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Old 08-16-2016, 07:19 AM   #1
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Class A pre- purchase questions

I need a little advice regarding a 2008 33' Holiday Rambler Admiral on a Workhorse chassis we are considering. This would be our first Class A. Condition is excellent, 15 k miles, with new tires, batteries, topper, maintenance records & receipts, etc. Stored under cover. Seller is meticulous, knowledgeable and I think very honest. Here are my concerns and I appreciate any insight you can provide.

1) It has a 23' super slide that contains the couch, dinette, 10 cf Norcold refer, cabinets & wardrobe. Driven by two hydraulic cylinders with three horizontal support arms/tracks underneath. This slide is so much longer than others we have looked at. Operates smoothly and quietly, pump and motor are easily accessed in a bay. Do these larger slides have more maintenance and alignment issues due their extra weight and size?

2) Is the position of the outside mirror assembly mechanically adjustable? When sitting behind the steering wheel, part of the driver's mirror is blocked by the vertical support (the "A" pillar"?) on the coach between the windshield and the side window. Also, the windshield wiper is in the line of sight across the middle of the lower small convex mirror on the passenger side. Using the electric mirror controls did not help either issue. Note: the windshield is one piece and the wipers park horizontally. Any ideas?

3) The steering really seems "light", with almost no resistance or road feel. Is this a characteristic of the Workhorse chassis? The Ford F53 coaches I have driven have much more road feel. It reminds me of the a 1965 T-bird convertible I had in college, power steering always seemed way over boosted. The seller has had 2 diesel pushers and said their steering feel was similar. Is this just one of those things to get used to?

4) The floor flexes about 1/4" in the area between the dinette and the galley. Seller's wife had all the carpet replaced with vinyl and showed me a letter from the installation company that they inspected the subfloor and saw no evidence of water damage or any damage. Their opinion was coach builder didn't use a thick enough sub floor. I could feel solid lateral cross-supports about every 24" where the floor did not flex and also could not find any water damage anywhere. I did not notice it the first few times I walked across the area. Anyone seen something like this before?

5) Finally, the ceiling has a padded vinyl cover (headliner?) on it. Is this something that will eventually detach and droop like car headliners or is it a non-issue?

Thanks in advance for the help.
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Old 08-16-2016, 08:22 AM   #2
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Stephen,

You brought up several issues. I would suggest you look at other comparable units to see what you "can live with." There may be no perfect coach out there for you. We recently bought our first Class A after trailering for over ten years. I pretty much resorted to the fact that whether new or used, things will break no matter what. It is an RV after all. It's sad I have to say that but the quality control in the industry is poor. You can make modifications to your coach for driveability improvement as many have done across the forums. As for the slide, I am sure other owners of this coach will speak up. There are a ton of experienced people on here.

One thing I did want to mention is that I stayed away from Workhorse because they are no longer being manufactured. I realize that the main powertrain components are made by other companies (GM, Allison, etc.) but I didn't want to spend a considerable amount of money on something that I was going to keep for several years that might make it difficult to get it serviced. At least with Ford, I know that they have a nationwide dealer network should I need it when traveling. To some, this would be a non-issue and I don't use Ford to service my coach locally, but it is something to keep in mind in my opinion. I also would not buy a coach made by a company that is no longer in business. Others will disagree of course. A majority of the components in any coach are made by other companies and can be repaired or replaced. However, there are some things that would be unique to that brand. If I remember right Holiday Rambler is building coaches again but I can't remember who bought the name. I would check with them to see if parts are available for that unit should you need them. At least you will be informed before you make this purchase.

Finally, there are many people on here that know way more than I do. I have learned a lot in the few months I have been on this forum. Some Workhorse owners would be able to offer more information on how they deal with Workhorse issues.
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Old 08-16-2016, 08:30 AM   #3
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Workhorse is a solid chassis and parts are not hard to find.

Post a pic of the mirrors if you can, and then we can probably tell what they are and if they are adjustable.
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Old 08-16-2016, 08:45 AM   #4
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Quote:
Originally Posted by jpspaz View Post
Stephen,

You brought up several issues. I would suggest you look at other comparable units to see what you "can live with." There may be no perfect coach out there for you. We recently bought our first Class A after trailering for over ten years. I pretty much resorted to the fact that whether new or used, things will break no matter what. It is an RV after all. It's sad I have to say that but the quality control in the industry is poor. You can make modifications to your coach for driveability improvement as many have done across the forums. As for the slide, I am sure other owners of this coach will speak up. There are a ton of experienced people on here.

One thing I did want to mention is that I stayed away from Workhorse because they are no longer being manufactured. I realize that the main powertrain components are made by other companies (GM, Allison, etc.) but I didn't want to spend a considerable amount of money on something that I was going to keep for several years that might make it difficult to get it serviced. At least with Ford, I know that they have a nationwide dealer network should I need it when traveling. To some, this would be a non-issue and I don't use Ford to service my coach locally, but it is something to keep in mind in my opinion. I also would not buy a coach made by a company that is no longer in business. Others will disagree of course. A majority of the components in any coach are made by other companies and can be repaired or replaced. However, there are some things that would be unique to that brand. If I remember right Holiday Rambler is building coaches again but I can't remember who bought the name. I would check with them to see if parts are available for that unit should you need them. At least you will be informed before you make this purchase.

Finally, there are many people on here that know way more than I do. I have learned a lot in the few months I have been on this forum. Some Workhorse owners would be able to offer more information on how they deal with Workhorse issues.
So with that logic, if Winnebago went out of business you would sell your RV and purchase another RV from a company who is in business?

Back to the OP, just because a company is no longer in business does not justify not purchasing their product.

Plenty of parts and mechanics that work on Workhorse
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Old 08-16-2016, 02:40 PM   #5
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Stephen,
The best money I spent when buying my coach was to hire an independent technician to go over the MH, from one end to the other, including all systems.
Sounds like a good find though.
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Old 08-16-2016, 04:38 PM   #6
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Having an independent tech look at the RV is good advice. We like our Workhorse a lot and I would not hesitate if I was looking to upgrade to buy another Workhorse even if I can only get a used one now ( we bought new in 05 ). We've never had a problem getting service work done on ours, we either take it to a local GM service center, or to any independent service shop, depending on what we want done, where we are, and who is closest and able to perform the task. There are GM dealers and service centers in virtually every town in the country with a population of about 5000 people or more. And Workhorse was made with GM parts.
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Old 08-16-2016, 05:06 PM   #7
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Holiday Rambler

Holiday Rambler was purchased by the REV Group which manufactures Fleetwood, American Coach, and Monaco. All gassers are built on Ford F-53 chassis.
As the parent company of 26 specialty vehicle brands, REV Group has a lineup of vehicles that have long served the commercial, emergency and recreation markets. Together, these vehicle brands have manufactured more than 300,000 vehicles in service today.
Caution: Bigger doesn't mean better RVs, however. My 2016 Fleetwood Bounder has had a host of quality control issues.
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Old 08-16-2016, 06:06 PM   #8
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StephenW-

On your point #3, yes, the outside mirrors are adjustable. I swung the arm for my driver's mirror so the mirror is beside the driver's side window.

If the mirror has not been moved since new, it may take a lot of force to get it to move. If you find that's the case, look for the posts I've made on the topic, or send me a private message.

If you move the mirror to that position, you'll probably want to make a glare shield. Search and then ask me about that one, too.
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Old 08-17-2016, 04:33 AM   #9
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Quote:
Originally Posted by CJ7365 View Post
So with that logic, if Winnebago went out of business you would sell your RV and purchase another RV from a company who is in business?

Back to the OP, just because a company is no longer in business does not justify not purchasing their product.

Plenty of parts and mechanics that work on Workhorse
I refuse to get into an argument with you over my opinion because you clearly disagree and that's fine. I was just trying to offer a perspective that may not have been considered. I never said anything bad about Workhorse or Holiday Rambler. I'm sure it's a great rig and if the price is right, probably well worth it. You can bring up any brand of any product out there an there will be people with both good an bad experiences (and opinions). And no, I wouldn't sell my Winnebago if they went out of business tomorrow because I am already invested in it. But if I was in the market for an RV and they closed up shop last year, I would be a little concerned about parts and service down the road. Some will disagree with that position, but in this free world one can spend their money wherever they want.
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