2001 Country Coach Affinity

[smlranger]

Originally Posted by cnocmmz

Hello again all
I have a three question request here:
1. As part of my search for the right CC that fits our budget and lifestyle, one of the questions will be to have a Tag Axle or not? Some say provides an awesome ride others are not concerned or it doesn't make for one? Reviewing and searching, it does raise the cost significantly.. Any thoughts appreciated.

If I was going to full time in the coach, I would certainly want the tag axle. Not an issue if you want the Affinity... don't think they were made without tags. The tag allows a much higher cargo carrying capacity which is usually an issue for folks living in a coach full time. Plus it provides for more stable handling, in cross winds, when trucks pass, etc. We went from a 36' non-tag
DP to a 42' with tag and the difference is pretty amazing.

2. 40-42 Ft Rigs: Do you find it hard to find places to park or except a Rig of this size? When I retire from the Gov we plan to travel around states for 4 months and so was wondering about that. I am also retired military so maybe some of the base are available for large rigs? I had no problem with my 36 Ft HR?

We have traveled from East to West coast twice in our 42' coach and never had any problems finding places to stay. Now we prefer private RV parks and realize many of the NF and State park campgrounds will not accommodate our longer rig. Since you have access to the military RV parks, I would think you will be fine.

3. Lastly, How is it living in the Motorhome for that length of time or longer?

We half time and have spent as long as 4 months in our coach, DW, me and 2 dogs. We've never felt cramped in our coach, and really did not in the 36' coach when we had it. Last summer when we had a mechanical issue that required us to spend 3 nights in a decent motel room with the dogs, we felt a lot more cramped there than in our coach.

Thanks for all your support in the endeavor

"Mike the want-a-bee"

Good Luck with your search.

[B Bob]

There are pluses and minuses to things like length, # of slides, tag / no tag.

Shorter means more campgrounds can take you. However, the State parks with smaller spaces generally have a 30' or 35' max. But a longer coach means more room for longer trips. My wife and I looked at a bunch of coaches when we bought and got the one with the floor plan we liked the best. And drove the best. Fortunately the same coach.

# of slides. Almost everyone is in the more is better slide camp. I am not. We looked at several Country Coaches that were newer, shorter, and had 3 or 4 slides. We liked the 2 slide Affinity better. I am not sorry for our choice except when we want to have ten people in our rig. And we have had 16 inside our coach for a sit down dinner. For two people opposing slides makes no difference. When you want to get into the basement storage it is much easier when there are no slides to get under. If you want to make a sitting area under the awning no slide in the way is better. And finally, slides have been the most troublesome thing on our coach. Less means less costly repairs. Half of the problem we have had with slide repair is getting someone skilled in fixing them. Lots of waisted money from bad repairs.

Tag or no tag. A tag offers more weight carry capacity and more stability. But the tag takes up basement space, you have two more tires to buy, and you have to remember to lift them when you back up.

Something else to look for is to make sure you get IFS (independent front suspension). Seems like CC started putting those in during 2000 or 2001. The have a better turning circle and ride better.

[smlranger]

I agree with Bob on the slide issue. More is not always better unless you just have to have a lot of floor space when parked. Our Allure has four slides but I really preferred no more than three. The passenger side front slide takes up a lot of patio space and we miss that. However, this was otherwise a really nice coach for us so we did the deed.

[cnocmmz]

Originally Posted by smlranger

That will depend on where you are looking. For example there are a lot of CC's in Oregon and CA since they were made in Oregon . In that part of the country I would recommend Kevin Waite in Junction City, Oregon .

In Florida I would recommend Butch Williams at Fountain RV in Lakeland .

Thanks, I am looking in Virginia if possible just because I live here and obviously it makes it more convenient. :-)
Wr Mike Z

[smlranger]

Originally Posted by cnocmmz

Thanks, I am looking in Virginia if possible just because I live here and obviously it makes it more convenient. :-)
Wr Mike Z

There is a full service RV repair shop in Ashland, VA. RV Service of Virginia. You might want to check with them to see if they do pre purchase inspections. The manager is named Rusty.

[vtwinwilly]

Not to hi-jack this thread, but I too have questions about the 2001 to 2003 Affinities. Mostly about the onboard electronics that are proprietary to Country Coach.

I looked at a 2002 unit a few months back. The owner was showing me the onboard diagnostic systems that monitor a variety of systems on the coach and lets you know if there's a fault. He (the owner) went on to explain how there were 2 computers on board. One that spoke to you in a woman's voice, and the other in a man's voice. If the Woman's voice told you there's a fault, it was something that you'd need to look at eventually, but didn't require immediate attention. If it was the Man's voice, you needed to stop what you were doing and fix it immediately.

Now to my questions:
1) Do all Affinities (2001 - 2003) have this feature or was it just on select units?
2) If on all Affinities (2001 - 2003)... how reliable are these electronics?
3) If these systems (computers) fail, are replacement parts available?
4) If the systems (computers) fail, will the coach continue to function and operate?
5) Is there any place I can get more information on these systems.

I know this is something I should have asked the owner, but my wife didn't like this particular coach for other reasons, so I saw no need to pursue it at the time.

[vtwinwilly]

Oh... and one more thing while we're talking about electronics...

Some Affinities in this year range have an electronic dash display. There are no gauges, just a screen with simulated gauges. How reliable are these. When it dies, is there someone out there who can repair them? Are replacements available?

I've got to say... I love the 2001 to 2003 Affinity(s), but the 13+ year old electronics scare the heck out of me!

Am I worrying for nothing?

[cnocmmz]

So a friend of a friend is offering his 40 2002 Tag CC Magna too me for 68K. Looks to be in good condition but need to do a thorough inspection prior. Really wanted the Affinity but I think the cost would have been at LEAST 20 K more. Any thoughts on price.
Thanks
Mike from Virginia beach

[vtwinwilly]

Originally Posted by cnocmmz

So a friend of a friend is offering his 40 2002 Tag CC Magna too me for 68K. Looks to be in good condition but need to do a thorough inspection prior. Really wanted the Affinity but I think the cost would have been at LEAST 20 K more. Any thoughts on price.
Thanks
Mike from Virginia beach

$68k is probably in the right ballpark. Just looking at what's available, there's one at PPL for $71k and I saw for a brief time a 2002 40' on RVTrader for $58k, but it sold quickly.

I too have waffled back and forth between the Magna and Affinity. I really prefer the look of the Magna, but the 164 gallon fuel tank on the Affinity has great appeal to me.

[Peralko]

As far as the warning systems on Affinitys go (better known as bitchin' Betty!), our 1995 Affinity had them both, and they were both working when we traded the coach last year. Never needed them worked on.
As far as a Magna vs. Affinity, there were a lot of difference between the two in the 2000-2004 range, the 110 gal vs 164 gal fuel tank being just one of them. Damon Rapozo's web site gives a good rundown what each model has. Do your research to determine if saving the money on a Magna is worth giving up the amenities in the Affinity.

[B Bob]

My coach has the voice. I have it turned off. It works fine but I don't like it. Our coach has a Silverleaf computer screen which works perfectly. Silverleaf is in business in OR and has lots of parts and service. They also build the electronic dash for CC's.

I believe that the Affinity got the IFS a couple of years earlier than the Magna. The sharp turning radius of one of the very good features of these coaches. Our coach is also all electric and I don't think the Magna had that option. And then there is the motor. Ours is a C12 with 505 hp and 1550 lbs torque. I believe that this is significantly more than the Magna motor was rated. I am telling you all of these things from memory and my memory is not what it used to be.

But when you are talking about a Country Coach they are all high end and so you are basically just adding frosting to the cake. When we bought our coach about seven years ago we picked an Affinity because the interior was just beautiful. It was semi custom with a great south western design. That was not available in the other models. We have lots of stained glass cabinet doors and such.

I bought this coach from a formerly rich guy at a very good price. If I had it to do over again knowing what I know now I would have waited till I found a CC from a persnickety perfectionist who maintained every system as new. I cannot tell you all the time and money I spent getting this thing right. And for the first 3 years I had an Extra Ride insurance policy which paid out more than the policy cost. Our coach is not unreliable, but the original owner hardly fixed anything. He just drove it to NASCAR races. He did maintain the Cat motor though. My point here; Do not brag about how little someone wants for one of these high end coaches. Brag about how painstakingly the former owner has maintained it. Trust me on this from personal knowledge, you will spend far less by paying more for a coach where everything is as near perfect as can be than getting a bargain coach.

Low miles. Coaches are not cars. High miles means a coach was fun and enjoyable to drive. Low miles can mean that coach was not fun or "white knuckle" to drive. Cars are pretty much mass produced items that are near 100% identical. Coaches like Affinities are complex manufactured items that are very very low runs or onesies. If the used coach you are looking at had a misfortune earlier in it's life you may never get it right. A bent this or that. Thankfully our coach just had a lot of system illnesses that were not fixed by the PO so we just replaced a bunch of stuff. It is now a great coach to drive and spend time living in.

I have a 2002 Affinity brochure as a pdf. Anyone who wants a copy just pm me and I will send you a copy.

[vtwinwilly]

B Bob. Just sent you a PM.

would love to have a brochure.

[cnocmmz]

Originally Posted by B Bob

My coach has the voice. I have it turned off. It works fine but I don't like it. Our coach has a Silverleaf computer screen which works perfectly. Silverleaf is in business in OR and has lots of parts and service. They also build the electronic dash for CC's.

I believe that the Affinity got the IFS a couple of years earlier than the Magna. The sharp turning radius of one of the very good features of these coaches. Our coach is also all electric and I don't think the Magna had that option. And then there is the motor. Ours is a C12 with 505 hp and 1550 lbs torque. I believe that this is significantly more than the Magna motor was rated. I am telling you all of these things from memory and my memory is not what it used to be.

But when you are talking about a Country Coach they are all high end and so you are basically just adding frosting to the cake. When we bought our coach about seven years ago we picked an Affinity because the interior was just beautiful. It was semi custom with a great south western design. That was not available in the other models. We have lots of stained glass cabinet doors and such.

I bought this coach from a formerly rich guy at a very good price. If I had it to do over again knowing what I know now I would have waited till I found a CC from a persnickety perfectionist who maintained every system as new. I cannot tell you all the time and money I spent getting this thing right. And for the first 3 years I had an Extra Ride insurance policy which paid out more than the policy cost. Our coach is not unreliable, but the original owner hardly fixed anything. He just drove it to NASCAR races. He did maintain the Cat motor though. My point here; Do not brag about how little someone wants for one of these high end coaches. Brag about how painstakingly the former owner has maintained it. Trust me on this from personal knowledge, you will spend far less by paying more for a coach where everything is as near perfect as can be than getting a bargain coach.

Low miles. Coaches are not cars. High miles means a coach was fun and enjoyable to drive. Low miles can mean that coach was not fun or "white knuckle" to drive. Cars are pretty much mass produced items that are near 100% identical. Coaches like Affinities are complex manufactured items that are very very low runs or onesies. If the used coach you are looking at had a misfortune earlier in it's life you may never get it right. A bent this or that. Thankfully our coach just had a lot of system illnesses that were not fixed by the PO so we just replaced a bunch of stuff. It is now a great coach to drive and spend time living in.

I have a 2002 Affinity brochure as a pdf. Anyone who wants a copy just pm me and I will send you a copy.

Can you please send on my way at cnocmmz@gmail.com
I have an opportunity to purchase a 2002 Affinity bed and breakfast for 89,500, so I weighing out if I should purchase now or wait until we retire in 3-4 years at 60 years old. I would hate to waste the opportunity and only use it a few times a year until that time? Got to make the decision soon, for as you know, the rig won't last 😀 Thanks for the pdf

[cnocmmz]

Originally Posted by Peralko

The 2001-2002 Bed and Breakfast Affinity was our favorite coach for a long time. We loved the tight turning radius, the ride, the storage, and the heated floor in the kitchen/bathroom. The 505 Cat will keep running forever, and have no problem pushing you up any hill. We also liked that it only had two slides, and being fully usable with the slides in. Just get it thoroughly checked out, and you will have a great coach!

I have seen several online but I am driving about 7.5 hours to actually to view a 2002 Tag axle CC Affinity B&B this weekend in person with the Mrs. (most important vote :-) ). It is far to view but at least I can get an idea of the layout. Your input is appreciated on this. The company is asking 89K out the door and is not willing to budge, I think that is about right in the ball park. I know the cost new they were close to 600K.
I told them we will just view this weekend and if we like the layout and check it out visually we will give a down payment to hold it. They will provide a $400.00 package for changing oils, and filters. They say it is a beautiful coach and is in excellent condition. They do a thorough inspection but I told them I want to hire and independent inspector to verify oils and other mechanical stuff since I am not qualified by far :-) They mentioned on the phone that I have to sign to a purchase agreement and then move forward prior to the inspection? Is this normal and is the price about right? Any input is appreciated. Thank
"getting closer"