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Basement AC’s
Basement AC units in 2006 CC
I have looked at virtually everything in the 400k range and it is my opinion that Country Coach got it right on the interior and exterior just before they went out of business. We often speak of that “wow” factor and they have it -at least for my wife and I.
But – the AC is critical in the western summer and I am just not sure that dual basement AC’s are the best effort. I have read this thread which is helpful. Does anyone know what brand basement ac that CC was using in 2006. I see a Marathon a year older with an asking price 70k more than the CC. Is it just overpriced or does it reflect the original cost of materials used in each? Does the basement AC factor into this? I know any weak point can be “fixed” but I am not interested in starting that process when I make the plunge.
wave
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8 Replies
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Wave, the subject of basement airs has been beat to death on this forum. Most negative comments have been from people who have never had basement air, but know people who had a second cousin who’s brother in law, had a niece whom had problems. I have a basement air and 2 cruise airs and they do a great job keeping me cool in the desert South West. George and Corey also have basement air and, as far as I know, have had no complaints. At 18 years old, I had one of the compressors fail and for the price of replacing it, then having one old compressor and one new compressor, I decided to replace the entire basement air for less than I could get the two compressors replaced. The new unit was a slip in, runs cooler, uses less power and is less noisy. And, was far less than the cost of 2 cruise airs which made my check book giggle.
If the rest of the coach checks all the boxes, I would suggest that the basement air would not be a deal killer. My email is open if you need more particulars.
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I’m pretty sure that the later CC’s were using 2 stage R-Vacs. They work fine, but R-Vac is gone. Any competent AC guy can repair them. The only real problem that can arise is when the circuit boards burn up. There are retro-fit units such as Coleman-Mach. While not a CC, our Vantare was originally equipped with a R-Vac basement unit and has since been retro-fitted with a Coleman-Mach. I personally would not let it be a deal breaker. We like the the bsm’t AC which cools the center of the bus and uses 2 Cruise Airs for the forward and rear portions. I believe that CC uses the larger R-Vac to cool the whole bus. We only use bsm’t air and the Cruise Airs when parked as we have OTR AC. Geo.
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Wavy, I had similar concerns with Country Coach basement air systems. We were looking in the exact same price range as you.
At the West Palm Beach Prevost Expo we parked next to two Country Coach Prevost conversions and got to spend some time in them. We were impressed and ended up buying one of them through MotorHome Exchange. We will be picking up our 2006 Country Coach Prevost after Liberty’s PDI is completed, scheduled for May 15.
The previous owner of our CC is a master mechanic and took time to educate me on the basement air systems – maybe “educate” is an overstatement. At least I felt comfortable enough to feel good about it. The units certainly are quiet and since the bus lived in Florida, it was tested in heat and humidity.
Since I had to replace 3 roof airs on our previous coach, the availability of replacement units for the basement air systems makes the choice just as practical as any other.
Needless to say, we are counting the days until we pick up our bus.
2005 XL Thompson Coach
Rarely tow anything behind us.
Sold: 1993 Liberty that we loved for 12 years. -
Wave… I have a 2004 CC with basement air. I have one on both sides driver and passenger. These units are very robust and do a excellent job of cooling and heating in any type of weather. Mine operate perfectly and have had no issues at all. I would factor that into my decision as a plus. If I can help in any way just let me know my email is also open.
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I have a CC question. Les, I’ve seen your coach at Liberty with the front door open when I was parked next to it (beautiful coach by the way).
I noticed that most all CC’s have a big screen facing the passenger built into the dash. What is the screen for?
Mark
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Hey Mark…
It is basically a monitor, you can watch TV or do any of the Crestron control from that screen among other things if you want.
Jeff
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Mark, I’m sure Jeff knows better than I….
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Thanks everyone for taking the time to advise on CC. Les, I have seen your coach on the internet and it sure is beautiful.
Wave
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