Older DP's with drum brakes

The Intrigue is indeed a high line Country Coach. While it was in the middle of their product lines, the Intrigue is a fully featured rig.

We have owned a 2007 Allure (one level down from the Intrigue) and it has the 425 ISL, is 43' long and has drum brakes all around. The braking performance is excellent, especially with the added braking provided by the ISL's compression brake feature.

CC's were sturdily built rigs and the Dynomax chassis is outstanding. If the coach has been properly maintained and systems check out, I would not be concerned with the mileage.

There are some really nice CC's available at Premier RV in Junction City, Oregon. In your neck of the woods, there are generally a lot of nice used CC's available....CA, OR, WA.

If the drum brakes have splash shields installed, it's not an issue (getting waterlogged from road spray). Easy to have a look-see. So long as you keep in mind that drums fade from hearing on long downhill braking, while discs don't, you should be fine.

I think that statement is wrong that disk brakes don't fade. Please provide a source.

https://www.google.com/search?q=disk+brakes+fade&rlz=1C1CHBF_enUS783US783&oq=disk+brakes+fade&aqs=chrome..69i57j0l2.13074j0j4&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8

Don't over the road trucks have drum brakes? Most of those are more than twice the weight of the MH you are looking at. I would think that it is the surface area, friction material on the brake and the pressure applied that would determine how the MH would stop. I am sure the designers take this all into consideration when designing brake systems on trucks as well as MH's.

IDK what the intrigue has for brakes
But a 1995 Safari DP has disc front and rear

I would be surprised if the 2000 intrigue was all drum brakes

Lexx, don't be put off by drum brakes. They have a very large surface area and the ability with the air to pit a lot of pressure on them. On a motor home should easily give you 250k to 300k miles.Little trucker tip when driving thru heavy and prolong rain is too every once in a while is to drag brakes slightly with foot still on the throttle. With slight drag it will be obvious when they start to dry out. 43 years driving truck and over 3 million miles. Happy shopping, Don

We have drum brakes no issues. Would not be a deal maker or breaker for me.
Now a rear radiator that would be a deal breaker for me.

'02 Journey with air brakes...and they look like drums to me. And they look like it would be difficult for water to get inside them. I've never driven in much rain with this RV so I don't if they are subject to rain fade or not.

Lexx
Here is a nice one in your neck of the woods.
https://www.rvt.com/Country-Coach-Intrigue-Ovation-first-ave-2003-Fontana-CA-ID7865420-UX187632
JR45

Lexx wrote:
As I search through rvtrader, I'm seeing some nice older units that are in seemingly pretty good condition. For example, I there's a mid-2000 Country Coach Intrique with a 400 hp Cummins and tag axle. It's got 110k mi and the price is below $100k.

Are these quality coaches? I know this is not the high line Country Coach.

Also these older units tend to have 4 drum brakes rather than drums rear and disc brakes in the front. How much of a compromise in braking ability is there with this kind of brake setup when towing a toad?

I remember my 1st car - a 1970 Buick Skylark with drum brakes all around. One day after driving in a big rainstorm, I had no brakes due to the drum brakes getting wet. I don't want to end up with that kind of situation again.

Ours has drums all around and stops a lot better than our old gas coach with disks. They're big and they're air brakes of course. As for water intrusion, they really got tested on one trip, with a panic stop in a rain storm and was waiting for the crash, which never came.
Just a good thing that I drive well below the speed limit and trail well behind the vehicle in front of me.