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New in so many ways

Yahoo Message Number: 108242
Good evening all,

The welcome letter asks for an intro so here it goes.

I was born in California, raised in Oregon's' Willamette Valley for a decade, and spent another decade in the Navy traveling the world. When I redirected my career I had landed in NE Florida, which just so happens to be where I currently reside.

I am researching what may be my first motor coach. I say "may be" because I am researching several options to move closer to work, and rent out the current residence. If I go with a coach, my plan is to be in it full time with my SO, and our medium sized rescue pup.

To keep this relevant I would like to steer the narrative to how I ended up in your community. Because motor vehicles depreciate at an alarming rate I chose to research gently used motor coaches. Something around 5-10 years old. Because of this mindset, I came across a 45' Country Coach Intrigue yesterday that is a real beauty. She was the only coach to really peak my interest.

Now, I have read some reviews going over pros and cons, researched values, and educated myself on the amenities offered, but slowly came to the unanswered questions about longevity.

I am still educating myself on the company, but in the last hour I came across articles talking about the company having issues, and perhaps even going bankrupt. So this is where I currently am in my research.

A few questions for the community if you will. Can anyone enlighten me on, or direct me to information about, the life and ability of Country Coach chassis's? Do they hold up for more than 100-200k miles? How do they rate for collisions, and god forbid tip overs? What are the common gremlins that plague Country Coaches in particular? Electrical, mechanical, and/or functional?

Thank you in advance to all that reply.

~ Samuel

Re: New in so many ways

Reply #1 –
Yahoo Message Number: 108249
It's a long story, but Country Coach is owned by Winnebago now. True CC went bankrupt but only because they became a part of National Coach before that happened. CC is still Alive and well.
CC life and quality cannot be excelled for the price.
D Jean
CC81072

Re: New in so many ways

Reply #2 –
Yahoo Message Number: 108251
Welcome Samuel. Thank you for your service from a former Marine Vietnam Vet.

We bought a slightly used 2004 Country Coach Allure 33' in 2005. It had about 14,000 miles on it. It now has over 140,000 miles on it. We full time in it. We also have our home base in FL. (Tampa).

It would help if you posted the year of the Intrigue so the replies from this forum can be more specific. The issues we have had with our coach are not related to the Country Coach brand but related to the components manufactured by other companies like Dometic, Carefree, Kwikee, HWH and Hydro Hot - Aqua Hot. These issues would be the same with other RV brands.

Tip over is related to many things again not unique to Country Coach. A steering stabilizer is one consideration and make sure the Smart Tire is working and the tires are in good condition.

We have had no problems getting service for our coach in FL. We can provide some suggestions if you purchase the coach.

Make sure all the preventive maintenance has been done on the coach.

Country Coach quality is excellent.

Lonny & Diane Livingston
'04 Allure #31065

Re: New in so many ways

Reply #3 –
Yahoo Message Number: 108252
Hey guys. Not to hijack the thread but I am wondering if anyone knows of a good body shop. Our 2000 Allure needs to be re clear coated as it came from Az. I just want to see who is out there that is fair priced and good quality. From east pa to Ocala is our range. Live in pa winter in Ocala. Thanks.

Re: New in so many ways

Reply #4 –
Yahoo Message Number: 108253
Samuel,

I recently sold our 04 Intrigue that we bought new in 04 and drove it more than 120,000 mi. We now own a 2014 SOB with only 15K miles. The sale was anticipated as the end of our RV life but that didn't last long. We jumped back in and now wish we had never parted with our Intrigue. Our SOB is on a Freightliner chassis and doesn't come close to the CC Dynamax. As someone else said, the various RV components are common to many brands and the quality of them should not be attributed to CC. The chassis is critical and I cannot say enough about the Dynamax. Yes, we spent a lot of money on maintenance and upgrades over the years but never regretted even one dollar of it. This support group and the many techs out there who will gladly help (say Kevin Waite) will make your ownership a pleasure. Of course I don't know the coach you are looking at but I can comment on the overall aspects of CC ownership. Go forth with CC and you should be happy.
Lyle Wetherholt

former 04 Intrigue 11740

Re: New in so many ways

Reply #5 –
Yahoo Message Number: 108254
not on your route from PA to FL but we used Mike's Custom Paint in Bremen IN with good results. They removed the 3M crap from the front and repainted including clear coat and did some other repairs and touch ups. Pleased with the result and price.

Lonny & Diane Livingston
'04 Allure #31065

Re: New in so many ways

Reply #6 –
Yahoo Message Number: 108255
Was the entire coach re painted and clear coated? What exactly was done and what kind of price range was it? I am trying to get an idea of what this will cost. Thanks.

Re: New in so many ways

Reply #7 –
Yahoo Message Number: 108258
I have experience only with the 100,000 miles and 21 years old portions of your question.

My major chassis problems right now are old bushings and tie rod grease boots needing replacement.

Otherwise the chassis is sound. The interior is completely functional. The front brakes are nearly virgin.

The engine and transmission produce very good oil analysis reports.

But the clear coat paint is a challenge after 14 years in the Sacramento outside storage.

Great rig which we will/can take anywhere in North America that has hard surfaced roads.

Dean

95 Magna 5280

Re: New in so many ways

Reply #8 –
Yahoo Message Number: 108259
It was just removal of part of the 3M on the front, repainting and clear coat the front, couple of dings. I think it was about $1400 for what we had done. We met someone that had an entire paint job done at Mike's a few years ago who recommended him. At that time (about 3 years ago) he paid $10,000 for full body paint. I'm sure it's more now. You could call Mike's and he should be able to give you an estimate over the phone.

Mike's Custom Painting
615 Douglas Road
Bremen, IN
(574) 546-2161

Lonny & Diane Livingston
'04 Allure #31065
sdlivingston48@...
 

Re: New in so many ways

Reply #9 –
Yahoo Message Number: 108260
Bob's Body Shop in Marion N C is the only one I have ever used and their work has been excellent. Quite a way's from your I-95 corridor, but if interested let me know and I will dig you up a P/N.

On Tuesday, September 20, 2016 10:19 AM, "sdlivingston48@... [Country-Coach-Owners]"  wrote:

not on your route from PA to FL but we used Mike's Custom Paint in Bremen IN with good results. They removed the 3M crap from the front and repainted including clear coat and did some other repairs and touch ups. Pleased with the result and price.

Lonny & Diane Livingston
'04 Allure #31065