DP's NOT to buy??

[wolfer]

I purchased my mother a fleetwood Prowler 40' Park Model. When the waferboard under the rubber roof failed and warped stretching the rubber roof til it tore a hole inthe first year the factory told me they were not to be lived in Can you believe that ( a Park Model?)

[Tom-NC]

Hi,

Before you buy a DP have you ever driven one and do you know a lot about them? Do you know about air brakes and air suspension. Do you intend to drive it 100K miles and do you how much it costs to maintain one. Diesel fuel is also higher than gasoline. Lastly a DP costs at least $30K higher than a gas unit.

They make some nice gas coaches in the 35 - 40 foot range. I just bought a 35 foot Winnebago Adventurer with a Ford V-10 and I could full time in it if I wanted to.

I would check with everyone on this site and then go to a dealer and learn about RV's, in other words look before you leap.

[jimbo2013]

Originally Posted by Tom-NC

Hi,

Lastly a DP costs at least $30K higher than a gas unit.

Worth the difference, hands down, drive both you'll see

[flaggship1]

Originally Posted by jimbo2013

Worth the difference, hands down, drive both you'll see

I like blondes. You like brunettes. They'll both make ya miserable occasionally.

[mel s]

Originally Posted by Cat320

...which is Fleetwood.

Correct,
However Fleetwood is now ASV, (Allied Specialty Vehicles)!
Not much in the RV industry stays the same for long.

[Plozano]

As others have noted, you should look at Entegra.

[Plozano]

I currently have a 2005 Sportscoach Cross Country SE. It's a great coach and we have made tons of memories in that RV. We haven't had any major problems other than a slide motor that malfunctioned but fixed under warranty. We are upgrading to an Entegra since we want a larger coach but would be satisfied keeping the Sportscoach.

[CWinLV]

Thanks to all who responded. We're still looking hard at the Dutch Star and I'm pretty sure we'll go with that (probably the 4024 model unless we can find an Essex for a steal).

To the gentleman who assumed we'd not done our research... Yes, we've been looking and researching about a year now. We are not interested in a gas model because we are planning to full time for about five years, so the possibility of piling on the miles is quite good. Another advantage of the DP is the torque available when climbing mountainous regions (we live out west and almost every highway takes us over steep grades). We're also leaning more toward a tag...it gets extremely windy out west and tags handle better in high winds. And did I mention we will be hauling our toad AND a 1000 lb Goldwing motorcycle? We don't want anything less than 400hp, but would prefer 500, if reasonably priced. Have we driven one? No, but we've driven many. Yes, we've researched, but until we pull the trigger, we will continue to research and ask questions on this forum. :-)

[POPPASMURF]

Been salivating over some of the used Newell motorhomes. I have yet to see a complaint against the quality, the decor would leave some cold. They have those big horse diesels in them too. They don't seem to build to the minimum standard. Might be worth a look if you are in the used market.

[CWinLV]

I honestly wasn't trying to start controversy on this thread! I was only looking for input. Yes, everyone has a different opinion, but if several people advise me to stay away from xyz, I'm going to think twice before I look at that product line! After all, who better to ask than the consumers that use the products! Thanks for understanding, and thanks for all the great replies :-)

[Clayobx]

Christy, from your post's one assumes your research has produced a reasonable conclusion, "what not to buy, what you may buy." FWIW, torque when climbing is your friend, tag axle will offer the stability and handling, coupled with greater CCC for your full time needs. I personally would not buy a coach with less than 1250 Ft. lbs of torque if living and traveling in mountain country. Many do and I'm sure they will chime in momentarily. best of luck in your search it's great fun!

[RABBITFISH]

Most of us here are like a big family, and as nice as everyone is, most of us do not want to say negative things about a coach that some of our friends may own. You will get an overwhelming response if you ask what we like about our coaches, but not a great deal when it comes to speaking ill of others! Most of the owners clubs have many topics listing complaints about individual coaches but are posted by the owners themselves! I'm pretty sure that just like everything else we buy, some will work the way they are supposed to and there will be some bad ones. One thing I can really say about selecting a coach is to research what type of customer service is available and how hard is it to get parts. But really, most of these coaches can go for ten, to twenty years of use and never need a part beyond regular maintenance. The searching is a great time and experience, but once you get into yours, it is going to be wonderful!
Take your time, do your research, and ask many questions, that is why we are here!!!!
Good luck and please keep us updated with all your new discoveries!!!

[POPPASMURF]

Weight the replies according to the apparent validity of the criticism. Just because I don't "like" something is not a valid evaluation, not enough torque to haul trailer or boat through mountains is a valid criticism. Rusting out of windshields around the frame is a very valid criticism. An evaluation against a particular engine or transmission would carry less weight as the running gear could be common to many brands. A recurring complaint against house wiring would tend to be an indicator of some quality control issues for the brand. One piece of advice would be to have the mechanical of a used DP inspected pre-purchase, I was lucky enough to stumble across a very large indie diesel and truck repair who worked on RV's and gave me a thorough report on the mechanical condition. Good luck, enjoy the process and don't stress.

[gutsgolf]

I have spoken to the staff at country coach several times and they have really been able to identify and give me excellent information. They maintain files on most of the coaches they have produced. Really good group