WILDEBILL308
FORT WORTH , TEXAS
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Joined: 12/07/2003
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I was looking at a used 2005 Bounder 38N by Fleetwood, it is a diesel pusher. This looks like a new coach with 8000 miles showing. Is there any way to prove the mileage? What are the pluses and minuses on this unit? I am looking for people who have experience with this coach.
Thanks
Bill
2003 BOUNDER 38N
5.9 CUMMINS 300 HP
ALLISON 3000MH TRANSMISHION
TOWING HONDA CIVIC ON ACMEY TOW DOLLEY
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Big Katuna
Deland, FL
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Joined: 12/27/2003
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We have an 05 Expedition 38N. Same coach. Its an ok coach. Wish I had spent the same money on a used Foretravel. Vinyl covered cabinent wood. Make sure the kitchen slide works oK and that the fridge doesn't sway or move around when sliding in and out. Mine needed 30 hours of labor to fix (under warranty). Any coach that old should have had all the fluids; rear end, power steering, trans, coolant, engine, belts, thermostat, etc replaced. Repeat for genset. Also check the tires. If they are the original, they need replaced. All of it adds up to $5K-$7K. Check for leaks.
My Kharma ran over my Dogma.
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WyoTraveler
Northwest, Wyoming
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No experience with the Bounder. I had a 89 Fleetwood Pace Arrow. Sold it in about 94 and it only had 8,000 miles on it. Some people just use the RV for yearly vacations and rarely go out during the year. They get more weathered from sitting than miles on them.
2013 Monaco Monarch motorhome
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bsinmich
Holland, MI
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If thery are like my SILs family I would be surprised they had that high mileage. The whole family goes almost every month to different CGS and they are rarely 10 miles from home. I guess a tank of gas lasts a year.
2003 Newmar Mountain Aire, Workhorse W22, 2008 Saturn Vue, Falcon 5250, & US Gear Unified Tow Brake
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w4phj
Vero Beach, FL
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Tires original? Check thread depth/wear pattern. Check batteries OEM? Look underneath at chassis for condition. Any unusual interior wear? Check for refer recall. Check for power steering recall (large filter should be installed) Look for evidence of transmission filter replacement. I haven't had any issues.
My Bounder looks as new because it is waxed on a regular basis and is stored inside.
2005 Bounder 37U Cat C7 Engine
2014 Jeep Grand Cherokee Limited
2002 Dodge Durango SLT Plus 4X4
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pigman1
Delaware
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We had that exact coach. Bought it new and ran it just about three and a half years. We traded it at 55,000 miles for the Tiffin Bus. One issue we had was the plastic wrapped wood that was very hard to repair once it was torn. Also, pull the upper refrig access door in your slide and see if there's any charring above the refrigerator vent stack. There was a service bulletin (not a safety recall) issued on that issue, but many people didn't know about it and never got the metal baffle installed.
We loved the coach. It was our first Class A and a super entry level rig. Once we figured out just what we liked and didn't like, we upgraded to the Tiffin, but I loved that Bounder. We had the 300 CAT on a Freightliner chassis.
John
Pigman & Piglady
2013 Tiffin Allegro Bus 43' QGP
2011 Chevy Silverado 1500
BlueOx Aventa LX Tow Bar
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WILDEBILL308
FORT WORTH , TEXAS
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Thanks for the input. Yes it has the original tires.I haven't goten to go back and look at the outher things mentioned.
Thanks for your help
Bill
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crasster
Dallas
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Another thing you can check is the gas pedal. Look for signs of wear, such as smoothness. There should not be at 8k.
Any chance this coach at McClains in South Ft. Worth? We saw a unit similar to the description posted and it had 8k miles. If it is, it looked like a nice coach.
4 whopping cylinders on Toyota RV's. Talk about great getting good MPG. Also I have a very light foot on the pedal. I followed some MPG advice on Livingpress.com and I now get 22 MPG! Not bad for a home on wheels.
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mlts22
Austin, Texas
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Joined: 11/15/2010
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Call me wary, but a 2005 Bounder with 8000 miles means that it really wasn't driven that much in its lifetime. I'm guessing the rig sat around a while.
I'd give the appliances a thorough once-over. Especially the generator, where it should be tested at full load. However, I would only test the generator AFTER an oil change, because it is possible the oil may never have been changed in the APU, or at least neglected.
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