# coachman rv help please



## mrbluesky (Jul 16, 2006)

need help from rv owners please

considering p/x swapping our hymer b654 for a coachman rv
the only details i have are that it is 32 foot and has a 7.5 motor
does anyone know if coachman are a good choice do they run chevy etc
i have put a photo on for id use 
any help would be much appreciated
cheers
drew


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## zaskar (Jun 6, 2005)

mrbluesky said:


> need help from rv owners please
> 
> considering p/x swapping our hymer b654 for a coachman rv
> the only details i have are that it is 32 foot and has a 7.5 motor
> ...


Nice looking coach mate, what's it up for?
AFAIK, Coachmen have a decent/good reputation within the RV industry, I've certainly not heard anything to the contrary and they've been going a long time. Photo looks like it's at a dealer (another RV in background). If you contact them, they surely should be able to give more details re engine (size/petrol/diesel) and chassis. 
If it's Ford, I can't answer cos I've no experience other than avid reading of RV web sites.
If it's Chevy, I've a little more experience there and may be able to answer.


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## mrbluesky (Jul 16, 2006)

*rv*

thanks zaskar
will try to find out more info
cheers
andy


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## 88927 (May 10, 2005)

Hi
The Advert says it is a 7.5 petrol, so that will be a Chevrolet and is basically a good engine. Whatch out for the exhaust manifolds leaking, could be a biggish job as they can sometimes expand and break the studs so that you have to get the studs out before you do anything else.
As Zaskar has said, coachmen are a good enough make, just be sure that you check it over before doing the deal.....
Expect 10ish MPG so it will be a bit more expensive to run than your Hymer but you get a huge amount more for your money..... I also think the price is possibly a little to high so negotiate well....
Good luck

Keith


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## LC1962 (Oct 6, 2005)

The ad is here.... http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/AMERICAN-RV-3...ryZ14256QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

He doesn't give much detail other than the pics. If he's owned it 5 years he should be able to give you a lot more info.

We have owned many Coachmen RVs and Several 28ft C Class versions of this one ( Catalina).

We have always rated them very highly as they are good, user friendly vehicles and tend to be lighter weight so more fuel efficient ...although saying that, The Ford based ones tend to be less thirsty than their Chevy counterparts and all of ours have been 2001 onwards sporting the V10 Triton block.

Providing it has been serviced regularly and looked after then its worth a look.

Best of luck
Linda


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## 98452 (Apr 2, 2006)

Starting bid is way to high IMHO.

He has a score of 94.1 out of 15 sales if I read it right.

What year is it?

Look out for damp too!

I was just reading Feb MMM and was thinking prices are down at the moment so look around further.


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## LC1962 (Oct 6, 2005)

As Kands and RR have said, he needs to sharpen his pencil re the price.

There are some real RV bargains to be had if you are prepared to haggle (eh Keith? :wink: )


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## mrbluesky (Jul 16, 2006)

*coachman*

do many people convert to lpg on this sort of rv ?
are they good for towing as we pull a large trailer with a drag car and tools etc
with all the slide out versions on the market now are non slides not as popular anymore ?
sorry for lack of knowledge on rv's 
have been very happy with hymer but like the idea of space !!
regards
drew


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## 88927 (May 10, 2005)

LC1962 said:


> As Kands and RR have said, he needs to sharpen his pencil re the price.
> 
> There are some real RV bargains to be had if you are prepared to haggle (eh Keith? :wink: )


Yep sure are Linda..... You just need the right team I guess :lol: :lol: :lol: :wink: :wink:

Keith


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## 88927 (May 10, 2005)

Hi Drew
Lpg conversion will cost about 2.5K so it really depends upon the mileage you intend to do as to whether it is worthwhile (2.5K is a lot of petrol). Slides tend to take up weight so either you loose some payload or it takes you over the 7500kgs weight barrier, so be careful...)
Pulling power should not be an issue as the diesels have at least 200 iron horses and the petrols between 250 - 300 BHP. Diesel will have more torque which helps with towing, and you will get better MPG than a non lpg converted petrol.....

Just as a quick aside, we were thinking of changing Rocky (we would like a 32 foot RV with a sofa, barrel chair and most importantly a dinette) and after spending a fortune on Rocky with all the new stuff and the reupholstery, we had certain expectations...... Dealers are not interested in what you have done or spent they just give you a base figure that will be about 10 grand less than they will be offering it for. One even wanted me to drive about 60 miles so that he would be able to give me a price :roll: :roll: :roll: and he wanted top money for the coach he was selling.......
So I guess we are keeping our lovely Rocky for another year and just put up with not having a dinette (not really a big deal to be honest :lol: ) and then having a look around again next year......
Just to say that the price of an RV in my opinion is only dictated by what someone will pay, there seems to be no such thing as a "list price" because so much depends upon the condition and servicing rather than the age of the beast......
Anyway, some of us are more lucky than others (you know who you are :lol: :lol: ) so good luck whichever way you decide to go, but it is certainly worth a look...... Remember that the seller needs to sell it, you do not need to buy :lol: 

Keith


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## LC1962 (Oct 6, 2005)

LPG conversion is always an option and some useful info can be found here: http://www.motorhomefacts.com/ftopict-22798-lpg.html+conversion

Re towing, we tow a 20ft enclosed box trailer with race car (when racing) or stock (to trade shows). We have used Catalinas, Hurricanes, Dutchmen, Leprechauns, Miradas....all pull happily and will out perform any European towing similar size and weight. Obviously this would affect your fuel consumption but then who buys an RV for fuel economy? :wink:

You need to watch the weight, vehicles with slideouts are notably heavier than those without (over 7.5 tonnes and your into HGV territory) at 32ft your getting close so check it out before you buy....if someone tries to sell you a 32ft RV with a couple of slideout rooms and tells you its driveable on a car licence have a look behind his back and see if he's crossing his fingers!


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## LC1962 (Oct 6, 2005)

kands said:


> Anyway, some of us are more lucky than others (you know who you are :lol: :lol: )
> Keith


So do I :lol: :lol: ........ He's keeping very quiet about it isn't he?

Such reserve! :lol:

Anyway, I'm spending too much time gassing on here, better get back to work before the Boss catches me :roll:

Good luck Drew....keep the questions coming, you're in the right place to get 'em answered!


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## 98452 (Apr 2, 2006)

When I bought mine from auction in Florida we hooked my mates Jaguar XJ6 behind to tow it back to his place. Just had to remember it was there.

In the States an awful lot of RV'ers tow full size 4 X 4's behind them everywhere with no problems :wink: :wink:


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## mrbluesky (Jul 16, 2006)

are spares for motor etc and domestic items pumps heating a/c 
available 
cheers
drew


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## 98452 (Apr 2, 2006)

Yes for the running gear and white goods.

This is Linda field :wink: see HERE


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## mrbluesky (Jul 16, 2006)

thanks John & Irina 
i think the engine is a 460 ford like yours 
would i expect 10mpg


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## mrbluesky (Jul 16, 2006)

*coachman*

found out last night its a 1994 with a ford 460 7.5
cheers
drew


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## 98452 (Apr 2, 2006)

yes about 10 so far.


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