New Owner of Country Coach Corporation: Winnebago!

[smlranger]

Originally Posted by pumper9x9

I think Winny bought a bunch of buildings, and a lot of old technological intellectual property for equipment and innovations that have not kept up with recent advancements in coach design.

Yes, what I saw of the buildings (other than the main building) I would agree things looked old and somewhat neglected. However, IMO the 'recent advancements and innovations' in newer coach construction may not appeal to buyers who take the time to really investigate coach construction and reliability. If you consider proliferation of LED lighting, full wall slides that seem to create problems (Winnebago, Newmar), IPads to control the proliferation of gizmo's, automatic shades with failing motors, etc. 'innovations,' then I hope Winnebago/CC stay focused on sturdy construction, tasteful interiors, and the other features they seem to know and appreciate.

It is certainly a matter of personal taste. However, I believe many of the posts we read on these forums from folks with $500-$600K coaches with repeated issues and multiple visits to the factory for fixes, are related to the continued effort to make a motorhome like a stick home with every possible convenience/feature you can imagine.

If glitz and gizmo's is what sells coaches, then I guess CC will become just like the others. I hope not.

[dons2346]

"If glitz and gizmo's is what sells coaches, then I guess CC will become just like the others. "

It was the glitz and gizmo's that sunk the Lexa and the Rhapsody. Both of them were a electronic nightmare

[darstar]

Originally Posted by dons2346

"If glitz and gizmo's is what sells coaches, then I guess CC will become just like the others. "

It was the glitz and gizmo's that sunk the Lexa and the Rhapsody. Both of them were a electronic nightmare

There is a reason older Provost coach still have appeal and hold a value when all the cheaply made " glitter" is headed to the bone yard. My CC Concept gets more attention and complements daily it seems. Even after 16 years I find myself pride in knowing I own one of the best..........and we have little desire for those stinky slide outs, especially after watching several owners trying to get them in , and out on a cold frosty morning.

I think the future looks bright for all the high end quality still on the road.......no better legacy than that !

[jrpend]

CC friends may be interested in this that just came in via email to the WIT club. I guess it is going to be the WITCC (whitzee?) Club now.

================================================== =====

Dear WIT Club friends,


I hope you're all enjoying a great holiday season - our unseasonably warm December makes it hard for me to believe that Christmas is just one week away. If you have not heard, we had some very exciting news here at Winnebago earlier this month.


At a press event at the RVIA National Trade Show in Louisville, Kentucky we announced the purchase of physical assets and intellectual properties of Country Coach, Inc. in Junction City, Oregon. With this acquisition, we will be ramping up production at this west coast campus to transition some current diesel pusher production from Forest City and we will be re-introducing the Country Coach brand with newly designed product.


Another positive element includes the factory service facilities that currently focus on Country Coach product service and repairs. Look for facility improvements in the near future that will enable us to transition to Winnebago factory product parts and service support in Junction City also.


As WIT members, the biggest question you probably have is can my Country Coach owner friends now join WIT? To answer that, we just need to look at our WIT Club bylaws which state that, "The term "member" as used herein, is defined as a person or persons who singly or jointly own a Winnebago Industries' RV who have been accepted for membership and whose dues are paid."


As Winnebago Industries now owns the physical and intellectual property of Country Coach, Inc. previous Country Coach products are grandfathered into WIT Club eligibility as long as they meet the bylaw standards of a self-contained RV. So the short answer is yes.


We are currently reaching out to a number of the Current Country Coach owner group chapters, (we have identified 11) to introduce ourselves and get their ideas and reaction on joining WIT. We have talked with one of the larger groups and the response was positive and we are hopeful that we will soon be enrolling Country Coach owners and officially welcoming them into WIT. Aside from our national recruiting outreach, we also have the opportunity to attract and welcome Country Coach product owners at the state and local chapter level.


In the near future, we plan to reach out on behalf of WIT Club to all documented Country Coach owners with a welcoming message and contact information for their WIT Club state and local chapters. We will keep State Club presidents advised of our progress. We will keep all members updated in upcoming e-News.


Until next time,


Denise Yeager
Consumer Engagement Manager
Winnebago

[lowejug]

Just googled this 2016 new country coach allure to take a look at what cc fans are pointing out here in this post.. looks absolutely gorgeous on the out side- super tall with the air dams- beautiful classy paint colors and the sweet tall windshield. seriously looks incredible.

Now- looking on the inside this brand new 2016- it is decorated as always that these country coaches has been - like going to grandmas house in the 1980s...

sorry but that will never fly with the new up to date styling of its competitors.

you folks are saying this coach in the 600k and up range- mmmm

I have looked at these country coaches for years- the outsides are so beautiful and yes- the quality is superb.. then you walk in and its always a deal killer.. obviously was ok with a certain generation but I doubt the new comers will tolerate these dated colors and floor plans

I hope winnebago brings these interiors up to the 20th century-- when they do -- sighn me up!!

[smlranger]

That issue was raised when Ron Lee unveiled this new coach. His response was that it was his personal coach and decorated for his taste. For sure the new company will use updated interiors.

[CntryCoachRV]

Originally Posted by lowejug

Just googled this 2016 new country coach allure to take a look at what cc fans are pointing out here in this post.. looks absolutely gorgeous on the out side- super tall with the air dams- beautiful classy paint colors and the sweet tall windshield. seriously looks incredible.

Now- looking on the inside this brand new 2016- it is decorated as always that these country coaches has been - like going to grandmas house in the 1980s...

sorry but that will never fly with the new up to date styling of its competitors.

you folks are saying this coach in the 600k and up range- mmmm

I have looked at these country coaches for years- the outsides are so beautiful and yes- the quality is superb.. then you walk in and its always a deal killer.. obviously was ok with a certain generation but I doubt the new comers will tolerate these dated colors and floor plans

I hope winnebago brings these interiors up to the 20th century-- when they do -- sighn me up!!

Actually that is what attracted me to Country Coach, solid chassis and without all the glitz inside. I still prefer the solid wood interior to the glitzy fake wood found in other high end coaches. My 2000 Intrigue is still heads and shoulder above current competition.

[Mr_D]

Originally Posted by dons2346

"If glitz and gizmo's is what sells coaches, then I guess CC will become just like the others. "

It was the glitz and gizmo's that sunk the Lexa and the Rhapsody. Both of them were a electronic nightmare

Our '09 Magna isn't far behind from what I've found so far!

[B Bob]

We love the interior of our Country Coach. It was actually the biggest point in it's favor when we were looking for one six years ago. It doesn't look anything like what my grandmother's house looked like in the 80's.

Decor is a very personal thing. For my wife and I the biggest turn off we have had going into some of the very high end coaches like Newells and Prevost has been their "Las Vegas" styled interiors. Of course Newells and Prevost coaches have custom interiors so whomever ordered them must have liked glitz.

[darstar]

The Newells have the most modern interiors out there. This is not just by design taste. It's the use of more modern interior materials, and less use of varnished dark oak wood which is a poor choice because of weight and maintaining the surface. I never could understand why only the very high end coaches used modern designs and materials. If people must have that gaudy look , including crystal chandlers etc., they should spend their time living in a fixed house and not one on wheels.

[Mr_D]

Originally Posted by darstar

The Newells have the most modern interiors out there. This is not just by design taste. It's the use of more modern interior materials, and less use of varnished dark oak wood which is a poor choice because of weight and maintaining the surface. I never could understand why only the very high end coaches used modern designs and materials. If people must have that gaudy look , including crystal chandlers etc., they should spend their time living in a fixed house and not one on wheels.

You mean like this?

[spuds]

Originally Posted by darstar

The Newells have the most modern interiors out there. This is not just by design taste. It's the use of more modern interior materials, and less use of varnished dark oak wood which is a poor choice because of weight and maintaining the surface.

I'm not sure I understand your comment about weight. The cabinetry material in the Newells we've been in feels VERY heavy, and Newells are definitely heavy coaches.

[lowejug]

didn't want to offend anyone and knew the " out dated interior" comment might..

and I never said 'glitz and glamour was what the country coaches should have.


I am sure the current country coach owners love there interior as thats why they bought them.

I just think updated colors and floor plans are a wise decision if they are going to re-birth the country coaches. I am also in my mid 40s so grandmas house in the 80s was pretty funky... LOL

[Smitty77]

As mentioned, Ron's new Allure - is the interior he wanted, and paid a pretty penny to get! So probably (but who knows) representative of what CC would have rolled out if they had continued production as a stand alone enterprise.

And yes to interior design, as well as exterior paint schemes, being a personal choice of like, or dislike!

We personally have simple tastes, and have modified a few items in our coach to match what we like. (Painted wall paper, removed some of the beveled mirror strips, recovered valances, changed brass trip to nickel, as a few examples.)

Modern, or I suppose more modern - as that too can be subjective - designs are available in some coaches.

Rexhall's UFO spaceship looking coaches, is and example of a lighter and more modern looking designed interior. And for us, also a more tasteful external paint job. (Seemed that manufactures felt that they could up the price for each additional swirl the put on the side of the coach!). Some of the new Foretravel offerings are reflecting a refreshed looking interior. (Though the few I've looked at closely, still seem to have smaller size galleys then many other larger DP's.)

And as stated, many of the truly custom coach builders - build to the desires of the buyer. Some are glitz, some are simple, some are modern, some are country, some or southwest, etc.

In addition to different models and price ranges, I'm also waiting to see what way WBGO goes with the chassis and engine options. Spartan and Freightliner both have different levels of chassis available. But one of the things that brought me to CC to start with, was the 'solid foundation' of the Dynomax chassis. A refresh, and restart of this chassis, would really show that WBGO is looking to keep the CC above and beyond their current coaches. If they adopt the standard chassis, my fear is we're going to see a repeat of what Monaco did with Holiday Rambler, Beaver being folded into the line. In many ways, they GM'ized these brands, like Buick/Chevy/Olds/Pontiac were basically lightly re-trimmed offerings of the same basic vehicle. That, IMO, would lead CC in the wrong direction...

Time will tell! Best to all,
Smitty