2014 Coachmen Pursuit 31B - Thoughts?

[Owinsmom]

Have looked at this rig a couple of times now and really liked it. Got the home equity loan going and should get the $$ next week. Since then we have had some cold feet. It is still available as of right now.
I know nothing of the care of the unit as it is at a dealer. The gen and rig started right up, my husband drove it, and said it drove ok (for what he knows), it is kind of loud but maybe that is the norm? I rode on the couch.
It has 7k miles and lower hours on the generator (200?). They want $59,900 for it. This is our first motorhome, we have had a pop up, hybrid and 29' trailer, but sold it about 4 yrs ago. Thank you

[Tntman]

You need to go to Rvt.com and check units there for price. Buying local puts restrictions on your unit options. If you plan to travel it should make no difference where you purchase the coach. Older units properly cared for make all the difference in purchasing. Find the coach that appeals to you no matter where it is and make an informed decision. Check this site for complaints about manufacturers. Also, staying small may not be smart, the extra 2 to 33 feet of living space could save a marriage.

[Owinsmom]

Rick Jay
I appreciate your advice, and will consider what you are saying. There are so many things to consider.

[Owinsmom]

njtony wrote:
Run. Poor workmanship. Ours was in shop for 6 weeks for factory repairs. Still finding issues. 2013. Ride is noisy and rough. Keep looking. Might think about a class c. Cab is quieter. Just my 2 cents worth.

Thank you! I thought it was loud but that is the one and only one my husband has driven. We are back to looking at C’s too. That’s what we originally wanted but every c we see has water/leak issues.

[Rick_Jay]

Owinsmom,

If I may ask, why do you want to stay under 30'? If you're really going to be doing a lot of long distance travelling, I'd recommend something in the 34'-36' range. The extra space provided will be tremendous, not only for living space, but storage space as well.

The shorter units often have handling issues due to a low (wheelbase/overall length) ratio. Not all of them, but many. Plus, if you open up your sights to include a longer unit, A LOT more floorplans and options open up for you.

In terms of driving, there really isn't that much difference between driving a 30' and a 36' rig. They're generally MUCH easier to drive & maneuver than a towing a trailer.

As for the "looking for months", don't feel pressured. Do lots of research. We researched for about 2 years before we settled on our rig. We started looking at small hybrids to tow behind our Odyssey, and ultimately figured out the best match for us was a 36' class A towing the Odyssey behind. But it took lots of reading, and asking questions on these forums to nail down what would work best for us. Now going on our 14th season in the rig, we're still very happy with our choice. Not saying it'll take you 2 years to find a good match, but there is a lot to be said for taking your time. Use RVTrader.com to see what's out there. Open your search to include several hundred miles away, if necessary. If for no other reason, to help get a good sense of what's out there and what folks are asking.

By the way, I believe Rexhall mohos were pretty nice units. BUT, when looking for used rigs, the care & maintenance they received is often more important than how well built they were when they were new.

Good Luck in your search,

~Rick

[njtony]

Run. Poor workmanship. Ours was in shop for 6 weeks for factory repairs. Still finding issues. 2013. Ride is noisy and rough. Keep looking. Might think about a class c. Cab is quieter. Just my 2 cents worth.

[Owinsmom]

Rick Jay wrote:
Hi,

You said "They rubberize the roof,...".

What the heck does THAT mean? I know they ARE NOT putting a new roof on it. No way!

If they made a statement like that, I would be extremely cautious of anything else they say.

The Coachmen Pursuit is a holdover line from the old Geogie Boy Motorhome Company, who was bought out by Coachmen. We looked at them back in 2003. They were OK, middle of the road quality, but that was about 10 years before this unit was made and this one was constructed under a different corporate structure. So, who knows?

What is it specifically you like about the rig? There are a LOT of rigs out there. If I were to buy today, I'd be looking for Newmar, Tiffin or Winnibago (in that order) over most other brands. (OK, a Prevost conversion is really on the top of the list, but THAT probably won't ever happen! LOL) So, take your time in your research. It WILL pay off.

ON EDIT: Just read your last post about waiting. Good. Take your time! 🙂 Oh, and WORK ON YOUR HAGGLING SKILLS, or the RV Salespeople will take you for everything you've got!

Good Luck,

~Rick

Ok, so my terminology may not be right, but seal the roof. Whatever they call it.
Our (now) bottom line is 55K so to find one of those top 3 is NOT that easy. We have been looking for months and in our neck of the woods, RV's are few and far between in our requirements. We want to stay under 30' (or very close). We are buying it to move and see the country. It's not going to be parked somewhere. I thought this would be fun and never thought it would be so difficult. I will however, keep looking. We actually looked at a 1999 Rexhall Vision V29 today, just because we were there. I have never heard of the brand. I liked the set up, but too many red flags went up.

Thank you all for your help.

[Rick_Jay]

Hi,

You said "They rubberize the roof,...".

What the heck does THAT mean? I know they ARE NOT putting a new roof on it. No way!

If they made a statement like that, I would be extremely cautious of anything else they say.

The Coachmen Pursuit is a holdover line from the old Geogie Boy Motorhome Company, who was bought out by Coachmen. We looked at them back in 2003. They were OK, middle of the road quality, but that was about 10 years before this unit was made and this one was constructed under a different corporate structure. So, who knows?

What is it specifically you like about the rig? There are a LOT of rigs out there. If I were to buy today, I'd be looking for Newmar, Tiffin or Winnibago (in that order) over most other brands. (OK, a Prevost conversion is really on the top of the list, but THAT probably won't ever happen! LOL) So, take your time in your research. It WILL pay off.

ON EDIT: Just read your last post about waiting. Good. Take your time! 🙂 Oh, and WORK ON YOUR HAGGLING SKILLS, or the RV Salespeople will take you for everything you've got!

Good Luck,

~Rick

[Owinsmom]

crasster wrote:
I would agree that the price is middle high. I'd haggle that one to middle. 🙂

I did haggle with them when the price was $60,900 and got him to include sales tax and their $700 overhaul that they do once you commit, for a price of $60K. It has taken almost 4 wks for our financing to go through, so they have since dropped the price to $59,900. He would not take a deposit to hold it, he wanted us to do interim financing through them, until our loan came through. We decided to just take our chances and wait. Unfortunately my husband is not a haggler... and I am not very strong with that, though I did get the little deal I did.

[Owinsmom]

WDW.BWV wrote:
I think your price is fair to middle high. The rig probably sold at a net price of $80k one owner ago. That unit is the newest entry unit in the Coachmen line. Think of it as. Good in. a good, better best system. It was probably built in 2013 - maybe 14 before the labor market started challenging quality control with careless workers. Talk to the previous owner. Any upgrades? Who serviced it and what are your service plans moving forward. Is the selling dealer they’re going to give you 30 6090 days warranty? See you read to service it whether it’s under warranty or cash, what is it like to work with them? Remember the icing that you see in the cake made out to be a decent cake underneath
With the dealer.

I feel pretty good about the dealer. He is a small dealer and just has one master mechanic. They do not give any warranty. What they do is, once you commit, they go over the whole rig and service it so that is as like new as they can get it. They rubberize the roof, change all the fluids, check the brakes, and make sure everything is working. If not they fix it. For that service you pay $700. You have the mechanics phone number so that if anything goes wrong, you can call him and he will try and diagnose over the phone or if local, come help. Unfortunately there are only a couple of reviews on the dealer that I could find, and they were good. The only other dealer we really have is Camping World and I WILL NOT deal with them.
I didn't realize this was the "economy" model, though it is pretty stark inside. Are you saying that the quality has gotten better since then? I read the horror stories of the new ones all the time.
Thank you for your help. I appreciate it!!

[crasster]

I would agree that the price is middle high. I'd haggle that one to middle. 🙂

[WDW_BWV]

I think your price is fair to middle high. The rig probably sold at a net price of $80k one owner ago. That unit is the newest entry unit in the Coachmen line. Think of it as. Good in. a good, better best system. It was probably built in 2013 - maybe 14 before the labor market started challenging quality control with careless workers. Talk to the previous owner. Any upgrades? Who serviced it and what are your service plans moving forward. Is the selling dealer they’re going to give you 30 6090 days warranty? See you read to service it whether it’s under warranty or cash, what is it like to work with them? Remember the icing that you see in the cake made out to be a decent cake underneath
With the dealer.