Community Forums

MikeyD1 · 08-22-2017, 03:46 PM

Hello All,

This is my first post. Hopefully this post doesn't go to long and I'll touch on what I know and what I'm going to be finding out.

My wife and I have 3 kids the oldest being 8. We love road trips and live here in California and have drove in our minivan from here to Niagra Falls 2 years ago and spend 3 weeks on the road. This summer we went to Victoria, B.C. Canada with our minivan for 2 weeks and loved it. We love camping and weekend road trips. We have finally decided to dive in head first to the RV Lifestyle and believe we have found the one after looking for over 8 months now and doing research, but I definitely wanted to run in by owners who have Winnebago products already and see if you can shine and wisdom my way

We have found and put a hold payment on a 2015 Minnie Winnie 31H (bunkhouse) my wife loves the bunkhouse not just for the kids but the extra sleeping room if we bring my parents or her parents along on a trip. We have already test drove a previous rental from El Monte RV a 2015 Coachmen Leprechaun and liked it but it was $47k with 49,000 miles. The Minnie Winnie has 44,000 miles on it and is currently a rental unit with small Family owned RV shop here in California where they have all the service logs and perform all the service in house after each rental. I've been watching this particular model that they have had for sale now for about 1 month and the original asking price was $49,995. Well this past weekend on 8/20 they dropped the price over $10k to $39,100 and I HAD TO JUMP!
We have an appointment this Thursday to go look at it and test drive it to see if there is anything wrong with it or if it's just a truly great deal. As per the sales lady I've been working with (Who is great by the way and this Family owned RV place has 4 stars out of 5 from 77 reviewers. This seems hard to find nowadays.
My questions are besides the usually stuff such as how it drives, how clean it is inside, Service Log book, make sure it's not leaning to one side, weak/soft points on the roof when I walk on it and ensuring sealants around roof vents/AC etc.. look good, what else do I need to check for that is IMPORTANT and can be EASILY OVERLOOKED? I'm not looking to knit pick small scratches that don't affect performance/functionality of the unit, more the stuff that I can catch while I'm doing a walk around that could be costly later etc.. I should add that the Minnie Winnie does have a Onan Generator as well and a backup camera.

RV repair insurance (sold by dealership) - If they offer something like this should I do it? What is a reasonable cost for a unit this size and also which companies should I steer clear of?

My last question is.....If this unit check out where it's in great shape, has service logs, run and drives great no serious past issues etc... Is $39,100 really a smoking deal just like I think it is and should I dive in head first?

Thank you all for any and all insight you can provide to me. Hopefully I'll get enough info to be well armed going in there this Thursday.

-Mike

joemcgin · 08-23-2017, 08:46 AM

Check DOT date codes on the tires. Lots of info on here about finding and understanding the codes.

Camper tires don't usually wear out from mileage but rather age out instead. The most common recommendation you'll find here is to consider replacing them around the 7 year mark.

As a rental unit neither you nor the dealer really knows how it was driven. I personally replaced the tires on my used MH when we bought it. They were 7 years old and was able to sell all 6 on Craigslist for about $100 each. Helped with the $1800 bill for new tires & mounting.

If the tires on your MH are close to 7 years old, you could ask the dealer to replace them or figure the replacement cost into your offer.

Best of luck and enjoy!

MikeyD1 · 08-23-2017, 10:54 AM

joemcgin - Thanks for the info! So just to make sure I'm understanding all this correctly, the motorhome is a 2015. So are you saying they can have tires on them that are 7 years old or older? How likely is that? Wouldn't a rental agency be replacing them every 30k or so?

Anything else I should look out for or check?

Thank you again for that great info!

-Mike

joemcgin · 08-23-2017, 11:05 AM

Sorry was reading your post on my phone at work and must have missed that both units are 2015's. Still can't hurt to check out the date codes just to be sure. Enjoy!

crrv17 · 08-23-2017, 11:44 AM

When going through your unit don't let the salesman distract you check unit totally out no matter how long it takes. Might want to record or write down stuff.
If this unit has slides move them in and out several times make sure you are level and nothing is hanging up anywhere. Also take notes on set up with slides... engine on or off ... parking brake must be on for leveling? If this has jacks be sure to check that they function properly set them up and down several times. Leave the jack down while checking out unit walking around inside. Also visually inspect jacks make sure no fluid is leaking on to ground. Take a level with you make sure it levels properly. Check both water systems city and just tank. Run water through the whole system using city hook up run water through faucets. Then turn to tank water only and run water through system. Pump should function no problems. Might want to look at water heater on outside of unit. Open all faucets (shower, kitchen, bathroom sinks, flush toilet) and check for leaks also your checking for pressure let run for minute or so. Check your storage areas underneath while water is running. Check black water and gray water drains properly hopefully they have a dump station.
Look at ceiling closely in closets and various areas for any water damage.
Turn on air conditioning under load with the generator and then with power. Check your propane heater works. Check all propane works heater, oven, stove, Make sure cab air/heater functions. Just remember your paying a lot of your hard earned money for this unit so take your time. Check, Check and Check again it has been a rental unit. Also as for the warranty check around for prices it seems the dealerships start really high hope you take their first offer and what does it really cover.

Neverenuff · 08-24-2017, 07:08 AM

Spend time inspecting the underside. Look for corrosion or other issues

vanion2 · 08-24-2017, 07:54 AM

Having dealt with rental companies as a renter myself I will say this...Disregard the logs.
If you are new to RV's pay the money and take it to get a prepurchase inspection. With motor homes you have twice as much to inspect.
You have the house features:
plumbing
generator
furnace
A/C
water pump
holding tanks
shower
toilet
cabinets
appliances
beding
Then there is the chassis:
engine
drive train
suspension
frame
wheels/tires
leveling system(?)
stabilizers
etc...
Unless you are familiar with RVs (you stated this is your first RV purchase) this is quite a lot of ground to cover and to know what to look out for. Most rental places ensure that it is clean and perform maintenance that their insurance requires. Everything else, is done as needed. This being a 2 year old unit there is a good chance that there are plenty of fluids that will need to be replaced, bearings packed, batteries replaced, small leaks addressed, etc. Rental insurance requires replacing tires every 2 years. Were yours? DOT time stamp should be checked even on a 2 year old unit. What about the window seals? Have they been checked and repaired annually as they should have?
Do you really want to take a gamble with almost $40K for your first RV in making sure you catch all of this?

Sure they will have all the logs with all the boxes checked off but you are relying on the integrity of the service shop. What is their reputation from customers? Their job is to keep the rentals on the road and are under time constraints to get it done quickly. So again, I highly recommend you take it to a reputable RV service center and pay for a prepurchase inspection, have the Rental place provide you a car fax report (check for accidents, etc) and keep in mind that your resale value of this unit is going to be low since it started off as a rental and high mileage for a 2 year Class C.

I am not trying to dissuade you from buying it but I did near the same thing with my first motor home and traded it in on a TT a year later because any mechanical issues require you to take it to a shop that has a high bay and lift system rated to lift that much weight. The cost of maintenance is very high compared to buying your own truck and a nice bumper pull on an annual basis. Fuel costs will be higher as well because you are driving a huge box with a V10 Ford gas engine with a 55 gallon gas tank that will get you 300 miles a fill up if you are conservative. Good news is you are still under the 60 month/60000 mile factory warranty for the drive train unless voided due to commercial use (you might want to check on that). NADA low retail value for this RV is $48550 so the price point the Rental is asking is competitive based on the fact that it is a rental.

My sincerest hope is you do the prepurchase inspection and everything checks out. You have realistic expectations of about 7 mpg and get the rental place to do all fluid changes, new batteries, tires, generator service performed, bearings packed, window/roof seals touched up, etc before signing on anything and then go out and have grand family adventures.