Community Forums

Lindenberg · 11-28-2006, 02:45 PM

After months of research and looking at motorhomes I finally discovered Alpine Coaches. They have all the features I have ever wanted on a motorhome. Where I am stuck is deciding between a 34 and a 36.

My usage will be mainly weekend trips, half the time dry camping and the other half with hookups. I also take a cross country trip, or two, in the summer time. Alaska is on the calendar for 2008. I like the 34 for access to more campgrounds but I also like the added space and longer wheelbase of the 36. Any assistance in choosing between these two sizes is appreciated.

Also, if you know of any 2000 to 2002 Alpines that are, or will be for sale, I'm ready to join the Alpine family. I'll travel almost anyplace to buy one if the price is right.

Thanks

Tom
Southern California
thall91739@yahoo.com

Lindenberg · 11-28-2006, 02:45 PM

After months of research and looking at motorhomes I finally discovered Alpine Coaches. They have all the features I have ever wanted on a motorhome. Where I am stuck is deciding between a 34 and a 36.

My usage will be mainly weekend trips, half the time dry camping and the other half with hookups. I also take a cross country trip, or two, in the summer time. Alaska is on the calendar for 2008. I like the 34 for access to more campgrounds but I also like the added space and longer wheelbase of the 36. Any assistance in choosing between these two sizes is appreciated.

Also, if you know of any 2000 to 2002 Alpines that are, or will be for sale, I'm ready to join the Alpine family. I'll travel almost anyplace to buy one if the price is right.

Thanks

Tom
Southern California
thall91739@yahoo.com

Tom and Patty · 11-28-2006, 05:07 PM

Welcome to the forum and good luck on your search for a Alpine.

We have a few members on the forum with 34'ers. Hopefully Ted and Carol, and Jim and MaryJo will chime in. I have never heard them complain about the handling of there 34's, so I don't think the wheelbase length will be an issue.

Patty and I have found that our 36' is accepted in most campgrounds. Even the ones that recommend 35'ers or less. We just stop earlier to get a bigger selection of spots, and most times these are state or federal campgrounds. As far as boondocking, we think Alpine is a great coach. 100 gallons of water let us stay out 6-7 days without refilling or dumping.

Patty felt she wanted more kitchen counter space, and the 36' fit the bill for her.

Hope to meet you at an Alpine rally

Barbaraok · 11-28-2006, 05:23 PM

We have a 36 ft one and really like it. We have not been turned away from anywhere - - and can fit in some small spaces. We've also found that she is comfortable even without putting the slides out for just overnight stops. We can easily get to everything we need and enjoy our evening, have a good nights sleep and be ready to roll early (well, maybe not early for most people) the next morning.

Our '02 will be available just as soon as we win the lottery and put our order in for an '07.

Jim A · 11-28-2006, 05:24 PM

We went for the 36', primarily because of the mid-door floorplan. The class C we stepped up from had a mid-door, and we liked that. We haven't tried to stay in a large number of state parks, but the two foot difference probably does not amount to much. If we were that close on size, we probably would not go there anyway. We just bought the Big Rigs Best Bets book and use their recommendations, along with the good ol' AAA campground books.

We are very happy with our Alpine Coach, so I won't sell you ours!

And if you decide to buy an Alpine Coach, please consider joining the Alpine Socal group. It's a great group.

Lindenberg · 11-28-2006, 08:50 PM

Great advice! My gut told me 36' was the way to go and you all confirmed it.

Thanks to WRV I have all the brochures for the Alpine Coach product line. 2001 was the first year they offered a slide in the bedroom. Unfortunately they don't show the slideout with the mirrors open. The 2003 brochure shows the 38' with the mirrors open and there is a rod with a shelf above it. Is this what is in the 36' models?

This weekend I'm going to look at a 36' model.

Thanks again

Tom

lundy · 11-28-2006, 09:37 PM

The 06 does not have a shelf on the top of the closet. Instead, they have added 4 drawers at the bottom. It is much more useful that the shelf with one exception. In case of Wal-Mart camping without using slide, three of the 4 drawers cannot be opened with slide in. One feature that we appreciate is that in 06, the bathroom vanity goes out with the slide giving the bathroom a lot more space than what I had on my '00. IMO you get so much more usable storage space in the 36 than in the 34 at so little extra length. We spend 6 months in ours, so it makes more sense to me to choose the 36, the same as our 00 model.

Jim&MaryJo · 11-29-2006, 04:32 AM

WE also struggled with that decision and planned for similar "weekender" useage.

We really liked the 36 mid-doors, but felt both had very good floorplans and space utilization. We also valued the "traveling" floorplan.

Our 34' has delivered excellent ride/handling, notwithstanding its wheelbase (WB ratio). I understand the factory adds some front ballast weight to maintain their desired weight distribution. Bow waves and cross-winds have little effect on its tracking. Our coach has the ISL motor, which has an inspiring power-to-weight ratio. All models reflect WRV's generous application of powerful motors.

The 34' bedroom is tight and should be checked for individual fit.

Our decision was swayed by the price and availability of a particular coach. It could have gone either way for us.

I recall earlier models had a lower air intake, which one might consider if driving dusty roads.

ANd, coming out of a Safari Trek (and its exceptional owner forums), I was very happy to find such a great forum of people to help with coach modifications/issues.

jerry and toni smith · 11-29-2006, 06:17 AM

We purchased a 34 early this year after a great deal of research. Our coach is used a great deal on back country roads and sometimes tighter campgrounds. The ride, performance and exceptional power to weight ratio has made it a dream to drive. Without the washerdrier our storage space is significantly increased and thusfar exceeds our needs. We also looked at several 36 footers and found them to be very impressive to the point of almost buying one. Based on our usage we feel that we made the right choice. Of ourse if its a Alpine you can't go wrong whatever lenght you choose.

Barbaraok · 11-29-2006, 07:47 AM

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Lindenberg:
Great advice! My gut told me 36' was the way to go and you all confirmed it.

Thanks to WRV I have all the brochures for the Alpine Coach product line. 2001 was the first year they offered a slide in the bedroom. Unfortunately they don't show the slideout with the mirrors open. The 2003 brochure shows the 38' with the mirrors open and there is a rod with a shelf above it. Is this what is in the 36' models?

This weekend I'm going to look at a 36' model.

Thanks again

Tom </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

Yes - if you go to our web page and look for the Pre-Retirement link, then go to Figment II you'll see all sorts of interior pictures when we purchased the coach.

EngineerMike · 11-29-2006, 09:59 AM

I liked the 34 kitchen for efficiency out of all the models (even the 40's). We also came out of a 28' trek like Jim&MaryJo and were worried about where we'll fit.
In the end the extra room of the 36 was what cinched it. My wife worried about driving the "longer" 36, but after some coaxing she is now a proud Alpine hot rodder

jerry and toni smith · 11-29-2006, 10:50 AM

Well, that makes three of us that owned 28ft Treks that now own Alpines. We ought to form a club.

Jim&MaryJo · 11-29-2006, 12:56 PM

That's quite a "co-inky-dink"

Maybe a former Trek, now Alpine faction?

We were definitely drawn to our 34' because of its simlar floorplan to our former Trek.

I am now seeking out all those coaches who blew my doors off in my past Trek travels

Ted III · 12-02-2006, 05:35 PM

We purchased a 2005 34' Alpine in the spring of 2005. We have been totally satisfied with its size except with the bedroom on the passenger side. It is a little tight. We have a washer/dryer in our unit which we had installed from our last coach which was a 40' Monaco Executive. We looked at the 36' but really did not feel the need for the difference in price for the type of motorhoming we have been doing. I believe our motorhoming is going to begin changing very shortly and this will undoubtedly have to include a larger motorhome. 38' would have been perfect, but that has gone away so I feel it will be a 40'. Lindenberg, with the type of camping you are planning I do not think that either unit would be the wrong one. I drove both units and really felt no difference. I do, like Engineer Mike, that the 34' has the most efficient kitchen of all of the coaches

Good luck with whatever you purchase.