Flair Affair...an 18 year old named "Wanda L..."

[Motor7]

We have had a Class B for the last couple of years. Did a ton of work to it and put 10,000 miles on it but it seemed to be shrinking in size. My wife and I decided to move up to a small Class A and after some research I decided on a 22' Flair. They were made between 1992 and 1996 on a Chevy P-30 series chassis(yes I am a Chevy guy).

Why only a 22' you say? Well, 95% of the time it's just me and the wife, so we really have no use for anything longer. The 22' Flair has an enclosed bathroom w/shower, a rear bed and a dinette that drops down to a bed. There is more storage on the inside and outside than we will ever use. since I am the "lead singer and driver of the Winnebago"(Blues Brothers..... Tucker McElroy), I like driving something that I can maneuver and park just about anywhere. Even though the Flair can tow 3500 lbs, I made a custom hitch hauler for my motorcycles...no trailers for me unless it's the pontoon boat going to camp on the lake.

So, after a hard look at one in Tucson AZ, I decided on on in Lakewood NJ at Scott's RV. I flew into Philly, and they picked me up. Did my inspection/test drive and found the coach to be in great condition. Inside is excellent, outside is good with some fading and graphics showing their age:

[Pepper2]

Congratulations.

[Motor7]

Usually dealerships forget to mention the bad stuff.....but there were some things that the dealership forgot to mention in their ad that were not only good....... they were great: The roof has been recently re-sealed and there is a 45 watt solar panel up there that is fully functional. It also has and aftermarket set of "Level Best" hydraulic levelers underneath, also fully functional. The old Magna-tec was gone and a nice 55 amp Progressive Dynamics Inteli-power converter charger was in it's place.

So I bought Wanda L... and drove her 700 miles home:




Then I spent a day cleaning, checking fluids, replacing the front sway bar bushings and fixing a slow leak in the LF air bag. Then we packed her up and headed North.....to Manitoba for Christmas(yep you read it right......CANADA).

[Motor7]

1300 miles later Wanda was a bit dirty:






The day after we arrived it was around 32 degrees, so I borrowed a pressure washer and got off as much of the road salt as possible.

Temps then proceeded to go down to -17F while we were there. We had a trip planned but even with all 3 batteries, it would not start. I had to go buy a block heater and the next day it fired right up.

Cleaned up and on the way home on New Years Day:


Arrived home in TN early AM today, a total of 3,300 miles since the Wed before Christmas. No issues at all on the road.

[Fred1609]

What a great looking rig.....amazing....... some of the deals out there.
Congratulations.

[Motor7]

The tv was rattling around in it's enclosure so I removed it in canada. It was the old huge type so it and the VCR went to the dump. I will be replacing it with a 19" flat screen and dvd player. A new digital tv antenna will go in the place of the old Winegard. The head lights(even though there are 4 of them) are abysmal, so either new ones, or aux LED's up front(I need to do some research). Also will add aux LED back-up lights...can't see a thing at night behind me. I will have a winter cover made for the front grill....the engine stayed at temp, but the cold air made it's way into the cockpit in several areas and it was a bit cool on McElroy.

The LF hyd leveler kept inching down until the light would come on to let me know. So before i left I raised it up and wired it in place....have to take a look at that. The culligan water filter froze and broke off. The dealership winterized it for me, but neglected to dump the water out of the filter cannister.

So I am thinking about a new paint job....what do y'all think...lipstick on a pig? What's the average cost of a short bus paint job these days?

[Motor7]

Thanks Pepper!

Fred, yes we had settled on $11,500 before I inspected it. My only negotiation was to have them drain and replace all the brake fluid while I was there. After seeing it and driving it, I agreed to that price...I think it was fair. Oh and it had 56K miles on it, the genny had 170 hours.

$11.5 is 1K under book, then add the levelers, solar and converter........

[Motor7]

I know that a Flair is a "entry level class A", and I am ok with that....maybe I am an entry level kinda guy

On the trip we started calling Wanda "Stumpy"....just seems to fit.

More yapping and pic's to follow.............

[Pepper2]

You would be looking at another $10-$15000.00 for the paint job if farmed out.

[Gordon Dewald]

Any thoughts of wrapping it?

[PushedAround]

Congrats on finding something you love. Our Harvey is entry level too, and I wouldn't trade him for anything. Sometimes good old functionality is all you need.

[Motor7]

Originally Posted by Pepper2

You would be looking at another $10-$15000.00 for the paint job if farmed out.

Whoa....well now that ain't gonna happen....I had no idea it would be that much. I have painted a few things in my day, I might have to give this a shot myself.

Gordon, no, but I am intrigued....what is the cost of wrap?

I do have an idea already. I am going to reseal all the windows and doors. Mask off and paint the stripes in grey fading to black. Leave the tan as is and once the stripe paint is cured do the floor polish thing on the whole coach.

[Motor7]

Something like this:

[Motor7]

or this: