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NEWBIE researching first RV purchase - need some help

Yahoo Message Number: 68018
Hello all,

My wife and I are leaning toward buying a motorcoach this year (2011) and I'm kinda in love with the Country Coach. However, budget considerations require the purchase of an older (92-98)coach. I drove a 95 Magna two weekends ago and absolutely fell in love.
The first thing is - I don't even know what I don't know yet. I've been lurking on all kinds of sites / forums for the past 3 weeks learning everything I can absorb.
I approach things from an engineer's perspective (NO, I'm not an engineer, I'm just wired that way) and would rather buy a used high-quality item (e.g. Country Coach) than a newer something else of lesser quality.
Ideally, I am searching for info on model lineup, standard and options etc. I haven't found any sales brochures online for older coaches. Interested in specs (how big, what type of brakes, trans, engine, capacity etc.)
Within a couple of years we think we may hit the road full-time for a year or two, so the FT lifestyle is a huge consideration. Hence the desire for quality. THANKS ALL!!

Jay - PapaYams

Re: NEWBIE researching first RV purchase - need some help

Reply #1 –
Yahoo Message Number: 68019
PapaYams, hey, there is no right answer to your question so you have to tell us more to focus our responses. Also, folks here are kinda preferetial in their likes/dislikes, which makes it even harder.
Please tell us your preferences and priories, like length, slides, type of use, budget, dry camping a priority of not, will you carry heavy stuff, where you want to go, pets, etc, etc.
The more you can characterize your likely motor homing profile the better we can respond.

Go for it!
--

Lee Zaborowski

07 Intrigue 12153, Cat C-13

Re: NEWBIE researching first RV purchase - need some help

Reply #2 –
Yahoo Message Number: 68020
We have a 97' Magna, it has one slide, a DD series 40 engine on a Gillig chassis. Very nice road unit. A 95 may have a Cat or a Detroit Diesel, which is really an International Diesel. Very good engine. If you like the floor plan etc., go for it. As with all things there will be a learning curve. Try to buy to leave yourself funds for bringing the coach maintenance up to date. There are always something to fix it seems. Just part of being a RV owner. I bought the CC for the same reason you are talking about. Older then the last gas coach but night and day difference in quality. I really like the way the CC is built, you have access to stuff the other brands do not. You will like the CC quality, ride etc. You are much better off to buy the quality and a diesel then a newer cheaper gas unit. Been there done that.

Some of the things to look for are the factory manuals, they are worth there weight in gold to be able to learn your rig. A rig that sets a long time without use will have more maintenance updating to do then one that has been keep busy. No matter what RV you would buy first, there is a rather large learning curve. Buy what you like at the price you want and start on living the RV experience. Lots and lots of help on this forum to carry you along.

Leonard Kerns
97' Magna 5418

Re: NEWBIE researching first RV purchase - need some help

Reply #3 –
Yahoo Message Number: 68022
Jay-PapaYams

How about a 40' 1995 Country Coach Concept. The Concept was the best production line MH ever built. New MSRP was $450K plus. Current price , less than $70K. Look in applications on this forum or call me at 541-912-7249.

Jim E

Re: NEWBIE researching first RV purchase - need some help

Reply #4 –
Yahoo Message Number: 68026
Hi,

Have fun in your search!! The site seems to be down now, but here is a good reference for different years and model info on CC:

www.damonrapozo.com

I'll point you over to another site, RV.Net. Under Class A, read the sticky by Johnny T on First Time Buyer - it covers lots of ground.

Good luck!!
Smitty

04 Allure 31017
04 Allure Sold to a nice new owner! Now enjoying a 07 Magna Rembrandt 45' ISX600 #6775
"We're ONDROAD for THEJRNY!" (Toad and Coach license plates, say Hi if you see us!)

Re: NEWBIE researching first RV purchase - need some help

Reply #5 –
Yahoo Message Number: 68027
Hi Jay,

I collected a lot of the sales brochures from CC's website and put them at http://humongousclipboards.com/countrycoach
They are not in much order but they are what they are. Good luck in your quest.
You are in the right place. I wish I had known about this forum prior to my purchase.

Jon Baum
Magna 5923

Re: NEWBIE researching first RV purchase - need some help

Reply #6 –
Yahoo Message Number: 68037
It would help if you would share your budget goal and some ideas about what you would like to find. For example, a 40 footer or the less common 36 footer? Slides?
We have a '98 CC Allure with 78K miles which we are reluctantly thinking about selling just because we're not using it enough. It has the great room slide, which I recommend because it is simple yet creates a lot of usable space. I am an engineer and am not keen on the idea of sliding the kitchen.
The older CCs are better built IMO than the newer ones but lack for amenities. For example, the original TV setup in our CC was truly dismal, a cheapo Sanyo TV with one tiny speaker. We replaced it with two flatscreen HD TVs and a Bose home theater sound system. We replaced the rear tiny TV with a larger flat screen and gained an additional storage space in the bargain.
An unexpected bonus was that we found the existing amplified bat wing antenna to be a great receiver for HD signals.
The other thing about the original rigs that was pretty awful (again IMO) is the upholstery. It looked like something my mother might have liked. We replaced the two chairs which were way too crowded in, with a single recliner and a full sleep sofa, both in ultraleather.
If you get a rig that needs AV updating, I posted photos of our custom job on this site. It really wasn't difficult at all and I was lucky to have a buddy who was a hobby cabinet maker who did it for me cheap. I understand that people have paid upwards of $10K for the AV retrofit alone.
The 36' CC has a great advantage in being able to get into some older parks and state parks where the 40 won't go. The Cummins engine has more than enough power for it and we get great gas mileage, usually 9 or over (well, relatively speaking great.)
We use the Blue Ox Alloy towing rig, which is superb. One person can easily set it up. The part of the rig on the RV will go with it, your towvee would have to be fitted with the car mount and wiring.
Our rig is garaged in the Rio Grande Valley if you want to get a look at an updated 36'. We're going to make a decision about selling it soon and will probably consign it at PPL in Houston, probably priced at $45K. They tell me that the 36 really sells well. If I sell it before then, it would be sold for $40K.
You can email me at houck1022@... if you have questions. You are definitely right to look at the older CCs, they are really made well, have great chassis and wheel base ratios, drive beautifully and have many, many years left in them. We've had this one for 8 years. After getting it as the 5th RV we owned, we saw no reason to trade again. I wish I had bought it first and saved all the money wasted on the earlier, unsatisfactory RVs.

Dan Houck

1998 Allure #30180

Re: NEWBIE researching first RV purchase - need some help

Reply #7 –
Yahoo Message Number: 68039
I owned one of the last 98 Allures built, which meant I had the ISC engine with electronics where this unit has the C8.3. The only issues I had with my Allure were the control card on the Refer, getting the correct sized tires to support the extra weight from the slide with the change over of the right height valves, and a bad injection pump. We kept the unit 5 1/2 years and only had to pay for the upgrade on the tires from 275R70 to 275R80, $400.00 in 1999 and $80.00 on the refer for labor only. Everything else, was just normal maintenance. What the owner didn't tell you was the coach is only clear coated on the paint with Gel coated fibre Glass everywhere else. Unless it is stored inside and or buffed and waxed every 120 days, maintaining the finish could be a chore. It was the tipping point that made me up grade to a newer unit as CC and the Paint Department wanted $10,000 to paint and clear coat the previously gel coated surfaces in 2003. The older coaches cannot maneuver like the newer coaches with the IFS, and sitting on top of the auxiliary Genset can be tiring for the driver. The old manual sun shades were also a pain in the neck when trying to block out the sun thru the windshield on roads with curves. And yes you can get 9.5 mpg if you stay under 57 mph. But, my 42' Intrigue gets the same or better at 65, which was 8.0 mpg. The price is a steal for a dependable coach. TWI 98 Allure 30255, now 2004 Intrigue 11731

Re: NEWBIE researching first RV purchase - need some help

Reply #8 –
Yahoo Message Number: 68042
Well, I certainly agree about the paint. If we keep the RV we are going to get it painted. The gel coated FG is a pain in the butt. There's a guy in Mexico outside of Yuma that a lot of people use and swear by. We would take it there, the job would cost about $6K as we would not change the striping, just basically repaint it and paint the white parts a light, complimentary blue.
Last year, I spent $2500 getting those d***** Segi windows redone. A lot of MH owners got screwed by that company for sure.
We get the mileage I cited at 65 mph. That is 1750 on the tach and the previous owner said that it is the sweet spot for this particular engine. Our experience is that he is right.
If I sell it this way, I'm pricing it to move quick with little hassle to me. We're living in Mexico now and just don't use it enough to justify the maintenance cost of a DP. The only thing it lacked for us was a BR slide. It would have been nice to have that.
Another great thing about these CCs is that they are really good dry campers because of the large holding tanks for black water and fresh water. We would dry camp for two weeks at a time, no problem.

Dan Houck

1998 Allure #30180
 

Re: NEWBIE researching first RV purchase - need some help

Reply #9 –
Yahoo Message Number: 68052
Dan I don't know the guy you are talking about in Mexico that does the paint, I had my coach painted in Algodónis for about that price and I might as well taken the cash and thrown it the toilet. Had to have it repainted by the Paint Department in Chino, CA. It's a long story.

Jack Allure 30076