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32' vs 36'

Yahoo Message Number: 6628
I am looking to purchase either a 32' or 36' Intrigue or Allure and I want to know how much turning radius I give up by going with the bigger coach. I do not plan on pulling a dingy and want to be able to take it pretty much everywhere. I will use it quite a bit in the mountains and also want to be able to drive it into the city when I am visiting family. I am leaning towards the smaller coach since I won't be living in it full time but I have heard the 36'rides nicer.
Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Brian

32' vs 36'

Reply #1 –
Yahoo Message Number: 6630
From: "otterbc2003" otterbc@...>

Quote
I am looking to purchase either a 32' or 36' Intrigue or Allure and I
want to know how much turning radius I give up by going with the bigger coach. I do not plan on pulling a dingy and want to be able to take it pretty much everywhere. I will use it quite a bit in the mountains and also want to be able to drive it into the city when I am visiting family. I am leaning towards the smaller coach since I won't be living in it full time but I have heard the 36'rides nicer.
Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
When we first considered a CC, we originally thought about a 32'er. But two things turned me off. One owner told me that he's selling his 'cause it's unstable on the highway compared to the longer ones, to a point that his wife refuses to drive it. And, second, there's only one side-to-side storage bay in the 32'er, vs two in the 36'er. Therefore, we bought a 36' Intrigue and are extremely happy with all aspects of it. And I think that no other ~36' motorhome has as long a wheelbase.
The choice, of course, is yours, since only *you* can be the judge of storage compartment capacity and stability. And, to be fair, the 32'er I mentioned might've been unstable 'cause of improper tire pressure or other factors.

Dick (& Geri) Campagna
'98 36' Intrigue #10571
Mfd: 11/97

32' vs 36'

Reply #2 –
Yahoo Message Number: 6638
I had the opportunity to trade Email messages with Damon Raposo a couple of years ago, when he was still working in Minnesota. He had recently delivered a 32' Country Coach to a buyer in Medford, OR. He said that the handling was definitely inferior to the 36' and 40' coaches. Damon now works at Guaranty in Junction City, OR and he gets to drive them all.
We have a 33' Beaver Patriot on a Magnum 8-bag air suspension chassis. We chose the 33' because it was big enough for two people AND we could park it next to our home and still get in and out of the driveway. Anything longer would mean that we couldn't use one side of the garage or the coach would have to be stored elsewhere at $100/month or so in addition the the inconvenience. The single bay storage has not been a problem on trips as long as a month at a time and we do carry an unmounted spare tire in the middle of it along with a ladder, etc. etc. I would like to have a little more room in the bath and at the dining table. The only really irritating thing is the 196" wheelbase which does make it a little squirrelly at times. Yes, it is maneuverable, which is great, but the next one will have a 223" wheelbase so that the travel down the road is not quite as intense experience.
Of course, two years after we purchased the Beaver, we moved to Arizona and have room enough next to our home to park a coach that is long as the law allows or more!

Other than that, the Beaver is great!!

Glen R. Fotre - Tucson, AZ

1996 Beaver Patriot/Toyota 4x4 Xtra Cab/Toyota RAV-4 AWD/Miata/VW Sandrail FMCA #F36478 Good Sam #043833367 BAC glen@...

Re: Subject: 32' vs 36'

Reply #3 –
Yahoo Message Number: 6642
From: "Glen R. Fotre, CCIM, RECS" glen@...> (snip) > We have a 33' Beaver Patriot (snip) The only really irritating
Quote
thing is the 196" wheelbase which does make it a little squirrelly at

times.

Quote
Yes, it is maneuverable, which is great, but the next one will have a 223" > wheelbase so that the travel down the road is not quite as intense > experience. (snip)
I haven't measured it yet, but the spec sheet for our '98 36' CC Intrigue (Dynomax chassis) says that it has a 243" wheelbase (longer than with the Gillig chassis), which gives it a great wheelbase-to-length ratio.
Regardless, it is very stable on the highway, and a tractor-trailer flying by is barely felt.

Today's a great day in our household. The pavers arrived and, together with previous excavation, have completely repaved our driveway so we can take our Intrigue home (next week) from the storage yard! Hooray!!

Dick (& Geri) Campagna
'98 36' Intrigue #10571
Mfd: 11/97

Re: Subject: 32' vs 36'

Reply #4 –
Yahoo Message Number: 6656
I have a better idea. A forty foot with tag gives you the short turning radius you want plus stability on the road.

Walt Rothermel
.03Allure30811
 

Re: Subject: 32' vs 36'

Reply #5 –
Yahoo Message Number: 6659
Brian, The only way we could possibly answer your question logically is to drive into the city where your family lives and see for ourselves the road layout, hazards and parking limitations for ourselves.
We do not know from your comments whether you are writing about Boston or Los Angeles. In both cases the major arteries would be OK but the surface streets are dramatically different.
Remember, it isn't just the length that counts. These are wide body 102" coaches and all the awnings and mirrors add even more width.
I have found several places where the street is wide enough to allow parking but the trees protrude into the road space and stop me from getting close to the curb.
Also, it is a good idea to watch where the city buses go and what lanes they use. In many cases their routes are predicated on their ability to safely negotiate down narrow streets and corners. Most times the average bus is about 36 ft but narrower then our coaches.
Finally, get a friendly RV dealer to let you drive a 36 into the city and see for yourself.
PS I have met owners of 32 ft units who wished they had purchased 36 and owners of 40 ft units who would go to 36 next time but never anyone (yet) who would go down to a 32!

David & Karen CA.
2000 Intrigue 11062
40 ft Single slide. PT
2002 Odyssey TOAD