After One Year: '04 Journey vs '04 Bounder Diesels

[CoachPotato]

For those who read my story of losing our beloved Cecil the Diesel in an awful accident in November, 2017 - and then the post about our new to us '04 Bounder diesel., here is a brief comparison...

2004 Journey 32T vs 2004 Bounder 34M:

The Journey 32T, our beloved Cecil the Diesel, would never have been replaced had she not been totaled. She was, to me, the perfect coach in so many ways. She gave excellent mileage, was a pleasure to drive, and was very comfy and roomy. She had basement air conditioning, and before her, I never realized the huge difference that makes! I loved the efficiency and quietness of that system. Those were the two biggest advantages over the Bounder.

Our Bounder is a very satisfactory replacement for comfort and convenience. She is two feet longer, and that is quite evident in the bath area. We like the separate, little room for the potty. The Bounder is heavier, and handles head and cross winds even better than did the Journey. Of course both diesels are heavier and both handle such conditions considerably better than our prior two gas coaches.

The Journey had the 5.9L Cummins 300 HP engine. The Bounder has the 7.2L Cat C7 300 HP engine. The Cat has considerably more torque, but is also pushing a heavier coach. My experience is that the performance of both is very similar. But the main drawback is the comparatively lousy 8.5 MPG of the Bounder. Mileage is very important to me, and I sure do miss the 11 MPG.

I put 25,000 miles on the Journey in the 2½ years we owned her. I have put 16,000 miles on the Bounder in the year we've owned her.

My biased conclusion:

I really miss the Journey, although the Bounder has been a very comfortable coach. When driving the Bounder, each time I look down at my ScanGauge D MPG monitor, I miss the Journey's excellent fuel economy. Each time I run the house air conditioner, I especially miss the Journey as I listen to the roar of the roof mounted air conditioners of the Bounder.

Had I found a nice Journey 32T when I bought the Bounder, there would have been no doubt I'd have taken the Journey. They are, however, like hen's teeth to find. I often look online for them, but I haven't yet found one that compares to our beloved Cecil the Diesel in options, condition, and price. To me, they're simply not worth the $$$ some folks try to get for them. If I did find one fairly priced, I'm not sure I'd make a change. Here in The People's Republic of Kalifornistan I'd add thou$and$ in $ale$ tax on top of the other hassles of again buying and selling motorhomes. I've done my share of that!

If you're really bored, here's a history of our RVs that I posted on my website a while back.

Thank you for your indulgence...

[Ivylog]

I recently helped our church sell a donated 06 32T. The more I checked it out the more impressed I was with it...a lot of nice features and for a 32’, a fair amount of space. Had sat for over a year and I was surprised everything seemed to work OK. New owner spent a week cleaning and had to replace all of the batteries. Agree the AC under the bed would not be for me.

[Big_Katuna]

Glad you like it. I think the humidity is a big factor in Florida. It’s gruesome.

[ferndaleflyer]

Big that's the argument I hear. But mine was under the drivers seat right behind the generator and you could not hear it at all in the bedroom. As far as cooling, that thing would freeze you out even in the Arizona desert. That brings us to storage, this Monaco I have now has no where near the storage that the Winnebago had. I even carried a 22.5 mounted spare in the Winnebago. But I got that "new" fever and in spite of its short comings I do like my Monaco.

[Big_Katuna]

My friend had one. It couldn’t keep up in full FLORIDA sun in the summer. He added a 12K freestanding portable unit.

His was mounted under his bed and he complained about the noise.

He also didn’t like the loss of a storage bay.

Some dealers wouldn’t work on it.

Didn’t cool full strength on 30A.

[ferndaleflyer]

I often wonder about those that complain about the basement air...My old Winnebago Luxor had it and this Monaco I have now does not and like you say not nearly as efficient and NOISEY.

[T18skyguy]

You speak so warmly of that rig you got me wanting one. Cecil the Diesel,love the name.

[Big_Katuna]

Thanks for checking in. Glad all is well.
We bought an 2005 Expedition new (pretty much the same coach).

It has served us well. Have your windows fogged? Our fridge failed. I replaced the cooling unit with an Amish built. Now you can get a compressor replacement.
Very few chassis issues. A few ride ht valves. Both ACs but they run a LOT in Fl. Dash ac has slow leak.

Good luck!