We just went through this for our fulltimer coach and ended up with a midline (I guess) diesel pusher. After having some service on the coach and using it for several months, I am very pleased with it. Here are some of the decision criteria we used (no priority):
- Excellent systems (wiring, plumbing labeled, easy to identify, accessible);
- Large tank capacity (grey tanks especially);
- Light switches conveniently located (no ceiling switches);
- Good cabinet fit and finish;
- Factory support, parts and service available;
- Power management system for load shedding when on 30 amp or less;
- Ample power (100 hp per 10,000 pounds or better);
- Good company financials to minimize the "orphan manufacturer" potential;
- Large, pass through storage in basement;
- Main awning that will drop down low enough to provide shade (some come out over a slide and are too high for effective shading).
I did not mention floor plan since that is a personal decision, but we focused on the above list before even going inside.
Good luck with your search and enjoy!
Cody47
2008 Winnebago Tour 40TD
http://fulltime-rv.blogspot.com/
In 2002, my selection process was based on a year of reading all the posts on this forum relating to the problems/praises of coaches similar to what I felt would be best for us.
Consequently, I ended up with a 4 year old Dutch Star. The least criticized and most often praised coach in those days was the Dutch Star, so I decided on the DS and began to shop for the newest one I could afford that was equipped in a manner that seemed to be the baseline of what members were saying.
The process can be analyzed to death. My assumption that a few hundred crusty old gray headed buzzards probably couldn't be too far from right, seemed to be valid. After about 3 years of "learning" on the old DS, we traded for a new 04 DSDP. The pricing is within my budget and, in 6+ years of pusher ownership, I have had none of the agonizing problems we read so much about. Repairs and normal issues...of course. Everything wears and eventually wears out. However, I have had none of the premature frustrations I see with almost every brand that would have been less expensive than the DS. The more expensive ones seem great too, but if they are no better regarded by their owners than the DS coaches are regarded by their owners, why spend the extra money?
So, take you time and read a lot.
Identify the whiners that love to elaborate on the least of problem...discard what they say.
Settle on the label that has the reputation you are happy with
Decide how much you can spend and see if there is something that fits both requirements.
If not, lower your sights and shoot again.
Good luck.
Jerry and Katie
More than 20 great years motorhoming and still loving it...
2004 DSDP 3810 (more than I needed...less than I wanted)
2004 Trailblazer (too heavy but well worth dragging)
So, take you time and read a lot.
Identify the whiners that love to elaborate on the least of problem...discard what they say.
Settle on the label that has the reputation you are happy with
Decide how much you can spend and see if there is something that fits both requirements.
If not, lower your sights and shoot again.
Good luck.
Excellent advice...
------------
Ron
N6QL
2002 36' Country Coach Allure 350HP Cummins
2001 Jeep Wrangler Sahara
1978 Cessna T210M My Flying My website
Thanks for the info. I drive diesel trucks with C15 cat series engines that will motor at 60mph @1400rpm. excellant point on cabinets nothing worse than a loose hinge in particle board.We are looking at a used unit at about 80 to $100,ooo. I have more experiance with boats so when i bought my boat I knew prices equip etc your right salesmen paint a rosy pic no matter what the sell thanks again for the feed back its much appreciated
Gordon, last summer I was fortunate enough to borrow a 2000 40' American Dream that a friend owned. We used his 3 times before we decided that our young family's COTTAGE would be on wheels. So I would first suggest that you beg to borrow or rent a couple of models to find out about space and floor plans, baths, etc that you prefer. We, like you, thought we were in the the used market, probably 80k-100k market. Wasn't sure about gas vs. diesel when I started.
Next thing I did was looked all over the online websites, like rvusa.com, rvtraderonline.com, etc. There are many. The photos on there helped me to "visit" dealerships without talking to salespeople and I could do it when I wanted to. Rally would be helpful but we didn't have any nearby but we did attend a show last fall put on by our local association MARVAC. Many dealers were there but not as many has would be at a rally. Plus TT and 5ers were there and we knew we wanted Class A.
I also bought the services of the two following gentleman: RV Guru and Rv Insiders Guide. I knew very little about RV, what made them different, how they were priced, what was necessary to help in my decision making. Like you I was wide open to brands and didn't want to make an expensive mistake. You and others might not find these useful, but I thought they were worth the investment.
I got down to what I felt were quality brands: Monaco, Winnebago, Fleetwood, Newmar, and Tiffin. To give you an idea, I decided I was probably in slightly better than an entry level DP. We were going to use for weekends, and maybe a couple of weeks over summer break when my kids were off school. Maybe drive to FL for spring break.
Once I knew what brands I wanted to search became easier. All of the brands I was looking at I felt comfortable with. Are there big differences in quality between a Fleetwood and a Tiffin or Newmar in the same basic class of MH - sure but the price generally reflected that. For my wife and I (and our two children 8 & 4) the floor plan became the deciding factor. We really liked the gallery to the front with a TV in the rear of the motorhome. To us that felt more like a "home" and less camper-like. And we knew we wanted four slides. Again, this was more cottage like than camping. We're not campers so it made sense to get what we wanted even if we kept it for a few years.
After researching financing options it became apparent that if I was going to spend a $1000 a month on a home, to me there was no difference in a 5-10 year payment vs a 15-20 year payment. Clearly the best way to buy a motorhome is cash. We were not so fortunate. Obviously depreciation and interest are the two key factors. But the govenment lets me write off the interest right? So now I only had to worry about depreciation. And there was no way to escape that in my opinion. You will have much less depreciation to worry about if you get a coach 6 years old or older. But for my wife and I, it was about getting what we wanted instead of what we could "live with."
As I put all the pieces together, I learned that we wanted a new motorhome. Many standard options on mid range models were only available on high end motorhomes even 5-6 years ago. We're very happy with what we have and have just over 3000 miles on it. The dealer we ordered from is very well respected on rv.net and sells used. If I can refer the name to you or you want to know what we got, send me a note.
Good luck the research was great fun for me, but I spent about 7-8 mos research probably at least 10-15 hours a week, before I pulled the trigger. Can't wait for the season to start - which for us begins next weekend. Good luck and have fun!
sazz1269 wrote: But for my wife and I, it was about getting what we wanted instead of what we could "live with."
As I put all the pieces together, I learned that we wanted a new motorhome.
Buying new is great but all things are a compromise simply because there is always a more expensive coach out there and you must draw the line somewhere. For most people, buying new means the line must be drawn lower though.
Also, there is exacly the same selection on the used market as on the new market (it's quite logical that this would be true if you think about it) and you truly can get "what you want" without having to settle for "what we could live with". It just takes a bit more hunting and research than driving down to the dealer and buying what they have on the lot or checking the boxes to order a new semi-custom coach but the savings can be substantial. And, just like buying new at a dealer you add "dealer installed accessories" to customize it to be "what you want". There are a LOT of coaches like yours with very low miles that someone has lost interest in or has moved on to a new phase in their life that can be had at a great price. It is more work though.
Again, I'm not knocking buying new. We have gone that route also. It's always the easiest route (at least until the warranty issues start popping up!) and there is that feeling you get buying completely new. There is a downside as well to buying new - not only on depreciation but most coaches have a "debugging period", not to mention the financial hit. Don't want to debate that. I just want to point out that you don't have to compromise if you do your homework. We ended up with exactly what we wanted and our requirement was to pay cash. We could have bought a new high-end gasser or a new low-end DP but opted to buy a used hi-line coach that was a few years old. We had to personally look at around 20-25 coaches both privately and at dealers, made many tens of phone calls to sellers, and scoured the internet ads before we found two that fit the bill but they are nearly exactly what we wanted - and we didn't pay $450k for it. It's in near new condition (most people can't tell it isn't) but it isn't new. BTW, I say "nearly" because I'm adding a few things to it - 5 LNB satellite dish and, because it's more than 2 years old, having LCD TV's retrofitted. After that it will be "exactly" what we wanted.
Anyway, nice posts in this thread. I thought it would turn into the "I have a XXXXX and it's the best so you should get that" kind of thread which are pretty useless in my opinion but it hasn't - yet.
Ron, I find it funny how you posted the kind of response that you said you hoped this wouldn't become. Next time maybe you should direct your response at the author instead of taking shots at those of us who tried to help the AUTHOR and didn't comment on the other posters in the thread. Maybe I'm wrong but you didn't mention brand etc, but essentially said, "I did it the best! Buy the way I bought!"
I'm happy for you and if you reread mine you'll see that I did originally go down the road that Gordon and you selected. In fact I believe I mentioned the merits to paying cash and buying something about 6 years old - as you did in both cases. So congrats to you on finding what you wanted. But next time my suggestion is to reply to the author. He/she is the one asking for your comments, not other people such as myself who offer humble opinions on MY experience. My point was simply to suggest that there might (MIGHT) be other options out besides those select by experienced and happy buyers such as yourself.
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