No love for the Chaparalls???

[DaveandSue]

We have ordered a new one.Was just wondering why no posts for them in here?WE ordered the new for 14 29RKS.The one we saw at the Tulsa show looked to be a pretty well built unit.Our first 5er in 20+ years.We have a 08 Outback 26 RBS now and really do like it,but the dealer gave us a great deal on trade in and we had the"BUG".Just wanted to see if anyone had one of these or something like it.Dave

[jevanb]

it is a coachman product which is a Division of FR ,not even in the factory FR website, they don't even show you love their either...

[bikendan]

Originally Posted by jevanb

it is a coachman product which is a Division of FR ,not even in the factory FR website, they don't even show you love their either...

you're looking at the wrong FR website. you need to look at the FR corporate website, not the FR RV website.

Forest River Inc., A Berkshire Hathaway Company | Recreational Vehicles, Park Model Trailers, Commercial Buses, Commercial Trailers, Pontoons

Coachmen, PrimeTime, Shasta, Dynamax and Palomino are all listed there, along with the original FR RV line.

as to the Chaparrals, Coachmen had its own owner's club website, way before they ran into financial trouble and FR bought them up. probably a big reason that we don't have a lot of Coachmen owners here on FRF. they're over at the owner's club website:

http://www.coachmencaravanclub.com/

[RKR]

Originally Posted by DaveandSue

We have ordered a new one.Was just wondering why no posts for them in here?WE ordered the new for 14 29RKS.The one we saw at the Tulsa show looked to be a pretty well built unit.Our first 5er in 20+ years.We have a 08 Outback 26 RBS now and really do like it,but the dealer gave us a great deal on trade in and we had the"BUG".Just wanted to see if anyone had one of these or something like it.Dave

Hi DaveandSue, I also have Chaparral. You're in the right place for this forum. There's just not much activity for our specific brand. I've found it's still the best place if you have questions.
If you look at the big picture most of these 5ers are built the same and use the same components that might give you problems so it's good place to get help or to visit. There's lots of good people with a lot if knowledge here.

Happy camping

[DaveandSue]

Thanks for the info. We are just getting back into rving.We both retired last year and are enjoying the traveling.

[Ford Idaho]

I have a Chappy, be one happy camper as well.

WELCOME.

[DaveandSue]

Maybe that's why there is not too many posts.Everyone likes their "Chappy."

[davel1971]

I just bought a new one last month. Love it, just waiting to use it.

[RKR]

I bought mine in Oct. We did a 4 day shakedown trip. Used the AC/Heater and everything else.
We only had a small plumbing leak. The galley tank leaked at the drain connection. On the third day camping I noticed a drip coming from the underbelly. Dropped it off at the dealer and did another shakedown and all was well.
Can't wait to head out again.

[DaveandSue]

We'll like I posted,ours is suppose to be in the end of March.Wish it was this week.Getting anxious to get it loaded up and head out for a short trip.

[chuckw5kav]

Originally Posted by bikendan

you're looking at the wrong FR website. you need to look at the FR corporate website, not the FR RV website.

Forest River Inc., A Berkshire Hathaway Company | Recreational Vehicles, Park Model Trailers, Commercial Buses, Commercial Trailers, Pontoons

Coachmen, PrimeTime, Shasta, Dynamax and Palomino are all listed there, along with the original FR RV line.

as to the Chaparrals, Coachmen had its own owner's club website, way before they ran into financial trouble and FR bought them up. probably a big reason that we don't have a lot of Coachmen owners here on FRF. they're over at the owner's club website:

Coachmen Caravan Club

I belong to the coachmen caravn club and there is not much over there
except the news letter, no threads like here to post any comments or
ask questions.......same with the Coachmen site, thus I have been
posting over here my wife and I went from a from a class C motor
home to a 2006 277DS Chaparral, really like it and of course lots more
room LOL......

Chuckw5kav

[ddschuman]

I have found the same issues. We bought a 2013 Chaparral Signature Series 343RLTS last April. Although we have had NO major issues, it would be nice to communicate with others who also own one like ours. All I ever hear is negative things about Coachmen in the RV.net forum so I came here and really don't find much of anything said. This either means everyone is happy or no one owns one. Lol...oh well, we love ours!

[chuckw5kav]

Even thought we have a 8 year old coach (don't want to put the kiss of death on it LOL) and what I have read since Forest River has bought them

out things have improved greatly. Looking at out Chaparrel 277DS it seem
well built even crawling over and under it before we bought it even thought
it is pretty heavy....As it has been said in a number of refectors Coachmen
is not the only one people complain about, reading thought a number of links
and site's since I have bought this trailer is see people complaining about
many. It seems like the newer coach's in some brands have allot more
complaints than some the older coach's. Saying this as I posted in another
post I don't see many post's on older coach's past three or four years old.
Maybe I'm looking in the wrong place, but looking thought allot of links to
post on this site (way to much reading) I have not found such. I also
belong to the Good Sam site and see number of post over there in the older
posts but once you get to the newer stuff there seems to be a lack of
people posting about their older trailers.

Maybe in a few years once we pay this one off we will look at a newer 5'er
but we had our Class C for over 10 years and really liked it but with
grandchildren growing and wanting to come with us we needed bigger. We
also didn't want the pain of paying big bucks on payments being that I
am retired and the DW is only working for a few more years.

Hope you have fun with your Chaparral we have enjoyed ours for the last
year and look forward to this summer when we take trips to Oregon,
Washington State, South Dakota and maybe even California.

Have fun and be safe this summer

[DaveandSue]

We'll is ours ever gets here. We looked and looked at some lighter fifth wheels and the wife fell in love with the Chaparral 29 Rks.I couldn't find any negative posts either.I took that as a good sign. Time will tell. Still waiting a couple more weeks. I guess the weather in Indiana got the factories behind

[chuckw5kav]

Well the sun is shining here, no rain for a few days
so I opened up the 5'er and started to load up for
the summer. Our 1st real camping trip to Sea Side
Or. is the first week in June but I have a feeling
we are going to Long Beach in early April. Friends
bought a nice cottage on the water with lots of
room for a trailer along with a 30 amp service

Those people back there Indiana are more or less
use to snow and cold weather so they shouldn't
complain to much .I lived back there in
western Ohio and can remember riding snowmobles
into town a few years and every year seeing
Lake Erie freeze so hard you could drive a car
on which we did for Ice fishing

[Ford Idaho]

I got a few things done to the trailer this past Saturday nothing big.

All the problems we have had were very minor so the dealer whip it out while we waited.

Time is nearly here to load the gear and split town.

[DaveandSue]

Well we finally got the call.Our Chappy 29RKS is in.Road trip to Tulsa next Wednesday. Now to get the old Outback unloaded and ready to roll south.First f'er since our old 1976 Gladding Del Rey.We can hardly wait.

[deerslayer]

We have a 2012 Chap open trail 26rls and love it! No major issues, had a couple small things when we first picked it up but the dealer handled it. Coachman is much better now that they are owned by FR, quality has def. improved!

[chuckw5kav]

Ok Dave and Sue

Glad to here your 5'er is in, make sure you
do a good and long walk thought and on top
and under the unit.......ask allot of questions
and make them show you all the in's and out's
of the trailer......In fact make them do it twice
LOL, then sit in it for for a while, look around,
discuss the layout, sit at the table then the
chair's play with the buttons and again ask
lots of questions.

[Sharps45120]

Thank you! I was wondering the same thing when I could find no posts on RVnet concerning the Coachman line since FR bought them.

We just bought a leftover new 2013 Chapparal 328RES. DH went to the lot to look at an 8 year old Keystone Alpine and ended up in love with the floorplan and interior quality of the Chapparal. We signed the papers that night. The dealer has to do the hitch install on our truck next Thursday and we can bring the RV home that day.

There were a couple issues that we noticed when we first looked at the unit that the dealer is fixing now.

I am glad to see so many happy campers loving their Coachmans!