Coachmen Pursuit (Feed Back Please)

[WayneSC]

We are looking at the Coachmen Pursuit 27k and wanted to get some feed back on Coachmen since Forest River bought them in 2008. If you bought a Coachmen since 2008 how is the reliability and customer service? How is the Pursuit compared to the ACE?

[go6car]

No issues here either. It's been a fantastic coach -- just wish it was better made in terms of the things you "can't" see at first glance. However, it's not unlike anything else out there in a gas rig.

Be sure to also check out the Coachmen owner forums here:
http://www.forestriverforums.com/forums/f230/

[consumeratlarge]

To consumeratlarge, if you are still out there, would like an update from you as well.
Our punchlist included:

-frig would not cool down to 40 degrees until 48 hours passed. Freezer was fine. That is on frig manufacturerI guess.
-dining table latching would not secure the table. screws were stripped out. (could have happened from RV events)
-the sewer line hole in the bottom of the storage space was too close and about 2" offset. NO way to connect the line thru the hole. Of course I ran it out the door on this test run.
-front privacy curtain backings had rotted into fine threads. poor quality for sure.


One thing to check on the fridge is that the plastic tube going to the outside vent has a low spot that can fill with condensation and prevent hot outside air from coming in. Mine wasn't in the right position. I thought the install was fine, though. I will probably put in a vent fan that runs off the solar panels when I find one with the right voltage. Ours takes a while on our trailer, too, so we put stuff in the freezer for the first 8 hours, then move it down to the fridge part. Amazingly efficient on gas.

I put the see level gauge system in, and it's really nice to see some finer resolution of where the water is, plus the sensors just stick on the outside of the tanks.

Pleased to see that it drained everything, including hot water heater, when I opened all the low point drains. I took out the HWH drain plug afterwards, and nothing came out, so that just makes the winterizing easier.

Next project will probably be remounting BR TV with some downward angle.

Mine has the single post table, but it is OK so far. Wife doesn't like it, but handicapped daughter does because it's easy to swing out of the way.

I ran a 2' piece of red and black hose with Valterra fittings (from Camperworld) to a 45 deg. clear fitting coming out of the dump valve. Then wire tied the flex hose out the bottom towards the side. Then I used some expanding foam to hold the flex line in place. Now for dumping I only twist on the 10' Valterra extension line with 90 drain adapter, and is much easier to do, plus doesn't leak inside at all. I like keeping the door closed to prevent critters, so I put a marine twist lock fitting for shore power underneath the transfer switch that I added for the generator.

Also, got some cylindrical locks keyed alike for the compartments.

[consumeratlarge]

PM me if you want to see one with a long winded explanation of the mods I've done, and the little problems (central Florida September).

Just added about 8,000 more miles to it, and the only thing that came up is that the overhead bunk would creep down a little every 500 miles or so....just hit the switch and bring it up. Seems to be a Schwintek (spelling?) problem. I would like to put a positive mechanical uplock but can't see where to do that without getting into the hidden mechanicals.

Thing seems to go great and has plenty of power, easy to maneuver. We drove in the winds that were causing sandstorms, and it handled well, although I did add the blue ox track bar to the back axle when I first got it. We were also able to run just the dash AC in some very hot weather, although I did set up a fan for the kids further back, using the inverter. I did also add a vent cover over the fantastic fan on that trip, due to some long rain days stopping use of the bathroom fan because the rain can come right in, as well as wind more easily whipping the stock lifting cap. It was windy!

I was able to scratch it trying to get into a dude ranch that didn't want to trim the limbs. Guy finally agreed to cut a few branches, then watched the side and directed me ahead, where I promptly got the cut limb wedged against the side. Pilot error, of course, to trust a stranger to keep you out of trouble. I love the finish of the sides, since most of the scratches buffed out and look nice.

Motorcycle on the back the whole time, very handy to have, and no problems with that at all. Cheap aluminum receiver carrier, too. But the bike was very well balanced on it, and I did add some rubber straps to the ladder. In motion sat tv worked well, stayed on while driving, no problems. Solar did too, but it was so hot, we went for RV hookups. No problems with hydraulic jacks, they are so simple and fast to set up. Hardest thing about setting up is always trying to get the internet to work at the rv parks.

I agree with the people that have posted to 'get the floor plan that you like', because that's the bottom line, what you're comfortable with. The driving is the minority of the time for most, I guess. For me, I've enjoyed driving it. It seems like a lot more for the money than the other stuff, because the price point was low enough. I used to drive a full size bus, (used) and this seems way easier to keep up, mechanically, since everything is new. Once I get more miles pulling my 24' trailer, then I'll have a better idea of whether I really need a diesel, but so far, it handles it well in the moderate hills.

I've learned a few tricks to keep the thing from downshifting so drastically going up hills. First thing is to change the speed +1 mph before the hill, and it will want to stay in the taller gear longer. Makes no sense, but it works. Easier still, to just disengage the cruise at the point it starts to go out of direct drive, then find a sweet spot. You may lose a mph or two, but you won't get that noisy huge double downshift. But there's a ton of HP up in that high RPM if you need it.

[L2R]

To any Coachmen Pursuit owners.

We just bought a new 2014 model and finding that there is very little information out here for it.

To consumeratlarge, if you are still out there, would like an update from you as well.

I felt the same way in that the necessities are all there, auto levelers, a good frame and engine. Just understand that you are the beta tester.

Our punchlist included:
-frig would not cool down to 40 degrees until 48 hours passed. Freezer was fine. That is on frig manufacturerI guess.
-dining table latching would not secure the table. screws were stripped out. (could have happened from RV events)
-the sewer line hole in the bottom of the storage space was too close and about 2" offset. NO way to connect the line thru the hole. Of course I ran it out the door on this test run.
-front privacy curtain backings had rotted into fine threads. poor quality for sure.

Like others, I plan to do most of my own upkeep but these things listed, I am going to let the dealer deal with them for now.

Overall, very pleased with the unit as a whole. These are small things that are temporary. As for the price, NADA says trade in value is worth 25k more than what we paid for it. I know that I cannot sell it for that as they still have more at the same price we paid but it did cross my mind to trade up or down. Just kidding. We are pleased with it and hope other owners will respond back with other things to look for.

[WayneSC]

We are still looking so wanted to put this question out there again. Thanks for any feed back.

[WayneSC]

Sully2 wrote:
I never saw a Pursuit that I cared for the build quality on....

What is it that you never cared for? As compared to others in that price range. :h

[ricklord2001]

I had a Coachman Sportcoach and agree with consumeratlarge it was very nice and I had very few problems with it (same type of problems he had) We recently went fulltime and bought a very high end new coach and have had the exact same type problems. Your just going to have to do stuff on the RV....crap happens. The fit and finish was great and features nice also.
We're skiers and the only draw back was it wasn't as well insulated as the coach we bought (on of the best insulated in the industry) but I was very happy with it.

[WayneSC]

We are NOT looking to go full time but will be using it a few weeks a year and hopefully many weekends. I know it's not a Tiffin but want to get my money's worth.

[Sully2]

I never saw a Pursuit that I cared for the build quality on....

[VinCee]

Hi Wayne, can't speak for Coachman as I have a Georgetown, same company. I heard a lot of the same negative comments about GT as CM, never thought I'd buy one partly because of. You know what, DW and I love i! Discount everything to do with the Ford chassis and V10, it'll be the same on low to high end gas rigs. Compare what you are getting for your $$. Consumeratlarge gave a great detailed explanation on the pro/con argument . Look, I wish I had better cabinet framing covered with wood look paper, but the doors and drawer slides are top notch, which is what is getting used. Ditto on the electric awning, automatic leveling jacks, fiberglass roof, 10 gal. water heater tank gas/elec. and maybe the sweetest smoothest fiberglass exterior wall in the industry and I couldn't go wrong! Before my GT I was looking at 5-7 year old rigs! Moral of my story is give the Coachman a shot, you!ll get a heckava rig for the money if you and fam can get by with less than top shelf inside, an exterior as good as any, and money in your pocket! Good Luck on what ever you decide!

[WayneSC]

WOW, two really great assessment of Coachmen, Thank You.:)

I'm very handy and can fix most of the little things that go wrong on a motorhome so I would only take it back to the dealer for a major problem. We have had a trailer (21' Max Sport) for 6 years and I've had no real problems with it and it's a low end trailer. It does not seem to be that many Coachmen Motorhome owners out there so thanks again. Would love to hear from more.

[GGeorge]

I just purchased a new 2014 Encounter 37LS (Limited Supply). I purchased it @ the Cleveland RV Show 10-12 Jan. From my understanding there are only 6 in the country as of 14 Jan. One in CT, one in Cleveland, 2 on the lot in IN, one in transit to Houston and one in transit to Dallas. It has 1.5 bath (Porcelain), queen bed, 2 interior TV's, one exterior TV, Triton V10 362hp, and a ford chassis. We traded a 1999 32' Fleetwood Storm.

I did one of the dumb things, that every smart guy says not to do, I purchased at a show. I did not see all 4 sides of the rv before purchase. The drivers side has small basement doors and it is hard to get regular sized items in and out, plus when the slide is out it is even more difficult. The pass-thru compartments are not big and roomy, but since I don't have a lot of pass-thru items they will be ok for now.

INTERIOR: Drivers/passenger compartment - the front shade, in my opinion, is very cheap and will need replacing with a curtain within a year or 18 months, the sunscreen does not go down far enough to block the sun (not sitting in the driveway anyway), and I am not sure if it can be adjusted. There is no glove box or place to put a wallet or sunglasses, or GPS, or road map, or a toothpick in the "Cab".

I am guessing I paid $XX,XXX for Italian tile, the wife liked this one best because she wanted little or no carpet. This coach has tile through out. The only portion that is carpet is under the dinette, drivers/passenger seat and the bedroom.

There is little storage on the interior for food items. The kitchen drawers are very weird sizes and small. Cupboards are high and medium sized but no shelving on most, so that must be added by you. Most drawers are 5 x 11 and 10 x 11.

There is room for a washer/dryer which will be a later purchase. So general storage is adequate for now, but once the new W/D is added, things will get tight. The half bath is OK, but there seems to be a lot of "open" storage, rather than shelving with doors/drawers. The bedroom has underbed storage, and adequate clothes drawer storage for now, but I am not sure if this will be adequate when we become extended travelers, which was the reason for this purchase. The full bath is roomy, but again there is a storage problem for towels and bath necessitates.

There are very few recepticles in this coach and only 2 - 12V recepticles near the cab.

Since I have only driven this coach 115 miles from the dealer to my home, it does drive well. The craftsmanship seems to be good, solid and well made and I have found only two small things that need "fixing" or touch up. I found a box of tile in a storage bay when I got home and several bottles of touch up paint.

The walk-thru was fast and rushed, the financial person we dealt with should have retired several years ago, and the salesman has been trying hard to keep us happy and the dealership happy. The jury is still out on this one, but at this point I do not think I will purchase another Coachmen product or visit this dealership unless I must.

[consumeratlarge]

Hi, We have a 2013 Pursuit 31ft. I bought it after looking at everything in that price range and up about 30k higher. I love the Ford chassis, and the floor plan is very nice. I've had a couple of motorhomes briefly, and we have a travel trailer set up out west.

The fit and finish is where you might have some complaints, but on mine, the workmanship appears to be similar to others I've seen in that ballpark. I think they all will have problems, and can all use some careful going over, even brand new. On mine, I had a loose wire, couple circuits that didn't get completed, an open crack in the caulking at the front cap/TPO roof line (Eternabond taped the whole seam). However, it was all easily fixed, and I DID take it without the extensive walk thru, knowing that I was going to take it apart to add inverter, solar panels, L.E.D. lights, power transfer switches, satellite tv, and seelevel tank monitors, and black water flush.

Basically, I thought it was a great deal for a new vehicle, new systems, durable outside walls, metal framing, and I still think so after a few thousand miles. I personally have never gotten any satisfaction from warranties anytime, anywhere, from any entity. But, I don't go for the super high-end merch, like Mercedes, where they might actually act right for a warranty problem. I think that it's so modular of a product, that I can figure out how to fix whatever's broken. The stuff I'm not great at, like computer controlled engine ignition, is all new and proven design. I most likely will never see the dealer for warranty work, unless something really major pops up soon.

I'm going to be pulling a big trailer, and am about to add a rear track bar. So far, we love the improvements, and feel that we can bolt in another piece of furniture, if we feel that we just have to have a more plush couch, for instance. So, it's all working fine, and coming from having much older MH's, I love the drop down bed for the kids, the power awnings, cameras, awesome HP, large tanks, rot-proof exterior walls, 2 slides, WORKING hydraulic levelers, and that kind of stuff that the old ones didn't seem to have.

We love having a new one, and since the depreciation is so heavy on any new vehicle, I wanted the lower priced model that I could customize. If you want a perfect MH that will never have a failure, good luck finding that. But, all the systems that are attached to this box are found on lots of campers and seem easy to work on. This site has been great for getting ideas and technical help.

For reference, I didn't mind living in new or used mobile homes for a chunk of my working life, even though I could get offended aesthetically by random staple gun construction. I would rate the Pursuit above my last new mobile home in terms of details and finish. Many of the hardware solutions you will find are on the inexpensive side, but it does all work fine. You're getting a lot for the money, and there's a small margin, I would imagine, so prepare your spouse for the fact that all of these things have some 'punch-list' items, even after driving it home, new. If you don't like to fiddle with stuff, you'll probably want to find a great repair shop nearby, not necessarily a dealer, since they all use similar systems and chassis.

We looked at the ACE and Thor, but didn't like them nearly as much based on layout. Look online at the prices for whatever you get, they're pretty good right now!

PS, the guy at the factory was nice, but I still haven't gotten any schematics yet, and don't expect I will. Old school wire tracing for a few problems resulted.