Considering a 2007 National RV Seabreeze

[billdye]

Hello National RV owners,

I have an appointment for tomorrow morning to view a 2007 National RV Seabreeze LX model 8134 that the dealer tells me is in very clean condition.
It has less than 34,000 miles on the engine, approximately 57 hours on the 5.5k Onan generator and is a consignment unit on a small dealers lot. He is asking $49,950 for the unit.
It is a Ford F-53 chassis with the V-10 Ford engine and has 7 year old Michelin tires on 22.5 inch rims. It is my opinion to replace the tires, hopefully with Toyo's if possible with a comparable size.
I'm not familiar with the National RV brand, but owned two Fleetwood coaches from the 2000 to 2003 era (both Pace Arrow brand units).
I would appreciate any input and experience you can share with me on evaluating this motorhome and what to look for as possible issues with this particular motorhome.
Thank you in advance for any insight you can share with me.

Bill Dye
Pioneer, CA

[CamJam1]

I can't speak to the Ford chassis or even specifically to the Sea Breeze as I have a Dolphin on a Workhorse chassis, but I think you'll find the quality of things like the cabinetry to be better than your Fleetwoods.

There are only a couple National-related problems that I can think of, and I can't say whether they were an issue in 2007 or not. Some of the earlier years did use a bedroom slide with a brass gear that eventually stripped.

There were also some delamination issues due to a supplier problem, though I believe National repaired the majority of those under warranty.

Perhaps I'm not up on pandemic pricing, but the price seems a tad high. I paid just under 24k 2-1/2 years ago for my 2004 Dolphin with 13k miles on it.

National made a quality product, that I can vouch for. Perhaps someone else can provide more details relating to the 2007 models.

EDIT: Take a look at this very informative older thread with details about the bedroom slide issue. Hopefully the coach you're looking at does not have the problematic RBW unit with the brass gear. I got lucky with my 2004 as it has the better Power Gear unit.

https://www.irv2.com/forums/f105/200...lem-44806.html

[FLRosebud]

As CamJam1 says, Nationals are quality units. I have a 2006 SeaBreeze LX 8321. Your is probably an 8341, which is 35 feet long. I think the price is a bit high as well. I paid a little over $30k for mine 3.5 years ago. The main thing is look for indications of leaks. National used a fiberglass roof, so it should be pretty tight. The Ford is a good engine. I've got 105k miles on mine, and no issues.

Al

[TechWriter]

Originally Posted by FLRosebud

Your is probably an 8341, which is 35 feet long. I think the price is a bit high as well. I paid a little over $30k for mine 3.5 years ago.

Originally Posted by CamJam1

Perhaps I'm not up on pandemic pricing, but the price seems a tad high. I paid just under 24k 2-1/2 years ago for my 2004 Dolphin with 13k miles on it.

You're both out of touch with the current "COVID pricing" which seems to be following the housing market (also very pricey).

I've been searching for a National RV for several months and the prices are VERY high. Just bought a 2001 Sea View for $29K -- similar model sold for thousands less a few years ago. I was going to wait for a downturn in 2022, but it's not looking that way, just less inventory. We'll see.

Make sure to pull a CarFax. Check for # of owners, where it's been, and if the title is clear (not a salvage).

Originally Posted by billdye

I have an appointment for tomorrow morning to view a 2007 National RV Seabreeze LX model 8134 that the dealer tells me is in very clean condition.
It has less than 34,000 miles on the engine, approximately 57 hours on the 5.5k Onan generator and is a consignment unit on a small dealers lot. He is asking $49,950 for the unit. It is a Ford F-53 chassis with the V-10 Ford engine . . .

I owned a 2004 Sea Breeze 8341 (GM Workhorse version) for several years and it was a very good coach. National RV made quality coaches. (And then they bought Country Coach . . . another story.) Anyway, I'm going back to a National RV even after driving a primo Newmar diesel pusher for a decade.

[billdye]

Thank you CamJam1, FLRosebud and TechWriter. Yes, tell me about Covid pricing. $50,000 for a 14 year old gas Class A motorhome? CRAZY! But NADA pricing shows a low of $45k and an average retail of $54k, and all of a sudden the asking price is right in the middle!
And on top of Covid pricing on RV's, let me share with you I live in Northern California and fire victims that have lost their homes are buying up any type of RV just for a place to live.That also is driving prices up and depleting inventory available. What a great time to be selling an RV.
After looking at the various National RV and Dolphin forums today, I think my biggest concern (okay, fear) is trying to find parts specifically used by National RV that have now been out of production for 13 to 14 years. Not Chassis or Ford engine parts, but "house" parts. Seems like similar parts if originally used on a Fleetwood or Winnebago would be much easier to find, simply because of the thousands of units Fleetwood and Winnebago built over the years.
I just hope that this particular Sea Breeze 8341 is in such good condition that I am willing to pay the dealer a fair price in today's environment.

[FLRosebud]

Parts haven't been an issue for me. I've replaced a few things in the RV, and had no issues, as National used the same suppliers as everyone else. I did have to replace a body part, and Visone in KY, a junkyard, had a couple.

And that's just crazy with regards to the price, but it is what it is.

Al

[TechWriter]

Originally Posted by billdye

I think my biggest concern (okay, fear) is trying to find parts specifically used by National RV that have now been out of production for 13 to 14 years. Not Chassis or Ford engine parts, but "house" parts. Seems like similar parts if originally used on a Fleetwood or Winnebago would be much easier to find, simply because of the thousands of units Fleetwood and Winnebago built over the years.

I'm hard pressed to think of a house part (fridge? AC? microwave? door? handles? etc) that doesn't have an exact, close-to, or even better modern replacement.

In case you buy it, I have a list of part sources. I'm sure others here have their sources too.

Originally Posted by billdye

I just hope that this particular Sea Breeze 8341 is in such good condition that I am willing to pay the dealer a fair price in today's environment.

Good luck. Let us know how it turns out.

[CamJam1]

Molded plastic interior pieces and basement locker doors are about the only thing I can think of that might be hard to duplicate. Even the headlights and tail lights are GM and Ford. An entire front or rear cap might be a challenge, though fiberglass is easy to repair if not in a million pieces. There was a company in Quartzite AZ called Gamblers that had a bunch of that stuff at one time that they bought when National went under. Not sure about their current situation.

[rjsupersonic]

I have put 70,000 miles on our 2007 Seabreeze no chassis issues with the exception of the rear pinion seal needed to be replaced due to a leak, the coach has never left us stranded. National built these things with a steel frame and one piece fiberglass roof very solid. We have the non LX model which has 19.5 wheels. Check the roof edges often we did have a couple of leaks but those were easily repaired. We are still using the original Dometic Fridge, Atwood water heater and front AC. Last summer the rear AC failed and was replaced.I think the Sea Breeze is a great choice I wish they were still in business.

[John Wayne]

Don't know if they are still in business but Ortega manufacturing in Hemet bought the molds for the front and rear end caps for 2002 and older Nationals when they went out of business

[charlespierc]

Originally Posted by billdye

Hello National RV owners,

I have an appointment for tomorrow morning to view a 2007 National RV Seabreeze LX model 8134 that the dealer tells me is in very clean condition.
It has less than 34,000 miles on the engine, approximately 57 hours on the 5.5k Onan generator and is a consignment unit on a small dealers lot. He is asking $49,950 for the unit.
It is a Ford F-53 chassis with the V-10 Ford engine and has 7 year old Michelin tires on 22.5 inch rims. It is my opinion to replace the tires, hopefully with Toyo's if possible with a comparable size.
I'm not familiar with the National RV brand, but owned two Fleetwood coaches from the 2000 to 2003 era (both Pace Arrow brand units).
I would appreciate any input and experience you can share with me on evaluating this motorhome and what to look for as possible issues with this particular motorhome.
Thank you in advance for any insight you can share with me.

Bill Dye
Pioneer, CA

Good choice.
I have an 07 Sea Breeze LX 8321. I think you will like the quility of the National R.V. and I wouldn't be afraid to buy one even though they are out of business. You will like the Ford chassis as well.
I have had mine for six years now and have put about 38K on it so far. A/C compressor for the dash failed, no other engine or chassis problems.
Preventive maintenance is the most important thing you can do.

[Vortriede]

I'm responding a bit late to this post, so I'm sure that the original poster has already made a decision. Nevertheless, I am a 2007 Ford Chassis Seabreeze LX owner and can vouch for the quality of the National products. This is my second Seabreeze, the first being a 1996 on a Workhorse chassis which was my first motorhome. I would still have the '96 Seabreeze except that it lacked power levelers and because it was ageing more gracefully than I was, leveling manually was literally a pain. So I traded it for a 2005 Georgie Boy Pursuit. What a POS. I loved the Ford V10 but the build quality was a joke. Where the Seabreeze had solid wood everywhere, the Pursuit had the cheapest faux wood imaginable, stapled together. It did have hydraulic levelers and slide outs, though. We traded that for the 2007 Seabreeze which we found almost by chance. Moving back to a National product convinced us that the quality that we had in our 1996 Seabreeze was not a fluke. After the Georgie Boy experience this was a breath of fresh air. We are now diehard National fans and only wish that they were still in business.

Now, there is one issue that we have had: the bedroom slide motor/gearbox died an ugly death (search my posts for how I repaired that) and since then it has sheared a couple of roll pins. Researching the roll pin issue, I determined that it was an issue with not lubricating the slide. That was probably why the gearbox died as well. There are several points that should be lubricated with wax (I use carnauba car wax). With the slide extended, look at the bottom of the slide and you will see the "witness marks" for where the slide rests on nylon bearings. Apply wax where those marks are. The other place is on the inside. Tilt the bed up and on each side you will see rales that the bed slides on (there are nylon bearings at the foot of the bed that engage the rails). Wax those rales on the sides and bottom. That should keep you out of trouble, but even so, keep a supply of roll pins on board just in case.

Good luck and God bless!

[thetiler]

Originally Posted by billdye

Hello National RV owners,

I have an appointment for tomorrow morning to view a 2007 National RV Seabreeze LX model 8134 that the dealer tells me is in very clean condition.
It has less than 34,000 miles on the engine, approximately 57 hours on the 5.5k Onan generator and is a consignment unit on a small dealers lot. He is asking $49,950 for the unit.
It is a Ford F-53 chassis with the V-10 Ford engine and has 7 year old Michelin tires on 22.5 inch rims. It is my opinion to replace the tires, hopefully with Toyo's if possible with a comparable size.
I'm not familiar with the National RV brand, but owned two Fleetwood coaches from the 2000 to 2003 era (both Pace Arrow brand units).
I would appreciate any input and experience you can share with me on evaluating this motorhome and what to look for as possible issues with this particular motorhome.
Thank you in advance for any insight you can share with me.

Bill Dye
Pioneer, CA

Bill, Did you end up purchasing it?

[billdye]

To all of those of you that responded to my questions regarding purchasing a 2007 Sea Breeze - thank you for your answers and guidance. Yes, my wife and I did purchase the motorhome and are very happy with our decision. In fact, we worked hard getting it ready to go and had a nice "close to home" shakedown cruise weekend and I think the Sea Breeze really exceeds our expectations.
The last gas motorhome we owned was about 10 years ago and it was a 2003 Pace Arrow 37'. I agree that the Sea Breeze seems like a better built unit than the Fleetwood product.
The Sea Breeze is my first Ford F-53 V-10, 5 speed unit, and I am very happy with the power and handling so far. It does not appear that this particular unit has had any of the "Cheap Handling Fixes" performed, so that will take some time.
I do have a couple of questions that perhaps someone could answer:
First, when starting down a grade towing a toad and turning on Tow/Haul, is there any way to just downshift from fifth to fourth? That downshift to third gear is really annoying and seems to be more engine braking that is required in most cases. Is there a way to just downshift from 5 to 4, but not to 3?
Second question, I was on the roof on the motorhome and found that the original coax TV cable is completely gone. Well, actually, the outer plastic sheath is completely gone, the silver sheath is torn in places, the inner plastic sheath is brittle and broken and the internal copper conductor is actually broken. So needless to say, reception from the crank up antenna in non-existent. I am contemplating an upgrade to a better antenna or more possibly a satellite system. How difficult a job should I expect in replacing the coax? Is there a splice fitting where it enters through the roof? Or is it all one piece coax all the way to the selector switch? Also, In the very center from of the roof I have an approximate 4" by 4" box with a cover on it protruding from the roof. Was this the factory's setup for a Satellite receiver option that was never installed on this particular unit?

All in all we are very pleased with our "new to us" coach! I think it is an excellent example of a well maintained 14 year old motorhome that has been given a lot of love of the years.
We are hoping to get out maybe a couple of more times before the weather gets too cold and wet for camping.

Again, Thanks to all of you for your answers and in particular for your encouragement!

Bill and Elaine Dye
Pioneer, CA