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Old 05-31-2016, 12:46 PM   #15
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Originally Posted by Zoafan View Post
I cannot find a Bay Star 3004 in stock anywhere to go see, this is the only model with bunks I believe.

Yes I am SoCal, went to GiantRV and Mike Thompson. Not impressed with either
We did not have a good experience at either one of those dealers either. You can call Tom Lindstrom and see if he has any with the drop down bunks, if not I know they can be ordered. He is the type of dealer you are looking for and can trust. Also I think RV Ready in Temecula may have what you are looking for in the Coachmen. They also are a good dealership to deal with, and will treat you right. They have a really good service department, and take care of their customers.
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Old 05-31-2016, 01:24 PM   #16
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Originally Posted by Zoafan View Post
Wife and I bought our first coach about 5 years ago, 2998 Fleetwood Discovery 36T DP. We loved the coach but it was just too much for us. We do 90% local weekend getaways, not once have we driven out of state. In the future we may do 1 extended trip, 1 week, a year if my work schedule permits. BUt most of our trips are Friday-Monday short and sweet local ones.

Must haves:
Bunks
Outdoor TV
Storage
Inverter

Would like it to have:
Side cameras

We have 1 daughter, she is 4. We also take a niece or nephew at times and he is 8. My wife is determined to have bunks, we went looking and these are the ones we are looking at:

Winnebago Vista 31BE, top of the wife's list right now
Forest River GEORGETOWN GT3 31B
Forest River FR3 32DS
Thor Motor Coach HURRICANE 34J

Once thing we learned with the Discover is it is just too big for us. We don;t do a whole lot inside the coach besides sleep, we are almost always outside.My wife won't drive it so I am always driving. And the little we use the coach a DP is just overkill.

We originally started looking at Class C's but then we were shown the Winnebago 31BE and we get more storage in the Class A and it's almost the exact same size as the Class C in size.

I have read and heard horror stories about Thor, we like the layout but the details worry me. The Winnebago has everything organized, thought out and nice. Thor on the other hand just has them there and seemed to just put things where they would fit.

Any thoughts or ideas? All are within what we want to spend and are all brand new 2016/2017 models.

We like the bunk idea because our daughter can sleep in the bunk and we can have the coach still usable. We can make breakfast, dinner, watch TV on the couch etc while she sleeps in the bunk. Plus it allows us to let her bring a friend as she gets older. The way our coach is now we lose the couch, or the dinette, when she is asleep.

When we started looking at 35'+ I see no reason to get rid of our Discovery. Our entire reason for selling the Discovery was to cut down on maintenance and size. Spending $2-3k a year in yearly maintenance was about what we spend camping a year.
here's my opinion and I have own the same coach you have....

i keep what you have...you will spend more in sales tax and dealer profit than you will ever spend in maintaince
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Old 05-31-2016, 01:27 PM   #17
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Also another question, my worry was these units only having 1 AC unit.

Can these motorhomes keep an RV cool with just 1 unit? We do like to go to the river and it can be 110*
the answer is no....we go to havasu and parker...
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Old 05-31-2016, 01:46 PM   #18
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Zoafan View Post
Wife and I bought our first coach about 5 years ago, 2998 Fleetwood Discovery 36T DP. We loved the coach but it was just too much for us. We do 90% local weekend getaways, not once have we driven out of state. In the future we may do 1 extended trip, 1 week, a year if my work schedule permits. BUt most of our trips are Friday-Monday short and sweet local ones.

Must haves:
Bunks
Outdoor TV
Storage
Inverter

Would like it to have:
Side cameras

We have 1 daughter, she is 4. We also take a niece or nephew at times and he is 8. My wife is determined to have bunks, we went looking and these are the ones we are looking at:

Winnebago Vista 31BE, top of the wife's list right now
Forest River GEORGETOWN GT3 31B
Forest River FR3 32DS
Thor Motor Coach HURRICANE 34J

Once thing we learned with the Discover is it is just too big for us. We don;t do a whole lot inside the coach besides sleep, we are almost always outside.My wife won't drive it so I am always driving. And the little we use the coach a DP is just overkill.

We originally started looking at Class C's but then we were shown the Winnebago 31BE and we get more storage in the Class A and it's almost the exact same size as the Class C in size.

I have read and heard horror stories about Thor, we like the layout but the details worry me. The Winnebago has everything organized, thought out and nice. Thor on the other hand just has them there and seemed to just put things where they would fit.

Any thoughts or ideas? All are within what we want to spend and are all brand new 2016/2017 models.

We like the bunk idea because our daughter can sleep in the bunk and we can have the coach still usable. We can make breakfast, dinner, watch TV on the couch etc while she sleeps in the bunk. Plus it allows us to let her bring a friend as she gets older. The way our coach is now we lose the couch, or the dinette, when she is asleep.

When we started looking at 35'+ I see no reason to get rid of our Discovery. Our entire reason for selling the Discovery was to cut down on maintenance and size. Spending $2-3k a year in yearly maintenance was about what we spend camping a year.
now, if I was going to buy a new one

i would buy the ke in stead of the be... for these reasons...
first...

I don't like the full wall slide... and I don't like the bed facing sideways ...
and i don't like that the pop out has to be out to use the bedroom ...

also I don't like that you can't see the tv except for the sofa

and I don't like the bath all in one...

so....

with the ke... the motorhome is more friendly going down the road
and has way more room with the pop in...

someone can be in the shower and some one can still use the toilet seperate

the ke has way more room at the dinette,.. and way more counter space...

four people can sit at the dinette and 2 on the sofa and watch tv...
and to add to that ,,,your daughter can lay down on the over head bunk,
fall asleep watching tv and not have to wake her to go to bed...

what we decided on the ac problem was to get the portable ac from lowes and put it up front during the day...at night the single ac is fine...

also having fans help...
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Old 05-31-2016, 01:54 PM   #19
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Ok a new entry, just worked an awesome deal on a 2016 Coachmen Mirada 35BH.

Bigger than we want but it has everything we are looking for and an extra bathroom.

Thoughts on this coach>?
Are you talking about the one at RV Ready in Temecula. I looked that up and it is a great price. Has a nice floorplan. I don't know much about the Coachmen MH's or the quality of their build, but RV Ready is top notch. They originally started out selling used MH's that they refurbished and some new TT. In the last year they got the Coachmen franchise. I know they really take care of their customers, both new and used, and will stand by their prices.
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Old 05-31-2016, 02:18 PM   #20
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We currently have a Newmar Canyon Star 3953 that we love. If we were to purchase a new RV in this price range, it would be another Newmar, a Winnebago or an Allegro. Thor and Forest River are what I call foofoo Rv's. Nice looks....flashy.... but cheaply made with very poor quality. A lack of warranty support is another concern, having fought with Forest River in the past over trivial matters. I think you will find a nice unit built by one of the three I noted, that will give you years of good service.

Best wishes.... and travel safe.
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Old 05-31-2016, 02:28 PM   #21
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Originally Posted by Mike and Cha View Post
Are you talking about the one at RV Ready in Temecula. I looked that up and it is a great price. Has a nice floorplan. I don't know much about the Coachmen MH's or the quality of their build, but RV Ready is top notch. They originally started out selling used MH's that they refurbished and some new TT. In the last year they got the Coachmen franchise. I know they really take care of their customers, both new and used, and will stand by their prices.
This one is at RV Spa in Upland, never knew they existed. They are affiliated with RV Ready.

This one has full body paint:
2016 Coachmen Mirada 35BH Stock: A09017 | The RV Spa
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Old 05-31-2016, 02:35 PM   #22
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here's my opinion and I have own the same coach you have....

i keep what you have...you will spend more in sales tax and dealer profit than you will ever spend in maintaince
We already sold the coach. We bought it in the downturn for $25k, sold it for $30k last night with issues disclosed. Rear AC didn't work, fridge will not use electric, air leak from right front, cracked windshield, tires are at the end of life, temperature gauge didn't work and other little things. After having an estimate done it was going to cost almost $5k to fix some of the items. This is after we spent almost $3k a few months prior. And last year we spent a few thousand. The RV market is hot in Southern California right now and DP are getting good money, I posted it on craigslist and it sold the same day.

It was a 20 year old coach, things were starting to fail left and right and I work 80+ hour weeks 5-6 days a week. I do not have the time to spend tinkering anymore. When we would go camping I would need weeks notice so I can get the coach ready and make sure it was ready for the trip, it got to the point that I no longer wanted to go.

Quick math with what we were averaging a year in maintenance and repairs it cost would cost us $15k in the next 3 years. But for me it was more about wanting to use the time that I am able to escape as a relaxing family time, not something I dreaded or was no longer looking forward to.
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Old 06-01-2016, 09:57 AM   #23
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Well we bought a new Thor Mirada 34.3 yesterday. Wife fell in love with the floorplan, options and the storage. It is on the larger chassis with 22.5" rims and I think what sold the wife was the king bed. It is pretty much fully loaded with full body paint and had a sticker of $160k and we got them down to $102k.

I didn't want a Thor but like all MH they all have their issues. Wife loved the floor plan and it has an incredible amount of storage. We do a PDI on June 7th after they install an HD dish for us and some Fantastic Fans.

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Old 06-01-2016, 11:29 AM   #24
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Congrats, looks nice, have many safe and happy travels.
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Old 06-01-2016, 11:32 AM   #25
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This one is at RV Spa in Upland, never knew they existed. They are affiliated with RV Ready.

This one has full body paint:
2016 Coachmen Mirada 35BH Stock: A09017 | The RV Spa
Yes, they are the same owners, We know them personally and they are really good people. The RV Spa, was their first location until they expanded and started the operation in Temecula.
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Old 06-02-2016, 12:05 PM   #26
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Congratulations on the purchase. Wave as you drive by or pull into the campground. We will recognize you by the big smiles.
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Old 06-04-2016, 07:48 PM   #27
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We bought a new class C Thor Four Winds 2 years ago with no problems. Loved RVING so much, sold it and bought a 16.5 Thor Challenger 37lx. We looked at everything in Class A and liked the floorplan, cab area, and interior quality. It was a show stopper for us and we have no regrets. The cabinets are Amish made and beautiful. A few shake down issues, but Thor is easy to reach and very helpful. As many have said, almost all motorhomes have a few issues. Usually those that speak poorly of Thor, have never owned one. Good Luck in your travels.
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Old 06-04-2016, 09:27 PM   #28
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Zoafan View Post
Well we bought a new Thor Mirada 34.3 yesterday. Wife fell in love with the floorplan, options and the storage. It is on the larger chassis with 22.5" rims and I think what sold the wife was the king bed. It is pretty much fully loaded with full body paint and had a sticker of $160k and we got them down to $102k.

I didn't want a Thor but like all MH they all have their issues. Wife loved the floor plan and it has an incredible amount of storage. We do a PDI on June 7th after they install an HD dish for us and some Fantastic Fans.
Ok, I'm confused..... Did you buy the Coachmen? Mirada is a Coachmen. Or if you bought a Thor, maybe you got a Miramar?
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