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Old 11-17-2017, 02:48 PM   #1
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New member looking for a CC.

Hi, my name is Dan and I just joined. We currently have a National Sea Breeze class A gas coach, a 98 we bought in 2002, and are beginning the search for newer (than ours) diesel pusher. My wife and I would like to stick to a 36' CC as it is close to the length of our current coach (33') so I know I would fit in most of our current spots we visit.

I like the floor plan of the 2003 Allure and Intrigue so that's where we are starting our search. I see that in 2005 they went to a taller version, not sure if I like that idea or not. Neither the early or later versions will fit in the current parking area as the door height is about 11'6" and length is just under 36' so that isn't the deciding factor but the imposing height of the newer coach is a bit intimating.

The driving factor in upgrading is we are planning on doing longer distance trips in the future and I would like to have a better driving experience. Something that is less tiring than our current coach. Also having at least one slide in the living room/kitchen area is a must. We currently do mostly dry camping so we need to have that capability also.

I have a lot to learn so I will be here reading and asking questions. Any suggestions and/or hints on finding our next coach would be helpful. We've been down to Junction City recently, stopped by a local dealer to look at several different CC's, any other resources I should be made aware of?

Dan
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Old 11-17-2017, 02:58 PM   #2
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I like RVTrader.com:
https://www.rvtrader.com/search-resu...ach%7C2254134&
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Old 11-17-2017, 04:29 PM   #3
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Did you talk to Terry at Kenai Coach in JC? He has some really nice coaches. When he buys a used coach, he runs them through Oregon Motorcoach for an inspection and repair of anything found wrong. I have had some dealings with him and find that he is an upright guy. Used Class A Motorhome in Junction City, OR | Kenai Coach
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Old 11-17-2017, 06:20 PM   #4
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We purchased our 36’ 2003 Allure from Premier RV in JC a couple of years ago. We love our coach, 2 slides and just the perfect size for us. It also had to fit in our existing RV garage. Contact Susan Graham at Premier and let her know what you are interested in.
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Old 11-17-2017, 07:17 PM   #5
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X2 what Don said, I came close to getting one from him but at the time I did not have the finances in place and I told him if he had a buyer sell it and he did.
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Old 11-17-2017, 10:52 PM   #6
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We recently sold our 02 Intrigue, 36', dual slide. It measured exactly 37' from mirrors to rear bumper. At ride height it sat at 12'1". With the Cummins 400 ISL it had plenty of power. Was really a nice ride, and had more storage space than we needed. Sold it because of inner ear disease, and no longer felt safe driving it.
Just to forewarn you the 36' are pretty hard to find. Ours sold quickly.
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Old 11-18-2017, 04:28 PM   #7
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I know Kenai just bought a 32' Intrigue single slide a week ago from a friend of mine. Very nice coach so if you are interested, better call now. 32 footers are very hard to find and they don't stay on the market long
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Old 11-19-2017, 10:08 AM   #8
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Thanks all.

We've met Terry at Kenai, he was very informative and spent a lot of time with us. I like that he prep's his coach's making sure the tires are recent32, electronics are updated and all systems are checked out and working. Very helpful for a person that's buying their first diesel coach.

I think I would go with longer that 36' before looking at something shorter. Our current coach is 33' and I don't think I would go any shorter. I want more space not less.
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Old 11-19-2017, 10:16 AM   #9
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When I went looking for a CC we were already at 40' with a Dutch Star so I wasn't really looking for anything less than a 40 or 45. The build quality is the same or pretty much.
Mine is an '09 and I'm told the quality might not be as goid as the older models.
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Old 11-19-2017, 11:10 AM   #10
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Welcome to the Forum in general, and soon to be welcome to the CC club!

Those of you that know the 36' size coaches better then me, is their a cutover year to IFS? I assume that a 2004 has IFS, as our 40' Tag Allure has IFS - but have forgot when CC jumped over to IFS for both the Allure and Intrigue.

A second question would be ISC vs ISL. Both are great engines, but the ISL usually came in CC's with true Jake Compression 2 Stage Braking assist. That would be something I'd want, especially if your longer travels will include lots of mountain roads.

And if ISL, I'd personally look at 2004 and later, as that would give you the non CAPS era ISL. It has the Variable Geometry Turbo (VGT) too, which enhances the HP/Torque curve, as well as adds additional braking assist along with the Jake. Double check the engine carefully, as I made rookie mistake and assumed my 04 Allure had the VGT newer engine. It did not, as my engine was manufactured in July of 2003... (I'm serving well with it, but would have preferred the VGT model ISL.)

I believe Allure's are more plentiful then Intrigue's in the 36' size - but better odds of ISL, even with CAPS ISL370, in the Intrigue's (But memory cells seem to remember the Intrigue always had the ISL400, after shifting from the ISC - to set it slightly above the pecking order of the Allure, with ISL370 (Which mine is, now ECM reprogrammed to ISL400 configuration.)

And of course, ask and check for Wet vs Dry Power Take Off's (PTO's), and Steel vs Aluminum radiators. If a Dry PTO or Aluminum radiator, I'd negotiate accordingly...

Best of luck to you, and look forward to reading what you end up with!
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Old 11-19-2017, 02:16 PM   #11
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Agree with not going shorter than a 36'. That extra 4' all goes into the wheelbase. Giving you a better ride, not to mention double the storage.
Intrigues were no longer available in the 36' after the 2004 year models. I would not rule out a CAPS era engine. Starting mid year 2002 is when they started doing the true full body paint which is a huge plus.
We camped mostly in State Campgrounds in OR, ID, WA, MT while owning our 36'. Staying in commercial KOA, and GoodSam parks was not our idea of camping. We had some pretty tight maneuvers around trees but never was not able to in. Having 4" ramps were necessary as the HWH air leveling was not able to compensate for the sites that were not very level.
Your on the right track. Gathering as much information as possible is the first step. Probably already realizing a DP is a big step from a gas coach.
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Old 11-19-2017, 05:47 PM   #12
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"I would not rule out a CAPS era engine. "

Brett - Thank you, as my post was not clear on this. While I would prefer a VGT era ISL400 (Or even better, a 36' with CAT C12!), I would for sure not rule out a coach with CAPS ISC/ISL.

The overall condition of the coach in general, would be more important then CAPS vs VGT. And the same goes for an older 36' with ISC, which is plenty of motor for this size coach. Though as I noted, the Jake Compression is to me, worth really striving for the ISL for this size coach!

And yes to the 4" ramps, as well as the lego like blocks, to assist air leveling as needed. And great info on the Full Body Paint...

Good luck OP, have fun on your search!
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Old 11-19-2017, 06:57 PM   #13
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Smitty,
No worries, just wanted to clarify. I totally agree with you, as you have to weigh the whole coach, as they will always have their pro's and cons.
But, if I was to buy another coach with the CAPS the FASS system would be my first project. It's pretty cheap insurance. Couldn't believe the difference. Idle was much smoother. Plus that ISL would fire up before I could get the key fully turned. I would bet, with that add on, the CAPS life would be extended indefinitely.
FASS pump, and Wax Valve from Source would be top priority on my next Coach.
Brett
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Old 11-19-2017, 10:54 PM   #14
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Full body paint is a must so it looks like I will concentrate my searches on 2003 and 2004 models.

We haven't stayed at that many state camp grounds except for the Oregon dunes which are for the most part just big parking lots. I would say 90% are dry camping so we set up our current coach with an invertor and extra batteries. I plan on keeping the invertor when we sell it, a fairly new Magnum pure sine wave, but will look into more battery storage capacity.

How do I get more info on the "wet vs dry" and "aluminum vs copper" issues? Reliability or performance?

The main reason for not going newer than 2004 is we want to stick to just 2 slides. We aren't planning on full timing or even extended stays but more like 2-3 week long trips so don't feel we need the extra space. At the dunes the slides on the passenger side would cut into valuable parking space for the toys.
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