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newbie to rving

Yahoo Message Number: 83746
My wife and I are wanting to join this fraternity and are currently looking very closely at a 2005 Country Coach Inspire 330 DaVinci 40 floor plan. What are the pluses and minuses of this coach and are there any things we should be aware of? This will be our first Class A but it is a style of life that we know that we enjoy.
Cheers Gerry and Penny Bayles plus visuals

Re: newbie to rving

Reply #1 –
Yahoo Message Number: 83751
Gerry,

My wife & I own a 2005 Inspire 330 Siena 36' #51264. There are many items you need to investigate. Has the PTO wet kit been installed, status of the engine cooling radiator, original or replaced, some coaches have had leaks develop. Does it have the original Norcold 1200 series refrigerator. There have been problems with these refrigerators. Has the cook top gas fitting been changed to a metal fitting, this was a safety recall. Are the tires original, if so they will need to be replaced, this is a considerable expense. Does the coach you are interested in have maintenance records.

These are just a few key items to explore. I would be happy to talk to you in detail if you would like additional information. Bottom line is, yes, we love our coach. RJ

Re: newbie to rving

Reply #2 –
Yahoo Message Number: 83758
all coaches from that period with dark colors might be subject to paint checking where the fibre glass fails under the paint. Newmar for instance is still replacing slide room facia and entire coach walls from that period. I have no clue what Monaco is doing about their coaches as well as Beaver and Sahara coaches. The air dryer filter should be replaced, all body seams and roof seals should be checked as should windows for leaking seals. You will have to upgrade your TV's as they will not handle the new digital broadcasts. If you have a satellite receiver, you'll be OK, but local channels will be a problem. I use a decoder box, but I'm on my 3rd one; they are not very dependable from Radio Shack. TWI 2004 intrigue 11731

b

Re: newbie to rving

Reply #3 –
Yahoo Message Number: 83759
Hi Gerry,

If you can get the coach serial number it would help. There are lots of differences in a model year, so coaches around the serial number are important to get correct information. You have already seen a few of the issues that can cost big dollars. If you monitor this site for information you will find everyone here is interested in the coaches and pull no punches as to the issues they find. I assume MP hasn't sold his coach yet.

Jack Foster Allure 40 30076

Re: newbie to rving

Reply #4 –
Yahoo Message Number: 83769
Gerry & Penny,

I can't comment on the specifics of the Inspire other than to say pretty much all class A's have issues. So you pick the make, year, model and floor plan you're comfortable with and try to learn as much about that specific choice as possible. Reaching out to this group is a good place to start. Owner/operators will all have varying experiences, opinions and reactions to problems they face. And we all face problems. As an owner, you will too. I think taking a proactive stance on issues is the best approach to maintaining safety, keeping repair costs down and avoiding calls to roadside assistance providers. Knowing you are going to have problems means factory support is important. If the factory isn't supporting their products then a third party needs to be located. There are some good ones out there. In the absence of those resources, plan on fixing it yourself.
Jeannie and I run full time so we depend on a working vehicle to get us safely to the next destination. That same vehicle, when parked, needs to provide a comfortable and reliable home. And so it goes on year after year. In our case, we've been plagued with a rash of repairs which seems never ending. It most definitely has interfered with the quality of our full time experience not to mention the unexpected amounts of money shelled out for parts. Labor too in the area of repairs just too big to handle yourself. For example, an unexpected $6k radiator replacement. Luckily we've escaped the roadside service experience so far. I try like hell to stay ahead of the problems. Information provided to me by other owner/operators (here) has been a BIG help with my proactive maintenance stance.
For us the bus is nothing more than a re-locatable shelter of sorts and/or a base of operations. You can think of it as a specialized tool designed to make a job possible. When that tool doesn't work it's a real hassle. Our life is in the outdoors and the adventures we experience there are what has lasting value. Time and money spent effecting vehicle repairs thus subtracts from what we enjoy doing. Mechanical equipment requires care and maintenance and I accept that time and money are required to address this. Within reason I'm OK with it. My point is there are personal thresholds that when exceeded degrade the quality of the mobile experience. For me it's been way over the top. I'm very frank about that. And the real frustrating part is there seems to be no end in sight. A bright spot for me is bringing this information to others with the hopes it helps them avoid many of the problems we've dealt with. The idea is to enjoy the vehicle not be consumed by it.
Knowing ahead of time what you are getting into is very important. Jeannie and I were slightly gassed and focused too much on the lifestyle and less on the boiler room parts. We assumed that the quality would be there. We know now that was an erroneous assumption. Having the chance to go back and do it over again, I can assure you I wouldn't make that mistake twice. I wouldn't walk away from the lifestyle or even chose another vehicle. I'd just drive a much harder bargain and be better about doing proactive maintenance. The devil is in the details and knowing them saves a whole lot of problems. In some cases, like with Norcold refrigerators, it may save your life. The stakes can be high and error penalties severe. Here's a brief list of repair items I've dealt with: http://www.muniac.com/Allure%20Page.html I've also documented our requirements for a vehicle and listed subsequent issues here: http://www.muniac.com/Rig_Reveal.html As mentioned, this is for the Allure but much of it is relevant. Absorb and dismiss as you see fit. Good luck to you both with your planned purchase and participation in mobile living. Get as many opinions as you can from as many people as you can. Wide ranging views are good. Sleep on it and develop a comfort level that hopefully leads you to the right decisions before, during and after you take possession. But don't forget your tool box.

At 06:42 PM 11/6/2012, you wrote:

Re: newbie to rving

Reply #5 –
Yahoo Message Number: 83770
Scott, that is one of the most honest and and well written summations of the RVing experience I have ever heard. Maybe you need to take up professional writing. By the way, they say that you can tell how long someone has been RVing by the size of their tool box. There's a lot of truth to that. One thing that you didn't touch on is the wonderful people you meet, get to know, and the life long friends you make via the RV experience. Simply the best.

R. D. Vanderslice

Sob (former Allure owner)

Re: newbie to rving

Reply #6 –
Yahoo Message Number: 83773
RD,

Yes I would agree about the people. I think of Jeannie and I as being sort of new kids on the block. We try to carve out our little RV space with both humility and value added. To the extent our experience spans, we've noticed the dominate age group to be older folks. With that comes "old school" values, please, thanks, respect and an understanding of community. If you can take the time to listen, there's also tons of experience there. Yes you get an occasion cantankerous individual but that's rare. Most people we run into in the parks we stay at are very nice, cordial, friendly and sharing. Sadly, America is very much of a youth oriented culture which can debilitate in subtle ways. We just need to keep our heads up. If the young and the restless believe they are putting out a better product, I'm still waiting to see it! When it comes to getting the tough jobs done, you can't beat the grey army. I know because I'm one of them.
Older members of a community represent a link to the past. To those willing to listen you try to impart knowledge. You see these efforts all the time with our RV group. It puts things into perspective. So hats off to all the great folks out there and may they keep up the good work for many more years to come. Safe travels to all.

At 04:27 AM 11/8/2012, you wrote:
 

newbie to rving

Reply #7 –
Yahoo Message Number: 83815
Quote
Date: Sat, 10 Nov 2012 09:50:06 -0800 >Subject: Re: [Country-Coach-Owners] newbie to rving >

Gerry - You are welcome. It took Jeannie and I about 5 years to >wind everything down. Planning ahead is a good idea. Yes it is an >overwhelming task best digested in small chunks over time. Make >sure to include in a goodly amount of "soak in" time as you gain >knowledge. Personally I don't think newer is better. Yes, bus >technology is evolving and builders learn as they build. New >devices and so called improvements mean new problems. Sometimes you >fix one thing and break two others. The disposition of the factory >and the attitude of the workers during a given construction year >also matters. Busses are hand built not products of robotics so the >human factors matter greatly. Consistency also varies >accordingly. I shy away from feature rich and much prefer basic, >functional and reliable. Pick the smallest set of creature comforts >that makes life pleasant. Every gadget is a potential repair waiting >to happen. That's just my gig, however. For you 2005 might just >hit the high marks you're looking for.

Letting a vehicle sit around is really bad. Especially if > it's outside. Vehicles are made to run, get air circulating and be > heated up. On the other side, usage inflicts wear and tear which > creates other problems. So you need to find that critical mass so > to speak between age, storage, care, maintenance and usage. If you > can procure a vehicle that meets these requirements and take over > on its life then you have some control over what happens. In > essence you create the critical mass that's appropriate for > you. As a knee jerk response, I wouldn't say 12 years equates to > bad. As for 2005, you'll likely miss the Cummins ISL connecting > rod failure recall. Another manifestation of new and improved.

I see folks running older CC models of 10 & 12 years and > many are pristine. It's that hay day concept when things were made > by caring people and the factory really tried to provide good > service. As for CC, vehicles built when Bob Lee was around (post > Howards) came from a different era altogether. And I think the > quality reflects that. As for brand spanking new, there is a flush > out time required to debug everything to include those > surprises. Like paint checking for example. It's between $12K and > $20K to get it fixed. In the case of a 2005 model, the debug > process should be well completed by now and you see better how the > vehicle has aged. That said, you're still going to have > issues. What one tries to avoid are the really BIG hits.

If possible, try to attend local rallies, meet the folks > that are in the driver seats and network as much as > possible. Almost all of these folks are nice people. You want to > meet the ones that are willing to speak openly about their > experience(s) both good and bad. If they've had problems you want > honesty not smoke and mirrors. The new ones into ownership of a > new vehicles may not provide that experience for you. But all > opinions and feedback covering the range of possibilities have > value. Try to immerse into that as much as you can. And above > all, be ready to walk away if it doesn't feel right.

Jeannie and I work as a team and I think this is a > requirement. Both people need to be on board in some capacity or > it just isn't going to work out. Men and women will come at this > from different points of views. Sensitivities to living spaces, > mechanics and details will get processed differently. Priorities > will also be different. But when the day is done a couple needs to > function as a team. In areas of safety there needs to be duplicity > of skills. Jeannie drives, for example, and took the time to learn > those skills. It boils down to safety and we both agree on > that. But I spend more time in the engine compartment but she > helps if I need extra hands. I think you get my drift here.

Anyway...... Good luck finishing out your next five years > and making a lifestyle change. Remember we're in the area takin' care of ya! >

At 07:40 AM 11/10/2012, you wrote: >>Scott

Thank you very much for your response, sorry for the delayed reply >>but am overwhelmed since entering this site. Any comments on >>longevity with this being a 2005 coach it is what we can afford at >>this time. I plan on retirement in 5 years, it will then be 12 years old.
Cheers gerry

Best - Scott

2006 Allure 430 40' #31349

Bus-Stead Lemon) My Allure Page http://www.muniac.com/Allure%20Page.html