Price Transparency

[Phoebe3]

Joan, have you driven a Zion? La Mesa in Sacramento had one that we drove. I liked it, but DH found the seating position far too uncomfortable.

If you are willing to go with the Ford Transit platform, La Mesa has several Paseos. I looked at them about two or three weeks ago. The 2017 MSRP ranged from $115K to $121K (depending on options - the higher-priced versions had roof rack, solar, etc). Current sale price was $87K for any one we wanted. However, these are not the all-electric variety.

We recently purchased a 2018 Coachmen Crossfit, also on the Transit chassis, for about 29% off MSRP. Again, standard stuff with propane stovetop and heater/hot water on either propane or generator/shore power.

[mumkin]

Originally Posted by cruising7388

Well, you at least have the credentials for thrashing Roadtrek because you were at ground zero during the Etrek debacle. But if I recall correctly, in fairness, they did meet your demand to remove the malfunctioning lithium batteries and replace them with AGMs. Wasn't the issue a goofy BMS that would go into a coma, and not the batteries themselves?

I have no idea why the batteries could not be started when they shut down... for no reason... since I was driving it every other day... the sun was shining on the solar... and nothing was turned on with the battery switch properly off. No one mentioned BMS... only a possible computer coding error. A few months down the line, their fix for those that soldiered on was to add an AGM battery to jump start the lithiums when they shut down. I didn't actually "demand" anything, but when the second lithium died, I got wonderful Leo on the phone and told him, he just sighed and said he'd check about sending me a third one. I merely asked if I could just go back to the two Group 31s that were on my original order. He paused and told me that he didn't see why not, and he would call my tech at the dealer and approve it. I called Batteries Plus and ordered two Lifelines and the dealer picked them up.

As to the fact that they are not covered under the warranty. So what? The normal procedure with RVs is that it is the battery companies warranty. Most of the time if there is an issue, it is because one has done something stupid. LOL (been there... done that) You kill them, you buy new ones.

I suggest the underhood generator instead of the Onan... because I HATE those damn things and will never own another. But with the GU, I could do a shopping trip and leave the engine running to run the AC for the dog without worrying. And the Balmar had to be re-set this year because they confirmed that it wasn't charging properly (as I had been saying). Balmar had walked me through a re-set when I first switched back to the AGMs, but it apparently still wasn't right. It is now.

And... I almost never boondock. Maybe one night out of ten. I own a B because it is my only vehicle and it can go darn near anywhere and parking isn't a problem. Plus it fits in my driveway and my HOA hasn't said a word... in spite of the "no RVs" rule. No need to pay to store it like I did with my Class C. To me it is a large minivan with the ability to walk to the facilities whenever needed.

[jdf3703]

We recently purchased a 2018 Coachmen Crossfit, also on the Transit chassis, for about 29% off MSRP. Again, standard stuff with propane stovetop and heater/hot water on either propane or generator/shore power.[/QUOTE]


How do you feel about your Crossfit now? I am looking at the Crossfit. Like the cabinetry but the 1-year warranty is worrisome. Would appreciate your thoughts.

[@Michael]

Originally Posted by Phoebe3

We recently purchased a 2018 Coachmen Crossfit, also on the Transit chassis, for about 29% off MSRP. Again, standard stuff with propane stovetop and heater/hot water on either propane or generator/shore power.

That's about where I ended up with mine, nominally a '19 model year, but built on a late '17 chassis without Sync3, lane keeping, ecoboost, etc. Ended up at $80K plus TTL.

Originally Posted by jdf3703

How do you feel about your Crossfit now? I am looking at the Crossfit. Like the cabinetry but the 1-year warranty is worrisome. Would appreciate your thoughts.

I'm not @Phoebe3, but I have a new Crossfit. It's too new to me to know if I like it or not. Seems really nice for the few times that I've slept in it so far. Build quality seems good - I haven't found any real issues yet.

It's short on battery capacity, at least as far as I can tell. I'll remedy that after I get a better handle on consumption. Coachmen put in a 12.2v battery disconnect, presumably to protect the compressor fridge, but that leaves quite a bit of useful capacity untouched.

I preferred the Transit chassis over Mercedes or RAM for various reasons. We'll see over time if they were the right reasons.

[Phoebe3]

Originally Posted by jdf3703

We recently purchased a 2018 Coachmen Crossfit, also on the Transit chassis, for about 29% off MSRP. Again, standard stuff with propane stovetop and heater/hot water on either propane or generator/shore power.

How do you feel about your Crossfit now? I am looking at the Crossfit. Like the cabinetry but the 1-year warranty is worrisome. Would appreciate your thoughts.[/QUOTE]

A warranty is only important if you need it so we felt it was better to buy a coach from a company that seemed to care a great deal about the quality of their product, with the goal of never needing the warranty. Getting warranty work done can be difficult if you are near your dealer and nearly impossible if you are out in the boonies.

We have now had our Crossfit about 16 months. In that time, the issues have been with the a sensor in the Carefree Awning (repaired under warranty) and the control module in the NovaKool refrigerator (part sent to us under NK warranty). WRT the control module, since we are out of the warranty period, we will either pay to have it installed or install it ourselves, which seems to be the option chosen by most Crossfit and Paseo owners who have experienced this difficulty.

We have the basic Crossfit so potential issues are generally easy to diagnose and the subcomponents such as AC, Truma, etc. are warranted by the respective manufacturers. The chassis is warranted by Ford. If we had fancy electronics that would be above our capabilities or very expensive to diagnose and repair, a longer warranty might be better. For us, the warranty period just didn't matter as much as the initial quality of the coach.

Hope this helps.