Oh great ones - give a first time class-a buyer your thoughts!

[tncruiser]

you said
My wife and I are looking at the purchase of a used class-a in the next month or so.... we travel to race tracks about 20 months a year to ride motorcycles, and camping in the trailer or the back of our GMC Yukon is getting old....
cant help picken on ya do you see all 57 states
good luck in your search and enjoy your new coach when you find it
brianj

[FormerBoater]

Take a look at vintage American Eagles (97-00) if you like the looks of the Alfa.

Our 98 has a towing capacity of 10K pounds and has given us 2 years and 20K trouble free miles. The independent front suspension makes driving it a lot of fun and as it was the flagship of the Fleetwood DP line at the time the design, fit and finish and quality of components and appliances is excellent.

These Eagles have a lot of very nice features:

-Fiberglass Roof
-Pantograph Cargo Doors (a la Prevost)
-Dual Pane windows
-Marble galley and bathroom floors
-Excellent thermal and acoustical insulation
-Side Radiator for ease of engine access
-Cargo Carrying Capacity > 4,000 pounds
-Slide out cargo trays for ease of loading
-Side out generator for ease of servicing

Also, American Coach and Spartan will treat you like you just bought a 2011 unit if you need spare parts or advice.

Have fun looking!

Dave
1998 American Eagle 40EVS
Cummins C8.3 Engine
Allison 3060 Six Speed Transmission

[scenic route]

Careful with the Alfas, some year/models have some bad exterior panel delamination problems that some say put them out of business and would probably be cost prohibitive to fix. Bob

[Pairajays]

Well, you sure educated me, I've never seen an older MH with a 10,000# towing capacity. I'm talking 40' or shorter. Yes GCWR minus GVWR equals the towing capacity. At least that is my understanding. Remember, If your actual weight is less than the GVWR then your towing capacity increase by the same amount.

Jim E

[TXiceman]

WOW I admire you having 20 months out of the year to spend RVing.....LOL

Ken

[POPPASMURF]

I would like to add one thing that to me is a deal breaker-if the PO fancied himself an electrician and got into the wiring-run like you know what. I had two ( slow learner). The one was extremely bad-the guy had intermixed the 12 volt system between the house and chassis power sources. Everytime I thought I had it straight-I'd hit a bump and find more smoking wires. You can get an idea by looking up under the dash to see if it resembles spagheti, under the frame where it enters the cab, aroung the battery compartment. Buy one of these messes if you enjoy rewiring every weekend instead of carefree camping/travelling. Thee are some good deals out there- I picked up our 98 Luxor DP with every option you could think of, 8.3 cummins & M3060 Allison with 50,000 miles for under $45k. Yes I have a minor annoying wiring problem(gen won't start from inside)-but that will soon be history.

[Cat320]

To clear up the tow question:

- GCWR minus GVWR = tow capacity (assuming the RV is at GVWR). However if the RV's GVW is less than its GVWR, then the tow capacity is reduced to the hitch capacity.

Example: An RV with a hitch capacity of 15,000.
GCWR (50,000) minus GVWR (35,000) = Tow capacity (15,000)
GCWR (50,000) minus GVW (30,000) = Tow capacity (15,000, hitch capacity)

[Tha_Rooster]

I would buy a coach made from a company that is still in business. So at least you'll have a chance to get parts. Then research,research and more research no surprises, which can be very expensive.

[John H...]

Welcome to the forum. Depending on what you have in mind, I'll sell you mine.

[Jon from WI]

I bought an older "high end" coach and agree that the quality can just be felt when you step into the coach. You might want to add the Safari brand to your list but limit yourself to the ones built PRIOR to Monaco buying them. I would also get a new enough one that has the Allison 6 speed (the older ones had 4). Plan to spend some $$ after the purchase as the previous post pointed out. Best advise I got was to look the "world" over and find what you like, then buy the one the DW wants!

[Pairajays]

Originally Posted by Tha_Rooster

I would buy a coach made from a company that is still in business. So at least you'll have a chance to get parts. Then research,research and more research no surprises, which can be very expensive.

I vehemently disagree. RVs are not "made" by the manufacturers, they are assembled from components purchased from hundreds of companies all over the country. Just about the only thing they "make" are body components and a few other in house items which are specific to high end RVs.

Now having said that, many component suppliers are also out of business. Just because a manufacturer is still in business doesn't necessarily mean they can supply repair parts for a broken component on an older RV. If the component supplier is out of business then the RV manufacturer probably switched suppliers and would not be compatible.

Anyway, IMO, just because a manufacturer is out of business is no reason to shy away from their products. Anything can be repaired or replaced and not necessarily be expensive.

Jim E

[randco]

Take a look at this link. http://www.qualitymotorcoach.com/inventory_15.htmlThis is where I purchased my coach. Got a great deal. The guys that own the place are real good to deal with.Good luck in your search.

[Ramzfan]

I have been buying used coaches in the 30 to 40 thousand dollar range and re-selling them. I have bought two of them recently and driven them cross-country to get them home. My advice if you want a NICE coach: buy a diesel pusher with slide outs. You will be much happier and you will not regret your purchase.

[twowheeltrev]

Originally Posted by TXiceman

WOW I admire you having 20 months out of the year to spend RVing.....LOL

Ken

lol!!!! Whoops! I meant 20 weekends a year... how I translated that into months when typing I'll never know!!!!!

Everyone, thank you so much for the advice.... you guys rock!!!!

Having been looking for a while now, one thing I've noticed is the, ahem, "flexibility" in prices - RV's being re-listed on sites for $15-$20k less than previously listed... it really does seem to be a buyer's market at the moment.

So another coach I've come across is the 1996-1998-ish Fleetwood American Dreams... they have a similar "look" that the Alfa's have that I like... but it is my impression that Fleetwood is considered a better builder than Alfa ever was?

I know the "gotcha's" of the Alfa's - they are out of business (that does not bother me) and the Fiberglass lamination issues (that does not totally bother me - just something to look very carefully at when considering a unit)... I just love the look of those coaches.... the big windows let in so much light!

We are off to Barber Motorsports Park this weekend for a trackday - there's an Alfa at a dealer between here and Barber, so I'm thinking of stopping on the way to have a walk through (have not personally been in one yet). It will be interesting to look up close.

Hopefully this weekend will be one of the last camping in the good 'ol Yukon!!! Don't get me wrong, it's a great vehicle - you just don't want to live in one!

Thanks for the help guys.... really appreciate it.

best,
trev