Looking into buying a 2010 242RBS, anybody have advice

CharLou · 01-13-2015, 09:34 AM

We are looking at a 2010 Freedom Express 242RBS and have seen a lot of negative reviews for Coachman products. Is there anybody who is happy with their camper?

DaveandSue · 01-13-2015, 10:00 AM

We have a 2015 Coachman Chaparral.Like it a lot.We have pulled right at 8,000 miles last year and have nothing but good times.I do have to clean out the black tank valve as it is leaking,but not the campers fault.At least I don't think it will be.Too dang cold to find out.11 degrees this morning with -5 wind chills.Maybe over the weekend when it suppose to be in the high 50's.I'd vote to buy it if it's in good shape and you like the floor plan.

Skippy38 · 01-14-2015, 12:03 PM

That one is virtually the same length and weight as my 2011 24FBS. I am the third owner of mine and it was used a total of 6 times when I got it. Has a couple of dents and scrapes but the unit performs perfectly and I haven't had any problems at all. I think negative reviews come from people expecting too much from the product. It is what it is and if you use it correctly then you should be fine.

dustman_stx · 01-14-2015, 12:14 PM

I personally would be leery of a Coachmen Freedom Express. I was at a dealership about a year ago looking through different campers- Coachmen FE and SolAire's, primarily. It was a drizzly day with some light rain. We were in a Coachmen and I felt something drip on my arm. The slide was leaking and dripping on me. I saw a couple to the side and asked what models they were. Salesman told me what they were but they were waiting for replacement slide out fascias. That says slide leak to me. Was at another dealership a few weeks later- raining yet again. And walked into yet ANOTHER leaking Coachmen. I know there are lots of happy Coachmen owners, but that really cured me from looking at them.

Cableman · 01-14-2015, 01:43 PM

Ive had 3 new campers so far and they have all leaked! Just have to find the leaks, some are hard. My buddys jaco leaks, nother ones terry leaked....

dustman_stx · 01-14-2015, 02:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cableman

Ive had 3 new campers so far and they have all leaked! Just have to find the leaks, some are hard. My buddys jaco leaks, nother ones terry leaked....

2012 Puma 30-DBSS
2015 Puma 31-RDKS
2013 Puma 27-RBSS (in-laws)
2013 Rockwood Minilite 2306 (parents)

All bought new and none leaked. Did have a skylight crack and leak on the 30-DBSS but we were camping and it was caught immediately. I wouldn't contribute that leak to a workmanship problem. Nothing a little dab of Dicor couldn't fix. Now I install Dicor on the corners of skylights as soon as I get one. I also Dicor the roof seams and never trust the factory caulk job. However, the Coachmen's I am speaking of had major flaws allowing water to enter through the slide seals. Not something you're gonna fix with a tube of caulk.

Cableman · 01-14-2015, 03:40 PM

Hope my apex dont have that slide seal! So far no leak there with it open.

dustman_stx · 01-14-2015, 03:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cableman

Hope my apex dont have that slide seal! So far no leak there with it open.

These were all '13 and '14 models I was in- maybe they've corrected the problem. These were at 2 different dealers, so I don't think it was just a few bad ones that slipped out.

Apatsfan · 01-14-2015, 03:58 PM

I'll chime in on this,
We just purchased a used 2010 Coachmen Captiva 271FKS
We were coming out of an older, very comfortable and reliable " leak free " fleetwood wilderness that was just to small for our growing family.
Anyway, we too had the same questions and concerns...
We looked and quite a few trailers, new and used before we found our used Coachman Captiva, the thing that put me at ease was the fact that my niece and her family spent the summer camping in there brand new 2014 freedom express, we camped with them this year three or four times, saw some rain, and they never saw any leaks, and we all thought the craftsmanship of the freedom express was great ....
That camper was the deciding factor for us, we brought our 2010 Coachmen home a couple months ago, we love it and it's also, dry as can be.

Good luck with your search

4mula1fan · 01-14-2015, 08:05 PM

We are super pleased with our Catalina. No leaks, no drips, no problems at all.

txkreddog · 01-14-2015, 09:52 PM

We have a 246RKS Freedom Express, and love it. No leaks, everything works. The workmanship is excellent, only problem is the angle in our driveway caused the rear stabilizers to scrape, but homemade ramps took care of that. As others have suggested, inspect the unit, or have a trained RV tech look it over. Good luck with your search.

ryand · 01-20-2015, 11:30 PM

2011 coachmen Catalina.... Little to no real issues. Happy with the value of the unit. Freedom Express seem to be a different animal. I wouldn't say their have been a ton of bad reviews, lots of folks happy with their purchase. I would consider one based on our experience with our current coachmen.

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Coachmanjk · 01-21-2015, 10:35 AM

We purchased a 2015 Coachman FE in October. We have only been out camping once in it but I have had it opened up quite a bit at the house in all kinds of weather with no issues. We are very happy with the quality and workmanship of the camper. Will keep you posted if any issues arise

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