Motorhome Recommendations?

[BUIZILLA]

I have a 36' Country Coach with a 350hp ISC Cummins, about 1050#'s on torque, 3060 Allison... pulling a loaded 24' trailer is a breeze, and towing my 12,000# 28' footer is okay as well, but you KNOW it's back there at 41,000# gross loaded weight... you need to decide gas or diesel... a 230 Cummins is a strain with a 24 trailer loaded, not enough reserve IMO.... i've been around this diesel/RV business for about 30 years, so i've basically seen it all as far as what people will do and tow.

Set a budget first, then see what's out there, it's a great RV buyers market right now... some stuff is real junk, even new... quite the shakeup in build/final/delivered quality the last 3-4 years especially..

Oregon has some really good dealers and Washington as well. Watch your total length, from state to state... I am over length and over weight in about 20 states but don't tell anybody okay..

I'd be glad to help you in your selection, no I don't sell RV's.. my dad was Monaco Owners President for awhile and me, him, and my brother all own different model coaches...

A LOT of parks now only allow Class A coaches to overnight, not B's or C's... think about that... I am 52 and one place I stopped at wouldn't allow anyone under 55 to overnight there, so I went to WalMart, opened the slide, and turned the genny on, and slept for free...

www.rv.net
www.rvsearch.com
www.rvonline.com
www.rvtrader.com

Jim

[GaryH]

I'm with Jim. I wouldn't recommend a B series Cummins in a motorhome. Especially if you are going to tow. There is just not enough torque there even if you turn it up. At the very least go with a C series or the electronic ISC. An M-11 is even better.

[Denis]

What's the difference between a B, C, electronic C, and M-11 Cummins?

[BUIZILLA]

About the same as a 350 to a 454 to a 496 to a 572...

[CamarosRus]

On a similar subject.....IF youre only going to tow a Camaro in the trailer, with little else......How Much would it help to lighten the towing load by ME buying a 20' 10,000GVW Trailer.....in terms of milage and strain on misc power plants and braking...????

[Stuart Adams]

I have a Haulmark Motorhome on a Freightliner chassis. Mercedes 450hp/1550torque diesel. Pull anything at 9-10 mpg. Comfortable and STABLE on the road. Doesn't get pushed around like the diesel pushers.

[Denis]

[ QUOTE ]
I have a Haulmark Motorhome on a Freightliner chassis. Mercedes 450hp/1550torque diesel. Pull anything at 9-10 mpg. Comfortable and STABLE on the road. Doesn't get pushed around like the diesel pushers.

[/ QUOTE ]

That's an awesome rig, a manly man's motorhome. Unfortunately, Wifey can't or won't imagine herself in the driver's seat.

Seeing as this is our first motorhome and there's just the 2 of us, I'd prefer "gently used" with either low mileage or very well maintained, hopefully within driving distance of Seattle but I'll buy a plane ticket to go pick up a killer deal. Sizewise, I was hoping to keep it under 30 feet and under $40K but it appears at first blush that I'll be lucky to find a turnkey Class A diesel coach for under $80K.

Sound about right?

PS: Buizilla et al, if you come across anything that might fit the bill, or can recommend a good local dealer, let me know. Would like to find something within 30-45 days at latest.

[GaryH]

[ QUOTE ]
What's the difference between a B, C, electronic C, and M-11 Cummins?

[/ QUOTE ]
Denis, the B is 5.9L, C is 8.3L and M-11 is an 11L engine. As the saying goes, there is no replacement for displacement. Bigger is better. Assuming it has the best codes in the ECM, the electronic engines will give better fuel mileage and more torque than it's non computerized brother. We have power upgrades for the above mentioned engines with the exception of the M-11. Just bite the bullet and buy one of those 40' RV's with the slide outs and equip it with a 500 Detroit. I can turn that up too