PINTADO DESPERADO

COACHMEN MIRADA RV's (Motorhomes)

(Check out Mirada 330DS Photos and Mirada 340DS Photos, seperate photo galleries contain a large number of photos from every conceivable angle, Exterior and Interior)

Coachmen Mirada Motorhomes (340MBS on left & 330DS on right)

340MBS on LHS 330DS on RHS

340MBS on left & 330DS on right

330DS on LHS & 340MBS on RHS

330DS on LHS nd 340MBS on RHS

340 MBS Floorplan

330DS Floorplan

2006

A little over two years ago we started our love affair with the American RV (Recreational Vehicle). We decided we wanted to have a holiday in the USA that was a little different and someone suggested hiring a Motorhome. We decided perhaps we could purchase one and bring it home with us at the end of our trip. We had always admired the American RV's. They offered so much more than anything we had seen in New Zealand. This was the beginning.

 We spent the next few months researching which makes and models would comply to New Zealand standards of compliance and finally settled on the Coachmen Mirada. The Coachmen Mirada enabled us to buy a late modelled RV that would comply in NZ. Next was to find one we could buy from New Zealand. Finally we found a 2005 Coachmen Mirada 340MBS in Florida which was on the wrong side of the USA for us to ship it home but we decided at least we would see a lot of the country driving it to California for Shipping.

Next was the scary experience of paying for it. We were not able to leave NZ for a month so were unable to view the RV first but needed to pay for it to peg it. We were purchasing from a dealer but you still hope it isn't some scam. You may get there and find no dealer and no RV. The Americans are very suspicious about anyone outside their country and even more so when you ask for their Bank details.

A month later four of us set out from NZ for our big adventure. Nothing prepared us for what was to follow. We flew into Los Angeles late afternoon and spent the night. Next morning we flew to Jacksonville, Florida. Whilst in flight we were informed a hurricane was heading in from the Gulf of Mexico directly toward Jacksonville. The weather was sounding very dicey on arrival in Jacksonville but we arrived in the calm before the storm. Next morning was not so great. The wind was howling and we thought "Great the RV will be destroyed the first day we get it". We finally picked the RV up from the dealer late afternoon and had to set off in the end of day traffic which made Auckland traffic look like a walk in the park. Next problem was the fact that we were driving on the wrong side of the road and sitting on the wrong side of the vehicle and the wind was howling a gale and pushing our large vehicle all over the place. Thankfully the salesman led us to our first RV park which was situated in a very sheltered gulley where we hoped to ride out the storm. Thankfully the hurricane swung North of Jacksonville and we stayed an extra day to let it clear the route we would be taking. We had purchased a GPS system and our first destination was a Napa store next to a Budweiser factory. Very successfully reached.

When we finally headed off for Atlanta Georgia you can guess our surprise when we arrived back at the Budweiser factory and our GPS told us we had reached our destination. One of our crew (I won't mention names)had played with the GPS after I had set the new co ordinates the previous evening. It then took a while to work it out and we spent the first few hours going round in circles ending up, you know where, The Budweiser Factory. We finally managed to get that address out and we were off.

We travelled from Florida up through Georgia, staying just outside Atlanta to Tennesee where we stayed at Nashville for a couple of days to catch our breath. We did a tour of Nashville and took a paddle steamer dinner trip with entertainment whilst there. From Nashville we headed for Memphis and no visit it is complete without a trip to Elvis's home 'Gracelands'. This tour was even more enjoyable than I expected.

We then followed interstate 40 across the country (This follows the famous Route 66). After a couple of Days Nigel had the driving totally sorted and I had the GPS under control. Thankfully Nigel had driven in the USA on a previous trip admittedly only behind the wheel of an old chevy truck but this experience was invaluable. We found the road speed rather daunting in a large vehicle. The speed limit on the Interstates varied from approx 110kms to 120kms. USA has the same speed limit for all vehicles and even at that speed Huge Semi trucks continually passed us. Due to our short time frame of three weeks we unfortunately had to keep moving doing huge miles every day. None the less we had a most enjoyable trip across the country stopping to do the tourist thing in many places until we reached Amarillo in Texas.

We had planned to spend a couple of days here to rest as the constant driving creates a condition similar to being at sea for several days and at night when you climb into bed you still feel to be moving. We could see a storm way off in the distance but the day was so hot we headed for the pool. SUPID New Zealanders. The manager rushed out and said to take cover as there was an electrical storm coming and there wer a number of tornados on the ground both North and South of us. Talk about scare the pants off us. We were told if the siren went off we had to shelter in the laundry. On checking this out I decided we would not be very safe there either. The storm hit with lightening and simultaneous thunder like nothing I have ever seen in NZ and hail the size of golf balls. Never the less it was a very sleepless night for us all and we were so happy to be getting out of there as quickly as we could the next morning. To hell with a day of rest that could wait until we found more favourable weather conditions. We just do not realise how lucky we are in our own country. 

Albequerque was our next rest stop and we fell in love with this city immediately. From Alberquerque we travelled to Williams from where we took a days detour into the Grand Canyon. Nothing prepares you for the grand scale of this magnificent geological feature. It was extremely hot in the daytime but at night quite cool and we had the best nights sleep during our whole trip. 

From Williams we travelled on to Las Vegas via the Hoover Dam. At the Hoover Dam I experienced the hotest weather I have been in in my life. It was 110 degrees farenheit in the shade. You could have cooked eggs on the road railings. We would have loved to explore the dam but the thought of walking down to the dam from the car park and even worse walking back up in the extreme heat was too much. We finally just opted to have a cool drink at the shop above then drive over the dam on to Vegas.

We stayed two nights in Vegas the girls taking in the Celine Dion show at Caesers Palace while the boys entertained themselves on the gaming machines. The next day we spent exploring some of the casinos. Each Casino vying to be better than the others. Vegas is like an Adults Disneyland. We spent a couple of days here and Nigel and I took this opportunity to fit the vent covers we had purchased to enable us to travel with our roof vents open. From Vegas we headed for Los Angeles.

Upon arriving in California we had to clean the RV fully inside and out to pass MAF standards in NZ. We stayed at Long Beach to be handy to the dock. We also hired a car so we could tour around for the last week of our holiday. A highlight of our stay here was our ferry trip out to Santa Catalina Island. This place is a little piece of the mediterranean in the US backyard. We also did a trip up the coast through Malibu and of course a trip to Rodeo drive. The week disappeared in a blurr and it was time to go home. 

The last job was to drop the RV to the Docks then it was time to fly home. The RV followed by sea several weeks behind us and thankfully arrived in one piece. All in all despite the scary beginnings and the huge risks we had a great time.

Our RV arrived back in New Zealand a few weeks after we got home. Thankfully it arrived in one piece and we excitedly waited for the next few weeks whilst it was converted from left hand drive to right hand drive. Once fully complied to New Zealand standards we were able to register her and get out on the New Zealand roads. Our RV certainly exceeded our expectations and we had a wonderful year making the most of it at every opportunity. Even if it was just a night away at the weekend. Being fully self contained we were able to make the most of the free camp sites around the country. It was great to have all the comforts of home at Horse Shows with Charelle. I had somewhere to escape to and relax at the end of the day. No lining up at the ablution blocks only to find out everyone else had used all the hot water and it was a cold shower or nothing. HOY was a breeze. Being involved with course building in the Show Hunter ring meant we were away for 6 nights. Even without a powered sight we were able to get through the whole week by running the generator for a couple of hours whilst watching TV at night. This recharged our batteries every day.

2007

Back in New Zealand we had itchy feet to head back to the States for another RV adventure. We were hooked so we decided to do it all again and try to visit another part of the United States. We decided once we got the new RV home to New Zealand and had it complied we would then sell one of them. We found a 2004 Mirada 330DS in Michigan just outside of Detroit. The 340MBS we purchased in Florida has one large slide and the 330DS has two slides(One in the living area and one in the bedroom). We decided we would like to experience a different layout so started the process all over again. This time it was even more scary as it was owned by a private individual and we didn't have the security of being able to check out a dealer first. It is a lot of money to loose if you are scammed so we made several phone calls to the people and then followed our gut instinct. Once again it was several weeks before we could leave NZ as we had to secure a RV before we made our travel arrangements.

This time Nigel and I travelled alone but our daughter, Kirsty, who was living in London flew into Detroit to join us for two weeks before returning to England. We flew into LA then after a few hours wait we flew on to Detroit, Michigan. All worked out well and the people we bought the RV from were really lovely and had even taken the time to make up our bed and put towels etc on board. We headed straight to Camping World and Walmart to stock the Motorhome for our trip.

We then collected Kirsty from the airport and headed off to Indiana where we visited the Coachmen RV factory and the Bison Horse Trailer factory.

FOR SALE

See 'Coachmen Mirada 330DS Photos for Pictures'

We currently have for sale our own personal Motor Home. It is a 2004 Coachmen Mirada 330DS. This coach has been used by the family for the last 12 months. It was purchased near Detroit, Michigan in the USA and we holidayed for 6 weeks across the country to bring it back to Long Beach, California from where we then had it shipped to New Zealand.

It's Specifications are as follows:

Make: Coachmen

Model: Mirada 330DS

Year: 2004

Mileage: 10,000 Miles

Sleeps: 4 persons

Slideouts: 2.     One in Living containing Kitchen and Sofa and One in Bedroom Containing Head of Bed.