first motorhome

We just bought our 1st MH, its a winnebago, price was right (got it used). We did look at the coachmen and they did not appear any better or worse than some of the others. There was a thor four seasons/winds/feathers whatever I liked but wife said too small. We looked at the Jayco melbornes (we wanted and got a B+) and they seemed to offer the most for the $$. The couple of coachmen were both used one hard the other was at a dealer who got it from another dealer so when we checked it out and the AC did not work and was told all was fine we knew it was bad. The coach itself was nice wife liked it. As best I can tell when like anything else you are buying a pig in a poke. All look nice but it takes time to find all the warts. All interior parts are basically sourced from the same companies. Shells will vary by manufacturer try to stay away from those that have the seamed roofs and front caps if possible. Look for a fiberglass roof that overlaps the sides. Whatever you do look for water leaks and any bulges down the sides or across the front of the cap. There are many other related links on this site of what to look for. We looked at a NEW chateau by thor it was poorly put together and a POJ as far as we were concerned, but other say it is a good unit. All depends on what you want, but look and if ya can find someone who knows what they are looking at. We found one, it was all rusted on frame and the outside storage locks all rusted and not useable. Came from canada, so look where the used coach may be from. Fla and south texas have sea salt issues as well as some of the east coast units like we found. the more you know or have someone who knows the better off you will be. the used winnebagos will also fall within your price range, just have to look. check out rv trader etc

Hank85713 wrote:
Look for a fiberglass roof that overlaps the sides.

x2
not rubber
bumpy

We bought a 2007 Coachmen Freelander in Feb 2010. I think the Leprechaun is supposed to be a level above that one? Ours was new from dealer having sat for several years. That concerned us, but it came with the original Chevy and Coachmen warranties and we felt the price was right so we bought it. We were dead set on this particular model that was only made for one year, so we were comparing across several available throughout the country at that time (never found one locally). This particular unit had the fabric we preferred and was probably easiest to get to for us (it was in Indiana), so that factored into the decision as well.

We knew we were buying an entry level unit, but we wanted the floor plan (and appreciated the "entry level" lack of carpet for camping w/two big dogs!). We wanted the Chevy front and had plans to store it inside so while the "perfect" roof would be nice (is there really such a thing on an RV?), we valued the floor plan and chassis above everything else since that's what was going to make it comfortable and therefore fun for us.

In terms of quality, we've found some dumb/sloppy things like screws rolling around in empty areas (like the dead space for electrical wiring beneath cabinets); or when we open up an area (e.g. remove all the drawers or take out a panel that wasn't intended to be removed) we find sawdust.

We had some pipes shake loose and start to leak. This is the first RV I've personally owned, so I don't know if that's a standard thing to keep an eye on due to the rigors of driving a house down the road or not.

We had a crack in the ceramic ignitor shield for the furnace that kept it from working correctly (and was tough to diagnose), but it seems like that's the furnace manufacturer, not Coachmen.

We had one weird thing with the chassis that I probably won't describe correctly, but it was essentially to do with the drive shaft being extended when the frame was stretched. It caused a scary rubbing/grinding sound that took a while to sort out (and DH is the one who ultimately fixed it).

I'm trying to think if we've had anything just flat our break or that's really disappointed us. I can't think of anything...

Other than the above, what we've changed has been to suit our preferences. And we've been REALLY happy with our coach. We sealed everything up pretty much right away, but after reading practically everything on this forum for several years before purchasing, I would have done that no matter which brand we settled on. We went into this expecting that our DIY skills would likely be handy and they have been. I wouldn't want an RV if I thought I couldn't diagnose/fix 80%+ of unexpected occurrences (unless I was rich and had all the time in the world, I suppose). Despite that, most of what we've done has been add-ons, not fixes.

So we looked at a Jayco 2006 30GS and really liked it ($54k ouch)
The Jayco greyhawk 30GS was much nicer than any four winds or coachmen we have looked at so far. Funny, we looked at a Chateau today that was decent 2010 and $45k.

I think many of the brands are similar--- all the appliances, etc are made by the same companies (Norcold, Dometic, Duetherm, etc). The absolute most important is the condition (a Mercedes not cared for is not as good of a buy as a Chevrolet well cared for and maintained).
We have a 1998 Coachmen Leprechaun which we purchased in 1998. It was well cared for-- we are very happy with the model and its features--- It appears (based on the features and amenities) that Leprachan was higher end for Coachmen-- Coachmen brand appears to be mid level with alot of experience/history. Good luck-- again focus on condition.

Bret, I can't attest to the quality of Coachmen or Winnebego but I can tell you a little abouy Jayco. In April we bought a 29MV Greyhawk from a local dealer. Our plan was to use it extensively thru the summer to learn about the systems and find the bugs as we plan on traveling this winter. Bugs we did find. Our living room slide had the wrong seals installed at the factory, our instant hot water heater quit, we had door latch problems, and our bedroom tv gave up.We expected to have some issues because they all do. Each problem we had was immediately handled by the dealer. They contacted Jayco and Jayco authorized repair or replace usually the same day. We had to take the unit in twice and the dealer came to us three times. Even with these issues I still feel the overall quality of the unit is excellent. I think having a dealer that will stand behind the product he sells in the name of customer satisfaction is as important as the initial build quality of the unit. BTW, Bret, I also am a Ford parts manager with plans to retire year end and head south.

If you're really interested in Winnebago don't dismiss it because you think they're out of your price range. Ours is a 2008 that we bought last spring in the neighborhood of your price point. Ours was a previous rental, which helped with the pricetag a bit. The Winnebagos that are made for rental use are labeled as the Chalet line. So far we're very happy, and we were impressed with the build and materials quality compared to others we looked at. (I will say that we recently looked at a 2014 Minnie Winnie and weren't as impressed as with ours...we think they've started cutting some serious corners to hit the entry level price point...but I digress). The furnishings and upholstery are wearing like iron, which is a lot more than I can say for the brand new TT we had before the Winnie.

One thing I wish we would have negotiated into the purchase price was a full re-sealing of the seams. We used it one season then started noticing that it was time to do it. Hindsight, it would have been nice to have it included by the dealer we bought from. We did get all new tires, including the spare, and that was a good move.

We did have a problem last year with a sporadic phantom closure of the slide, and both Winnebago and Kwikee were helpful in trying to problem-solve with us. (we ultimately replaced the controller). And we've replaced the microwave that fizzled out. We also re-sealed the rear window that was leaking. I think that's it for the repairs. We've done a few mods like replacing the old CRT television with a flat screen, replaced the radio with something with bluetooth capability, and a few other things that aren't coming to mind at the moment.

Happy shopping!

I was looking at craigslist for gp's and there were several class A's listed in your price range and were in the same size range. Some were back as far as 98's but there were newer. Check them out also. I know when we were looking the sales guys kept pushing the small A's which were in the same price range of what we were looking for. So dont limit yourself to cl c's when a small a could work just as well.

If It has to be a Ford and used with a good maintenance record within your budget range.

The Rental market may be another place to look. I got what I wanted there with all those, well except the Ford part :B

El Monte Rv is just one place to look. There are others of course.

There are many happy owners of Ex Rentals, as you can see by the thread in my signature.

If you are OK with a rental check out Ryan's RV Town in Everett. They have very nice, clean, low mileage rental return units for a fair price, around $30K. I was considering one of these but the wife didn't like the layout or decor. Fortunately, after 40 years, she still likes my layout and decor. You and I are probably looking at the same RVs and there are a lot of crappy, wet, dirty, smelly RVs around and folks still want a fortune for them. This is just coming into a great time to buy here in the Great Northwet.

New vs used was something I struggled with. New you get a nice clean slate to work from. If you keep up on your maintenance even the lower priced RVs can look good and give great service. The used ones that are not ridden hard and put away wet (hard to find) can get you a better built coach with some wear and you are saddled with the prior owner's maintenance habits. It seems like around here $45K is the break point for a quality used RV vs a leaky dirty RV for less.