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bassetbait · 01-01-2020, 09:02 PM

Hi, all! I am an RV virgin. I have just looked at a 2007 Coach House 272xl FD. It has 51,500 miles on it. The engine sounds good, the coach heater works very well and the rest seems to be in good condition. The veneer has shrunk and is bubbled on some cupboard doors. It is winterized, so I didn't see how the water/lines are. I would eventually add some upgrades: new tvs, sound system, tire pressure monitor, remote start, dinette replacement. My question; is foolish to purchase a coach that is 13 years old?
Thank you,
Bassetbait

Aander · 01-02-2020, 01:49 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bassetbait

My question; is foolish to purchase a coach that is 13 years old?
Thank you,
Bassetbait

Two years ago we purchased a 2005 Fleetwood Jamboree. We did so for several reasons
*wanted to avoid depreciation costs
*not sure if we would like it so wanted to manage the costs
*believe the older rigs were better built

We evaluated ours
*owner took good care of it (roof was in good shape, low wear)
*was single owner
*32k miles but not worried about Ford E450 engine
*RV parks around us do not have restrictions on rig age

There were some issues
*oven does work
*sink had staining
*damage from pop can exploding that caused a mess in a compartment

We did the following to it
*replaced the TVs and cassette player
*replaced backup camera
*replaced mattress
*upgraded kitchen faucet
*replaced light bulbs with LEDs

We love it and have some other mods in mind.

If I had it to do over I would have hired a local RV guy to evaluate it just for my own peace of mind.

Good luck.

coachmanjay · 01-02-2020, 03:02 PM

CH is a well built RV, we had drove one for 9 years and traded for a new one. The engine in the E450 is basically a teenager, it is a bullet proof power plant. Check the age of the tires, inspect the hoses, and brakes. All of the plumbing is inside on the CH so if you don’t see any water damage to the floor at the walls, you should be good to go. The one piece FG shell only has one joint that might leak and that is where the cab joins the FG house. Still it would pay to hire an independent inspector.

bassetbait · 01-02-2020, 04:38 PM

Thank you for the input. I spent a lot of today trying to find someone to inspect the Coach House, to no avail.

youracman · 01-02-2020, 05:14 PM

You might try this link ............. if you haven't already.

https://nrvia.org/locate/

Good luck with the hunt, and safe travels.

Ron750 · 01-16-2020, 12:04 AM

Did you pursue this Coach House? I’m at the Tampa RV show, and wondering how their RVs hold up. I’m also curious about the availability of inspectors.

1982 · 01-16-2020, 06:00 PM

Three years ago I looked at a 10 yr old one in Arizona. Looked great. Including the paint job. I also visited with owners of a 7 yr old one and a 4 year old one. No complaints. I bought a new one three years ago. Again, no complaints here.

rarebear.nm · 01-16-2020, 06:12 PM

We are also looking to buy a Coach House 272XL. Spent lots of time researching the brand and have examined a different model for sale in town. For us it's not a question of quality, just cost and exact timing.

docj · 01-16-2020, 06:19 PM

We owned a 2005 Coach House 272XL for several years. We weren't overly impressed. The "veneer" the OP mentioned wasn't wood in our coach, all of it was vinyl wrap. Furthermore, our entertainment system shelves collapsed with less than 20,000 miles on the vehicle. What we thought was the worst deficiency was the serious lack of outside storage. We had to buy a hitch-mounted storage enclosure in order to have enough room. Our bottom line was that it was over-priced for what we got.

bassetbait · 01-17-2020, 08:12 AM

Update to the original post in this thread:
I am still seriously considering the 2007 Coach House. I have yet to drive it, waiting for a clear day up here in the frozen north. The owner did have a repair made to the airbags. I am concerned about the lack of storage. I would put some money into it for updates.

I have not located an RV inspector. Even called a local dealer and they kind of snort/laughed at the question.
Thanks for all of your comments,
Bassetbait

rarebear.nm · 01-17-2020, 11:20 AM

The storage question depends how much stuff you feel is necessary. Different for a full time vs part time person/family.

I put build quality and floor plan above all else.

docj · 01-17-2020, 03:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rarebear.nm

I put build quality and floor plan above all else.

And after a couple of years of use we weren't all that impressed by either of these. Not relative to what we paid for the MH. JMO

rarebear.nm · 01-17-2020, 04:08 PM

Well Doc, As you understand all things RV is a compromise. In my case the MH must be under 28 ft, end of story. So the number of options gets to be very limited with our other mandatory requirements. I've yet to find any other make/model in this class that comes close to the build.

I've read your comment about the vinyl wrap at least three times. Coach House no longer does this, its solid wood. Someone's storage needs are only relative. I read where many people load plenty of extra stuff into their toads because of lack of space elsewhere. We have found the Minnie 22r has more than sufficient storage to meet our needs in a MH.

docj · 01-17-2020, 04:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rarebear.nm

I've read your comment about the vinyl wrap at least three times. Coach House no longer does this, its solid wood.

The OP said he was considering a 2007 Coach House which means that it may well have vinyl wrap rather than veneer since our 2005 CH had it. I felt it was totally appropriate to warn him of this.

As for storage, we were using the MH without having a toad. As a result we couldn't load it up with extra stuff. That probably would have made a big difference, but at that time we didn't want to tow.

My comments about CH aren't meant to demean the company or anyone who enjoys owning one. IMHO for the ~$165k MSRP of the MH, we were disappointed with what we got for our money. JMO