American Coach: Considering a 2002 Fleetwood Revolution 38A

[bnlaing]

We currently own a 2004 Allegro 32BA gasser which we have had for 2 years and put about 10K miles on. It is our first Class A. We spend 3-4 months in Arizona in RV resorts. We do not boondock. We are looking at a 2002 Fleetwood Revolution 38A with 86K miles on it. Cosmetically it is in very good to excellent condition. The chassis is Freightliner with a Cummins 330 HP engine and Allison 6-speed trans. I don't know enough about diesel pushers to evaluate its condition. I'm curious about a number of things and would welcome feedback from Fleetwood owners.

1. General impressions about the build quality of the Revolution model or Fleetwood products in general.
2. Where does the Revolution fit in Fleetwood's product line of Discovery, Excursion, Expedition, etc.
3. Any red flags to look for in a used Revolution
4. My Allegro was equipped with steering stabilizers, the Revolution is not. Is that a concern?
5. How does one find a qualified mechanic to look at and evaluate a used rig. I live in the Eugene, OR area.

Any feedback on any of these questions would be appreciated. Thanks.

--Bill

[waroland]

WE have a 2002 Revolution 38B and love it. The Revolution was built on the American Coach assembly line and was Fleetwoods top of the line. The build quality is great. The carpet is tops and has a thick pad like used in stick homes. I would look for any water damage around and below windows. I have just been advised by a 2003 owner to add a fuel filter before the lift pump. We get between 9 & 10 MPG driving at 62 MPH.

I would check with a local RV dealer to find someone to give it a good look. We had a fellow do this where we are staying in Leesburg, FL.

Good luck with your search.

[336muffin]

Fleetwood has a great reputation for providing customer service! If you purchase, call fw and register yourself as owners. The free tech helpline is fantastic. I have owned four American Coach's and my next will be a Fleetwood.

[bnlaing]

Thanks for the feedback. It's been very helpful.

[TonyDi]

[HeapBigEngin]

The build quality - both inside and out - on our 2003 Rev 40C is outstanding. Like any used vehicle, one needs to consider past maintenance by the previous owner and recognize that some repair issues may be present. Like 336muffin mentioned, American Coach/Fleetwood Customer Service is outstanding. They have helped me track down service issues and parts vendors several times. And they don't seem to care that our coach is a 2003.

Re the Cummins powerplant, proper maintenance of a diesel is absolutely critical, especially air filters (along with other filters). I would suggest that you go through the coach's service records if possible. Also, you should determine if the Cummins lift pump has been replaced. If no records are available, have a good Cummins tech check for the telltale lift pump drip on initial start up. These things are notorious for requiring replacement on engines of that vintage due to the new low-sulfur diesel fuels which, unfortunately, dry out the internal pump seals. It's not a huge deal, just something to consider in the future if not already replaced. A filter ahead of the pump will not prevent this, BTW.

Re the Freightliner chassis, we have had no major issues at all....thankfully. Suggest you check the tire date codes to determine the age of the tires. A forum search on the subject will reap you a ton of great information on how to determine this and why it is so important. I did replace the stock FLiner bell crank (part of the steering mechanism) with a SuperSteer unit....the original FLiner part is junk. The combination of that with new tires and properly weighing the coach and inflating the tires accordingly made a world of difference. For a 40 foot long, 30,000 lb. vehicle with flat sides subject to serious side winds in our neck of the woods, it handles amazingly well.

Again, suggest you do a forum search.....lots of great info. Hope this helps!