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Old 03-27-2017, 01:34 PM   #1
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What brand to buy?

My wife and I are going full-time in the near future. We have around 500k to spend on a coach. What would everyone buy? And why? Just looking for individual opinions.
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Old 03-27-2017, 01:55 PM   #2
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In that range, buy a Newmar Dutchstar 40' or 43' tag axle with a floor plan that suits your needs. Why? Because it's the best bang for your buck in this price range and it's built for fulltime use. Look over the rest and then go with a DSDP.
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Old 03-27-2017, 02:07 PM   #3
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There's no clear answer here because your needs and my needs and the next guy's needs will differ. If I were buying new, I'd look hard at the Newmar luxury line. But, personally, I'd probably look at used coaches and go with a high end luxury line (Newmar Mountain Air or better). On the surface, I like Entegra, but after talking with a few in the repair industry, I have second thoughts. I'd also consider looking at the Tiffen line.

I'm very pleased with Country Coach and would not hesitate to recommend one, but they're no longer being produced (now owned by Winnebago but nothing produced and no idea if they'd even come close in quality). You can get a really nice Magna for well under 500k.

Going full time, I'd definitely want to look at 45 foot coaches, nothing less than 40.
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Old 03-27-2017, 02:31 PM   #4
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Quote:
Originally Posted by CarlAda View Post
There's no clear answer here because your needs and my needs and the next guy's needs will differ.. But, personally, I'd probably look at used coaches and go with a high end luxury line (Newmar Mountain Air or better).

I'm very pleased with Country Coach and would not hesitate to recommend one,

Going full time, I'd definitely want to look at 45 foot coaches, nothing less than 40.
I concur on a lightly used coach.. You will be able to "step up" quite a ways in build & component quality with used.
40 to 45' DP with tag, minimum number of slides = less issues.
My used search range went from Newell, Foretravel, Country Coach & Prevost.
ended up with a Foretravel 40' with tag & one slide.

Happy Wife = Happy life!
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Old 03-27-2017, 03:31 PM   #5
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If you're going full-time I wouldn't put all of your 500K into a RV. You'd be better off banking some of it for future emergencies. If you can't find an affordable one new there's absolutely nothing wrong with getting one a few years older.

Since you asked... we were extremely satisfied with our Newmar. Also, only you know how you're going to RV and what you think you need in one. Many full-timers travel in much smaller that a 40' and have minimal slides. It's definitely not a given that to full-time you need the biggest and best out there. We chose one with only two slides and they had to be on the same side. We used public parks or boondocked on public lands 95% of our time. Trying to position multiple slides on both sides of the RV would be difficult with trees.

Good luck and hope you enjoy the lifestyle as much as we did!
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Old 03-27-2017, 03:35 PM   #6
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500k is just what we have set aside for an RV. (Not everything we have). Just wondering what everyone's​ personal preference is. So many choices.
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Old 03-27-2017, 03:40 PM   #7
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Newmar, Tiffin, or Entegra. Each known for customer service and quality coaches.
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Old 03-27-2017, 03:54 PM   #8
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Foretravel ,good strong coaches, some of the older ones are exquisite. We had an older Newmar, but found our dream in the foretravel. Both good, but just like the quality of the FT.
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Old 03-27-2017, 03:57 PM   #9
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We have spent close to $500k on our setup. That includes coach, Jeep, Airforce 1, roadmaster plate and bar, installs, plates, insurance, and some items for coach. (Got the unit wife liked design on best but still had to change some things.)

Anyhow we got down to 3 brands. (Americian Coach, Entegra, and Newmar.) Tiffin dropped because of location relative to our home and desire to have factory service nearby.
At time we were looking Entrgra had just been sold so dropped them not knowing how that would affect things there.
Then found a great deal on the Americian Coach so went that direction. The Tradition we got was above where we had been looking but price got real close.

We went new because I really wanted some of the features/changes over the past few years.

No coach had everything I liked in the way of construction and features. It becomes a game of which things mean the most to you as no coach looked prefect.

If I had ordered I probably would have gone with a Dutch Star 4369. Still I am very happy with our Tradition and love the bigger engine. Plus I am liking the very sturdy bridge construction after seeing how bad some interstates are.

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Old 03-27-2017, 05:41 PM   #10
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Quality Wise in that price range, I narrowed it down to Entegra, Newmar, and American coach.
I ruled Tiffin out as they seem to be going through a lot of quality control issues at the time.

American Coach simply did not have a floor plan we liked, so they were eliminated.
When I compared Entegra to Newmar in a 45' coach, you needed to go to a Mountain Aire to match up to the Entegra Anthem.
Personally I felt Entegra offered a lot more in their coach for less money. The fact that Entegra has a 2 year full warranty, Newmar only 1 year, and Entagra has fantastic customer service also helped me to choose the Entegra.
Having it to do over, I would still buy the Entegra, but Newmar, American Coach , and Tiffin all have happy owners as well.

Nothing wrong with a solid used travel supreme, but I would want it very late model if I were planning to use it a lot.
Not a fan of older Prevost with no slides, or one or two slides..........no inside room.

If I were full timing, I would defiantly want 45' for the underneath storage as much as the added room inside. Four slides, or three if one is a full wall. I would also want bath and a half.

My 450hp engine has no issue pulling my grand Cherokee around. While we all would like the 600hp engine, the only place I personally see a huge advantage to it is if you are towing a heavy trailer.

Just my $.02...........
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Old 03-27-2017, 08:18 PM   #11
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Easy. 2006-2008 Monaco Signature, HR Navigator, or Beaver Marquis. Numerous floor plans to choose from. These years can be had for $200-250K, another $30K for tires, batts, maintenance, upgrades, tow systems, etc. and bank the $200K you have left. These 3 coaches were the crème-de-la-crème and the pinnacle of Class A diesel pushers in their price range. The Roadmaster chassis these machines were built on is spectacular. These coaches will never be built again.

They can be worked on by any good RV center in the country and especially if you live in the NW and can travel to Eugene, OR where they were built. Find a light color paint scheme or a dark paint scheme that has been kept mostly indoors. Paint checking was a problem on the darker colors when exposed to harsh sunlight.
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Old 03-27-2017, 08:32 PM   #12
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I would consider a 1-2 year old Newmar Essex. By that time all the kinks are out of it. Great coach with tons of power. Newmar's Comfort Drive makes operating it a dream. Check them out. You get a lot of bang for the buck.
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Old 03-27-2017, 08:39 PM   #13
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Quote:
Originally Posted by CarlAda View Post
There's no clear answer here because your needs and my needs and the next guy's needs will differ. If I were buying new, I'd look hard at the Newmar luxury line. But, personally, I'd probably look at used coaches and go with a high end luxury line (Newmar Mountain Air or better). On the surface, I like Entegra, but after talking with a few in the repair industry, I have second thoughts. I'd also consider looking at the Tiffen line.

I'm very pleased with Country Coach and would not hesitate to recommend one, but they're no longer being produced (now owned by Winnebago but nothing produced and no idea if they'd even come close in quality). You can get a really nice Magna for well under 500k.

Going full time, I'd definitely want to look at 45 foot coaches, nothing less than 40.
Having owned two Ditch Stars and now a CC Magna I'll have to agree with Carl.
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Old 03-27-2017, 08:51 PM   #14
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Brand only matters if they provide a floorplan you like.
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