We purchased a Sportscoach Elite by Coachmen in Dec. 04. Since this is our 3rd RV we decided to go Diesel Pusher this time, hoping it would be our last one before retirement. We did the usual online searches for problem pushers, and thought we checked out everything we could possibly think of before deciding on the Sportscoach. I guess you just can't count on anything anymore. We purchased it from Stier's/American RV in Valencia, CA. First they did the old bait and switch on us. We left a deposit on one coach only to have them sell it out from under us because they couldn't get us a loan fast enough. Then they substituted another one with similar features, saying it was just as good and if we wanted the sportscoach we better not pass it up cause they wouldn't be making them anymore. That should have been our first clue.
We noticed our first problem on the ride home with our new coach. The kitchen slide actually broke away the travel bar used for stability and we drove home with the slide moving in and out. It only moved inches, but that was enough to make us think we had made a mistake. Then we noticed after we got home that all the boots on the zirc fittings underneath the coach were rotted. We now know that this is called lot rot. We were instructed to call Freightliner to get this fixed. They had to put a whole new front end on the coach, only to put it on backwards and we lost our turning radius. They had to tow it back in and fix their mistake as it was too dangerous to drive. Now we are in the process of getting over 69 other items fixed on the coach. The in dash stereo and microwave doesn't work, and the coach leaks like a sieve. So much for Coachmen's claim to run every coach through a rain tunnel to check for leaks. The rain has leaked into the command center above the door and who knows what electornics have been damaged by the water? The curtains now must be replaced. When we talked to our dealer about all these problems we were basically told that they just sell these pieces of crap, they aren't responsible for them afterwards. Get in line. It will be fixed through warranty.
We then called Coachmen and pretty much got the same response. What is the big deal, they asked? It is under warranty. Get it fixed.
Is there no quality control anymore? Do these places just build them so fast that they don't care what kind of product they put out there? Well, I am writing my state representatives and the DA. Something needs to be done. California law doesn't provide a cooling off period. This needs to be changed. When you spend this much money you need to be able to take it back if the quality you are paying for isn't there. Even home mortgages have a 3 day cooling off period. That is a lot of money to be screwed out of if something is wrong or you aren't comfortable with your loan after you have time to ponder it. Well, RV's are basically 2nd homes. Vacation homes. The loans for them should fall under the same qualifications as a home mortgage, not a vehicle loan. We have made 3 payments on this thing already and haven't even had a chance to use it!
So anyway, our coach is in for service. Our service tech says to count on about a year to get everything fixed. Some of the items, like the seal that is missing under the kitchen slide to keep out cold air and critters, is backordered for 6 months, and he has 5 other Sportscoachs that are missing the same seal. H E L L O-Quality Control???
So if anyone out there is looking at Coachmen products or shopping at Stiers/American RV... Beware!
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