Should we buy the Itasca Solei 34T

[artpe54]

Been very happy with our 2015 Forza 34T!

[Gormleys]

Originally Posted by tamdle

Thank Gormleys, I just look at the 2016 model today, the rail looks like "floating" not attached to the slide, just the end of the rail was attached, not sure how wide the rail was but is still looks kinda thin for me.

All of the manufacturers had problems with the Lippert slides in the 2013-2015 era. Winnebago upgraded to the ones that you noticed on the new 2016 34T. Are they the best possible? Probably not. They are Winnebago's best trade-off for price versus performance versus weight. The 34T is still considered an "introductory" diesel and does not have all of the bells and whistles of a more expensive model. If you want more, you will probably have to spend more.

But for the money, we have found the 34T to be a GREAT MH!

[dkdorr]

My wife and I are taking a very hard look at the 34T. So far we really like what we see. She would like a king bed but not sure if the 34T offers that as an option. If they do, what are you left with for night stands? A couple other questions, how is the shower on the 34T for size? Did you get the over cab drop down bed? Do you use / like it? We like the look of separate dinette and couch, any issues with this setup? And we are thinking of getting it without the washer/dryer so we can have all that extra storage. Under carriage storage, are you happy with the amount/size? The Journey is a huge step up in price to get full pass thru storage that we may or may not actually need. Thanks!

[marjoa]

Originally Posted by Rockwood27

The 34T only has a 4000 lb. tow capacity if you're at max GVW. I personally think one would be better off getting a 36 foot gas engined Winnebago instead of the Solei. You would save 10's of thousands of $ with the gasser and not have any difference in quality.

As far as the better diesel ride issue is concerned, I'm going to quote an old timer here on this forum that I thought was wise:
If you drive a lot get a diesel...
If you camp a lot get a gas

Like Rockwood said there are a lot of advantages going his way, especially if you're going to drive say 200 - 300 miles, camp for 2 or 3 weeks, drive 200 - 300 miles, camp for 2 or 3 weeks and so on. I know I'll catch a lot of flack here but to me it's common sense. If we're traveling and we drive 1 day then stay 21 days, does that 1 day really matter to me to have that cushioned, smooth better overall handling, air brake coach worth paying a ton more money for that, when 85% to 90% of my time is camping? Yes I would get additional storage area too, but when we weighed all these factors and then considered what—we could afford—and not get under water or extend our budget so far we could easily get into financial trouble...the answer was clear to us. We bought our 4 yr. old 35F, have had 7 months now and not only know we made the right choice but feel blessed that we found the coach we did.

Now if you plan on traveling by always staying on the go, not staying put for very long, putting many thousands of miles on it every year, maybe going to Alaska or something like, or going through a lot heavy mountainous terrain here in the lower 48 where you'd need a lot of torque, want to tow heavy and so on and so on...and your budget allows it...then yes a diesel makes common sense to me.

Oh, and yes, the type and size of slides that would be on our MH was a BIG issue for us in our decision. Again, if 85% - 90% of our time is going to be spent in the MH, by all means I DO NOT want constant slide issues.

If we had a ton of money and budget wasn't an issue then we'd get the best diesel money could buy.

It's just my opinion and how we thought it through.

[Gormleys]

Our 34T has the drop down bunk which the grandson has claimed to the chagrin of the granddaughter. We have the Washer/Dryer, so we can't speak to the extra space without it. However, we have not even come close to filling up the basement yet and we also have under the bed. I hear that you can have a king size bed as an option, but as noted, I'm sure the night stands suffer.

Good luck in your search!