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Old 01-12-2015, 07:33 PM   #15
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Before we bought ours, I would take pictures of coaches I liked so I could check then out later and I wouldn't forget. You can even text the picture to yourself with any notes.
We took a movie camera with us, and taped the ones we liked but that was back in '97-'98, then we bought our first Newmar.
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Old 01-14-2015, 08:03 PM   #16
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Appreciate the input!!

The idea of taking a movie clip and / or photos is a great idea.

Basements--- Yes that is something we have not forgotten about and check them out on the ones we have looked at.

Price -- Really depends on the unit and condition. I have run into guys that bought a demo or dealership owners personal rig they trade up it was only a couple years old and he got a great deal.

I am not as knowledgeable on MH as 5rs as I said before but I think you can find a really good quality MH in the $$195, 250 range. 5-6 years old.

We like the bedrooms with the bed that has a reclining option. What do they call that? Specific to certain brands? Do most parks accomodate 45' or should be think 43 instead? I do not think we would go any smaller than that.

I spotted a Beaver on Rvtrader and I was thinking it was a very nice rig but again, I know nothing about MH brands.
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Old 01-14-2015, 08:13 PM   #17
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Price -- Really depends on the unit and condition. I have run into guys that bought a demo or dealership owners personal rig they trade up it was only a couple years old and he got a great deal.
We did that with our '88 Okanagan 17' Type B MH. Bought it at a county fair. Small rig with a 460 engine, trailer towing package and special hitch. only weighed 8,800#'s but they made a mistake when they put underrated wheels on it. Broke two of them. Found out it was illegal for it to have been shipped into the US that way. Factory bought us Alcoa wheels then.
Drove it to work as it was our second "car".
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Old 03-11-2015, 08:10 AM   #18
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Adjustable Beds?

We had seen coach with an Adjustable bed in it at a show. Do not remember which it was.

Appreciate your feedback but which Brand/s offer an adjustable bed and is it just the head portion or can you get both head & foot?
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Old 03-11-2015, 10:18 AM   #19
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Your just starting the process we just completed except we still have and love our Alpine 3555 5'er. In my opion: You have a lot more to consider before you even look at make. You being in a nice 5'er will want to start with the want list, followed by the floor plan, followed by where and how you'll use it, followed by how many and how often they will join us list. Ours came down to a very simple question. Would I still be able to get on the water and fish while towing or driving? With the 5'er I could not come up with a safe, secure solution to be able to take boats (kayaks or a conoe or tow the other 2 big boats). With the MH and our Jeep in tow I could rack the boats securely on top of it and still be safe and secure. I could use the MH to launch the other boats depending on where we go. Then on to all the other items. Lastly, I'm done buying RV's so quality was a high priority. Just go to the RV shows you will instantly see the differance in build quality and go from there with your lists. Just my 0.2
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Old 03-30-2015, 09:13 PM   #20
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We had a friend who purchased a 2013 Winn TOUR. He has had it to the factory once for the slide out. We looked at the 2015's Very nice, just what the DW and I like however price is higher than we are comfortable with. $296k. Had the Aqua Hot but not floor. Curious, I went to the Winbgo owners site and see many issues with the Schwinteck slides. Some have had multiple trips to factory for repairs. That concerns me as I do not want to have headaches like that.

Some say that Winbgo is going to a new slide out system but I did not see that on the 2015's we looked at.

Also looked at 2007 Beaver. Priced right. Nicely equipped.

And 14 Tiffin Phaeton in the 220 range.

Still looking.... doing homework.... Jim
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Old 03-30-2015, 09:37 PM   #21
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What lengthsre you looking at? You can usually get new for 25-30% off MRSP. We love our 2015 Itasca Metidisn 36M! Got 29% discount.
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Old 03-30-2015, 10:04 PM   #22
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Your price range should make the process much easier. Since you are experienced, I would find it hard to encourage you to buy new when you can easily get a high quality used coach in great condition, especially if you are planning full time, in that price range.

I don't think length is really an issue as there are usually sufficient workarounds/alternatives available when needed. For me, beyond 40 feet is a full timer requirement or otherwise a luxury.

The mfgs mentioned are more than sufficient to key in on, so now focus on your features list to complement your interior considerations.

I feel that some of this is an ever moving target. Until I started reading the Great Conversation/Great Books, I would have put much more effort on the tv viewing area, but not now. I would say the lack of hydronic heating has become a deal breaker for me on a lot of otherwise great used coaches.

My thought is to list the stuff that can not be upgraded and be sure you don't miss something. All the rest that is upgradeable is less critical from my point of view.

Some of my features are what I anticipate I will find useful as I get older that will extend my rv experience as long as possible. If some day you need a hydraulic lift, it would probably be best to be at least 40 feet for the upgrade.

If you are gonna buy an orphan, you need to talk with those owners and figure out how the repair/maintenance/upgrades are gonna work for you and the parts availability.
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Old 03-31-2015, 03:09 PM   #23
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I appreciate your comments!

Hydronic Heating? I had never even heard of that until you just not mention it. I did not even know what Aqua Hot was until a year ago. I don't care how long one has been in a RV, it seems there is always something to learn.

We like the floor plan where the main living room is encorperated with the front cab. This allows for you to swing the Captain driver/passenger chairs around and use them for guest seating as well. Lshape sofa/sleeper
and recliner. With a mid kitchen & table chairs. Bath & 1/2 is also I would say very handy to have.

Kitchen cabinet space is important along with adequate storage in basement area is important.

I would say the majority of those models would be in the 40-45' range. And most would have a tandem axle with a tag out.

One thing I really need your opinions on is the HP? You know a lot of this becomes mumble jumble in my mind but I think I read or someone told me to look at this.

Freightliner Chasis.
Allison Transmission
Cummins Diesel

Now again, I do not know a thing about Class A's or I should say very little. I am learning. I do not expect the sales folks to educate me without a biased twist to the brands they sell.

This salesman we had the other day told me if I did not like the horsepower it had we could "chip" it up. Really? I know you can chip an engine but some brands will void a warranty if you do that. At least so I have heard. So what is the HP we need to think of for a 40-45'

Thanks Jim
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Old 03-31-2015, 04:37 PM   #24
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We have a 43' Newmar Dutch Star with the 450 hp Cummins ISL 1250 ft lbs of torque, rolling down the road at 44,000 lbs it does just fine.

We most time, around 9 months at a time, and still have some empty cupboards.

We custom order it the way we wanted the floor plan to be and came in right at your price range.

All the talk on this web sight about new depreciation had me run the book price on it, turns out it still books for what we paid.

If you know 5 wheels then you know everything you need to know about the house.

Spartan, Freightliner, Roadmaster, Cummins, Cat, Detroit are all going to get you where you want to go. All are just as reliable as the other.
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Old 03-31-2015, 09:10 PM   #25
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Not so much amenities as maybe psychological.

You look out the windshield in a class A, and you look out the rear window in a 5th wheel. In my case I had previously owned 3 class A's and then bought a 5th wheel. Kept it a year and then gave it to my son. I could not adapt to the feeling of looking backwards in the 5th.
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Old 03-31-2015, 10:18 PM   #26
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Old 04-01-2015, 05:33 PM   #27
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So what is the HP we need to think of for a 40-45'
IMO, you can never have enough power.

When my time comes to join the happy world of fulltime RVing, I will be buying used, 45', with at least 600 HP, at least 1800 ft-lb of torque.

That kind of power comes in handy while riding the Rockies with ease.
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Old 04-01-2015, 05:44 PM   #28
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We have an ISL 450 pulling 48,000. Works very well. Not sure what it will do on big grades as we are not in a rush so do not push it. More aggresive shifting and foot would likely perform very well but can see no need.

More power means going up in class to get chassis offering larger displacement/horsepower. If it is what you think you need - go for it.

There is an issue with the ISX 650. Engine is vulnerable on older chassis, apparently been fixed on newer. There is a repair but is around 30,000.
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