Community Forums

garyb1st · 01-28-2013, 09:44 PM

We looked at this coach today and it's pretty close to what we want. It is 37 feet with 2 slides. it has a Cat engine and is built on a Magnum chassis. I don't know much about Harney other than they were associated with Mat Perlot and Safari. It feels like a pretty solid coach and rides quiet well. It doesn't have air ride suspension or air brakes. I don't know enough about motorhomes to know whether or not that is a deal breaker. It is in decent shape for a 13 year old coach and with a set of tires and some new glass should perform well.

I'm interested in any and all comments, positive or negative. If we make an offer on the coach, I would like to have a good idea of what to expect in known issues. This will be our first coach and our experience to date is with a 30 foot travel trailer. I do not have a mechanical background but am willing to learn. I love tinkering but to be honest, have no business messing with anything that requires more than a hammer and nails

. But then, that never stopped me.

Thanks in advance for your thoughts and ideas.

Mystery · 01-29-2013, 04:43 AM

Depends on your budget. There are a lot of very nice high end coaches in the 10 year old range that are well maintained and priced right. Also determine how much your going to use the coach and where your going to drive. Mountains vs flats etc. Air suspension is nice and you need to drive one with air before you purchase. This forum is a wonderful source of good information from very wise and helpful folks. The fun is the hunt. Look at used Newmar, Monaco, Winnie's,Entegra, Country Coach etc. These are a few of the well made coaches and there are many more. Make sure to check maintenance records if there are none on hand I would avoid the coach. Floor plan is the key and a happy DW (dear wife).

rpk · 01-29-2013, 09:38 AM

I've had my 2000 Renegade since new. Components have been excellent (this is my 4th class A, first diesel. The SMC Magnum chassis is on a 4 airbag suspension. Cat and Allison are first rate. Towing a Civic we average 10.5 mpg. Nice convection/microwave, Dometic double door fridge has had no problems. Onan diesel genset. Roof a/c are ducted Duo-therm. Manibloc water system is good. DW loves the bathtub!

Downside: Ask the owner/dealer to check the genset oil level. The set is mounted driver side behind rear wheel and is a real bitch to service. Get him to show you how to add brake fluid (chuckle). By the way the brakes are hydraulic over hydraulic 4-wheel disks, zero problems. The three-point HWH jacks can be an annoyance. The single front jack allows the front end to wiggle when parked. They built this coach with top of the line components then wrapped it all in a cheap shell. Interior fit and finish not the best.

Ours had space and wiring/plumbing for a Splendide, which I installed myself. Several SGA dual-pane windows had the lining creep in. If your unit windows are good now, they are probably past going bad. A REAL project was pulling the driver side window and changing the inter pane seal. Slide seals are pretty much shot, but no water leakage anywhere in the coach

I should pull the big tv top dead center front, but it doubles as my backup cam. We carry a 32" digital that sets on top of the steering wheel table when parked. The rear tv had to have an analog/digital converter added -both installed tv's are analog.

All that said, we are happy with the coach and love our floor plan.

Hope this helps.

subsailor

garyb1st · 01-29-2013, 11:31 AM

Mystery, definitely want to drive one with air suspension before buying. Thanks for the response.

garyb1st · 01-29-2013, 11:59 AM

Subsailor, thanks for the informative reply. I didn't know the Harney came with air suspension. NADA does show a power option for the 2000 model year. It doesn't have any description so maybe that's the air package. At least half of the dual pane windows are failing. Those in the cab are the worst and definitely need to be replaced. The skylight in the shower has leaked. There are stains on the ceiling that extend to the bedroom area. Not sure how it was repaired. Coach is being sold by dealer and they don't have much info. There is some steering wander at speeds over 45 to 50. That's a big one for me. If that can't be fixed, I'll pass on the Harney.

The positive is the floor plan. It's perfect for us. Also, both slides operate perfectly. The Cat diesel is strong and Alison transmission performs well. Has an LP Genny which powered both AC units. Overall, the coach feels pretty solid. It's got it's share of rattles but it is a 13 year old coach.

SteveLevin · 01-29-2013, 12:55 PM

I'd be hesitant to buy a non-airbag coach unless it's very inexpensive. Air makes a huge difference in ride...

Also, keep in mind that the LP genset will burn close to 1.5 gallons an hour running both your a/c units. And travelling down the road in the summer, you likely will want those a/c units humming away. Most Renegades I've seen have a 40 gallon LP tank (so about 32 usable gallons) which is not so bad, but still, if your tank isn't full to start, you can get yourself in a bind.

Steve

cannon man · 01-29-2013, 02:17 PM

looked at one once. was intrested till i drove it. scared the u know what outa me. could not keep it in my lane. called to be drivin back. dealer tried to tell me it was due to tanks being empty. needless to say i ran outa there. lotsa good stuff out there. keep lookin.