I'll be leaving in the morning on flight to Phoenix to pick up my "newsed" 1990 Barth 38' Widebody Regency w/ 3208TA Cat DP. It has been recommended that I join the GS Club or FMCA. My dad was a member of GS for two forevers but which one is better? It looks like GS has a better fuel discount, important stuff these days, but overall who do you all think is better? Less than 16 hours to Barth ownership - Bill in Colorado

Better? I don't know. I have belonged to both. Neither one right now. I just let my GS membership lapse. IMHO GS is more plebian, more commercial. FMCA is more oriented to luxury coaches, and has a fancier magazine.

For most of us, the most worthwhile feature of either one, is emergency road service. I have heard good reports about both. I have used GS road service once & found it satisfactory. It was a circumstance similar to yours, I had purchased it just a few days before I needed it.

I don't know the current cost of either one. In recent years I've used the emergency service I get through my auto insurance (USAA) which costs less than GS or FMCA.

The only problem I have with the insurance company is, I just read this in the paper a couple of days ago, they count any road service as a claim. I need to check with my insurance company to see if they do. If it is true, it might be worth a couple of extra bucks to keep the "ding" off your record with the insurance company.

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I just read this in the paper a couple of days ago, they count any road service as a claim. I need to check with my insurance company to see if they do

I believe Garryp posted on that here a while back.

I'm a recovering insurance peddler. Virtually all companies regard T&L ("Towing and Labor") as a claim. Get a club, and be done with the issue.

FMCA's CoachNet is hands down better than Good Sam. If you search this website some time ago I did a comparison and CoachNets coverage is much better. I have had both and have found the CouchNet to be more responsive, they have techs to talk too even if you are having a problem that doesn't cause you to be stranded. I guy spent almost an hour with me when my 12v was out on the coach. We didn't fix it but he was great. I had an alternator belt break, they sent a guy with a belt who changed it on the side of the freeway. I had a flat and even though it turned out to be a loose valve this guy was equiped enough to make a tire for me on the spot..almost.

Most recently, since they cover all of the vehicles in the family my daughter locked herself out of her car. I spent $90 to get her key out. Then I remembered FMCA and they have lockout coverage and even on my daughters car. i sent in the bill and just a couple weeks later i got a check... Forget.. GS, Forget AAA...go CoachNet.

By the way, if you buy a million dollar Prevost, or BlueBird or other highend coach you get CoachNet.

I have used both GS and CoachNet on our SOB and our other vehicles. I prefer FMCA and CoachNet but there seem to be more campgrounds that have Good Sam discounts than FMCA. Good Sam does provide a never-ending series of letters trying to get you to rejoin though, very handy for starting campfires.

The Good Sam discounts are hardly worth it... 10-15% discount I believe, which usually only amounts to a couple dollars. Go with Passport America, $44/year which gets you 50% off at participating campgrounds. Each campground has the right to set their own rules (some only give the discount on weekdays, or for a limited number of consecutive nights, etc.) but it's still a bargain even if you only use it a few times a year.

http://www.passportamerica.com/

Not to disagree with Dave, but I've been with AAA for about 20 years, and got RV Plus about 4 years ago when we got thr Euro, and I've never had anything but good experiences with them. Had to have the Euro towed in Alabama due to a water pump and they were quick, let us fix it at thier shop because they did't have anyone available to do it, didn't charge us a penny,[course we slipped the guys a couple 20's for using thier tools and lift]. I know, they aren't AAA but they are the kind of people AAA uses and I'm sticking with them.
Our RV usage consists of Nascar events, visiting friends, and State Park camping, so I'm not interested in campsite discounts. I do, however, pony up my 12 bucks a year or whatever it is to be a Club Member at Campers World. One mediocre purchase a year saves you at least that much, and a major purchase will save you many times that, plus you get plenty of the aformentioned firestarter delivered directly to your mailbox.

We have had Good Sams emergency road service for at least seven years , it cost us $109.95 a year. The insurance covers our 1976 Barth and all our additional vehicles. We have never had to use it so I can't tell how the services are, but I have talked to a lot of people that are satisfied with it.
We use our Barth a lot so the Good Sams 10 percent Discount really helps for instance we stayed at a campground for 14 days which cost $403.00 so we saved around $40.00 which helps when gas is 3.69 a gallon today here in Indiana.
In 06 we camped 194 days, 07 so far we've used the Barth
79 days, so I'm sure the discounts we've recieved pays for the insurance.

Ralph Glover
1976 Barth 27'

Due to their reputation I use Coachnet via FMCA solely due to heir reputation. However the first and only time I needed them they screwed me, disallowing the claim. Circumstances documented elsewhere on this forum.

They screw me next time I call, they ar history.

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Originally posted by Danny Z:
Not to disagree with Dave, but I've been with AAA for about 20 years, and got RV Plus about 4 years ago when we got thr Euro, and I've never had anything but good experiences with them. Had to have the Euro towed in Alabama due to a water pump and they were quick, let us fix it at thier shop because they did't have anyone available to do it, didn't charge us a penny,[course we slipped the guys a couple 20's for using thier tools and lift]. I know, they aren't AAA but they are the kind of people AAA uses and I'm sticking with them.
Our RV usage consists of Nascar events, visiting friends, and State Park camping, so I'm not interested in campsite discounts. I do, however, pony up my 12 bucks a year or whatever it is to be a Club Member at Campers World. One mediocre purchase a year saves you at least that much, and a major purchase will save you many times that, plus you get plenty of the aformentioned firestarter delivered directly to your mailbox.

Here is the catch with AAA RV Plus: There are 84 DIFFERENT AAA organizations in the US & Canada. Their coverage is NOT necessarily the same. If you generally travel a limited area, your coverage is probably what you expect. But, if you travel all over the US and Canada, you could get a nasty surprise.

Mike

So I guess I'm OK for now because we stay in the Southeast quarter of the country, but in the future when we full time and travel further from home, I'll have to check out my coverage and options. Good to know for future reference.

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They screw me next time I call, they ar history.

Garry, if you left Coachnet, what other company would you consider?