Which one is a Better Deal?

[REDEYE50]

My wife and I are first time MH buyers. We have found two Class A Motor homes within our area. I would like to ask for your opinions on which to buy, I know this is hard to to do without seeing them yourself. :
- 1996 Coachman Miranda 33ft, Ford V-10 40,000 miles, one AC unit works fine, tires about 3 yrs old, air ride bags, dash air needs freon, shower curtain pull type needs replaced. clean inside, furniture not abused carpet clean as well as chairs. Everything seems to work refreg, gen etc. Outside has some minor dings nothing major. No leaks found in ceiling
- 1991 Winnebago Chieftain 32 ft Ford 460 47000 miles, no air bags, tires 1 yr old, 2 ac units both work fine, I was told that you can only use 1 at a time because of 30 amp service??? why have 2 then? Outside very good shape except faded decals, furniture, carpet chairs all appear to be in good shape, dash ac works fine, solar panel on roof, generator works fine, new engine battery, no leaks, rear end sets a little higher than other I have seen. Overall this one seems to be a little nicer in condition.
How much do you think the difference in age 5 yrs makes? Both are selling for close to the same price, $500 difference & both are in our price budget. Can't decide to buy the older( little nicer) or the newer one. I know this a tuff call without seeing them. I would apperciate your opinions, everyones got one! Thanks

[DD788Snipe]

IMHO I would buy the 96'. If no other reasons than it has the V10 and is newer. I had a 95' Winnebago with a 460. 1st MH and it was gutless. Decisions, decisions. Good luck.

[bradvoorhees]

Originally Posted by REDEYE50

My wife and I are first time MH buyers. We have found two Class A Motor homes within our area. I would like to ask for your opinions on which to buy, I know this is hard to to do without seeing them yourself. :

- 1996 Coachman Miranda 33ft, Ford V-10 40,000 miles, one AC unit works fine, tires about 3 yrs old, air ride bags, dash air needs freon, shower curtain pull type needs replaced. clean inside, furniture not abused carpet clean as well as chairs. Everything seems to work refreg, gen etc. Outside has some minor dings nothing major. No leaks found in ceiling

- 1991 Winnebago Chieftain 32 ft Ford 460 47000 miles, no air bags, tires 1 yr old, 2 ac units both work fine, I was told that you can only use 1 at a time because of 30 amp service??? why have 2 then? Outside very good shape except faded decals, furniture, carpet chairs all appear to be in good shape, dash ac works fine, solar panel on roof, generator works fine, new engine battery, no leaks, rear end sets a little higher than other I have seen. Overall this one seems to be a little nicer in condition.

How much do you think the difference in age 5 yrs makes? Both are selling for close to the same price, $500 difference & both are in our price budget. Can't decide to buy the older( little nicer) or the newer one. I know this a tuff call without seeing them. I would apperciate your opinions, everyones got one! Thanks

I have a newer coach but can tell ya both ac units will run on 30 amp.

[Mr_D]

I thought the V-10 came out in 1998 or so, not 1996. We had a '98 Santara with the 460 and the next year had the V-10.
The 460, even with a Banks kit on it, was a dog and got 5 to 6 mpg on a good day.

[Kiawah]

I have a newer coach but can tell ya both ac units will run on 30 amp.

Not necessarily, particularly on older coaches and AC units.

An AC, depending which model you have and it's condition, can draw about 15 amps. Start up surge currents can be substantially more. But you will have some other things that use electricity as well. Your battery charger/converter could easily draw 5 amps, your hot water heater could draw 5-10 amps. Don't know what type of refrig you have, but that also could draw some power. Add the TV's/entertainment systems, and kitchen devices. Add all that up can easily put you over 30 amp consumption and trip a breaker.

Some newer coaches have power management systems, which will turn off one of the AC's when other higher priority devices need power.

Expecting to be able to run 1 AC is a 'safe' expectation, and unless you're baking in the hot sun may be all you need. Running '2' can might be done, but you need to work at limiting all other power consumption in the coach to avoid tripping a breaker.

[Waiter21]

Double check your year for the Mirada, I think the V10 didn't show up until 1998.

I owned a 2001 Mirada, This is an entry level, no frills Class A. The biggest item to look at will be body frame separation and water damage. Look at both sides. Mine was on the drivers side. the passenger side was OK.

Here is a link to the body frame separation. Look for the screws in the front wheel wells

Emergency Exterior Wall Repair – 2001 Coachmen Mirada 300QB

I also have loads of info on the site for the 2001 Mirada and my 1999 Southwind

The one item that is on my 1999 Soutwind site, There was a TSB for the transmission on that year. Its easy to see if its been complied with, just look for two bolts with ground wires attached. these will be on the left side of the parking brake pedal. If the TSB hasn't been complied with, you'll only find one bolt.

F53 Transmission shifting weird in 1st and 2nd gear – 1999 Southwind 35S


The F53 is a very good chassis, don't let these items scare you away. IMPORTANT - Low mileages doesn't mean squat on these older vehicles. They're 20 years old

I'm very familiar with the early (1998 - 2006) F53, not so much the other on your looking at.

[Crasher]

From what you have described, I would not buy either one of them. My advise is to broaden your search and go outside of your area. Look and several coaches to get a better idea of what's available and what you like in the different ones you see. The more you look the more you will learn and the better likelihood you will buy the right one for you. Motorhomes that have spent most of their lives in the south away from salt water and the salty roads in the north, will be in better condition. Some will even have complete service records. Don't be in a hurry to buy. Time spent getting knowledge will pay big dividends when you find the right one.

[REDEYE50]

I may have read NADA wrong I just assumed it was a Ford v-10 not a 460 thanks

Originally Posted by Waiter21

Double check your year for the Mirada, I think the V10 didn't show up until 1998.

I owned a 2001 Mirada, This is an entry level, no frills Class A. The biggest item to look at will be body frame separation and water damage. Look at both sides. Mine was on the drivers side. the passenger side was OK.

Here is a link to the body frame separation. Look for the screws in the front wheel wells

Emergency Exterior Wall Repair – 2001 Coachmen Mirada 300QB

I also have loads of info on the site for the 2001 Mirada and my 1999 Southwind

The one item that is on my 1999 Soutwind site, There was a TSB for the transmission on that year. Its easy to see if its been complied with, just look for two bolts with ground wires attached. these will be on the left side of the parking brake pedal. If the TSB hasn't been complied with, you'll only find one bolt.

F53 Transmission shifting weird in 1st and 2nd gear – 1999 Southwind 35S


The F53 is a very good chassis, don't let these items scare you away. IMPORTANT - Low mileages doesn't mean squat on these older vehicles. They're 20 years old

I'm very familiar with the early (1998 - 2006) F53, not so much the other on your looking at.

[winniman]

Nada book value shows the coachmen values at about 5k more than the winnebago. As previouly stated, the V10 was not out in 96. I am assuming that neither has a slide. If you go a few years newer you can get a slide and the upgraded motor. My previous coach had the Ford F53 with the v10 engine. It was a bit loud but ran great and hauled the 37ft mh around with no problem. It was a 2000 37G Adventurer. It was a great entry level coach and had all the features of a higher end coach. I would recommend it. Have heard good things about the chevy 8.1 litre on the workhorse chassis as well. I would try to stick to either of these chassis if you can. Having a slide will increase resale value as well. Ones without slides can be hard to sell as people want slides. If you are going to go with no slide, great deals can be had on high end diesel pushers from the mid 90s. Because they have no slides, they have a limited market and some can be found for a steal. Good luck and happy camping.

[REDEYE50]

Thanks for all the opinions and ideas. We decided not to get either one of them! After driving both I was not happy so we went down the road. We found a 1992 Winnebago Adventure 34 ft, excellant shape, new tires everything worked except the dash air was cool but not cold. It was the same price as the other two, but much nicer. Signed the deal and will pick it up Monday. Thanks for all the advice.

[MSHappyCampers]

Hi ! Welcome to IRV2! We're sure glad you joined the gang!

Congrats on the new rig. Keep her between the ditches!

Good luck, happy trails, and God bless!