MartyW wrote:
Many thanks for all the replies, and things may be looking up. I just spoke with the manager at the dealer and he assured me that it does have the exhaust brake. He said it was one of the angled switches under the driver's window. So that's good. Also good is that I said we are interested in the unit but could in no way put $$ on the table without a test drive and he agreed to take us for a test drive on Monday. If I see him drive it 65 mph on the xway and he isn't having to muscle it around then I'd probably be ok. I'll ask him to quickly take his hands off the wheel for a split second to see if it tries to dive for a ditch. So this may be a possibility yet.
I'm not sure if the delam would be a deal breaker or not. I'd like to know before I get there on Monday. It is at an angle, about 1 inch to 1 1/2 inches wide and is at about a 45 degree angle on the right side immediately forward of the bedroom slide. Its not very apparent, you need to look very closely to notice it. I mentioned water intrusion and he said heat could do it too and of course he wouldn't worry about it. There were no water marks on interior walls or ceilings that we could see.
And thanks Wayne for the FL heads up. That may be the ticket.
OK...I've got to add my opinion here. I would not buy a DP coach without driving at least 3 or 4 different units, and certainly would not buy one where the dealer was only letting me ride along. You want to drive it at highway speed in either crosswinds, or where you can let a few 18 wheelers pass you with at least a 10mph speed differential. You will be amazed at the handling differences between coaches of different lengths and chassis designs when an 18 wheeler's "bow wave" of air hits the coach.
The delam is also a red flag for me. If you can work out the timing, keep looking. Using the existing RV for your trip and looking some more might be beneficial.
My 2000 Holiday Rambler on Freightliner chassis has been an excellent coach, so if you expand your search consider that model also.
Keep us posted on your experience, and the best of luck to you.
Fred
