Community Forums

Vibeman · 08-18-2019, 05:33 AM

Greetings all,
I am new to this forum and have been reading a lot. There is so much good info here and I really appreciate all those folks who share their knowledge and experience. I have some small experience with RV'ing but my wife has none and we do not currently own an RV. We are retired and want to do some traveling and since we live in the north we want to do the "snowbird" thing too. We have been looking and researching most of this year and think a smaller class A motorhome would work well for us. With that in mind we have found a local seller with a 2005 Itasca Sunova 29R. I would appreciate any info, good or bad, about this particular motorhome and Itasca motorhomes in general. We have already looked it over inside and out and there are no obvious problems, but have not yet done a test drive. I am familiar with vehicles in general and mechanical/electrical systems so before purchasing it I will do a more detailed inspection of all systems and a test drive. I would appreciate any tips and suggestions offered, such as model specific things to look out for, known problems, or generic problems that might crop up in a 15 year old motorhome.
Thank you!
-Ken

onebrit · 08-18-2019, 05:15 PM

Ken
Take your time but I highly recommend RVing if you like to travel and relax, you don't have to pack and unpack each time you change location, your bed is your own and if you eat in all utensils are yours. You can get up and eat whenever you want and the world is your Oyster. Have fun and join the millions always someone willing to help when your in need.
Good Luck
Onebrit

youracman · 08-18-2019, 11:41 PM

Sounds like a good choice to me, Ken. Especially if you like the floor plan.

I have a Class C, but there are lots of things in common with a small Class A; here are some thoughts that apply to either (some of which you are probably aware of if you are an avid forum reader ......... as I am.)

1. Tires: Nice deep tread means little. It's the date code on the sidewall that is of interest. Most RVer's say not to drive on tires over 7 years old ... and for good reason.

2. Fiberglass to awning rail seam: The sealant in this area (both sides of the coach) needs to be checked often. The adhesive-type sealant is what keeps heavy side winds from getting under that thin fiberglass roofing ...... and if that happens it does not end well. Replacing the sealant (with the right stuff) is labor intensive but not difficult. The WBGO design is fine ..... it is just an important maintenance item. (I believe the Itasca and WBGO utilized the same design in this area in the 2005 time frame.)

3. Many say that at about 10 to 15 years there is often a bit of a maintenance "hit" for the fairly big ticket items; e.g., the roof A/C and the fridge. That fits my 'sperience. Just some data to know "going in".

4. Run the genny under load (e.g. with the A/C on or an electric space heater in the winter) for at least 30 minutes (an hour would be better) as a good generator test. They don't like to sit idle; they like to be run often. Run that genny under load every month after you buy the rig, BTW ....... you'll minimize generator headaches IMHO.

I know you're interested in model-specific comments. Hopefully someone who owns a Sunova about that vintage will chime in. There's a gazillion of them out there and I sure don't read many owner complaints.

Good hunting...... and safe travels.

Vibeman · 08-19-2019, 03:19 AM

Thanks for the suggestions youracman, I was wondering about the longevity of RV appliances in general. This unit has low miles and the original tires, I am factoring in a complete new set of tires as part of my calculations. I will be sure to check the awning rail to roof seam closely too.