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Old 08-03-2013, 03:54 PM   #1
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Country Coach quality?

Haven't been looking for a "new" coach but came across a 2008 Country Coach that sounds like a pretty good deal. Original sticker was around $800K. It has 7500 miles, 600 hp Cummins and can probably get it for around $300K. It hasn't been used so will have to check out the systems real well but the interior and exterior are in great shape.
My real question is, did CC quality suffer during the later years after they had financial problems? I have heard from a service manager that I have confidence in that the newer models are not the quality of the older units. Anybody else found that to be the case? Are they still really good but not as good as they once were? Before what year would the quality have been the best? Any thoughts on the subject would be greatly appreciated.
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Old 08-03-2013, 07:23 PM   #2
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We just traded a Winne for a 2007 Allure. I've only had the coach since late April so I am still learning the systems. From what I have seen so far, the quality is superior. The framework seems sturdy and the fit, finish and overall quality of the cabinet work in the coach is really impressive.

It is my first CC so I am still a newby to the brand. You might ask the question in the County Coach owners area. There is also a CC owners forum on Yahoo if you join that.

I believe National bought CC in the later 2000's and I think CC finally went belly up in late 2009 or early 2010.

Country Coach Corp is back in Junction City, OR as a factory repair center and they have parts and do provide technical support. I talked with them before we bought this coach to make sure things like body panels and other items unique to the brand were available. They said they had everything or could make it if necessary.

The coach, like most, is pretty much a collection of stuff from many vendors. I would just make sure you check it out thoroughly.
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Old 08-03-2013, 07:51 PM   #3
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Smlranger, thanks for the input. I wanted to post this thread on the Class A forum instead of the CC owners group because I think there might be some brand loyalty bias from the owners. Just hoping for some objective feed back from folks who have heard, one way or the other, that the famous quality is still there. Hoping that it is. Hope others will respond.
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Old 08-04-2013, 06:41 AM   #4
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Chuck, I was a moderator on this site for several years and visit at least four similar forums daily. Based on what I read, any of the brands have issues....some unique to the brand but many are similar across brands.

I am curious and technically-inclined and my coach is a hobby for me. At this point I have discovered the following issues which I have addressed:

1. CC's slide rooms are built with a stainless angle at each corner. These are held on with Sika adhesvive, no other fasteners. Apparently, CC did not use a recommended primer on the pieces so the angles get loose and let water enter the slide room. When I read about this on the Yahoo CC forum, I checked my slides. Three of the angles fell off in my hand and three others were loose. Fortunately, I had no evidence of water intrusion and I re-sealed the pieces and attached them with stainless rivets.
2. Four 3/8" hoses that return coolant to the recovery tank were actually fuel line hose and I had also read about some early failures. I found some small leaks in mine so I replaced them with higher quality silicone coolant hoses. Cost me about $60 and one hour of my time.

That is all I have discovered so far that I would attribute to QC.

If the coach you're looking at has the aluminum radiator, that was a known issue and many have been replaced due to early failure. Mine is brass/steel so by 2008 CC may have stopped using the aluminum cooling pack.

You indicated the coach as a 600hp engine so I am guessing it is either an Affinity or Magna. Obviously the highest end rigs had many complex systems that can cause issues but no more than similar coaches with other brands.

This blog details several issues one fellow attributes to quality but I also think he just loves to upgrade.

Allure Page
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Old 08-04-2013, 08:12 AM   #5
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Quote:
Originally Posted by smlranger View Post
Chuck, I was a moderator on this site for several years and visit at least four similar forums daily. Based on what I read, any of the brands have issues....some unique to the brand but many are similar across brands.

I am curious and technically-inclined and my coach is a hobby for me. At this point I have discovered the following issues which I have addressed:

1. CC's slide rooms are built with a stainless angle at each corner. These are held on with Sika adhesvive, no other fasteners. Apparently, CC did not use a recommended primer on the pieces so the angles get loose and let water enter the slide room. When I read about this on the Yahoo CC forum, I checked my slides. Three of the angles fell off in my hand and three others were loose. Fortunately, I had no evidence of water intrusion and I re-sealed the pieces and attached them with stainless rivets.
2. Four 3/8" hoses that return coolant to the recovery tank were actually fuel line hose and I had also read about some early failures. I found some small leaks in mine so I replaced them with higher quality silicone coolant hoses. Cost me about $60 and one hour of my time.

That is all I have discovered so far that I would attribute to QC.

If the coach you're looking at has the aluminum radiator, that was a known issue and many have been replaced due to early failure. Mine is brass/steel so by 2008 CC may have stopped using the aluminum cooling pack.

You indicated the coach as a 600hp engine so I am guessing it is either an Affinity or Magna. Obviously the highest end rigs had many complex systems that can cause issues but no more than similar coaches with other brands.

This blog details several issues one fellow attributes to quality but I also think he just loves to upgrade.

Allure Page
Smlranger, Thanks for the input and link. All good info.
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Old 08-04-2013, 09:16 AM   #6
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It's popular among CC owners to say that the coaches built during the years CC was owned by National RV were not as good quality as the earlier, independent, years. NRV bought CC in 1996 and sold it back to an independent consortium in 2007, but CC went under a few years later when the economy tanked. I think the 1990-era models remained fine and probably early 2000's as well, but there were reports of a downtrend by around 2005 or so. Maybe some CC owners can comment about that.

Personally, I think the condition and maintenance status are the most important factors in a pre-owned RV. So many of the components in any coach are industry standard that significant differences are few. Workmanship is a factor, of course, but after a few years you can usually see whatever problems that might cause.

I can't comment on the Dynomax chassis components much. That chassis was unique to CC, but again it is built from industry standard components, e.g. engine, tranny, axles, etc. It's possible that CC spec'ed lesser components to save some money, but I don't know anything about that.
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Old 08-04-2013, 04:31 PM   #7
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My 2006 is superb. I have had many people tell me it's the nicest coach they have ever seen. The fit and finish are the best I have seen, and I shopped for a couple of years looking at new. This coach is better than any new coach I looked at and we were looking at all DP coaches in the higher ranges of the brands we looked at, Tiffin, Newmar, Winnie/Itasca, HR, and others.

I do not believe you can go wrong with CC!
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Old 08-04-2013, 07:47 PM   #8
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Chuck49, you don't think we Country Coach fanatics wouldn't find you on this forum?
I've heard quality in the remodels of the Magna/Affinity in 2005 are not as good as the later models, and I've also heard the later models are not as good. I think it all boils down to each individual coach. Some of the issues have been mentioned--you just need to put a coach you are interested in through the wringer, thoroughly checked out by a qualified person. Country Coach will do a complete coach inspection for $200. I think the way the coach was treated by the previous owner will be much more important than the year it was built. Also make sure the coach has all the manuals. Any coach is a collection of parts from many manufacturers--the coach should have all manuals. Without bragging, the quality of cabinet work and the handwork in the interior decorating in our coach far exceed that in later coaches, such as the pleated fans above the bedroom windows and the suede-wrapped window boxes. But of course, you get the later upgrades in the newer coaches.
As far as the Dynomax chassis--initially, Country Coach bought their chassis from Gillig, who still manufactures buses. In the late 90's they started building their own chassis with Gillig providing guidance for the design. It is probably one of the heaviest-duty chassis on the market.
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