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On Wednesday I'm Looking At 2003 Country Coach Allure ( Cascade Mode

Yahoo Message Number: 110832
Hi CC Owners:

I'm heading south from Pennsylvania on Tuesday to look at a 40' 2003 Allure with 3 slides & tag axle to possibly buy on the following day & the owner is not 100% sure if it is a Newport or Cascade model (which I think that's not that important). It has an ISL Cummins 370 hp with 1200 ft/lbs of torque & a 3000 MH 6 speed Allison for $65,000 with 69,000 miles. In the past 6 years he owned it (he is 3rd owner) it was not under cover (carport, garage, etc) when not being used. This will be my 1st motorhome ever. I did have a 37' trailer that I pulled with a crew cab Ford prior but never a motorhome. I went to the Irv2 site that I belong to & someone there suggested to come here to this site.
"Are there certain thinks I should be looking for on Wednesday?" I like the look of this coach & it appears to look nice in the photos (but photos & actually seeing with your own eyes can be two totally different things) even that it did sit uncovered the past 6 years when not being used.
I have a friend trying to sell me his 2001 40' American Dream with 74,000 miles & a good Spartan Chassis for $25,000 less, which too sat uncovered when not being used for the past 7 years.
I know it may be like comparing apples to oranges being that it has a Cummins ISC 330 hp 890 ft/lbs/torque, Allison MD 3060 6 speed, no Hurricane heat, water, engine preheat & no tag axle, but it is $25,000 less ! He also just put on six new Michelin XZE 2 ( C C Allure tires 6 years old) & new compressor for dash ac & a new Pennsylvania state inspection which is required annually on any vehicle registered in PA. I will have to have it done on the Allure within 30 days if I bring it home.
Once again, please let me know if there are any problems to look for on this Allure & is it worth the $25,000 more down the road for resale for my kids. This will be my 1st & last coach, so I'd like to make the better decision on it !! Thank You & Kindest Regards,
Rick.

Re: On Wednesday I'm Looking At 2003 Country Coach Allure ( Cascade

Reply #1
Yahoo Message Number: 110833
I would stick with the CC. Pay a professional to inspect for you to uncover the issues. These have lots of complex systems in them. Could end up saving you thousands. Check the Nada value. Looks like $69k maybe high. New tires will run you $6500 in a couple years.

Don't know much about the Fleetwood.

2005 Intrigue Suite Sensation #11890 Cummins 400 ISL

Re: On Wednesday I'm Looking At 2003 Country Coach Allure ( Cascade

Reply #2
Yahoo Message Number: 110842
I would agree with what has been said so far. I have a 2003 40' Allure "Cascade" with the ISL and a tag axle. I too, have a Hydralift motorcycle carrier on it, that carries a 1000 lb. motorcycle, and I tow a Hummer H3 as well I have had my coach for nearly eight years now, and could not be happier with it. If I had it to do all over again, I would choose my exact coach again.....hands down! There are so many advantages to the tag axle and the ISL, that I am very happy I did not go with anything less. If you would like to discuss it in more detail, give me a call at (503) 936-6101. I am in Oregon, so on Pacific time.
Bruce

'03 Allure #30852

Re: On Wednesday I'm Looking At 2003 Country Coach Allure ( Cascade

Reply #3
Yahoo Message Number: 110846
Thank You for taking the time Todd.
I do have an email in to the RV Inspection Connection that many on Irv2 site recommended because they are nationwide & all inspector must be certified. Waiting to hear back from them, but more then likely not until tomorrow.

Thanks Again & Kindest Regards,
Rick.

Re: On Wednesday I'm Looking At 2003 Country Coach Allure ( Cascade

Reply #4
Yahoo Message Number: 110849
I live in NC, I have the same coach.. I have a 2003 Allure 3 Slide tag with Cummin 370 ILS Motor.
I love My CC, but there are some very expensive fix that you may or may not have to deal with.
The Hurricane, XL, If it is the XL, they no longer rebuild them, and When they run, they run great. The fuel hose from the tank to the XL is a rubber hose that tends to dry rot, and lets air in. To rerun that line is very expensive. Look at the slides closely, They made out of aluminum which oxides agains the steal. You will see the paint bubbling up around the slides. Thats like a $20K fix.
All and all I have owned my Coach for 4 years, like all owners I have a love hate relationship with it. It has never totally let me down, I have been all over in the rig. I feel it is a little underpowered at times, but I am greedy on the throttle.. expect 6.5 MPG, to 7MPG.
Very high quality built coach. I can not see myself selling it.

Bob

Re: On Wednesday I'm Looking At 2003 Country Coach Allure ( Cascade

Reply #5
Yahoo Message Number: 110858
Thank You to the 3 CC Allure owners for your time & input !!!! Leaving tomorrow on my 9 hour journey for a walk around the coach.
I have an email in to RV Inspection Connection, hoping I can have an inspector there with me on Wednesday, but I'm pretty sure that's wishful thinking. I will ask about the hose to the hurricane & find out if it's an XL unit which I'm not sure if it is that model. The only thing the owner told me that it does the water, heat & engine preheat & has a heated basement in the tank area or a heated tank. I will look at the slides closely for the $20,000 fix bubbling problem. The owner did tell me he had a leak in the one front slide that was from a bolt missing in the awning. He said he pulled down the wall paper & replaced the wood panel the was damaged. He said the wall paper job is ok at best after reinstalling the same wall paper again. Also he told me of a leak in the bedroom slide from a hose the came off that goes to a pan under the bed & now there is a 6" to 8" crack in the slide bottom. He tells me he put the hose back on & that fixed that leak. Who know what other problems may have occurred with that hose coming off ? The last problem he told me about (& who knows how many more there are) was that he hit a low branch at night at a camp ground he stopped at for an evening & there is a crack in a dark colored sky light & he fixed it with some sort of seal leaving sealant/caulk that RVers us to repair problems like that to the roof. I did appreciate his honesty on the phone for those 3 items.

Thanks again,
Rick.

Re: On Wednesday I'm Looking At 2003 Country Coach Allure ( Cascade

Reply #6
Yahoo Message Number: 110859
I don't know if I would buy that coach. If you are not savy I would not buy it without a pre buy done. Where in the south are you going to look at this coach?

Bob

Re: On Wednesday I'm Looking At 2003 Country Coach Allure ( Cascade

Reply #7
Yahoo Message Number: 110865
This is sounding more and more expensive. If you are willing to put $25-30k or more in this coach right after you buy it, okay. If not, run don't walk, run away form this deal. Older coaches require thousands of dollars each year to keep them up. There's no repair insurance available for these older coaches. I've had mine for about 4 yrs and spend about $6k a year on it for up keep and maintenance alone. If there is one deal to pass on this might be it. Their are more out there in the price you are looking at in better shape. IMHO.

P.S. If he didn't have the money or time to fix the skylight (estate cost to repair $250) right what else was just patched up?

Sincerely

Alex Ritchey 2000 CC Affinity B&B
#5773
,


Re: On Wednesday I'm Looking At 2003 Country Coach Allure ( Cascade

Reply #8
Yahoo Message Number: 110877
Gotta agree with the advice to be very very careful on this one. Ours CC was always stored indoors, looks sharp, and everything worked. We'd looked for 2 years to replace our Beaver Monterey.

We've owned the CC 2 plus years and spent $4000 plus a year on maintenance and some upgrades like solar chargers. My tires are 3+ years old, so I have a couple of more years on them, then $5000 bite coming.

These are beautiful yachts on wheels and keeping these well maintained can be expensive. 40 years ago I did most of the work on our gas motorhomes, but many of these CC mechanical systems are well beyond my knowledge and skills today.

There are folks on this board well able to do much of their own maintenance. I'm not one of them. Are you?

Re: On Wednesday I'm Looking At 2003 Country Coach Allure ( Cascade

Reply #9
Yahoo Message Number: 110976
I agree with everyone else. We bought our coach as a second owner and the coach was IMMACULATE on inspection and almost everything worked. We paid "about market" for the coach. I watched prices for a year and created a database to track the market. We did get a discount, but primarily because there wasn't a middleman or broker on the sale. We did pay a motorcoach "coach" to help us vet finalists and feel that what we paid was worth it. If you want, I will pass on his name. He's located in FL. He'll probably travel for inspections at your expense.

My advice after looking for almost 2 years and doing a lot of research is this:

  • Don't be in a hurry, you will pass on more coaches than you will buy! We looked at dozens (online). Engaged in 3 and bought 1.
  • Do your internet research. Track coaches similar to yours (length, age, mileage, engine, slides and "quality -as to fit and finish). Don't expect to get your coach more than 20% off the average "asking price" and don't pay more than 20% over the average asking price. When discussing with the seller, ask about the pricing rationale. Why is it priced as it is priced?
  • Records.. Responsible coach owners keep every service slip and log their service. Seller should supply maintenance records or copies of receipts.
  • Pictures.... before seeing the coach in person, get pictures of everything. Including hi-resolution pictures of carpets and corners of slides (where water would get in).
  • Get pictures of all of the storage bays, the engine compartment, the undercarriage, the wheels (to look for grease leakage, etc).
  • Best advice I got was: First decide on the manufacturers you want to look at. Country coach is one of the best, but there are others. Then decide on an age range. For us it was 2005-2008 and under 100k miles. Then decide on your major criteria. We wanted neutral colors in/out, a CAT C-13 Engine, 4 slides and a Tag Axle.
  • Have a diesel mechanic go through the engine. Go to a dealer (CAT or Cummins) - or have the seller take it there. Tell them you will pay for a oil change and then CALL the dealership and explain that you want one of there mechanics to look it over and change the oil and call you back with their impression on the health of the engine and there subjective impression if the coach has been maintained.
  • Expect to pay a couple thousand dollars "vetting" finalists. This is not the place to be cheap. Spend the money to avoid nasty surprises.
  • Expect that you will pay $10,000 - $20,000 in the first 24 months, fixing stuff that breaks after you buy it. Expect that your annual repair / maintenance cost will run (roughly) about 5% of what you paid for it. If you pay $175,000 for a really nice mid 00's coach from a high end mfgr, with

We've owned our coach for about 16 months and have spent about $6,000 in repairs and maintenance and another $10,000 in body work and upgrades to equipment. We expect that maintenance will level off to about $3,000 to $5,000 per year going forward.

Owning a high end coach isn't super cheap, but for as long as we own it, we will never, ever come even close to 50% of what the previous owner paid when we drove it away from the factory.

Feel free to email me with any questions you might have on purchasing.

Jim and Jona Seifert

jim.jona.seifert@... 2007 Country Coach Intrigue Ovation 530 42' Coach #12150

525 Cat C13 Allison 6spd

Toads: 2014 Ford F150 / 2007 Toyota FJ Cruiser w/ REMCO DS Disconnect.
Airforce 1 Brake system
Blue Ox Aventa II Towbar
Jim and Jona Seifert
2007 Intrigue 530

On Wednesday I'm Looking At 2003 Country Coach Allure ( Cascade

Reply #10
Yahoo Message Number: 110841
I have a 2004 Allure Newport built in 2003. The Newport has couch and large kitchen counter with sink on passenger side slide with stove directly to the rear of slide. I have a hydro lift motorcycle lift on the rear and pull a Jeep Wrangler, with the weight back there I prefer the tag axle and extra torque of the Cummings ISL. These years can exhibit small checking on the gel coat, especially on darker colors. Look over the interior and exterior for any signs of water leakage such as de-lamination or soft interior paneling. Check out the radiator for signs of rust, corrosion. I'd recommend you negotiate with the seller of either coach to have a reputable RV or truck mechanic check the coach out as many of the options can get pretty pricey. If the seller has good records of all maintenance and repairs the coach could work great for you. With the age of either coach you're due for belts, hoses, coolant change, probably all filters just to name a few items.

Steve

2004 Allure 30990

On Wednesday I'm Looking At 2003 Country Coach Allure ( Cascade

Reply #11
Yahoo Message Number: 110874
I have an '03 Cascade and have been happy with it. I'd recommend a close inspection of the hydraulic lines in the DS bay #1. My 14 year old lines have begun to weep at the fittings and seems to be a function of the age of the lines and not the tightness of the fittings.
The 03s also had the ISL sitting low in the frame and it is entirely possible that the oil pan has been dragged/ damaged/replaced several times during its life. Make sure the current pan is steel as I believe the original equipment was a composite material.

John

03 Cascade 30832