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Old 02-22-2019, 01:58 PM   #1
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Country Coach Magna - What else compares?

I am curious as to what else compares to the build quality (and maintenance required) of the Country Coach Magna.

I am looking at this one on Terry's lot:

https://www.kenaicoach.com//DealerFi...?ListingID=147

I like that it is a 36' tag model, but would go up to 40' if I found something I liked more. Most tags are 42+ so to find something that fits into more state and national parks is super appealing.

Before I pull the trigger on this one, I just want to make sure I've exhausted all of my options.

So, what other coaches compare to the quality of the 2002 Country Coach Magna?

Here is what I am shooting for:
- Pre DEF (2009 or earlier)
- Tag axle
- Solid chassis
- 8-10 air bags
- 3 slides (minimum)
- 400+ HP
- 1200+ FPT
- Allison 3k (minimum)
- $150k or less

I've already looked at Tiffen, Beaver, Monoco, Newmar, Holiday Rambler & Fleetwood and I am most impressed with Country Coach, and even more so with Terry's level of commitment to his coaches and customers.
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Old 02-22-2019, 02:20 PM   #2
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I doubt there are very many coaches (if any) that are 36' with a tag and a C-12 motor. But you can't go wrong with a CC. If you modify any of those parameters, it opens up the inventory for CC quite a bit. For something similar to your specs, take a look at Foretravel.

2003 Foretravel U320 38' Coach - Premium Coach Group
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Old 02-22-2019, 02:28 PM   #3
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I doubt there are very many coaches (if any) that are 36' with a tag and a C-12 motor. But you can't go wrong with a CC. If you modify any of those parameters, it opens up the inventory for CC quite a bit. For something similar to your specs, take a look at Foretravel.

2003 Foretravel U320 38' Coach - Premium Coach Group
Believe me.
This is a local company.
I'd buy that thing in a heart beat if it had 3 slides.
I need 2 up front to create the bigger living space...
This one only has 2 on one side...
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Old 02-22-2019, 02:42 PM   #4
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Luxury Pre-Owned Motorhome Dealer for Foretravel Newell Country Coach.
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Foretravel tag axle 40 ft. 500 hp/1550 ft/lbs ism 1455 watts on the roof. 600 a/h's lithium down below.
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Old 02-22-2019, 02:45 PM   #5
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Pretty nicely built coach, barely broken in. If there is documented maintenance and you like the layout there's nothing newer you can buy for that price that comes even close...
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Old 02-22-2019, 02:52 PM   #6
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Country Coach is a great motor home, I really like the length, has a lot to offer for 36', tag triple slide etc., but a little heavy price wise IMHO, if you can go to 40' in size you can get the same quality, bells and whistles for $50K less. Something to think about.
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Old 02-22-2019, 03:24 PM   #7
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On the link in the OP - can you say "Head knocker" for that front TV. At least it looks to be padded.
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Old 02-22-2019, 05:17 PM   #8
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We have a 2000 MAGNA 40' without a tag and only one slide that we bought in 2006. It has is a great coach. Even after 13 years of ownership I am still amazed at the built quality. With a tag you should have any problems with weight. I replaced the Air Springs (bags) several years ago. I found out that although the book rates the front end (IFS) at 14.4K the actual front end is 18K. Same with the rear rated at 22.5K but 25K installed. It has 2 air bags in the front and 4 in the back. The tag would be 2 more. They are Ridewell suspensions. The other interesting piece of information is the cabinetry. It is all built specifically to the coach. If you pull a drawer out and look on the bottom or back it will have the coach number on it. CC used very good materials. We have not been disappointed. Would buy another one is a heart beat.
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Old 02-22-2019, 05:46 PM   #9
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It it's the floor plan you want, you can't go wrong. Our final choice came down to Monaco vs Country Coach. Our must have were tag, bath and a half, residential frig and side radiator. A guy bought the Magna before we had a chance to see it. But we have absolutely no regrets with the Monaco. Those pre bankruptcy big class A's were built to last. I understand many of the old craftsmen that built those rigs are still in the area. Have you looked at Motor Coach of Oregon? I think that was the name, out by the airport, a little south of Terry's place, IIRC. I suffer from CRS so it could be a different name.

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Old 02-22-2019, 06:09 PM   #10
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What exactly am I looking for on this page?
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Old 02-22-2019, 06:09 PM   #11
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There are very few coaches that will equal the build quality of Country Coach. You should also include the Country Coach Infinity and Intrigue.

The Travel Supreme Select is often over looked but it is a great coach. 2005 is the first year for the new style front end with HID lights. (This later became the Entegra Cornerstone.)

The Monaco Executive, Signature, and Holiday Rambler Navigator offer several different engine options with a great quality coach. Cummins 500hp ISM, Cummins 525hp ISX, and the 515hp Detroit 60. These are great coaches.
The Beaver Marquis and Patriot have the nicest woodwork ever produced in a motorhome. They can have the Cat C12, C13, C15, or Detroit 60 engine.

I would include the American Eagle and Heritage of that era.

The Newmar Essex and Mountain Aire are very nice. They are difficult to find nice ones that are not priced very high.

Of course the Foretravel is a very nice coach. They were built in smaller numbers so it will take a dedicated search to find the right one.

You should consider the high end Newell and Prevost conversions although you may have to drop the year back to say on budget.

Hope this helps.
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Old 02-22-2019, 06:19 PM   #12
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Burner View Post
I am curious as to what else compares to the build quality (and maintenance required) of the Country Coach Magna.

I am looking at this one on Terry's lot:

https://www.kenaicoach.com//DealerFi...?ListingID=147

I like that it is a 36' tag model, but would go up to 40' if I found something I liked more. Most tags are 42+ so to find something that fits into more state and national parks is super appealing.

Before I pull the trigger on this one, I just want to make sure I've exhausted all of my options.

So, what other coaches compare to the quality of the 2002 Country Coach Magna?

Here is what I am shooting for:
- Pre DEF (2009 or earlier)
- Tag axle
- Solid chassis
- 8-10 air bags
- 3 slides (minimum)
- 400+ HP
- 1200+ FPT
- Allison 3k (minimum)
- $150k or less

I've already looked at Tiffen, Beaver, Monoco, Newmar, Holiday Rambler & Fleetwood and I am most impressed with Country Coach, and even more so with Terry's level of commitment to his coaches and customers.
Burner,

It looks like you're going down the same path Jean and I have taken over the last two years and your must have list is almost identical to ours.
We have crawled through every one of those manufacturers' offerings and ended up with our Country Coach yesterday. Thank God that is over with...

Tiffins and Newmars scored almost identically in quality and floor plan variety. Early on, I thought Tiffins were IT. Then we saw our first Beaver. Wow. But the wow factor was based more on the quality of the woodwork than anything else. They're great coaches and the old-world quality just oozes out at you, BUT - it's only woodwork in the end.

Holiday Ramblers and Fleetwoods were nice, but they didn't measure up to the Oregon coaches. Higher end Monacos, Beavers, and Country Coaches just seemed to have an almost undefinable something extra to them...

Regarding engines, one thing I read early on was you want to have at least 10 HP per foot of coach. And, during my research, I found several folks who wished they had more power when they were below that ratio. I, too, thought a motor that was just older than 2009 was the best thing, but there are engines out there that aren't so good, even back as far as 2007 (Cat 13 comes to mind). You have to do your homework there, too.

You didn't say if you were going to full-time in your rig. If so, the huge power-to-weight ratios of the small tag coaches, plus their carrying capacities are very tasty, but realize that your storage room will suffer - especially bay storage. When you start with a "short" coach and throw a second rear axle in it, you lose four or five feet of storage. Something to keep in mind. We went through a phase where we wanted something short enough to get into most National Parks, but the only way to guaranty entry into all of them is to have some VERY short (27' comes to mind). We do expect to go FT sometime in the future and we needed more space than that. What we decided on was comfort first, then we would deal with those places we couldn't get in by staying outside the parks and taking the toad into the park where we would set up a tent. Extra money, yes, but not a lot.

Support for the defunct Beavers and Country Coaches is still alive and well. Matter of fact I contacted Premier RF about a part for our CC and got an answer VERY quickly, with lots of ways to get it. I was impressed.

We walked through a Magna while we were checking out Foretravels down in Nacogdoches, TX, and we came away with the feeling that it was a good coach with just more doo-dads than the Intrigues or Allures. It didn't seem worth the extra money, basically.

Speaking of Foretravels, we had our socks knocked off by those rigs, and I'm talking 2003 - 2005 models. If Beaver oozed quality, the Foretravel rigs took it to a new level entirely. BUT...with those you have to pay to play. We were looking at financing and every one we've ever seen for sale is $20K or so higher than NADA (FWIW), which meant our lender wasn't going to come close enough. We were going to have to wait months to build up that greater-than-book-value down payment. Our timeline was shorter than that and we didn't want to wait. If you're paying cash, though, DO check those out. The U320s will have everything you need. Surprisingly, the ones with only two slides were a LOT more spacious than we figured they would be. Quite adequate, actually. Oh - before I forget: one thing you won't see often is ceiling height numbers on those. I'm 6'3" and I had to take my shoes off to be comfortable!

One manufacturer we considered that is not on your list is Travel Supreme. They should be considered, too, I think.

This is all my humble opinion, of course, and your mileage may vary, but I recommend you crawl through (and drive) as many as you can. You might have to buy airline tickets or drive a ways, but it's worth it.

Good luck!

Steve
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Old 02-22-2019, 06:45 PM   #13
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Burner,

It looks like you're going down the same path Jean and I have taken over the last two years and your must have list is almost identical to ours...
Wow
Thanks for all of the info...
I need to red it again just to make sure I got it all
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Old 02-22-2019, 07:10 PM   #14
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What exactly am I looking for on this page?
My mistake, you obviously don't want a Foretravel, or you would have looked at this one.
2005 Foretravel U320 40 Priced at $ 179500
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