Our Sunrise is virtually the same coach, the suncruiser/adventurer was the next step up in trimline and features, but all in all virtually identical - all of the components and build style was the same. We bought it new at the end of '04 so it is coming up on ten years old. Still a fantastic motorhome and everything works. There were nice and modern features like home theater sound, double pane windows, electric slides, great leveling systems, ducted air and heat, and they were reasonably well built without common major failures. Newer units get full body paint, one piece windshield and full length slides or four slides. Otherwise they're pretty darn similar. Winnebago uses a fiberglass roof which I think is a real plus, more durable, easier to care for.
Is it a ford or workhorse? Either is good but in that vintage the 8.1 with allison trans had an advantage and was a couple of thousand extra. A bit more power and better handling chassis on the WH. But both can be updated and enhanced for better driving performance.
CCC should be fine, they used a heavy enough chassis in increasing capacities for longer lengths of coach. There will be a sheet posted in one of the closets, or a build sheet with the owner paperwork that will show weights and capacities. They generally built at least a couple of thousand into them, our has more than 3K. If there's no paperwork you can have the unit weighed and subtract from GVW for CCC. Weigh both axles if you have the opportunity and that will help you spec tire inflation on both axles.
Windshield leaks are likely to produce frame rust up there, a unit from a dry region is an advantage, or remove the internal trim pieces and inspect it. In fact you want to inspect every cabinet interior looking for signs of water leaks - they are the bane of RV's and will just ruin an otherwise good unit.
If it's a workhorse there were a couple of recalls, one for a efi pressure relief valve and the brake calipers. Can't tell you on ford - but make sure there are records for trans service on either - auto transmissions on motorhomes take a beating.
Then there are the appliances - just test every one and make sure they all work, they can be expensive to replace or repair. Run the gen and test EVERYTHING.
Make sure tire Dot dates are within 4-5 years or you'll soon be buying some expensive tires. Rated life is 5-10 years depending on the manufacturer, regardless of mileage.
At that age unless they have been stored indoors are likely to need some exterior refinishing - check for fading and sun damage, costs for replacing and refinishing can be expensive.
The Suncruiser model (Winnebago Adventurer) are arguably the most popular model of RV ever built. You pretty much can't go into any RV park across the country and not see at least one. They are well insulated and have ample tankage - good as any modern diesel. Mileage sucks - expect 7-8mpg depending on load, speed, and terrain. Will put a small car or trailer with ease.
You did find the factory brochure from that year, right? At winnebago.com? Downloadable PDF.
Good luck and let us know how it goes.
EDIT: Here's the factory brochure for that model and year:
http://media.goitasca.com/models/glo...ruiser-bro.pdf
Looks like 3 slides and full body paint, very nice. 22K gvw chassis. Unladen weight is likely about 19K lbs. The Ford chassis was updated by that year as well.
Looks like that is the first year they started putting vinyl floors in instead of carpet throughout. Another plus.
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