Considering our 1st RV

[golfman]

J&K Baines'
I live in Mt. Juliet and I would be more than happy to assist you.
Roger Patterson

[blacktie.shooter]

I recommend you pay very close attention to Dave and Jo Ann. If you have never owned a coach, there are going to be things you never thought of.

Like, for instance, in addition to what he said, check that "queen size" bed. In a coach with a port and starboard bed, rather than fore and aft, and with no bedroom slide, that bed is going to be 75" or 76" long, not the full 80" of the one in your house. If the tall half of you is 6' or over, it may not work. Be sure to lay on it and find out.

I would drive a couple different chassis, also, just to get the feel and make sure you're going to enjoy it. I think you'll find the 8.1 has more muscle than the Ford V10, and still gets about the same mileage.

Be sure to check your GVW and GVCW vs. dry weight. Many coaches have been built on too light of a chassis (cost control,) in some cases by the time you load up and fill the gas tank, you're exceeding the rated capacities - not something you want to do on a permanent basis.

Renting so you can drive, park, camp, sleep, eat, etc., is pretty close to the top of the list of things to do before buying. Commit a few hundred first. When you are comfortable that you know what you're doing, and have found the right one . . go for it! It's really fun.

[Fred and Bonnie]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by blacktie.shooter:
I recommend you pay very close attention to Dave and Jo Ann. If you have never owned a coach, there are going to be things you never thought of.

Like, for instance, in addition to what he said, check that "queen size" bed. In a coach with a port and starboard bed, rather than fore and aft, and with no bedroom slide, that bed is going to be 75" or 76" long, not the full 80" of the one in your house. If the tall half of you is 6' or over, it may not work. Be sure to lay on it and find out. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

I believe all NRV Class A coaches have 80" queen beds. Our 2001 Dolphin had a 80" North/South bed.

Fred

[Bill Davis]

J & K, looks like you came to the right place.

[blacktie.shooter]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Fred and Bonnie:
[QUOTE]Originally posted by blacktie.shooter:
I recommend you pay very close attention to Dave and Jo Ann. If you have never owned a coach, there are going to be things you never thought of.

Like, for instance, in addition to what he said, check that "queen size" bed. In a coach with a port and starboard bed, rather than fore and aft, and with no bedroom slide, that bed is going to be 75" or 76" long, not the full 80" of the one in your house. If the tall half of you is 6' or over, it may not work. Be sure to lay on it and find out. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">I believe all NRV Class A coaches have 80" queen beds. Our 2001 Dolphin had a 80" North/South bed.

Fred </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

Correct, on most better coaches, the north/south or fore and aft beds were full queen, because they have the room. However, as I mentioned, a east/west or left/right bed, in a bedroom with no slide, such as this 2000 Dolphin we're talking about, the room at the foot is very limited, hence the use of the shorter "RV queen."

The old Eurocoach, for instance, had a left/right facing bed, with the headboard at curbside, and it was a full 80", but calling it a walk-around was really pushing reality.

[randco]

NADA shows a low retail of $32,470.

70% of Low Retail is the wholesale or $22,729.

I would offer 80% of Low Retail or $25,976 and walk away at anything over 90% of Low Retail.

The listed price is about 8 to 10 thousand to high.

[LindaH]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by JKCTAZ:
ask how old they are. [the tires] </div></BLOCKQUOTE>
Better yet, check the dates yourself. Just because you might be told, "Oh, I just put new tires on," does not necessarily mean that they're "NEW" tires...many tire centers have stock on their shelves that's actually several years old.

[tropical36]

Looks like a very nice coach at a good price. The company's standing is of no importance in this age bracket.
Good chance it has the original tires, so there's another $2500 or more coming soon, but hey, at least you'll be good for a long while after that.
Here's what the link produced....

2000 National Dolphin 5360 Tag Axle 36ft

Ford Chassis, 6.8L V10 Ford
Quiet, Smooth, Powerful, Decent economy
Only 32K miles,
Mid entry door
Power gear leveling jacks
Back-up camera
Superslide
Couch & Booth dinette slideout
Seats 10
Sleeps 6
Tilt, Cruise
Back up camera
Generator only 110hrs, 50 amps power cord
Full size fabric sofa (fabric look new)
Booth dinette
Galley is L shaped with 2 large 70/30 split sinks
Filtered water
Corian counter tops
Black & Decker coffee maker
Wedgwood 3-burner stove
G.E. profile convection oven (looks brand new with trays still in paper)
Solid wood cabinets
Wood floor in Galley
Full size new dimensions fridge with ice maker & wood package doors
Bathroom is large with lots of storage, full size travelers china toilet
Built in hair dryer, Sit down tub shower
Wide hallway leads to bedroom with east west bed
Rear of coach is has large closet
Sit down ladies mirrored vanity with storage
Designer window treatments
AC, Duotherm ducted heat, Fan-tastic vent with temp controls
2 Awnings -21' main awning & awning over slideout

This unit was traded in to us on a larger coach it belonged to a minister, it is clean as it gets, no smoke, no pets or odors still smell new, smooth shiny gelcoat, you can see yourself in the finish, all dolphin graphics are in excellent condition, This unit is in mint condition, Not a Repo, All the books and extra keys, Good tires, Low low miles,
They don't come around like this one very often, you will not be disappointed in anyway.