While doing one's homework is essential in choosing an RV, at some point it's time to declare an end to the research, and get on to the final decision. We've done our homework, and now it's decision time.
We chose to title this series "Buying a Diesel Pusher -- the Second Time Around". Essentially we asked the questions, "Would you purchase the same brand again?"; and "Would you purchase from the same Dealer?".
To Recap this Project:
We had narrowed our choice early to Country Coach (the brand we first owned); and Western RV, manufacturer of the Alpine Coach. Their factory and service centers are both within a half day of our home near Bend, OR. We further focused our attention on a new '07 tag axle Country Coach Allure; and an '07 34' Alpine coach. These two final candidates can hardly be described as comparing apples to apples. The '07 Allure is of course much larger, and comes with three or four slides. We started with a bias towards the shorter length coaches. But we soon discovered that for '07, the CC Allure had discontinued everything shorter than the 37' tag axle -- a superb unit. Inspire still offers a 34' coach, but the floorplan for our purposes just didn't work. So on the Country Coach side, the candidate became the 37' tag axle Allure.
Among the shorter models, we found the Alpine 34 double slide compared favorably to anything in its class. It comes standard with the Cummins 400, and has a floorplan that seems to stretch every inch of its length into usable space. It too offers some significant new features for '07, some of which we're not yet at liberty to discuss here -- though we will do so with a future update to this article. What we can state at this point is that the WRV Alpine coaches have improved dramatically since our first purchase of a diesel pusher in 1999, and that the Alpine brand deserves a serious look by any potential purchaser of a high end diesel pusher.
[Ed Note Update: We're now at liberty to comment on the new features available in the full line of '07 Alpine Limited SE series -- and we're covering those in future articles. However, of special note is the inclusion as standard equipment of the "SmartBed" system -- an incredible innovation found only in Alpine coaches. We've described this superb solution to bay storage access in our subsequent articles.]
Faced with two quite dissimilar but attractive options, the choice was not an easy one. In the final analysis it was not an issue of price, but of "size" that caused us to reach a decision with which we now feel quite comfortable. More specifically, it was a careful evaluation of how we intend to use our next coach that got us to this conclusion.
With this in mind, we re-ask the question: "Would we purchase the same brand again?". The answer is an unequivocal "Yes!". However, with hindsight perhaps that question was not determinative in our decision process. For the reasons discussed below, we've decided to purchase a new '07 34' Alpine.
Comparing the Coaches
Without question the 37' Allure, with available four slides and extra-high silhouette is almost the quintessential "RV resort" coach. However, as we consider the experiences we've had with our comparatively tiny double slide Host camper, we've come to realize that while we enjoy staying at upscale RV resorts, we also enjoy many RVing destinations that simply cannot accommodate the longer, higher, and taller RVs. Said otherwise, "but where can you take it?" is for us a profoundly important issue. Even a 34' coach is precluded from many RV parks and campgrounds -- but the number of destinations that suddenly become "unavailable" grows significantly with each additional increment of length -- height -- and fully extended width.
This situation is further compounded by what we see as a disturbing trend in the RV park industry. As many RVers have discovered, the number of non-ownership high-end RV resorts seems to be on the decline. Ownership RV parks appear to be on a growth curve. For us, RVing means "travel" -- going new places, seeing new things, meeting new people, and enjoying different parts of the country. We are not looking for an ownership park where we can simply take our new unit and stay in one place. We have a delightful home near Bend, Oregon. That's our "center of gravity". When we're not there, we enjoy extended time RV travels.
Some of our past favorite RVing destination parks are just "going away" -- often because the value of real estate in choice destination areas has risen so dramatically that the highest and best use for this real estate is now in new housing developments. The phased disappearance of Emerald Desert in Palm Desert, CA is just one of many such examples. Some RVers are reacting to this trend by purchasing their own RV lots, thus assuring they'll have a nice place to stay when they choose to use their RV.
But since our interest is in traveling to different destinations, that's not for us.
What is becoming foreseeable is that federal, state and local campgrounds are likely to become more popular with traveling RVers. In many cases sites in these types of parks and campgrounds are not designed with the longest, tallest, and widest RVs in mind. It's not uncommon to find length restrictions in such parks. And while these restrictions are often not strictly enforced, as a practical matter the longer, taller, and wider the rig, the more difficult it is to fit in the available sites. This assessment, along with our concern for an acceptable "horsepower to weight ratio", were far more important to our decision to go with Alpine than we had previously anticipated.
Easy to Change Brand Loyalty?
Absolutely not! We had a fabulous experience with Country Coach during the five years we owned our Intrigue. And perhaps even more important, we had the chance meet some wonderful people through our association with the Country Coach owners' group. We expect to continue our friendship with these same wonderful folks even though we will be, to them, now driving "SOB". We'll also miss some of the outstanding folks that give Country Coach its well-deserved reputation for customer care. Who among veteran Country Coach owners doesn't recognize the names of Jim Cooley or Doug Rutherford, by themselves among the most persuasive reasons to purchase a motorhome with the Country Coach logo.
When we began shopping for our first diesel pusher in 1999, Country Coach was a bit smaller, and more independent. It had established a reputation for excellence among the very best of the high end motor coach manufacturers. And with Bob Lee at the helm, both Bob and other senior managers were only an open door away from an easy conversation. These were occasions that we both enjoyed, and with hindsight concluded had some influence in our purchase decision. In recent years the company has expanded (and been acquired by National RV), and earned well deserved success with its new line of products. But for us, some of that unique corporate personality from earlier years has been just a bit less evident this time around. With our most recent experience, we found the key management team at Western RV, including its President Ron Doyle, not only available but genuinely interested in having a chance to demonstrate that their products have now earned the Alpine coach a top ranking among high the end manufacturers. Perhaps it's a bit like the old tussle between two major car rental companies, with the second place upstart proclaiming that "we try harder". We found that same attitude represented at the customer sales level, where it was clear to us that the Alpine representatives genuinely wanted the chance to get us into one of their coaches -- and made an exceptional effort to do so. Perhaps that's not a quantifiable or objective reason to influence a choice of brand, but in our case these subjective factors seem to have played a role in reaching a final decision.
Whether we have chosen correctly or not we hope to share with our readers. In future chapters of this series we'll discuss some of the significant and innovative features of Alpine that caused us to go in a new direction. We'll also candidly share our experiences -- from tracking the production of our new unit to quality control. What will the "punch list" look like? And how will WRV address those issue? That's all a bit new to us, but as former owners of WRV products (campers and 5th wheels), our expectations are as high as they were with Country Coach. We invite our readers to travel this path with us, as we still have much to learn together....
So off we go, as so often we have in our past lives, into new adventures. We look forward to meeting new RVers, this time owners of the WRV brand of Alpine coach. We can only hope that there are counterparts for Jim Cooley and Doug Rutherford within the WRV empire. And if so, we hope we can make their acquaintance at an early date. We have every expectation to meet new friends among Alpine owners, while continuing the friendships we so greatly value from our days with Country Coach.
Would you Choose the Same Dealer?
This too is a fair question -- and this time the answer is quite easy. Six year ago we consumed considerable time from Susan Graham at Guaranty RV in Junction City. We didn't just "walk in" -- she was recommended to us by several readers. Susan did a great job of providing different perspectives we should consider in buying our first diesel pusher. This time around we were much more confident in what set of features in a motorhome were important to us. Even so, she provided excellent comment down this path of "The Second Time Around" decisions. Susan's objective is obviously to nurture clients "for the long term", so the sales agreement is not the end point -- it's more of a starting point. And having been a member of the Guaranty group of RV owners for some years, it's a welcome place to which we look forward to returning. Shannon and Barbara Nil have a forward-looking vision of where the RV industry should be going, and through their support for programs such as Life on Wheels are clearly showing positive leadership among RV dealers. The choice to stay with Susan, and with Guaranty, was an easy one.
Where we Go from Here
The production schedule for our new Alpine is scheduled to see delivery at the factory in Yakima at or about the end of September. We look forward to tracking its progress, and hopefully will have an opportunity to see it at some point while it is still a "work in progress". With the help of the Alpine rep, we've been able to reach an understanding with WRV that will allow us to incorporate an upgraded and expanded solar package during the production process. We've made all the necessary choices in terms of exterior graphics, interior furniture, fabrics, solid surface countertops, etc. We'd expect the next major chapter in this series to come shortly after we take delivery, and can provide both our first impressions and an evaluation of the delivery process.
We're both looking forward to continuing our RVing adventures in our new Alpine coach!