New user needs help. Wife and I looking at 2009 Coachmen 36FWS

[CJAG]

We have been looking and found a 2009 Coachmen 36FWS with 12000 miles (Private Party). We looked at it yesterday and the price was way below NADA list prices, so I thought it was an amazing deal until I read a few things here. First off we will have it inspected. The rig is priced less than 50k and NADA says its worth 72 to 84k (not sure about NADA and I cant find one nationwide in this price range). It has the Allison Trans with 8.1 Chevy motor. New hydraulic system for the slide and new tires and batteries. I read here Coachmen went out of business that year and the new Coachmen is owned by Warren Buffet. I also read about the roof TPOs having issues (should I be worried?). I did not see any damage on the roof inside or on top and I own a houseboat that is 40 years old and the roof is always needing patching, but manageable.
The sellers live in a immaculate home with everything they own in perfect shape, so I believe this guy when he tells me he takes care of everything he owns. With that being said we plan on living in this 7 months a year on the road. We had a fifth wheel we lived in for a year and have a good idea of RV living, but this is our first Class A. Should I be worried buying the Coachmen? No support  except forums like this? We can afford more rig but since its our first time in a class A this seems prudent for us to stay under 50k. Does that seem reasonable? Also I have fear of making a mistake, but I know that is my fear not facts. Looking forward to any help or advice here, we are really hoping to start on the road in December. Thanks in advance.

 

[John From Detroit]

The best advice I can give is to have a professional RV-Mobile technician inspect it with you. also have them show you where batteried are. The converter. water pump. water heater bypass sytem and all the other things you will need to know while they are at it. Plan on paying for 2-3 hours of labor.

 

[Gary RV_Wizard]

I couldn't find 36FWS in the NADA RV Guide, but there is no way a 10 year old gas chassis coach would sell for $72k-$84k. I think maybe you looked at a different model, perhaps diesel instead of gas?  Somewhere around $50k would be right for a low end 2009 gas chassis coach in that size, so the price is not a bargain.

Coachmen is an entry-priced brand, meaning low cost was more of a priority than design & construction quality or features. That doesn't make it bad - just wanted to be sure you know it's not a Cadillac. In a used coach, the condition and care/maintenance is extremely important and a well-kept example is worth more than a classy brand name.


Is it a Mirada or an Encounter model?  And how many slide outs total?  I'm guessing the "FWS" in the model name means Full Wall Slide (that would be consistent with Coachmen model naming conventions), but there is probably at east one additional.

TPO roofs are generally good, superior to EPDM. What have you heard about it and was it concerning Coachmen TPO roofs in particular, or TPO in general?

Coachmen didn't really "go out of business" - they were bought out by Forest River RV and became one of their brands. Yes, FR is owned bu Berkshire-Hathaway, Warren Buffet's company. But Buffet doesn't build RVs or even manage the Forest River company, so that is irrelevant.

 

[CJAG]

I thought NADA was odd. After some more research the rig is a 2008 not a 2009. Here is a link to the brochure.
https://www.mhsrv.com/pdfs/coachmen/08-Aurora.pdf
Also here is the NADA link
https://www.nadaguides.com/RVs/2008/Coachmen/M-36-FWS-Workhorse/3048690/Values

Thanks for the quick reply, we loved the rig. Loved the Bedroom storage and bed angle. Still feel good about specs. Paint was in good shape.

 

[CJAG]

The best advice I can give is to have a professional RV-Mobile technician inspect it with you. also have them show you where batteried are. The converter. water pump. water heater bypass sytem and all the other things you will need to know while they are at it. Plan on paying for 2-3 hours of labor.

Thanks John we found a local guy with an amazing reputation and although there were a few things he recommended he said the rig was in good shape so we bought it!

 

[SeilerBird]

Well congratulations. Now post some photos so we can all drool. You should do a shake down for one night in your driveway or one night at the local Walmart soon.

 

[CJAG]

We are planning on a few local nights before we leave.