Community Forums

hrdestiny · 06-01-2012, 08:31 PM

We are looking at a 2007 Cross Country DP. Are these motorhomes of decent quality? We currently have a Class A gas motorhome and would like to upgrade. Just looking for opinions. I know its not one of the top quality DP but wondered if it was even worth considering. Thanks for any opinions.

Chaffeekid · 06-02-2012, 05:12 AM

Well hello there, don't know your name, nor the type of engine the coach has. I believe the Cross Country is the higher end of the Coachmen line. We had a Mirada a couple of years back and liked it but no compairsion to the CC.

Yes they are a good quality Coach, I was looking at one prior to buying my current Fleetwood Expedition, which I believe is about the same level in the Diesel Pusher market. Things you want to pay attention to is:
Maintenance Records, does it have any history that you can review?
Tire age, look at the DOT date stamp on the tires, lots of people replace tires if 5 to 7 years old.
Hours on the Generator
Does all the systems work, Dash AC, Water Heater, Refridgerator on AC and Gas check both, also possibly on DC via the inverter. Gas stove and furnace or furnances. Water pump, have them put water in the fresh water tank and power up the pump. It should run for 10 to 20 seconds, build pressure in the system and then cut off.
Don't know why I am going into this, you guys already have a motorhome so you know this!!!
Anyhoo, it will be a big step up from a gasser, you'll love the ride and the QUIET when going down the road.
The diesel will be a little more expensive to maintain from the standpoint of using more oil at oil changes and filters. Mine holds 14 to 17 quarts of oil, but I change it myself, and take the oil back to Walmart where I buy it, and they dispose of it.
All things considered, if your finances will handle it, I would say go for it, you will love the ride.
Happy trails
Jim

60Vette · 06-02-2012, 12:44 PM

hrdestiny:

I just bought a 2002 Coachmen Cross Country Elite. It's a diesel pusher on a Freightliner chassis. As a point of reference I'm an aircraft mechanic by training and a/c inspector by profession (retired).

I spoke to a lot of Class A owners prior to purchase and their opinions varied greatly based on their back grounds and situations. You will find the same on this great site.

You asked about the quality of a Coachmen Cross Country. Here's how I made my determination:

First of all it sits on a Freightliner XC chassis with a Cummins 300HP turbo diesel and Allison 3000-MH 6 speed. The XC chassis is rock solid with millions of miles logged and is well sorted. Lots of quality coach builders use Freightliner chassis. She also has an Onan 7.5KW diesel genset.

Most builders use commonly available appliances: Dometic, Norcold, Whirlpool, Kitchenaid, Magic Chef, Splendide, Suburban, Fantastic, Coleman-Mach you get the picture. Perhaps ultra high end coaches have custom built appliances but most builders use the same appliances.

Looking at the coach itself I could not see anything that would scare me away either from a structural or workmanship standpoint.

With that said I have yet to be impressed by the workmanship on any Class A. Get on a creeper and bring your flashlight and mirror. What scares me the most on these things is the wiring. Man, I have seen some disasters waiting to happen. Routing, bonding, chafing, bundling issues - I can't believe more don't burn up along the highway.

For some people the fit and finish on the cabinets clinches the deal. For me it was price, maintainability and reliability. Freightliner is top notch, the appliances repairable if need be and the price was a fraction of new. It's not a Prevo but it wasn't $500K either. This Coachmen was a home run for me.

Best of luck,

60Vette

Dacotah · 06-02-2012, 01:17 PM

Back in the late 1990's, I was managing an RV store and we took on the Coachman line about the time that they came out with the Sportscoach division. This was their first venture into diesel pushers and they used the Freightliner chassis as 60vet said. The quality was about par with others in the price range which was about $245000.00 for a 38' coach fully equipped. We did well with them; I left the company after 2 years to get into the marine business, and did not pay anymore attention until about 2 years ago when we decided to get back into a motor home for retirement.

Well guess what... we looked at over 20 different motor homes and the best choice was a 2001 Sportscoach! So I agree with 60vet, this coach seemed to be the best value for the money; there are higher end ones out there but we like the Freightliner chassis, and we completely re-did the interior anyway. 2 years and 10000 miles later we are happy with our choice. DACOTAH

JBoyer · 06-02-2012, 08:04 PM

60Vette,
From someone else who is "struggling" trying to learn what to look for and understand the systems involved, I found your post one of the best I've read on this forum. Thanks for taking the time to answer hrdestiny's post!
Jeff

hrdestiny · 06-02-2012, 08:20 PM

Hey guys. Thanks so much for all the replies. Im struggling with this decision but your information has helped alot. I just want a nice reliable coach and it sounds like that is what the cross country is. Once again thanks guys for all the input. Kent

zeeyaarv · 06-02-2012, 08:58 PM

Have a 2008 Pathfinder--cousin of Cross Country. Love it. Normal growing pains but overall, it's well designed and appointed. The only "plastic" are the heater duct grates. The XC bays are large and provide a lot of pass through storage. For the price, Coachmen produced a great mid to higher level quality light weight DP with good overall quality. Is it a Monaco--no. But the Monaco is not a Millennium and so on and so on. I would take it to a Freightliner shop and have them run the checks on chassis and Cummins. The Allison MH 3000 is a really great tranny. Only real problem with Coachmen are there are not enough cup holders.