Rambler Admiral vs Coachmen Mirada -- Advice

[lordnorth]

Looking for a Class A Bunkhouse...

Provided the price, condition, mileage, and layout were roughly equal, if you were given the following choice, which would you take:

2007 Holiday Rambler Admiral 34SBD

2011 Coachmen Mirada 34BH

Would you elaborate why you would make that choice?

[lordnorth]

tatest wrote:
So I'm not sure what you mean by 'built by Monaco' whether you think the Monaco division built it or just that Monaco Corp owned the company. If built by R-Vision, it would have been built by R-Vision only after Monaco Corp bought R-Vision, but would have been built differently than way Holiday Rambler built those three brands for Monaco Corp.

Honestly... I'm not sure either.. I just know that it had a "Monaco" Sticker on the door.

Bumpyroad wrote:
When you have been around the block a time or two, when you sit in a unit I can get a certain feel for quality or lack thereof. Can't describe or explain it. when I bought my TT the wife and I bounced back and forth between two units. sat in the one I chose and told the wife it was worth the $5,000 extra. but you gotta look past the glitz. old style TVs can be replaced. inherent quality can't be.
bumpy

Bumpy, that is a really good point. I know what you mean.. I just don't have that for RV's yet. Good point on the tires... although I own a truck driving school, so I could put the *almost* used up 22.5 on my trailers, which means I could get a little extra life out of them!

Anyway, I appreciate all of your insights. STILL not quite sure which way I will go with this. I can appreciate that the HR has better initial build quality... but the fact that it is pushing 8 years has me concerned about potential maintenance issues. Whereas the Mirada at only 5 years old won't have age related maintenance issues, but may have "quality" related issues.

All in all, I believe it will come down to the way that I feel about the seller. One has owned the coach since new, taken care of it and is selling it only for health reasons. The other was purchased by a side-of-the-road reseller at auction just to flip it. That makes me nervous.

Thanks again, and happy motoring!

[tatest]

lordnorth wrote:

tatest wrote:

The fact that the Admiral is on 22.5 wheels and the Mirada is not, suggests that the Mirada is built on a lighter capacity (lower GVWR) chassis. Empty, it might be nearly overloaded.

Tatest,

You actually have given me a lot of information in your post. I didn't know about interlocked walls - still not sure what I would look for to confirm whether or not they are. But good information none-the-less.

I am pretty sure this particular coach was made by Monaco. Depending on the source (like everything else) some people like Monaco... others don't - for what that is worth.

One thing I found TRUELY interesting is that they both have a GVWR of 22,000lbs. Considering that the HR has a higher UVW... it means that it is closer to being overloaded than the Mirada is.

I am learning more with each post!

It is a H-R gasser, so it was built either at the H-R plant in Wakarusa, or by R-Vision. C and A gas motorhomes in that era with brand names owned by Monaco Corp (H-R, Safari, Monaco) were built by one of those two Monaco Corp owned companies. The Monaco plant would have been building premium diesel pushers for those three brands.

So I'm not sure what you mean by 'built by Monaco' whether you think the Monaco division built it or just that Monaco Corp owned the company. If built by R-Vision, it would have been built by R-Vision only after Monaco Corp bought R-Vision, but would have been built differently than way Holiday Rambler built those three brands for Monaco Corp.

[fltoftheconcord]

I wouldn't hesitate buying the Mirada. We nearly bought this exact same model when we were shopping but missed the opportunity because we were too late getting the seller. For me, every year model accrued on a used coach means another year of not knowing how the previous owner cared for the unit - did they winterize it properly? Service the generator, rotate tires, etc? Speaking of tires, the tires on a 2007 coach are nearly aged out and should be replaced, no matter what they *look* like.

My advice it to go with your gut. We owned a Coachmen motorhome several years ago and were very pleased with the quality.

[bullydogs1]

I started with a Coachmen Leprechaun (C), then went to a Coachmen Aurora...House wise.....the coach driving on a hot day was awful, the insulation stunk (could not keep cool over 90 degrees)...with the HR, at 100 degrees it is 72 (I do have sunscreens and before it was 75)...the dash AC can cool the front on a hot day driving..not to mention the HR has more insulation and a heated wet bay...which the Coachmen most likely does not (my Aurora didn't) so when we drove up from Florida, and a cold front hit the east...we were toasty warm and the wet bay, water tank did not drop below 55 degrees...I've been in my coach in cold snaps down to 19 degrees and had no issues, my Coachmen in Massachusetts...it dropped one night and the furnace wouldn't stop all night.(30 degrees)....so the insulation/heating/cooling factor did that for me and we ended up with what we have.....

[mayo30]

lordnorth wrote:

mayo30 wrote:
Not quite sure why the question was put forth,don't think anyone is here to talk you out of your obvious choice.It is a personal choice.You like the Mirada buy it.You are not comparing quality,just a newer feel like a flat screen TV,etc.

Really, if we used that analogy, everyone would still be driving cars from the 50's and 60's -- because I think we can all agree that cars of that era were built "better" than those of today. At some point, "NEW" does trump "QUALITY"... it is just a matter of when for each individual.

Actually, the question was put forth because I HAVEN'T made a choice. I came on here asking for an education. As one poster mentioned, new RV'ers don't know anything more than what they see. I fall into that category.



Everyone says that the HR is a better vehicle, but very few tell me WHY.

It is like someone saying that a diesel engine is better than a gasoline engine. Depending on the circumstances.. this is true. A diesel engine should last longer and get slightly better miles per gallon and have more power. However, a diesel engine also costs significantly more and combined with the added cost of routine maintenance and higher fuel costs, will not show a significant difference for someone who uses their RV for weekend trips, tailgating at football games, and a once a year weeklong vacation. In THAT case, a gasoline engine is a BETTER choice than a diesel engine.

So again... I am not doubting those who say that the HR is a "better" coach. I am asking "better" in what way so that I can evaluate whether the older coach is worth as much to me as a newer coach.

Sorry to differ,you did ask for opinions and I don't need a debate,just read your other posts and threads.good luck.

[Gjac]

HR. You asked why, my reasons after looking at and driving both is as follows. I liked the Mirada for its size and performance on the road,but that was it. It had less storage inside and small cutout doors on the outside except for a large one in rear under the bed, not full basement storage like the HR. HR had more CCC, larger tank capacities, and a hug wall construction which after living with and repairing delamination is very important to me. A hung wall can't delaminate. Bonded walls have improved over the years with better adhesives but can still delaminate. So those are the whys that would be important to me. Also the drive train from 2007 to 2011 is the same no improvements. So I would rather buy a few years older but have these other things than newer and have a better TV.

[Bumpyroad]

lordnorth wrote:


Everyone says that the HR is a better vehicle, but very few tell me WHY.

when you have been around the block a time or two, when you sit in a unit I can get a certain feel for quality or lack thereof. Can't describe or explain it. when I bought my TT the wife and I bounced back and forth between two units. sat in the one I chose and told the wife it was worth the $5,000 extra. but you gotta look past the glitz. old style TVs can be replaced. inherent quality can't be.
bumpy

[Bumpyroad]

tatest wrote:
box.

The fact that the Admiral is on 22.5 wheels and the Mirada is not, suggests that the Mirada is built on a lighter capacity (lower GVWR) chassis.

price out replacing the 22.5s vs 19s if $$ matters at all to you. I was all hot for a 22.5 and checked tires at a CW and IIRC it was about $100 a tire more x 6.
bumpy

[lordnorth]

tatest wrote:

The fact that the Admiral is on 22.5 wheels and the Mirada is not, suggests that the Mirada is built on a lighter capacity (lower GVWR) chassis. Empty, it might be nearly overloaded.

Tatest,

You actually have given me a lot of information in your post. I didn't know about interlocked walls - still not sure what I would look for to confirm whether or not they are. But good information none-the-less.

I am pretty sure this particular coach was made by Monaco. Depending on the source (like everything else) some people like Monaco... others don't - for what that is worth.

One thing I found TRUELY interesting is that they both have a GVWR of 22,000lbs. Considering that the HR has a higher UVW... it means that it is closer to being overloaded than the Mirada is.

I am learning more with each post!

[lordnorth]

mayo30 wrote:
Not quite sure why the question was put forth,don't think anyone is here to talk you out of your obvious choice.It is a personal choice.You like the Mirada buy it.You are not comparing quality,just a newer feel like a flat screen TV,etc.

Really, if we used that analogy, everyone would still be driving cars from the 50's and 60's -- because I think we can all agree that cars of that era were built "better" than those of today. At some point, "NEW" does trump "QUALITY"... it is just a matter of when for each individual.

Actually, the question was put forth because I HAVEN'T made a choice. I came on here asking for an education. As one poster mentioned, new RV'ers don't know anything more than what they see. I fall into that category.

Everyone says that the HR is a better vehicle, but very few tell me WHY.

It is like someone saying that a diesel engine is better than a gasoline engine. Depending on the circumstances.. this is true. A diesel engine should last longer and get slightly better miles per gallon and have more power. However, a diesel engine also costs significantly more and combined with the added cost of routine maintenance and higher fuel costs, will not show a significant difference for someone who uses their RV for weekend trips, tailgating at football games, and a once a year weeklong vacation. In THAT case, a gasoline engine is a BETTER choice than a diesel engine.

So again... I am not doubting those who say that the HR is a "better" coach. I am asking "better" in what way so that I can evaluate whether the older coach is worth as much to me as a newer coach.

[hanko]

lordnorth wrote:
Interestingly enough... Here is what the NADA Guide has to say about value (I put them in as simply base price, no options, actual mileage):

One is:
Low Retail $64,334 Average Retail $77,511

Other:
Low Retail $55,982 Average Retail $67,454

Guess which is which?

According to NADA, the Coachmen has the higher value than the HR...

Interesting... What are your thoughts on that?

Well Wall mart doesnt allways have the cheapest junk

[tatest]

lordnorth wrote:
Okay... HR by a long shot.

Now.... Why HR?

(No offense.. but please give me something other than "its a better Motorhome" if you would.)

I'm not saying that I don't agree with you... I am asking what, in your opinion, makes the HR a better choice.

If it is really a Holiday Rambler, the construction is radically different (framed walls vs sandwich panels) from most mass production motorhomes. If the Holiday Rambler is a R-Vision rebadged as H-R, then it is not that different, so I might be rather looking for something from Newmar, or a Winnebago, which at least interlocks the floor, wall, and roof panels instead of just screwing the side of one piece into the edge of the other.

But most RV buyers know nothing about construction, so the manufacturers do better by selling glitz, putting more features inside the more cheaply constructed box.

The fact that the Admiral is on 22.5 wheels and the Mirada is not, suggests that the Mirada is built on a lighter capacity (lower GVWR) chassis. Empty, it might be nearly overloaded. Mirada was positioned as Coachmen's entry level model, built light to keep cost, and thus price down. While the Admiral was H-Rs entry level in most model years, the Admiral did not compete at the Mirada/Hurricane/TrailLite level. For that matter, neither did Newmar, Tiffin, or Winnebago.

[tatest]

In trim, capacities, fittings, H-R's Admiral is a huge step up from Coachmen's Mirada. Even if you were looking at more upscale Coachmen, my preference would be the Holiday Rambler, for the superior fully-framed construction.

Unless a 2007 H-R is not really a H-R, rather a R-Vision branded as a H-R. I don't remember just what year Monaco shut down the Holiday Rambler plant and started building all their gassers, whatever brand, over at R-Vision.

[mayo30]

Not quite sure why the question was put forth,don't think anyone is here to talk you out of your obvious choice.It is a personal choice.You like the Mirada buy it.You are not comparing quality,just a newer feel like a flat screen TV,etc.