when we drove, but I put velcro on it and that has worked just fine. We really feel that these are things that will happen anytime you drive a "home" down the highway. I hope they get all your problems fixed so that you can enjoy it more--and no I'm not a Damon salesman--I just think life is too short to deal with hassles. We just have to replace our water pump. We have a 1997 Coachman 30' with not trouble. I do like the slider in this one. We did not have any before. I hoping the next one will be a Coachman. If you pull up on the drawers it make it easy to open then. I just have to learn to live with. We only use it 4 week out of the year, because my husband still work.
First of all anything mechanical can break and will break sometime. It is the mean time between failures and the quality thatyou are paying for. What you do ont see is what you are paying for or not. If you do not use your umit much an y unit will do. If you do use it alot or plan too then a unit that is of higher quailty will be more satisfying even if you have to buy used to get it. I knwo my Bornfrees have been prety problem free and the Foretravel while it has had a few issues on both of them over 165,000 miles of driving the hold up very well. Tiffen makes a good unit Damon is an ok unit but is mass produced vs the custom shops but hten again so are Monocos Dutch Stars and the like too. IT is all about the strength and quality of materials they are using behind the glitz.
