New to Class A - About to buy used - any advice?

[LouK23]

A couple more things: Invest in a good fire suppression system for the engine compartment. We also added a (radar) side warning system that will tell you when you have traffic on either side of the coach. Great to check before changing lanes or making right turns A rear view camera with a 10" monitor on the dash that is on all the time (not just when you are in reverse) is priceless for keeping a eye on your tow as well as traffic approaching from behind. I know these sound like expensive toys, but they prevent accidents and that's priceless.

[Skypalace]

That's great that your dealer promised you that everything would be operating.

You need to ensure you get it in writing, signed and initialed on the sales contract.

I did that on a used Class A diesel pusher a number of years ago.
"All standard and specified features fully functional and operational", or something to that effect.

And I held them to it. The vehicle had sat for a while, had cracked tires that had been recalled, the house and coach batteries were dead, lots of dead bulbs, etc.

After doing part of the work, the dealer got tired of it and told me they were losing money on the deal, and they weren't going to do any more. My attorney sent them a nice letter reminding them of what they'd contractually agreed to. He might have added a little bit after that.

They decided "they'd be nice to me" and finish the work they'd promised, in fact I had a different shop do the work and send them the bill, which they paid.

Very very very glad that was in writing on the sales contract, or there's no way they'd have completed what they promised, even though (at least at the beginning) it seems they initially intended to.

[dbteam]

I second what others have said about tires. Ask for a good brand (Michellins etc.) Also definitely get an inspection done by someone YOU find, not the dealer. Have someone with a sharp nose put it through the sniff test for in order 1) Mildew 2) Animal 3) Body Odor. Some things you can do 1) crawl underneath and look for rust. My .02 is a MH in the north may be exposed to more salt & rough roads than one kept in the south. 2) Open the slides and look underneath them for any water intrusion (sign could be rusted screws) 3) Inside, get low and smell the carpet (ewww ) 4) Start the engine, put a piece of cardboard underneath and look for oil dripping. These are some basic things you can check. I'm not familiar with price levels on your coach but the market, unfortunately, is leaning towards the seller so good deals take a LOT of patience to find. We've purchased 2 DP's (so far ) and both times ended up buying from private individuals. This dealer does appear to be working with you so good luck and safe travels.

[For The Dogs]

Not sure if this will help, but when we were looking for our first Class A (used), we fell upon and purchased a Newmar that was a great deal and BEYOND our expectations and what we thought we wanted; we were thrilled. We are coming on 4 years now and while we still think it was a great deal, we also think we should have sold it before it went past 5 years old and bought up. We quickly learned what we REALLY wanted. Point is, you are already acknowledging that this coach falls short and may not be enough. Reading those words tells me you should keep looking until you find something that WOWS you--especially since you are not in a hurry. I wonder too... What's going to happen in a year or so when that flood of COVID buyers start rethinking those hasty purchases?? Happy hunting!!

[johnpepin]

I don't usually post but enjoy reading the feedback. I had a Coachman with the Cummings diesel about 15 years ago. I think it was a 2003 33ftvwith 12k miles on it and I hated it. I sold it and took a loss on it about 6 months later. The water tank was 60 gallons and if you boondock it is not enough. My35 ft Tropical LX has 100 gallon tank and it is just right. I have the CAT 350 engine and love the power. I would stay away from the newer diesels that require DEF. Based on feedback from my RV mechanic they are nothing but trouble. There is always and engine light on. I would stay away from the entry level models if your going to fulltime

Good luck

[leatherneck]

Originally Posted by pasdad1

I believe you would be better off to only look at the top three brands.....

Newmar
Tiffin
Entegra

I have a thor challenger 37FH with 3 slides and very happy with it. It is a level 4 gas engine good power. I f you only put a few miles per year gas is cheaper. I diesel engine will cost yoy about $15,000. Coachman has no review no no sites. Go to you tube and check the reviews. Good luck I have been 10 years on the road and my challenger 2019 has ever thing my wanted plus the W/D and bath and 1/2. Good luck.

[JOlkowski]

Originally Posted by Gary RVRoamer

That Sportscoach is an entry-level DP, with a modest sized engine/tranny and a relatively light chassis for its size. For example, the Allison 2500 transmission is the reason for the low towing limit. A more capable (and expensive) coach would have the Allison 3000. I'm not trying to discourage you from buying it, but want you to understand that it was designed with an attractively low price as the primary goal and tradeoffs were made to achieve that.

here are the Freightliner chassis specs for that model:
https://cdn.fccchq.com/specsheets/5b...ss-Country.pdf


That said, don't put great faith in the dealer promises - verify each and every one before you turn over the money and take possession. Once you accept it, they won't love you nearly as much as right now!

Gary, I was looking at the Freight Liner spec sheet you posted. I have a 2010 Tiffin RED Allegra 38QBA. Where can I get a spec sheet for mine?
Thanks,
John Olkowski

[jajones]

coachman product would not be my choice as a full time camper; their entry level quality is more lined up with tail gaters at ball games as opposed to sun chasers six months a year.

[vincee]

I have a 2014 Sportscoach 360DL and have been very happy with it. Bought it in 2019 with 15,000 miles on it. The Cummins 6.7 ISB was rated 300HP and 660 torque, took it to the local Cummins facility, and for $351 they upgraded it to 360HP and 800 torque.

Sure, Sportscoach is an entry-level rig. But, Coachman, part of Forest River, in itself has a good name and reputation (as far as that goes for any RV manufacturer). Because it is under the Forest River umbrella, the Sportscoach is very similar in build to FR's mid-priced Berkshire line of DP's that the owners of them on the Forest River forum Love.

I find nothing cheap about Corian Countertops, 20 cube residential fridge, fireplace, and double pane windows that don't fog and allows for an extremely quiet cabin, porcelain toilet and large bath, and more. The exterior gelcoat is superb, as are all Forest River rigs. Double clear coat and either the accent striping is painted on, or, if they are decal type the accents are under the second clear finish giving durability and maintenance-free. As the OP mentioned the rig he initially was pondering has 4 GC2 6V batteries for the house, two huge chassis batteries, and I would suspect a 2000 watt Magnum inverter. Not bad accruements for a starter diesel. Does it have a powered generator drawer, no? Basement ball bearing slide-out drawers, no. I'm aware that "there" are differences, but to get into diesel with the benefits always argued vs. a Ford V10 (now big 8) gasser on this and every RV forum I've read, not a bad package and price point at all.

I did not read all of the posts because you could see the pattern forming along the lines of brand loyalty, financial ability to spend big, and mix in a little good old snobbery. As noted above, you could almost see some of the gas vs. diesel arguments drift into this thread.

I can only laugh at the posts from those that have Country Coaches, Tiffin Phaetons or Bus, Newmar's, Entegra's, and so on telling the OP that he wouldn't be able to full time in the Sportscoach he was first considering, at a very attractive price too. That is flat out bunk. I have come across full-timers in 28 ft. Thor's for $69K brand new, folks in 26 ft. Jayco travel trailers, 31 ft. class C's, and just about every other type of RV out there.

At the price the OP mentioned in his initial post, to me it sounded like a heckuva coach to start with when moving up to class A first, and, a diesel pusher to boot. But, last I read he was going from a $75,000 rig to last a read a $210,000 asking price rig. OF COURSE, THAT RIG SHOULD BE NICER, filet mignon to beef chuck, but for a third of the price the Sportscoach would get him to anywhere he wanted to go pulling his Ford Ranger behind it.

The OP could have gone ahead with the purchase of the Sportscoach and if after a period of use found he needed more than he could've made the jump to a $200K plus rig.

[Diesel-Lover]

Well as to RVs the design, materials and build quality is a #$%^&*() point eh.

Yes the rig looks neato and nice but behind the veneer it is generally what it should not have been in the first place and the odds of assembly quality and quality control are lower than low. Which is why we rave about the manufacturer willing to service a multi six figure plus brand new just delivered rig after we drive it there and allow us to sleep in their parking lot wowie.

Dealers do not prep the vehicle for sale they just have it "asettin there" without even an evaluation of what it really needs c/s yep ya know they never inspected it. But before they give it to you they will do the vulcan mind meld with the rig and 1000 point inspection and fix it all up gooder than new for a song and a dance deal. Oh not to worry the manuf and dealers are happy to leave some dash light on for ya or will turn it on soon enough!
But hey it's our reason for being so welcome to our nightmares you gonna like it here! Over buying vs under buying both are not as optimal as adjusting your needs to fit the rig within your budget. Yes they depreciate faster than water runs down hill eroding your assets as it goes. And if you like then swanky spa level parking areas that like ta charge you bigly and make it exclusive well they pick their noses at a rig that is 10 yrs or older so there is that bugger of a thing to deal with. Enjoy what you like, buy for what you want to do and don't look back at the bucks dripping out of your account. Wagons Ho! 000000ooooo

[bobcor]

[QUOTE=kkbward;5617351]Hello All - Hope my post finds you well!

My wife and I (and dog) are taking the plunge from being regular travel trailer RVers to going full-time working on the road. We have done 4-6 weeks in a Flagstaff 23-FBDS many times now and we love it. Looking to spend most of the year in 2 spots (3-4 months each) and the rest pretty variable chasing sun, fish and trails.

We are about to pull the trigger on a used DP and we would love to get any feedback to give us a little confidence going in to the deal trying to avoid any big expensive mistakes. The details of the deal we have negotiated from our dealer:

2013 Coachmen Sportscoach Cross Country 390T

-34,000 miles
-340 Cummins - 6 speed
-The dealer is adding and installing stackable W/D, Convection-Micro, a new Sofa Bed (not a JackKnife), converting to a king bed
-All tires were shot, so they are replacing
-Dealer commits to ensure everything works as it should
-No real maint records - disappointing for sure
-Only 5k towing - another disappointment - hoping to flat tow a new Ranger

Settled on $79k

So thought on if it seems like an OK deal and an overall decent choice for us. Any advice or comments are so very appreciated!

Many Thanks,

Cummins 340 for 39 foot coach? I never heard of a diesel pusher with a 5000lb tow. Underpowered for sure. Look for 45 mph up steep hill. This has to be the lowest of lows for entry level DP. Sports Coach is bottom of the barrel for quality. (Boy did I piss some people off). Dealers shared that info. I don't care who bought them out it still the same 2013 assembly line. Look for a 2008-10 Monaco, American Coach, Tiffin. The price is what enticed you and there is a reason for that. By the way you need chassis / house batteries. Don't buy anything less than 10,000 lb tow. Standard 40 foot DP is 15,000lb. Try to get a couple of years earlier with at least a 400HP / 15,000lb. Focus on downstairs and not the eye candy upstairs except the residential frig is awesome! Some have been converted. Great price but I think short term gain and long term pain for you. Good Luck.

Bob C.

[bobcor]

Cummins 340 for 39 foot coach? I never heard of a diesel pusher with a 5000lb tow. Underpowered for sure. Look for 45 mph up steep hill. This has to be the lowest of lows for entry level DP. Sports Coach is bottom of the barrel for quality. (Boy did I piss some people off). Dealers shared that info. I don't care who bought them out it still the same 2013 assembly line. Look for a 2008-10 Monaco, American Coach, Tiffin. The price is what enticed you and there is a reason for that. By the way you need chassis / house batteries. Don't buy anything less than 10,000 lb tow. Standard 40 foot DP is 15,000lb. Try to get a couple of years earlier with at least a 400HP / 15,000lb. Focus on downstairs and not the eye candy upstairs except the residential frig is awesome! Some have been converted. Great price but I think short term gain and long term pain for you. Good Luck.

Bob C.

[jabassmaster]

Make sure they provide you with new air filter and new air brake filter as well as also changing out oil (engine and generator) and antifreeze. Check dates on tires they are giving you.. ..

[TriMoot]

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