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buying Inspire

Yahoo Message Number: 6662
Iris,

If you register your RV in another state and bring it to California for an extended period of time you will have to register it in California.
If you are a resident of California, register it in California and take delivery of your RV out of state and keep it out of California for 91 days you will not pay California sales tax.
The main thing you have to do is keep all receipts for RV parks,(storage fees do not count) fuel, propane, meals (anything to do with your RV for those 91 days) as you can be audited by the state. The receipts show that you have used the coach for that period of time. Before retirement we were fortunate to live only 100 miles from Reno, NV and kept our coach at an RV park with full hook-ups and drove up on weekends and drove around Nevada to get our receipts. We have done this twice and each time have been audited but because we kept the receipts and showed that the coaches did not enter California we saved a bundle. If you happen to receive a letter saying you are being audited and owe money...don't panic, just copy all of your receipts and send them in with an explanation of your use during the time period in question, namely recreational.
Good luck, and enjoy your Country Coach (whichever model you acquire)

Dede Loop

2001 Intrigue #11240
2001 Toyota Highlander

Inspire

Reply #1 –
Yahoo Message Number: 6668
I may buy a 2004 Inspire. Anyone out there with positive or negative comments? I will be trading a 1998 Intrique. Pat

Re: Inspire

Reply #2 –
Yahoo Message Number: 6670
Pat, IO jhave looked at the Inspire and feel it is a good coach. I'm not sure, however, what the price range is in comparison to competitors. A friend of mine just purchased a Phaeton, built by Tiffin, which is a whale of a coach for the money. His 40ft fully equipped listed at about $180,000. This is not a stripped down coach--has walnut interior, electric awnings, same Dometic refr. as in my Allure, same washer-dryer, etc. It has a Cat 330hp engine and Allison trannie on a Freightliner chassis. Frankly, I don't know how they do it---there must be something not seen where they cut costs. I venture to say the Inspire is probably $75,000 more. I don't mean to poormouth CC as they build fine coaches, but the prices are getting out of reach to alot of people.

Walt Rothermel
03Allure30811

Re: Inspire

Reply #3 –
Yahoo Message Number: 6671
Pat,

Did you have trouble with the A/C leaking condensation? I have a 2003 CC Intrigue 36' Oasis and have had problems with the condensation ever since we got it a year ago. Also, the chassis A/C fans (blowers) quit for no apparent reason, will stay inop for 1 -3 minutes then start, stop, start, etc. No rhyme or reason for this one. Buddy Gregg - Dallas has not helped at all.

Jim

Re: Inspire

Reply #4 –
Yahoo Message Number: 6673
When I was in JC in July, a couple came through with an Inspire that they had purchased at Beaudry in Tuscon. Nothing but trouble--to the point that they were already trying to get their money back. I think that it was coach # 11

Ree

Full-Timin' 2003 Allure 30852

Re: Inspire

Reply #5 –
Yahoo Message Number: 6705
Saw one at the FMCA Asheville rally this weekend and do not understand what CC is trying to do. The coach is nothing more than a warmed over NR product. Very cheap in many respects. CC does not seem to know what market they are looking for, but there is alot of good competition out there. One dealer that has four stores sent his CC inventory back and no longer sales CC. He said the word in the industry is that the future of CC is uncertain.

Inspire

Reply #6 –
Yahoo Message Number: 7234
Im interested in purchasing a CC Inspire. Any opinions on this model. Also are CC price markups similar to other manufacturers.
Should I expect at least 25% + off msrp. Thanks,

Tim

Inspire

Reply #8 –
Yahoo Message Number: 7237
John,

Your wrong. That is an old figure that was used back in the 90's across the board. Every (manufacturer and) model is now different, has been for quite a while. They change every year and every model.
The Inpire is priced as a loss leader, Country Coach is trying to get that product exposed, and we have much less than that kind of mark up in that model. It will be priced accordingly (going up) at model change since it has taken off very well.

A word of caution, these types of bad rumors is what gets dealers pitted against each other, then they all call the factory at the same time and complain. Its a very bad idea.

Damon

Quote from: J/L Lewellyn

Re: Inspire

Reply #9 –
Yahoo Message Number: 7238

So, I hate to do this for just my second post to the group...... but, here goes! In TRYING to purchase our FIRST coach I have never been SO frustrated in my life! I have owned/purchased over 75 cars in my stay on this earth including Ferrari, Porsche, Mercedes, and BMW to name just a few. In all these cases I was able to determine how and more importantly IF I was getting a "good deal". With the purchase of our first coach it became readily apparent the one MUST seek out the best financial deal possible and that was the hardest part.
With dealers from coast to coast including Buddy Gregg, here in Dallas, Lazy Days in Florida, and Beaudry in Arizona prices for the same coach were all over the map. So, before any dealer starts to plead his/her case about what to pay for a coach may I suggest the following:

1. approach the manufacturer and get pricing from a "sticker" point of view the SAME at all dealers for like coaches
2. the falsely inflated "sticker" price should be adjusted to reflect today's difficult economic times... stop gauging the consumer~
3. profit is not a bad word, price gauging is!
4. and last tell me why I want to buy from your dealer, not why all the rest of the dealers are bad!

The purchase of your fist coach has so much to do with the ability to purchase the second, third and forth coach from your dealer. If you "burry" my in the first coach I can not afford to purchase a second unit from you. The moral of the story is to make a little less profit, maker your customer happy, be fair and courteous, and your customer will return a few times to purchase a new coach and perhaps send you a few customers in between the purchase cycle.
When you look at a 40-50% depreciation from list over the first 2 years, that's ridiculous and makes bankers very timid about loaning money for coaches when the repo factor creeps into the equation! People are just walking away from a bad debt situation due to dealer GREED!

Kevin (smart shopper) Doukas
04 Country Coach Inspire

Re: Inspire

Reply #10 –
Yahoo Message Number: 7240
Hi Kevin,

Great post and I agree 110%.

Thanks,

Damon

Quote from: Kevin Doukas
> So, I hate to do this for just my second post to the group......

but,

Quote
here goes! In TRYING to purchase our FIRST coach I have never been

SO

Quote
frustrated in my life! I have owned/purchased over 75 cars in my

stay on

Quote
this earth including Ferrari, Porsche, Mercedes, and BMW to name

just a

Quote
few. In all these cases I was able to determine how and more

importantly

Quote
IF I was getting a "good deal". With the purchase of our first

coach it

Quote
became readily apparent the one MUST seek out the best financial

deal

Quote
possible and that was the hardest part.

With dealers from coast to coast including Buddy Gregg, here in

Dallas,

Quote
Lazy Days in Florida, and Beaudry in Arizona prices for the same

coach

Quote
were all over the map. So, before any dealer starts to plead

his/her

Quote
case about what to pay for a coach may I suggest the following: >

1. approach the manufacturer and get pricing from a "sticker"

point of

Quote
view the SAME at all dealers for like coaches > 2. the falsely inflated "sticker" price should be adjusted to

reflect

Quote
today's difficult economic times... stop gauging the consumer~ > 3. profit is not a bad word, price gauging is! > 4. and last tell me why I want to buy from your dealer, not why

all the

Quote
rest of the dealers are bad! >

The purchase of your fist coach has so much to do with the ability

to

Quote
purchase the second, third and forth coach from your dealer. If you > "burry" my in the first coach I can not afford to purchase a

second unit

Quote
from you. The moral of the story is to make a little less profit,

maker

Quote
your customer happy, be fair and courteous, and your customer will > return a few times to purchase a new coach and perhaps send you a

few

Quote
customers in between the purchase cycle.

When you look at a 40-50% depreciation from list over the first 2

years,

Quote
that's ridiculous and makes bankers very timid about loaning money

for

Quote
coaches when the repo factor creeps into the equation! People are

just

Re: Inspire

Reply #11 –
Yahoo Message Number: 7241
From: "Kevin Doukas" kdoukas@...>

Quote
So, I hate to do this for just my second post to the group...... but, > here goes! In TRYING to purchase our FIRST coach I have never been SO > frustrated in my life! (snip)
Why not buy a lovingly used coach ... especially as your first? You'll save a ton on depreciation and it'll be a valuable learning experience. In June of this year, we bought a '98 36-ft CC Intrigue which, ironically, was optioned exactly the way we would've ordered it. We're thrilled.

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

Re: Inspire

Reply #12 –
Yahoo Message Number: 7244

Dick:

...very good point! We did look at used coaches and gave considerable thought to the purchase. However, we made the choice to go new.... We're waiting for our order to come in as we passed on the first coach with the Inspire changing tires, gages, and going to wood cabinets above the pass/drivers compartment.

Hope the wait is worth the hassle!

Kevin Doukas

Packet Design Inc.

Regional Sales Manager, Midwest Region
1317 Hidden Meadow
McKinney, Texas 75070
972.529.2450 Office
214.282.1855 Mobile

www.packetdesign.com
kdoukas@...
Simplifying Route Analysis

Network Magazine Product of the Year

Re: Inspire

Reply #13 –
Yahoo Message Number: 7247
I'll second Dick's comment and add one of my own. We just bought a very nice condition low mileage '98 Allure with the big slide out and also optioned just the way we wanted it. Although there were a few things on the coach that needed attention, the maintenance records were superb and the machinery is near perfect. For, what, about 35-40% of the cost of new.

RVs depreciate like crazy and this had nothing at all to do with the manufacturers or dealers. It's just the way the market works. Some depreciate more than others (non slide gassers the worst) but they all go down like crazy. You can't compare upper end RVs with autos, the volume of sales is infintesimal for RVs compared to cars.
Also, looking through the service records on this coach, it is clear the first owner spent a LOT of time and hassle getting the bugs worked out. This, too, seems endemic to RVs, even the super expensive Prevost conversions. By contrast, what I had to take care of was done in a matter of days.

Dick, I hope you're enjoying your Intrigue as much as we are enjoying our Allure. Can't wait for that 6000 mile trip next summer!

Dan & Ann Houck
'98 Allure #30180

Quote from: Dick Campagna
> From: "Kevin Doukas"

> So, I hate to do this for just my second post to the group......

but,

Quote
here goes! In TRYING to purchase our FIRST coach I have never

been SO

Quote
frustrated in my life! (snip) >

Why not buy a lovingly used coach ... especially as your first?

You'll save

Quote
a ton on depreciation and it'll be a valuable learning
experience. In June

Quote
of this year, we bought a '98 36-ft CC Intrigue which, ironically,

was

Inspire

Reply #14 –
Yahoo Message Number: 9899
I will probably purchase a 40' Inspire in the near future and I am leaning towards the Genoa since it has a longer wheelbase than the DaVinci. Will probably purchase a new 2005 if I can get a good deal but have also located a few new 2004s still around. Any advice or pro or con comments about the Country Coach Inspire would be greatlty appreciated before I commit.

Re: Inspire

Reply #15 –
Yahoo Message Number: 9904
I just toured the plant today..the coaches are impressive looking and it is amazing to see all that goes into them. I think overall they do a good job. I only have one caution, make absolutely sure that you document every minor problem that you have, and I mean have a service center document it. I have been fighting several problems since day one and some are still not fixed after spending many days in service centers. Of course the warranty ran out before I could get them all fixed due to fact that the service centers could not duplicate the problems or could not fix some problems they did see.
One of these problems is that my slideout awning still unfurls even after having it wound tighter several times, CC now refuses to install the air dam to solve this problem even though I had that problem documented....they want me to pay the labor to install the air dam. Another problem is dust storm, which has been discussed here many times, I reported that to them within first year of ownership, so no excuse for them not fixing it. Their phone techs kept telling me to come to Oregon, I live on the east coast.
Finally, I made the trip out, well many of the phone techs are no longer here and the new ones can find no record of many of our phone conversations. Another problem is more serious than the others, electrolysis damage to the entry door and to the frame around the slideout is starting to get much worse now. This has also been discussed a lot on here so CC has known about this problem for a long time, they will fix the door but not the slideout....go figure.
I am still hoping that Jim Cooley will see this to be in their best interest and authorize the repairs. I love the ride but hate all the trouble I have had to go through to get CC induced problems fixed.

Not sure this helps you but I do think they build an impressive coach, just a few more problems than I had expected to have.

Quote from: cpacwm
I will probably purchase a 40' Inspire in the near future and I am > leaning towards the Genoa since it has a longer wheelbase than the > DaVinci. Will probably purchase a new 2005 if I can get a good

deal

Re: Inspire

Reply #16 –
Yahoo Message Number: 9906
you should go to Standley Mfg on River Rd and purchase the stainless steel wind guard while you are in Junction City. They only cost $25 per awning. They are easy to install. Dale

Re: Inspire

Reply #17 –
Yahoo Message Number: 9912
Quote from: cpacwm
I will probably purchase a 40' Inspire in the near future and I am > leaning towards the Genoa since it has a longer wheelbase than the > DaVinci. Will probably purchase a new 2005 if I can get a good

deal

Quote
but have also located a few new 2004s still around. Any advice or > pro or con comments about the Country Coach Inspire would be > greatlty appreciated before I commit.
Though I have had a number of problems - from a leaky toilet in the beginning to a leaky fuel tank now (caused by a screw driven into the tank during a visit to CC Service in JC) - I would probably still purchase the Inspire Genoa. I like the triple slide and the space it provides in the living room. The drive is not nearly as good as that you will get in an Intrigue or Magna, but it is better than the little gas rig I had prior to this coach. (The fuel tank was repaired with an epoxy plug and isn't leaking right now.)

I spent about 45 days in JC at the service center, beginning February 24, and the last five days I was there were avoidable but caused by the need to repair mistakes made by the service techs.
Replacement of the water filter resulted in a major leak in the kitchen slide and when they got that dried out, I discoverd that someone had dropped something heavy onto one of the tiles in the kitchen. You need to be aware when your coach is returned each day as no one called my attention to the cracked tile - maybe expecting me to miss this big hole (about 1")in the middle of the kitchen floor??

If you want a copy of the lists I've emailed to CC, let me know.
I'll email them to you. You can expect to have similar issues, I believe. When I was there, I met the owners of two other Inspires and we compared lists. We all had some issues that were similar, but most of them were different!! I'm of the opinion that you can expect MORE mistakes and problems with the Inspire because it is new and it appears that CC is using the building of these coaches as training for new employees. JMO, but with all the mistakes made, it makes ya wonder!

I hope I haven't scared you off. The CC Inspire is still the best deal for a 40' diesel pusher for someone who hasn't the wherwithal to buy a more expensive coach. And, even with the problems, I'll be returning to JC to have the fuel tank replaced and the diesel smell removed and a couple of other issues addressed.

Carol

'04 Inspire Genoa
'03 Explorer
Fulltimer

Re: Inspire

Reply #18 –
Yahoo Message Number: 9915
Another problem is dust storm, which has been discussed

Quote
here many times,
dust storm? What is that? Must have missed the previous discussions.

Thanks,

Carol

'04 Inspire Genoa
'03 Explorer
Fulltimer

Re: Inspire

Reply #19 –
Yahoo Message Number: 9932
[Address correction] Visited Standley Mfg. today to check on a wind deflector for our slideout (Zip-dee) awning. They've moved to a larger facility (i.e., no longer on River Road). Their new address is 29836 Enid Road, Eugene - between River Road and highway 99W. Phone: 541.689.1603.

They want $25 per section - two sections ($50) for our galley slideout. The deflectors are made in several lengths, so they need to know the length of your slideout. Just measure the length of the fiberglass wall.

Mr. Standley claims a bedroom slideout deflector isn't needed (except for aesthetics); just a deflector for the large slideout. Anyone out there belive the bedroom slideout is needed? --
Tom

2002 Allure 36' #30971

Quote from: Candace and Dale Hollick\[br\
]

Re: Inspire

Reply #20 –
Yahoo Message Number: 9935
Hi and sorry about that....they have always charged $25 per section, I had a senior moment. I checked my records, which I guess I should have done before. I put wind guards on both awnings on the drivers side on 3 coaches and have helped several friends install theirs. Maybe the bedroom one is not needed as much but for $50, I think it is cheap insurance. Thanks for the update on location etc. Safe travels, Dale

Inspire

Reply #21 –
Yahoo Message Number: 14642
Traded my 04 Inspire. For the money I do not think there is a better coach. Are you buying new or used. If new get the 400hp engine. I went to a CC lexa for room and added space for bsiness.
Good Luck
Lem