What is High End

[mc4fun]

I we have deterred that we will be in the market for a 2008 to 2010 DP with Tag. Leaning toward a Sparta, min. 425 HP
I have been following a couple of threads on here and need clarification on something!

Determined to look he a higher end coach in the year span.

-aqua hot
-3A/C
- quality Construction

Now I know I do not want to offend anybody so I posted this in general discussion.

Questions
-what coaches to look at. Brand/ model
- if not Spatan Chassis then why another one

We hope to start the next season with a new, to us coach, and I know I can count on good feedback here

[pumper9x9]

You can also spend a few bucks at rv.org. This will be the best money you spend on your rv. Good luck and happy hunting.

[PyrateSilly]

Go to every dealership and show you can. Walk thru EVERY couch you can. Imagine living in it. Where will you put everything? Can you access things with slides in? Do not rely on anything anyone writes about RVs because only YOU can decide what you like. Case in point - Thom and I do not like Newmar's. Their floor plans, for us, are horrible. BUT there others that love them and that's fine.

You need to figure out what you like and what you don't and then look and walk thru all coach's you can.

[Clayobx]

I tend to favor Spartan chassis having had a Freightliner chassis our last bus. Both have excellent CS. With a tag in mind, get all the HP available, torque ft. Lbs. is your friend and saves you money with better MPG. I'm sure some will disagree but most experts in the industry as well as consumers find this assumption as factual. We really like the Aqua hot system. Ours is the 400 model and works fine, just wish it was the 450. Generally a tag will offer three zones in the coach, bedroom rear bath, central living area and cockpit. It would be a deal breaker without the half bath. Best of luck in your search, it's hectic but a lot of fun. Most folks will vote and tend to favor what they purchased as the best, so I'm not going to get into the best or worst advice. Look at the owners forums usually those with the least complaints are a pretty good indicator. I tend to discard the highest accolades as well as the lowest and concentrate on the middle while following discussions. One very important bit of advice which all will agree on, have the coach inspected by a competent third party and if purchasing thru a dealer look hard at their service end of the dealership. It will pay you big dividends in the end.

[Philliec]

For the upper end I Drool over the Newell and Foretravel with four nicely rounded slides.

[Raining Star]

I don't know anything about the Spartan chassis, but as a school bus driver I've had decades of daily familiarity with the Freightliner chassis. It's proven reliability, huge service and parts network make it the only chassis I'd choose. I suppose when I get ready to buy a DP I'll do more research on the Spartan, but it would take a lot to overcome my favorable opinion of the Freightliner.

[89sandman]

prevost, marathon. if your not spending at least a million your just second best

[Selah]

I don't think I would limit myself to a specific chassis maker. There all pretty equal and I do t think you could tell the difference when driving it. Frieghtliner has the advantage of having a much larger distribution channel nation wide.
There are very few tag 40 footers, you'll probably need to go 42 to 45 foot. To get the HP you want in a 2010 or older you will definetly need to go up into the higher end models of Newell, Tiffin, Newmar etc... That said you probably couldn't tell much difference in hill climbs between a 400 or 425 HP. The 400hp ISL was more widely used (I think).
Don't forget one of the most important aspects of choosing a coach, floor plan. Second is amenities; LED lighting, entertainment systems, heating systems, etc.
Hunting for the right coach is part of the experience so enjoy it and happy hunting.

[Philliec]

This last post is good. Floor plan is number one. I have a 600HP King Aire by Newmar here at the RV park that is beautiful too.

[CampDaven]

Roadmaster is a fine chassis also.

[StevenNSteph]

Originally Posted by Selah

Don't forget one of the most important aspects of choosing a coach, floor plan. Second is amenities; LED lighting, entertainment systems, heating systems, etc.

Exactly

You are buying a house, the first and most important thing is floor plan.

The foundation of the home (chassis) is almost irrelevant nowadays since they are all do their job about equally. How many axles doesn't matter to me if the floor plan is not one that supports what I want to do with the unit. I've owned a two DP, one was a tag, but when we decided to go full-timing the coach that fit our needs the best happened to be a gasser. Would I have liked to have a diesel, yup about 1% of the time, which is how much time I spend each year driving it I think a diesel would have been nicer. But 99% of the time, the time that the coach sits and is being used as a house, I am happier that we picked this floor-plan.

[Raining Star]

Originally Posted by StevenNSteph

Exactly

You are buying a house, the first and most important thing is floor plan.

The foundation of the home (chassis) is almost irrelevant nowadays since they are all do their job about equally. How many axles doesn't matter to me if the floor plan is not one that supports what I want to do with the unit. I've owned a two DP, one was a tag, but when we decided to go full-timing the coach that fit our needs the best happened to be a gasser. Would I have liked to have a diesel, yup about 1% of the time, which is how much time I spend each year driving it I think a diesel would have been nicer. But 99% of the time, the time that the coach sits and is being used as a house, I am happier that we picked this floor-plan.

I think you raise a good point about if it's mainly used stationary or on the road. My coach is mostly used for travel, so the chassis is a huge consideration for me. Floor plan is first thing for sure, but it is not the only thing. The other important considerations are dependent on how you will use it, and what your budget will allow.

[Smitty77]

OP - What budget range are you shopping in? As sure, Prevost and Newells are very nice coaches!

General high end coaches available in the years you indicated include, in no particular order:

American Line
Foretravel (The only one I know of with a Retarder, which I would like.)
Entegra (And maybe the end of Travel Supreme Select hit that bottom year.)
Monaco (Marquis, Dynasty and above, HR equivalent.)
Newmar (Mountain Aire and above)

If you drop down a few years, I'd add Country Coach to that mix.

Spartan, Roadmaster, Foretravel's Chassis, and though I don't have Tiffen in the above mix (a personal reason, not trying to slam the many fans of Tiffen) - they now have a new chassis designed by the same gent that did respected Alpine Peek(SP?) chassis. Country Coach again has the DynoMax chassis too. Both Spartan and Freightliner being the highest volume of DP's chassis - have different levels, same with Roadmaster - so it is coach model specific. The important thing about chassis, is how the ride is for your likes? I use the terms of BMW type ride (Roadmaster 10 bagger), to Cadillac float... What do you like, is going to determine which chassis is best for you.

I'm a fan of Aqua/Hydro Hot.

AC? If the coach is not too dark in color, two 15K units might be all you need. When in doubt, add the third unit.

Quality of construction and build technique vary between manufactures. In general, at the upper end of the food chain, you should find above to excellent average construction.

Without knowing budget range, I'll go to the less high coaches, suggest close look at:
Foretravel, Entegra, Mountain/King Aire Newmars, Monaco's Executive/Signature/Marquis, Country Coach Magna/Affinity.

Have fun, and shop coach liveability first, chassis second!
Smitty

[tankcj]

Originally Posted by mc4fun

I we have deterred that we will be in the market for a 2008 to 2010 DP with Tag. Leaning toward a Sparta, min. 425 HP
I have been following a couple of threads on here and need clarification on something!

Determined to look he a higher end coach in the year span.

-aqua hot
-3A/C
- quality Construction

Now I know I do not want to offend anybody so I posted this in general discussion.

Questions
-what coaches to look at. Brand/ model
- if not Spatan Chassis then why another one

We hope to start the next season with a new, to us coach, and I know I can count on good feedback here

I would add air leveling to your list and based on your wishes, I would think the American coach line would fit nicely and they have a really nice full wall slide that really opens up the coach.