Community Forums

RJOL · 09-17-2018, 07:52 PM

I saw a 2012 Coachmen RD385DS Bunkhouse Class A diesel for sale and it peaked my interest. From the data I can find (could not get any archive info from Coachmen) it is built on a Freightliner chassis, is around 38' long, has a Cummins diesel, but some confusion as to which, has bunks, etc.

Does anyone have any experience with this model?

Darwin · 09-17-2018, 07:57 PM

Coachman is now part of Forrest River. I have a 2007 Sportscoach Crosscountry which has been a good coach. It is built on a Freightliner chassis, cummins engine, allision transmission.
My opinion the Crosscountry is a good coach but I think the Newmar is a step above.

You should find information on the 2012 coach on the Forrest River web site.

golfman8 · 09-17-2018, 08:32 PM

We have a 2006 Coachman Cross Country 382DS and love it. Quality of workmanship, I think, is far better than any of the new coaches made today. Our only problems have been new water pump and routine maintenance. Don’t plan on getting rid of it anytime soon.

RJOL · 09-17-2018, 09:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Darwin

Coachman is now part of Forrest River. I have a 2007 Sportscoach Crosscountry which has been a good coach. It is built on a Freightliner chassis, cummins engine, allision transmission.
My opinion the Crosscountry is a good coach but I think the Newmar is a step above.

You should find information on the 2012 coach on the Forrest River web site.

Thanks for the responses and info. I'll look at the Forest River site and forum board.

I'd like to stay with Newmar, and may still, but they don't have a bunkhouse model, in a diesel, under 40' and that's what I'd like to move onto. I've looked at the Tiffiin 38QBA and that would be almost ideal for our needs but they are far and few in between out here in the NW, and I really don't want to buy a coach that is located thousands of miles away...

I, too, think that Newmar is a better built coach, but I don't want to spend 250K or more for this purchase, and they don't have what I'm looking for. Finding one that has a Freightliner frame, Allison tranny, and a Cummins turbo should be a big factor....

Dark Sky · 09-18-2018, 05:23 PM

We are happy with our 2011 Sportscoach bunkhouse model. Trim level is quite basic compared to other more expensive brands, but everything is working and problems have been getting solved. We've had it a couple of seasons. Our biggest problem was a fan clutch failure that caused an overheat situation which blew a rad hose which shut the engine down automatically which stranded us which was not good at all. Got everything fixed and it's been good since.
Oh yeah, also had a problem with the dash a/c which turned out to be a failed a/c compressor, easily fixed.
One other concern, maybe common to lots of rigs, the ride quality is highly dependent on the pavement quality. We're not going out again until January or February at the earliest. I'm going to have ride height checked and will likely change shocks. With airbag suspension, ideally the shocks provide almost no damping on compression. From memory we have almost 60k miles so fresh shocks probably won't hurt.
Hmm, reading all this, how come we're happy with it? This season we had no problems at all, nada, none. It's been reliable as gravity and we really like the bunkhouse floorplan. I would buy another one, recognizing it's not a Foretravel or Prevost.

RJOL · 09-18-2018, 06:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dark Sky

We are happy with our 2011 Sportscoach bunkhouse model. Trim level is quite basic compared to other more expensive brands, but everything is working and problems have been getting solved. We've had it a couple of seasons. Our biggest problem was a fan clutch failure that caused an overheat situation which blew a rad hose which shut the engine down automatically which stranded us which was not good at all. Got everything fixed and it's been good since.
Oh yeah, also had a problem with the dash a/c which turned out to be a failed a/c compressor, easily fixed.
One other concern, maybe common to lots of rigs, the ride quality is highly dependent on the pavement quality. We're not going out again until January or February at the earliest. I'm going to have ride height checked and will likely change shocks. With airbag suspension, ideally the shocks provide almost no damping on compression. From memory we have almost 60k miles so fresh shocks probably won't hurt.
Hmm, reading all this, how come we're happy with it? This season we had no problems at all, nada, none. It's been reliable as gravity and we really like the bunkhouse floorplan. I would buy another one, recognizing it's not a Foretravel or Prevost.

Good info... How is the towing up hills in warm weather? We have experienced coolant overtemp while towing our 3k toad up extended hills in hot weather....

Dark Sky · 09-19-2018, 07:24 AM

The temperature swings between 194 and 203f. I keep it displayed ever since the overheating incident. We haven't really tested it on serious grades. We might get back to the Rockies next summer but this coach hasn't seen anything serous. Somewhere in Kentucky we went up a grade that held us to about 50 mph. The temperature sat pegged at 203 or so. We don't keep the coach tanks filled, but we pull a 4k lb Wrangler and quite often have a 600 lb motorcycle on the hydralift. My heaviest scale ticket was exactly 29,000 GCWR. It's no powerhouse, but it's got enough beans for highway merging and such. Our 6.7 ISB is rated at 340 hp, as measured at the brochure.

Kro1957 · 09-19-2018, 07:54 AM

We also have a 06 382DS. I am able to pull up literature. Brochures on the internet. A year ago, I called Coachman and was able to order parts. Yes they are bought out by Forest River which is a Berkshire Company.

I have never owned a Newmar, but always thought of them as a little better quality and of course price than a Coachman. But then again, ours is pretty well built, just lacks on some of the higher priced coaches like:

1. Heated enclosed underbelly and holding tanks
2. Dual pane windows.
3. Powered Step Cover
4. Powered Passenger Seat foot rest
5. Fiberglass Shower

The rest of the coach is pretty much standard you find in many others. One thing I have enjoyed is the fact I can get easy access to just about anything I want to do from oil/filter changes, fuel filter, air filters, I have looked at other coaches where it is next to impossible to access like Air or Fuel filters. And that can be a real expense getting mechanics to do those for you.

Of all the friends who own motorhomes and the ones we meet on the roads when we full time or work camp. If I were looking today, my first choice would be a Winnebago product. They have some tough access spots to get in but they are a very good product and the Customer Service is far beyond any other builder imo. james

Something I forgot to mention which really sold us on this motorhome we have is the bedroom. This 382 DS has more cabinetry than any other coach we have seen! We hit the RV Supershow in Tampa every couple of years and to this day have yet to see anything that comes close. On top of that it has full storage under the bed and large night stands with drawers on each side.

RJOL · 09-19-2018, 08:07 AM

Thanks for the replies. My coolant temps hit just under 220 when the over temp alarm comes on. We have some pretty good hills around here, so I'm blaming it on high outside temps (close to 100) and steep long grades. Only had this happen once before but on the trip to Idaho, it happened on every long climb, if I didn't hold the speed way down (below 40). The last time I weighed the coach it came in at just over 30K lbs. I travel with full diesel (150 gal), around 30 gal of water, and usually the waste tanks are empty.

I agree the Newmar is probably a little better in fit and finish. Just don't want to spend 200K + for a newer coach right now.

markarbogast · 09-20-2018, 10:29 AM

We have a 2007 Coachman Sportcoach Cross Country 382DS and love it. Highly recommended. It seems well built and has had no major issues. The 300 Turbo diesel purrs like a big kitten, gets good milage, and still has enough power for our needs. Sure, there are some things I wish it had like a slide out generator and a auto wind shore power cable but it also cost a whole lot less. There will be the usual snobs that have higher dollar coaches criticize it as “entry level”. Who cares. I could have bought a 500K coach but I prefer to save my money to spend on other things.