36 vs 40?

[SeaWolfHans]

The price for the them seem to be about the same. My real question is would you rather live on a 36 or 40ft CC?


Looking to live in it with my partner.



Looking back would you have rather have the shorter coach or longer coach? We will be towing a small SUV.



Would you rather try private party with a CC or dealer? Or is it a mixed bag?



How much can I try to negotiate when it comes to CC's?



(I am coming from a 2015 class C, Win J.)



Thanks for any assitance and feedback on your experiences!

[wfalch]

or what about a 2007 Allure 470 Sunset Bay which is 37'?

[SeaWolfHans]

Following up that I am looking at 1999/2002 era.

[MRUSA14]

Unless you simply must go to certain tight places, get the longer one. The extra space will be a pleasure. The extra length is something you'll easily adapt to.

My first coach was a 40 footer, and we bought it with a little trepidation but soon got used to the luxury of space and storage. When it came time to trade, we bought a 45 footer and never looked back.

[vito.a]

We owned a 34' Monaco Windsor for several years. Now after owning 45' and 42' coaches I would not go back to a short diesel coach again. With a diesel pusher you are hanging a heavy cast iron diesel engine and Allison transmission off the rear of the coach. My opinion is you need at least 38' coach for this configuration to be comfortable.

Your prospective Country Coach is going to be difficult to find. You should search any and all owners and dealers to find the perfect coach for you. Also, be prepared to invest money to bring it up to speed.

Pricing is all over the map, especially with short diesel pushers. Some of the specialty Country Coach dealers mark these early coaches up 2-3 times bluebook. Just do your homework and be careful. Make sure you search nationwide and be prepared to travel. Do not get in a hurry.

You should also consider Foretravel and Monaco coaches.

[Smitty77]

For full timing, usually 40' is a good compromise between not too short, and not too big. (IF, you are a heavy boon docker, state parks, and some national parks - the 36' will get you into more sites the a 40', and would have the ability to off road a bit easier too...)

I prefer private, if the owner has full documentation of care. If not going private, then I'd work with the people who know Country Coach. Premier and Kenai are two places with staff that fully understand CC's.

And I think you will find that many times, 36' and shorter CC's - are going for a premium price. Just not as many of them around!

Happy hunting,
Smitty

[450Donn]

Length can be misleading. Floor plan you enjoy living in is way more important.

[TR4]

We love our 36 ft. Intrigue. More than enough space for the two of us. It handles very well, even in the wind. The shorter coach is a little easier to maneuver in city traffic. With the 400 ISL I get over 8 mpg towing a 4000 lb. truck. We boondock and many times need to go down dirt roads to get to our campsite. A lot of the State an National Parks have limited large sites available and are first to go.

I always prefer a private party, I think you get a better price. But, a lot of people don’t want to bother with selling their RV, so they put them on consignment with a dealer. Make sure you get the RV inspected before buying.

Country Coach’s are a popular brand. They are well built and rock solid. When negotiating, you can always make an offer. If someone else buys it, you probably didn’t offer enough.

Bill

[saddlesore]

Watching....

[CoCoDave]

We're on our third (and last) coach. A 38' Diplomat, a 38' Windsor, and now a 42' Affinity.

Loved the 38' Diplomat. Simple and friendly to live in. It only had one slide which was fine with us. The bed was north/south which DW liked because it was easy to make up. If circumstances dictated, it was entirely livable without putting out the one slide. Dining table was on the passenger's (correct) side. Since it did not have AquaHot/HydroHot, there was more room underneath for storage. The 330 HP ISC was ample for the coach with Jeep Wrangler toad. Relatively easy to maintain except for the rear radiator.

We found a like-new Windsor that captivated us. It had two slides. The bedroom slide allowed a closet across the back wall that DW liked. However, the slide had to be out in order to walk around the foot of the bed which she did not like. The living room slide had to be out to access the pantry and make getting around convenient. Dining table was on the driver's (incorrect) side. The 370 HP ISL was adequate. It had an AquaHot which took up significant space in the basement.

If some's good then more's better. The Country Coach Affinity has checked all of our boxes. We rarely use public campgrounds so the 42' length is not a significant limitation. On the other hand, the 42' length accommodates the tag axle and the extra compartment for the additional batteries which are part of the all-electric feature. While it does have two slides, neither has to be extended to get around or access any of the interior storage space. The dining table is on the passenger's (correct) side. The 505 HP C-12 is ample. It has a Hurricane instead of an AquaHot which we actually prefer. It's less complex and takes up less room.

All of the above is a long-winded way of repeating... "it depends". To make a long story longer...
There are trade-offs in things optional.

Length - it has a significant effect on livability, particularly storage. Especially if things like a tag axle, AquaHot, extra battery are involved. Extra length means extra weight, though. And that argues for extra engine. We have two large, full-width storage bays with sliding trays. Priceless.

Slides - more slides equal more complexity. Some slide mechanisms take up space in the interior overhead storage cabinets. To a point, we'd rather gain space through length rather than width.

Dining area - We just don't like having the dining area on the driver's side. Your view is your neighbor's patio area. The down side is that it is more likely that your kitchen sink is going to be in the slide out if you have one. If (when) the drain leaks it will leak into your basement.

All Electric - We like the residential fridge and are glad that Country Coach added a pair of 8D AGM batteries and an extra inverter to accommodate it. It eliminates the need for a propane tank which frees up some of that precious storage space. We did not like the electric cook top and replaced it with a propane cook top and a small (5 pound) propane tank.

Washer Dryer - All three coaches came with combo washer dryers. We never used them and had the one in the Affinity removed and replaced with pantry shelves.

We had been told to "buy your last coach first". We would have loved to but did not know how. For us we needed the experience of using the coach to learn what we needed/wanted. We spend about 90 days per year in the coach. It's a significant amount of time but we're not full timers. So that's another trade-off.

FWIW

[Kodiakan]

I spent years looking and for me it looked like the 4 foot was the couches which we will likely use very little. 2002 is when CC started the Alum radiators, therefore I settled on 2000 or 2001. For me, private party for sure. There has been 3 pristine CC's this winter from private parties that sold for about half what the dealers were getting for them. The one I bought was one owner, always garaged and well cared for. Searchtempest is your easiest way to find them. I used it everyday. Biggest challenge is a quality coach will be sold in one or two days. Best of luck...

[mike brez]

To live in a 40.
Personally we were only looking for a 36 we are only weekend warriors and a few weeks here and there. Sometimes only used once or twice a year. For us it's just a toy.

[John Jones]

I can't speak to a 40', but our 36' is quite a bit of room for the two of us, but like a previous person said, floor plan is the most important decision.

[kjchristopher]

the biggest factor for this in my decision was overall length - and the trailers I intend to tow pushed me to 36.