2011 Coachmen Encounter 36kw reliable ? Problems?

[Poppalarry]

Hi I am new to the forum so hello. I am looking at a 2011 coachmen encounter 36ks . Are there any known issues I need to look for ? I currently own a 2005 Safari Simba 30 pdd it has been great for 12 years no probs. I realize this is a large coach for gas but are there other issues I need to look for? Thanks in advance.

[Jim_HiTek]

Coachmen brand is not the high quality you might want. Last one I inspected and drove had several major issues that made me reject it. The one previous to that one was also suffering from the common issues Coachmen are know for. I only inspected those two in person, just to satisfy my own suspicions about the brand while hoping to find a diamond in the rough. And then I read about them on the 3 big RV'ing forums I am a member of.

Slide problems, auto awning problems, faux leather problems, dual pane window leaks, stains on the ceiling pointing to leak problems, and the biggest to me at least, that stupid stupid drivers window design where there's no way you can see the mirror properly without jogging your head around constantly trying to avoid the framing for the 3 piece windows.

It was pretty obvious to me that for the many Coachmen RVs I toured that the designers were NOT RV'ers.

[Teamfoxy]

We've owned a 2011 Mirada 32 DS for over a year, live in it full time, and like it a lot. No major issues and in fact far fewer overall than we had on two Winnebago coaches that we owned previously. The coach handles very well with no suspention upgrades that many people claim are needed on Ford chassis.
When you start looking at older coaches, you will find that how well they were maintained is far more important than who made it. In our search, l've seen many "top brand" coaches with major issues. You have to educate yourself and do your own research.