Join CruisersForum Today
Mission Statement: Supporting thoughtful exchange of knowledge, values and experience among RV enthusiasts.
Reply
  This discussion is proudly sponsored by:
Please support our sponsors and let them know you heard about their products on iRV2
 
Thread Tools Search this Thread Display Modes
Old 06-30-2006, 12:07 PM   #1
Warpath is offline
Senior Member
Warpath's Avatar


Official iRV2 Sponsor
Join Date: Mar 2003
Location: N.E. Ohio
Posts: 836
That darn Winnebago Tour!

Not sure if any of you remember but back in January I had posted about a Horizon we saw at the Pittsburgh RV Show. I was impressed, my wife (Michelle) loved it and so did the kids. But I am a truck conversion man! (add Tim the tool-man grunt here) I love my conversion, it is built like a brick sh** house, with all kinds of steel, real wood through out and handles the roads awesome.

Well the Winnebago Tour a few weeks ago during our 2 week vacation put the nail in the coffin. Michelle and kids climbed all over a Ellipse with the KD floor-plan and now I am really feeling the pressure. I was again really impressed with the innovative stuff Winnebago is doing, really liked the tour of the factory, stopped in and said hi to Brian Funk, checked out the Ellipse but still in my mind I was not getting rid of my Show Hauler.

Well as we left Winnebago and the vacation wore on it became more and more apparent that the family wanted a say in what kind of RV we would be traveling around in. I started to do some research reading through a ton of posts here, looking at rigs forsale, comparing manufacturers in a similar price range, reading through Winnebago literature, pouring over the specs and we finally decided a Vectra or Horizon was in our future.

One of my big hang ups with traditional RV's has been the weak interiors. My last Class A had flimsy fake trim, chintzy draws and glides, just no structure. I was afraid to use the thing.

I must say I am very impressed with what Winnebago is doing and feel the interiors have come along way and love all of the user friendly systems Winne incorporates. It doesn't help that I camp with 2 Winnebago owners either.

My next hurdle is selling my conversion. I wanted to trade it in, and I have even made a few offers on 06 Vectra's, but most RV dealers don't know what to do with mine and they are leary about taking it in. So it is up for sale, and when we sell it we'll be part of the club.

In the mean time I maybe asking alot of questions, we are going to take a peak at one again tomorrow just to be sure to nail down what we really want.

Who do I talk to about getting a Winnebago Owner tag when the time comes?

Bill

__________________
2012 Showhauler Legend 40' Conversion
  Reply With Quote
   
Join the #1 RV Forum Today - It's Totally Free!

iRV2.com RV Community - Are you about to start a new improvement on your RV or need some help with some maintenance? Do you need advice on what products to buy? Or maybe you can give others some advice? No matter where you fit in you'll find that iRV2 is a great community to join. Best of all it's totally FREE!

You are currently viewing our boards as a guest so you have limited access to our community. Please take the time to register and you will gain a lot of great new features including; the ability to participate in discussions, network with other RV owners, see fewer ads, upload photographs, create an RV blog, send private messages and so much, much more!

Old 06-30-2006, 12:07 PM   #2
Warpath is offline
Senior Member
Warpath's Avatar


Official iRV2 Sponsor
Join Date: Mar 2003
Location: N.E. Ohio
Posts: 836
That darn Winnebago Tour!

Not sure if any of you remember but back in January I had posted about a Horizon we saw at the Pittsburgh RV Show. I was impressed, my wife (Michelle) loved it and so did the kids. But I am a truck conversion man! (add Tim the tool-man grunt here) I love my conversion, it is built like a brick sh** house, with all kinds of steel, real wood through out and handles the roads awesome.

Well the Winnebago Tour a few weeks ago during our 2 week vacation put the nail in the coffin. Michelle and kids climbed all over a Ellipse with the KD floor-plan and now I am really feeling the pressure. I was again really impressed with the innovative stuff Winnebago is doing, really liked the tour of the factory, stopped in and said hi to Brian Funk, checked out the Ellipse but still in my mind I was not getting rid of my Show Hauler.

Well as we left Winnebago and the vacation wore on it became more and more apparent that the family wanted a say in what kind of RV we would be traveling around in. I started to do some research reading through a ton of posts here, looking at rigs forsale, comparing manufacturers in a similar price range, reading through Winnebago literature, pouring over the specs and we finally decided a Vectra or Horizon was in our future.

One of my big hang ups with traditional RV's has been the weak interiors. My last Class A had flimsy fake trim, chintzy draws and glides, just no structure. I was afraid to use the thing.

I must say I am very impressed with what Winnebago is doing and feel the interiors have come along way and love all of the user friendly systems Winne incorporates. It doesn't help that I camp with 2 Winnebago owners either.

My next hurdle is selling my conversion. I wanted to trade it in, and I have even made a few offers on 06 Vectra's, but most RV dealers don't know what to do with mine and they are leary about taking it in. So it is up for sale, and when we sell it we'll be part of the club.

In the mean time I maybe asking alot of questions, we are going to take a peak at one again tomorrow just to be sure to nail down what we really want.

Who do I talk to about getting a Winnebago Owner tag when the time comes?

Bill

__________________
2012 Showhauler Legend 40' Conversion
  Reply With Quote
   
Old 06-30-2006, 12:30 PM   #3
SargeW is offline
Senior Member
SargeW's Avatar


Join Date: Sep 2002
Location: Anywhere USA
Posts: 1,106
Hi Bill,

I was a die hard 5ver puller until I started looking at Winnebago Meridian's. Yup, same story. Now I own one.........
__________________
Marty and Diane, Fulltiming!

Our Travel Blog www.mytripjournal.com/rvnchick2010
  Reply With Quote
   
Old 06-30-2006, 03:08 PM   #4
DriVer is offline
iRV2 Marketing
DriVer's Avatar


Winnebago Owners Club
Workhorse Chassis Owner
Coastal Campers
Carolina Campers
Join Date: Jan 2000
Location: Conway, SC
Posts: 20,546
Blog Entries: 66
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Warpath:
Who do I talk to about getting a Winnebago Owner tag when the time comes? </div></BLOCKQUOTE>Please allow me ....
  Reply With Quote
   
Old 06-30-2006, 03:21 PM   #5
rebelsbeach is offline
Administrator Emeritus


Join Date: Dec 2003
Location: Jupiter, FL
Posts: 9,933
Bill, I'm glad to see you're coming over to the "other side" and joining us diesel pusher folks...

When the time comes I think it'd be "fitting" for Mike to add the Winnebago "karma" to your signature....

Heck, if you'd have done this a few months ago we could have ALL met in Forest City and you could have met the "now famous" Jill from the Lodge Restaurant across the street.
Maybe Bryan can get you to come back out and have your warranty stuff done there....

Think they'd service my new coach too?

Just remember.....if Momma ain't happy....then NOBODY'S happy!!!
__________________
  Reply With Quote
   
Old 07-02-2006, 11:22 PM   #6
LouRobin is offline
Senior Member
LouRobin's Avatar
Join Date: Jan 2000
Posts: 504
Which floorplan struck your fancy ?
__________________
Lou & Robin
  Reply With Quote
   
Old 07-03-2006, 01:36 AM   #7
rebelsbeach is offline
Administrator Emeritus


Join Date: Dec 2003
Location: Jupiter, FL
Posts: 9,933
Bill AND HIS WIFE AND KIDS esoecially liked the 40KD...
__________________
  Reply With Quote
   
Old 07-03-2006, 03:05 AM   #8
Warpath is offline
Senior Member
Warpath's Avatar


Official iRV2 Sponsor
Join Date: Mar 2003
Location: N.E. Ohio
Posts: 836
I love where the TV is in the FD, but for the 4 of us it's more important to have the 2 couches in the KD.

We can go either way on the table & chairs or the dinette, would love the sink w/ vanity in the bedroom, but could live with the chest of draws, and would prefer the king, but again could deal with the queen.

We didn't get a chance to go looking on Saturday, but will be heading out today if they are open and may have a better idea of the "must have" list.
__________________
2012 Showhauler Legend 40' Conversion
  Reply With Quote
   
Old 07-03-2006, 04:29 AM   #9
AdrianLee is offline
Senior Member
AdrianLee's Avatar
Join Date: Feb 2006
Location: Wherever we are parked today
Posts: 294
Bill,

The TV placement in the FD gives the feeling of being in a home rather than an RV. With just the 2 of us it is great, especially as full timers with no stick house (right now). The FD also feels like it has more room in the living room although I doubt it really does.

Think about this - where are the 2 little ones going to sit to watch TV - both of them on a couch or both of them on the floor. That might get you thinking more about the FD.
__________________
Adrian & Barbara

2006 Itasca Ellipse 40FD
  Reply With Quote
   
Old 07-03-2006, 03:23 PM   #10
Warpath is offline
Senior Member
Warpath's Avatar


Official iRV2 Sponsor
Join Date: Mar 2003
Location: N.E. Ohio
Posts: 836
Wahoo we had fun today.

Went down to Avalon RV in Medina to check out, in person, a Vectra they have on the lot.

Unfortunately the salesmen I have been talking with was on vacation and they where running a skeleton crew today so no test drive. But we crawled all over the Vectra and a bunch of other pushers they had on the lot and it really gave us a good chance to solidify what we want.

We definitely settled on the KD floorplan. The seating & sleeping arrangements work much better for us in the KD. As far as the dining arrangements, we could go with any of the available options. We found pro's and con's to each so thats not a deal breaker. Must have the king bed and we really like the chair and chest of drawers. Even with the king taking up a bunch of room, I really like that chair back there and I was surprised how comfy it was.

This is the first time that I really focused on this RV possibly being mine. So we spent about an hour going through every drawer, cabinet & closet and I can truly say that I am blown away with Winnebago's use of every conceivable bit of space. For once I feel like who ever is designing these RV's must be a RV'er!

Spent alot of time in the captains chair, love the dash, and it's great to have so many controls on the steering wheel. Also the ergonomics seem really good with many of the important items very close by.

Avalon has a decent selection of pushers on their lot which afforded us the ability to compare each of them and really helped us confirm that we where picking the right Manufacturer as well as model. We even went into a rig that was $100,000 more than the Vectra and hands down would pick a Vectra or Horizon over it. Don't get me wrong it was nice, but it just seems like Winnebago packs so much functionality into it rigs that you really would have to step up way big to pass that up.

It was a ton of fun and it would have been even better to have driven the Vectra home. We have a bunch of irons in the fire trying to make something happen pretty quickly, would love to be in a Vectra or Horizon before the National Rally.

I did receive a email from Lou (iRV2 member: RMM) who works at Suncoast RV. They have a ton of Winnebago's & Itasca's and we are trying to work something out there.

I'll keep ya posted.
__________________
2012 Showhauler Legend 40' Conversion
  Reply With Quote
   
Old 07-03-2006, 03:54 PM   #11
rebelsbeach is offline
Administrator Emeritus


Join Date: Dec 2003
Location: Jupiter, FL
Posts: 9,933
Bill....you had mentioned you liked the second sink in the bedroom.

With the BR chair you lose that sink,so I'm thinking you and the wife nixed the sink?

I know with the wife and one daughter,I like being "assigned" the sink in the toilet room as mine....with two kids you might want to give that one some thought.

I agree with your storage assessment of the 40KD....I also was very happy with the smart wheel controls and even the controls for the radio/cd are on the wheel....Made traveling solo that much easier.....

I can imagine the chair is comfortable and it does afford the opportunity to watch the tube back there without getting on the bed, just playing the devil's advocate...

If you get anywhere south and need a stop,just give me a ring....driveway's a little crowded, but room for two more!!
__________________
  Reply With Quote
   
Old 07-07-2006, 04:08 PM   #12
LouRobin is offline
Senior Member
LouRobin's Avatar
Join Date: Jan 2000
Posts: 504
Bill,
Thanks for posting up the link for Sun Coast RV.

The Florida Boomers are spending an extended weekend at a wonderful RV Resort in the middle of what FL used to be like. River Ranch RV Resort, on the Kissimme River.

Hopefully when I get back to reality you and the GM at Suncoast will have "done a deal."
__________________
Lou & Robin
  Reply With Quote
   
Old 07-07-2006, 05:15 PM   #13
jimandsue60 is offline
Senior Member
Join Date: Aug 2004
Posts: 709
Bill, you may have seen some questions I posted on other forums. I was dead set on a truck conversion, renegade or showhauler. But after seeing some things we liked in the Winnebago line and my wife's thoughts on the conversion being to "manly" looking we decided on a more traditional rv. Good luck on your purchase.

Jim

__________________
2007 Winnebago Vectra 40TD, 2004 Dodge Dakota

Our Photos
  Reply With Quote
   
Reply


Currently Active Users Viewing This Thread: 1 (0 members and 1 guests)
 
Thread Tools Search this Thread
Search this Thread:

Advanced Search
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are Off
Pingbacks are Off
Refbacks are Off


Similar Threads
Thread Thread Starter Forum Replies Last Post
Would like to join kaisooba Monaco Owner's Forum 5 05-29-2008 08:11 PM
Come join us read & learn iRV2.com General Discussion 1 05-23-2008 02:53 AM
why should I join Mark Bento Winnebago-Itasca Travelers Club (WIT) 11 09-17-2007 11:54 AM
Would like to join "BUT" N9UOM Workhorse Chassis Motorhome Club (WCMC) 2 10-12-2006 06:25 PM
Come Join Us May of '06 Southeast Region 1 08-03-2005 02:54 AM

Download our Mobile App






1% for the Planet
» Upcoming Rallies
No events scheduled in
the next 365 days.
» iRV2 on facebook

Our Communities

Our communities encompass many different hobbies and interests, but each one is built on friendly, intelligent membership.

» More about our Communities

Automotive Communities

Our Automotive communities encompass many different makes and models. From U.S. domestics to European Saloons.

» More about our Automotive Communities

RV & Travel Trailer Communities

Our RV & Travel Trailer sites encompasses virtually all types of Recreational Vehicles, from brand-specific to general RV communities.

» More about our RV Communities

Marine Communities

Our Marine websites focus on Cruising and Sailing Vessels, including forums and the largest cruising Wiki project on the web today.

» More about our Marine Communities


Copyright 2002-2012 Social Knowledge, LLC All Rights Reserved.
All times are GMT -6. The time now is 10:20 AM.