Looking at 2015 Coachmen RV Chaparral 360IBL

[IronCobra]

Originally Posted by scootingranny

Well we went back to the rv dealership for the 3rd time this weekend, trying to make sure we were making the right choice. In the meantime, the price went up $2000...dealer said the lower price was due to a manufacturer's rebate because of local rv show which has now expired. Even tho our first salesman said the manager would probably agree to the lower price, the manager says no (at that point we were dealing with 2nd salesman because first one was too busy to be at the dealership on a Saturday). We left without buying, DH decided that night to go ahead and pay the higher price. He did the online paperwork, the 2nd salesperson called us to acknowledge receipt of the information and that manager had said because of misunderstanding, they would move it for us for free. (We don't have the truck yet and they were originally going to charge us $200 to move it 75 miles to a storage facility which we felt was reasonable). Salesperson said he would email further forms which we should receive on Monday. No forms received on Monday so DH called 2nd salesperson who apologized and said he forgot to do it. If we don't get paperwork by tomorrow, we will probably just look elsewhere. Too bad because I really liked this floorplan and no other dealers in our area carry it. I just wish the dealership wanted to sell it as much as we want to buy it.

So I started looking at other floor plans from other dealers today. What a PITA.

What dealership did you look at? Funtown? SeguinRv? We purchased ours from SeguinRV near San Antonio. They were much more ethical with their pricing and did not randomly raise the price using stupid excuses.

[scootingranny]

Originally Posted by TheRowlands

How did this end up working out for you? My family is planning to buy an rv in the coming months and begin our full time adventure within the year. The 2 at the top of our list are the 360IBL and the 390QSMB. We are leaning toward the 390 because of the king bed, larger bunkhouse, and outdoor kitchen, but the 42' length is an important downside.

I have been hearing that these are not great for full time use, and that it may even void the warranty. Are you full timing in yours yet? Any advice?

We ended up getting the 360IBL and we love it. We've had it almost year now and so far the only problem is that DH has started having trouble getting the black tank drain valve closed all the way on our last two trips. Had to get a valterra gate thingy and that's holding in any leakage but DH will be looking into the issue more in the next week.

We are not fulltiming but since we got the truck in May, we have camped out about 45-50 days. I know they are not "rated" for full time but DH is handy, we take care of our stuff and warranty will be out by the time we get the house sold anyway. It just wasn't in our budget to buy one of those that are officially rated for full time. Some people can and that's great for them but we just did what we could do financially. DH and I are in our mid 60s and if we can get a good 5-7 years traveling, we'll be happy. Any advice? Someone asked us what we would change about our 5er if we could change anything. DH said he wished we'd gotten the auto leveling system and I wish we'd gotten the heated tanks, just for any really cold days we might be in. There are lot of other things you can do to fight cold temps but that would have been another layer of protection. Other than that, we like the floorplan, nothing has broken, no leaks, and it's SO neat to have a crew over for meals or games. Just Saturday night we had 8 people over for dinner because it got too windy and cold to eat outside. Everybody had a place (3 at the table two in the recliners and two on the couch with tv trays and one on one of the stools at the island. Could have easily fit another 2 people in.

So do your homework, get a good dealer, read read read and from what people say, be prepared to work on it and do routine maintenance. I won't advise you to buy it for full time but I won't discourage you either. Just do what's right for you.

[scootingranny]

Originally Posted by IronCobra

What dealership did you look at? Funtown? SeguinRv? We purchased ours from SeguinRV near San Antonio. They were much more ethical with their pricing and did not randomly raise the price using stupid excuses.

Yep, FunTown. I just don't know why we had such a hard time getting things done there. Others we know that have bought from them didn't get anywhere near the run around that we did. DH wants them to look at why the black tank won't totally close well but is almost scared to take it to them.

I really like the 360 and we're very glad we got it.

[scootingranny]

Originally Posted by TheRowlands

The 2 at the top of our list are the 360IBL and the 390QSMB. We are leaning toward the 390 because of the king bed, larger bunkhouse, and outdoor kitchen, but the 42' length is an important downside.

Forgot to address this question. I really liked the 390 too, especially the king size bed. But DH and I figured the 40' length of the 360 was about what would be reasonable for us and the 390 was higher priced than the 360. I think outdoor kitchens are great and that bunkroom is roomy and love all the cabinets.

Price, availability, length and a room just big enough for my crafting were what motivated our purchase. I don't drive the truck towing the 5er so I can't give you any intelligent advice there but when we started looking, we are looking at 35-38 foot. When we found this floor plan, we figured the extra two feet would be workable. So by that same theory, the two feet longer of the 390 is just something that would work and you'd get used to it. I have heard that some parks don't have spots for any rvs bigger than 38' but we haven't run into one yet. It may narrow down your choice of sights that are comfortable to get into and out of but that would just be part of the rving experience.

Good luck to you on making your choice and keep us posted. Love hearing from other Coachmen owners

[IronCobra]

Originally Posted by scootingranny

Forgot to address this question. I really liked the 390 too, especially the king size bed. But DH and I figured the 40' length of the 360 was about what would be reasonable for us and the 390 was higher priced than the 360. I think outdoor kitchens are great and that bunkroom is roomy and love all the cabinets.

Price, availability, length and a room just big enough for my crafting were what motivated our purchase. I don't drive the truck towing the 5er so I can't give you any intelligent advice there but when we started looking, we are looking at 35-38 foot. When we found this floor plan, we figured the extra two feet would be workable. So by that same theory, the two feet longer of the 390 is just something that would work and you'd get used to it. I have heard that some parks don't have spots for any rvs bigger than 38' but we haven't run into one yet. It may narrow down your choice of sights that are comfortable to get into and out of but that would just be part of the rving experience.

Good luck to you on making your choice and keep us posted. Love hearing from other Coachmen owners

The outdoor kitchen isnt really a big upgrade on the 390 because it's not really that functional. For instance, the outdoor kitchen on our past Travel Trailer (Vibe 308BHS) was outstanding because it had a larger mini fridge, sink, and BBQ that swung around. All the 390 has is a tiny fridge and a silly cooktop that is positioned far too close to the RV. One of our first purchases was a cheap propane grill that we store in the front pass through. I love it because it can be moved with est to a bench or small table without causing excessive heat right next to the skin of the coach.

I could easily see someone full timing in the 360. It uses many of the same manufacturing components of high end models and even some that exceed higher units. The only real items that would experience premature failure are the same ones that would go out on any unit (appliance, leveling jacks, Electronics, pumps). I believe that Forest River just wanted to have an "out" using small print if a unit looks to be excessively worn out prior to the warranty period ending. There are some people out there that abuse the heck out of things OR may have children that do.

Controlling moisture is probably the single biggest factor as well as the possibility that the fabrics on the sofa, and chairs might not last is also there. More than likely these are none issues so long as you are responsible. Sounds like Scootin is.

[DaveandSue]

Hey scootin,have your DH look at the cable.Our chappy had the same problem.Wouldn't shut completely.Had to have the dealer send us a new valve assembly. The cable broke right where the stiff part of the cable turns into the cable.Doesn't make sense the way I said it.I had to reroute the cable when I installed the new one to make it work easier.The black tank valve had always been harder to operate.

[scootingranny]

Originally Posted by DaveandSue

Hey scootin,have your DH look at the cable.Our chappy had the same problem.Wouldn't shut completely.Had to have the dealer send us a new valve assembly. The cable broke right where the stiff part of the cable turns into the cable.Doesn't make sense the way I said it.I had to reroute the cable when I installed the new one to make it work easier.The black tank valve had always been harder to operate.

Thanks for the input. Will have DH read this post!

[scootingranny]

IronCobra...DH didn't have an outdoor kitchen as a requirement for our 5er either. He does all of the outside grilling and has a favorite grill that we take onboard. He got it at Sam's and it's been a great all around grill. It's portable, inexpensive, takes to traveling with us well and cooks great Member's Mark Portable Stainless Steel Gas Grill with Cover - Sam's Club. We pack a grill table Ozark Trail 4' Fold-in-Half Grilling Camp Table - Walmart.com and the duo are just what fits us. We've been using them for years, while tent camping and now with the 360. We can move it where ever we want, even to another fellow camper's rv site if needed (and it has been at times). We put a small "adult beverage" refrigerator in the island where the bar stools go (I think this is it Igloo Miniature Refrigerator with Reversible Door and Fridge Capacity Of 2.6 Cu. Ft., Black - Walmart.com) but have to turn it sideways when the slides are in but that's not been a problem. We put the stools in front of the island with a blanket around them when we travel. Will need to post a pic of how we do that to keep them stable during travel.

Still very happy with our 360.

Others really like the outdoor kitchen but we have our version of that and it works well for us.