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Like the 2016 model we wrote about, this RV is made by Show Hauler. It’s a few years old, but it will stand to give us an example of what the market is like for a Class C vehicle that’s a couple of years old, and those who are interested can compare that with the 2016 International Lonestar.
This unit is a Freightliner Coronado Garage unit. It’s powered by a Detroit 60 series (an engine that has been remarked as quite powerful) that has about 525 horsepower. The transmission is a 13-speed Eaton smartshift.
It compares pretty well roughly with the 2016 Lonestar motorcoach, but this one is half the price. For the 2016 they are asking over half a million US dollars, and this one is listed for $230,000 US dollars.
Some of the selling features of this one:
Solar panels: This unit comes with 4 130-watt solar panels. These work besides the generator (10,000 kvw) that does most of the power supplying. The bath and kitchen are supplied with water from a 200-gallon fresh water tank.
Pushing this large luxury RV along is that Detroit 60. This engine can boast that since 1992, more people have selected the series 60 than any other heavy-duty engine. Why the engine is so popular, according to Detroit (the company), is a combination of performance, fuel economy, low cost of operation, reliability, long life to overhaul, driver satisfaction, ease of service, warranty satisfaction, ratings flexibility, electronic controls, lightweight, and residual value. Looking at numbers (up to 2004 though), the Series 60 sold over 600,000 units, while Cummins N14/ISX/SIG and CAT 3406 C15/16 sold only around 400,000 units.
These large luxury RVs are very popular, but kind of seem unaffordable to me, at least for most people. One option is to get a vehicle you buy somewhere else or have already outfitted with a motorcoach from a big RV custom shop. There are a number of these. The project begins at around $70,000 still. And there are those who make their own RV customizations, which we always like to see photos of. Send them to us if you have one.
