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Old 02-26-2017, 05:04 PM   #1
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Dallas area Alpine owners or anyone else-need help please.

I have driven up from Florida to look over a 2004 38FD for sale in Denton at the I-35 RV Center where it is on consignment. The description and pictures can be seen on RVT.com. Today I got to see it for the first time. It is coach 74980, previously owned sometime in the past by John and Lena Craig (aka Cedar41 on the Alpine Owners Forum). I have read all of his posts but I have no way of contacting him directly. From reading his posts, I was pretty confident that he had taken good care of it. I learned today that it seems that he sold it sometime prior to 2011. I had no idea until going thru the records that the coach has had 3 owners since then. The coach has only 74,400 miles on it, and has the 400 ISL engine. There are not many records to go over....I know that's a red flag. It looks like the washer/dryer was replaced in 2011 from one owner, then 6 Interstate batteries purchased in 2014 by the next owner, then the most recent owner has receipts for a complete oil change and filter in May, 2016 at around 74000 miles. Tomorrow I may be able to actually speak to the current owner, but until then I see no other receipts for generator servicing, brake servicing, transmission servicing, etc. The front tires are dated early in 2013, the rear outside tire is 2008 on one side...the other rear tire had no DOT code that I could find. Of course, I could not see the DOT codes on the inside tires. The inside of the coach definitely needed cleaning. I would say it was in fair shape, but I expected that it would be in somewhat better shape. Maybe I'm expecting too much? The furniture is all original. No water stains that I could see. Current owner just replaced the main area carpeting but not the bedroom carpet which is quite old-looking. No smells. Fridge was running while we were there and it was holding at 37 degrees. Didn't test the washer dryer but it lit up. One of the lights over the table flickered at the switch and wouldn't stay on. The bathroom fan motor worked but all of the blades had been sheared off. Main awning seemed to work okay. Inverter looked like the original. TVs had been updated. Slides were out so I didn't operate them because we were alone in the coach and no salesman was present. Paint job looked pretty darn good..it's obviously been stored inside for a majority of its life. There was one small chip in the front gen cover. Don't know the hours on the gen.
The price I got quoted was pretty good, let's just say it was just under NADA. The reason I can live with this is because I have been searching for an Alpine for awhile now and I am not finding any in my price range that are not priced thousands above NADA...in fact, so far above that I can't get one financed without depleting my retirement savings to pay the difference. Actually there are a couple out there in the 1999-2001 range, costing more than this one with almost twice the miles.
Sorry this is so long.
Am I crazy to consider this RV in light of the lack of records, or at least perhaps negligence since Cedar 41 owned it?
The I-35 Center will do an inspection but they will be working for the seller, right? Should I have it inspected independently, and if so, can any of the Dallas area owners recommend someone? If I contact a Cummings service center by phone, will they be able to tell me much over the phone?
Does anyone know anything about this coach, or maybe how I can reach John and Lena Craig?
If the maintainance in the last several years has been less than stellar, is there anything I can do to bring it back up to speed without spending many thousands of dollars?
Please forgive this long post. I have never owned an Alpine but have read this forum for many years and have my heart set on one. This will be my first Class A, so any knowledge I have comes from you folks and not real experience.
I will be going back to the dealer Mon. morning to try to get more details, perhaps take a test drive, etc. Any other glaring things I need to look out for?
Thanks for any insights...
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Old 02-26-2017, 05:56 PM   #2
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Kiddikop View Post
I have driven up from Florida to look over a 2004 38FD for sale in Denton at the I-35 RV Center where it is on consignment. The description and pictures can be seen on RVT.com. Today I got to see it for the first time. It is coach 74980, previously owned sometime in the past by John and Lena Craig (aka Cedar41 on the Alpine Owners Forum). I have read all of his posts but I have no way of contacting him directly. From reading his posts, I was pretty confident that he had taken good care of it. I learned today that it seems that he sold it sometime prior to 2011. I had no idea until going thru the records that the coach has had 3 owners since then. The coach has only 74,400 miles on it, and has the 400 ISL engine. There are not many records to go over....I know that's a red flag. It looks like the washer/dryer was replaced in 2011 from one owner, then 6 Interstate batteries purchased in 2014 by the next owner, then the most recent owner has receipts for a complete oil change and filter in May, 2016 at around 74000 miles. Tomorrow I may be able to actually speak to the current owner, but until then I see no other receipts for generator servicing, brake servicing, transmission servicing, etc. The front tires are dated early in 2013, the rear outside tire is 2008 on one side...the other rear tire had no DOT code that I could find. Of course, I could not see the DOT codes on the inside tires. The inside of the coach definitely needed cleaning. I would say it was in fair shape, but I expected that it would be in somewhat better shape. Maybe I'm expecting too much? The furniture is all original. No water stains that I could see. Current owner just replaced the main area carpeting but not the bedroom carpet which is quite old-looking. No smells. Fridge was running while we were there and it was holding at 37 degrees. Didn't test the washer dryer but it lit up. One of the lights over the table flickered at the switch and wouldn't stay on. The bathroom fan motor worked but all of the blades had been sheared off. Main awning seemed to work okay. Inverter looked like the original. TVs had been updated. Slides were out so I didn't operate them because we were alone in the coach and no salesman was present. Paint job looked pretty darn good..it's obviously been stored inside for a majority of its life. There was one small chip in the front gen cover. Don't know the hours on the gen.
The price I got quoted was pretty good, let's just say it was just under NADA. The reason I can live with this is because I have been searching for an Alpine for awhile now and I am not finding any in my price range that are not priced thousands above NADA...in fact, so far above that I can't get one financed without depleting my retirement savings to pay the difference. Actually there are a couple out there in the 1999-2001 range, costing more than this one with almost twice the miles.
Sorry this is so long.
Am I crazy to consider this RV in light of the lack of records, or at least perhaps negligence since Cedar 41 owned it?
The I-35 Center will do an inspection but they will be working for the seller, right? Should I have it inspected independently, and if so, can any of the Dallas area owners recommend someone? If I contact a Cummings service center by phone, will they be able to tell me much over the phone?
Does anyone know anything about this coach, or maybe how I can reach John and Lena Craig?
If the maintainance in the last several years has been less than stellar, is there anything I can do to bring it back up to speed without spending many thousands of dollars?
Please forgive this long post. I have never owned an Alpine but have read this forum for many years and have my heart set on one. This will be my first Class A, so any knowledge I have comes from you folks and not real experience.
I will be going back to the dealer Mon. morning to try to get more details, perhaps take a test drive, etc. Any other glaring things I need to look out for?
Thanks for any insights...
I have an 04,... and the only reason I bought the old pile of junk was it was 34' wwith the 400 hp motor,,,,

mine was in very pristine condition... but ended up gutting the interior be cause of the old grandmas house look in side....

I blew through 10g's in just maintaince stuff...new tires, polished wheels , batterys buff paint.... then all new flooring.. all new furniture,, re worked and added TV's moved cabinettes rebuilt the bed frame... if fat people owned it the bed will be bent and sagged..so I put about 30k more into after I bought it...

looks alittle better... took it out today.... she sure runs and drives good... but...she's old.....only 40k miles.... but I don't think that makes much difference on the peak chassis... she'll out live me.. so I guess that's good..

I also took out all the beveled mirror, and did a lot of tile work on the walls..

I think there is still a remodel thread here some where.... lotta work and money...buy a new one
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Old 02-26-2017, 06:08 PM   #3
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http://www.irv2.com/forums/f104/my-0...ml#post3477251
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Old 02-26-2017, 11:02 PM   #4
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I do not think you are crazy. New tires will run you $2500 to $4000. Probably should have the brakes inspected and fluid replaced. Generator service plus complete engine service for the ISL would be wise. Take the coach to an independent service facility for inspection. As the previous poster implied, if you really want a coach that looks new, buy new. If you can live with the used appearance for now, you can always renovate one area at a time as funds allow. Since you have followed this forum for a while you are aware of the quirks of the '04's. Best of luck with your return visit.
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Old 02-27-2017, 01:00 AM   #5
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Take it to Cummins get them to do an oil change on both the engine and genny. They will also test the coolant and read the codes on the engine computer. At that point you will know the condition of the most expensive piece and can make e decision from there.

You might also ask the dealer to supply a 1 year extended warranty. Don't let others scare you, they are good coaches that hold their value.
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Old 02-27-2017, 02:02 PM   #6
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Alpine Coaches

We bought ours about 3 years ago. It's a 2003 34' with 30K on the speedo. I, like you, love the looks and style of the Alpines. The 400 ISL is, I believe, the best one on the road. We have a friend in our state of Washington that has over 200k on his 2003 and little to no trouble at all. The headlights, if there stock, are almost useless at night. you'll need to use the fog light to see more than 10 feet in front of you. Look around and see what others are going for and if you can get it under those prices, grab it. All used ones need a little help and if you're a gearhead you probably can do most of it yourself. Good luck and many happy miles.
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Old 02-28-2017, 02:17 PM   #7
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2001 38fd

Mine is on RV Trader dot com, Baton Rouge is on I10 on your way home to Florida, I am about 5-10 minutes off I-12. Email if interested. see ad.
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Old 03-01-2017, 08:23 PM   #8
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Hello I bought a 2008 several years ago and had to do some work on the unit. I had looked at some new ones and the workmanship and the installed components were of inferior quality. I don't care which motor home you buy you will have to work on it. It is a moving house and will incur problems. Be prepared to work on it! If you like the Alpine as I do you need to buy it! Most of the items can be repaired or replaced except the chassis and it is a quality built coach. Go ,look ,drive and if you like it get it!

Quote:
Originally Posted by Kiddikop View Post
I have driven up from Florida to look over a 2004 38FD for sale in Denton at the I-35 RV Center where it is on consignment. The description and pictures can be seen on RVT.com. Today I got to see it for the first time. It is coach 74980, previously owned sometime in the past by John and Lena Craig (aka Cedar41 on the Alpine Owners Forum). I have read all of his posts but I have no way of contacting him directly. From reading his posts, I was pretty confident that he had taken good care of it. I learned today that it seems that he sold it sometime prior to 2011. I had no idea until going thru the records that the coach has had 3 owners since then. The coach has only 74,400 miles on it, and has the 400 ISL engine. There are not many records to go over....I know that's a red flag. It looks like the washer/dryer was replaced in 2011 from one owner, then 6 Interstate batteries purchased in 2014 by the next owner, then the most recent owner has receipts for a complete oil change and filter in May, 2016 at around 74000 miles. Tomorrow I may be able to actually speak to the current owner, but until then I see no other receipts for generator servicing, brake servicing, transmission servicing, etc. The front tires are dated early in 2013, the rear outside tire is 2008 on one side...the other rear tire had no DOT code that I could find. Of course, I could not see the DOT codes on the inside tires. The inside of the coach definitely needed cleaning. I would say it was in fair shape, but I expected that it would be in somewhat better shape. Maybe I'm expecting too much? The furniture is all original. No water stains that I could see. Current owner just replaced the main area carpeting but not the bedroom carpet which is quite old-looking. No smells. Fridge was running while we were there and it was holding at 37 degrees. Didn't test the washer dryer but it lit up. One of the lights over the table flickered at the switch and wouldn't stay on. The bathroom fan motor worked but all of the blades had been sheared off. Main awning seemed to work okay. Inverter looked like the original. TVs had been updated. Slides were out so I didn't operate them because we were alone in the coach and no salesman was present. Paint job looked pretty darn good..it's obviously been stored inside for a majority of its life. There was one small chip in the front gen cover. Don't know the hours on the gen.
The price I got quoted was pretty good, let's just say it was just under NADA. The reason I can live with this is because I have been searching for an Alpine for awhile now and I am not finding any in my price range that are not priced thousands above NADA...in fact, so far above that I can't get one financed without depleting my retirement savings to pay the difference. Actually there are a couple out there in the 1999-2001 range, costing more than this one with almost twice the miles.
Sorry this is so long.
Am I crazy to consider this RV in light of the lack of records, or at least perhaps negligence since Cedar 41 owned it?
The I-35 Center will do an inspection but they will be working for the seller, right? Should I have it inspected independently, and if so, can any of the Dallas area owners recommend someone? If I contact a Cummings service center by phone, will they be able to tell me much over the phone?
Does anyone know anything about this coach, or maybe how I can reach John and Lena Craig?
If the maintainance in the last several years has been less than stellar, is there anything I can do to bring it back up to speed without spending many thousands of dollars?
Please forgive this long post. I have never owned an Alpine but have read this forum for many years and have my heart set on one. This will be my first Class A, so any knowledge I have comes from you folks and not real experience.
I will be going back to the dealer Mon. morning to try to get more details, perhaps take a test drive, etc. Any other glaring things I need to look out for?
Thanks for any insights...
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