Community Forums

moikey · 07-14-2021, 05:23 PM

I've just sold a 2014 Minnie Winnie Class C and am in the market for a DP. I see a 2008 Damon Astoria 3772 for sale and was wondering if anyone with that model could let me know how they like it. From the pictures it's a great looking rig. I started researching and see that 2008 was the first year for that model. Anything I should be concerned with? The MH has 40,000 miles and appears to be well maintained. I've just retired so the plan is to full time for a few years to see the US/Canada and I want to make sure that whatever I end up with is reliable. Thanks in advance for any replies.

Mike

HarryStone · 07-14-2021, 06:10 PM

2008 was one of the last years of autonomy for Damon. While owned by Thor, they had control over their production.
Here's the brochure for it, https://library.rvusa.com/brochure/2008astoria.pdf
Anything 13 years old will have the factory bugs worked out of it. Have an inspection done and enjoy.

moikey · 07-15-2021, 12:33 PM

Harry, Thanks for the quick reply and the brochure. Good information.

fagnaml · 07-15-2021, 01:02 PM

moikey --

The 2008 Damon Astoria 3772 is identical to the 2007 Astoria 3774 I previously owned (why the model numbers are different I don't know). I purchased my Astoria in 2015 when is only had 6,000 miles of use. After changing all fluids (engine oil, transmission fluid, coolant, etc.) and installing new tires, the Astoria was trouble free but was somewhat under-powered with a 300 HP Cummins ISB engine. The 2008 model uses a 340 HP ISB engine which is a nice upgrade.

My Astoria had the "standard" graphics package (i.e. white body with black / silver / maroon VINYL graphics). What I didn't think about at the time I purchased the Astoria was vinyl graphics start to discolor, crack, etc. and look terrible at about the age of 10 despite using various protectants for the vinyl. The reason I traded the Astoria for my current coach two years ago is because the then 12 year old graphics, especially the maroon graphics, had cracked in numerous places allowing the white body paint to show through. The black graphics has also started to fade. With the vinyl graphics suddenly in poor condition, the entire coach looked bad. The cost to remove the vinyl graphics and paint the graphics was much too high compared to market value of the coach. Thus I traded the Astoria for my current coach.

The 2007 and perhaps the 2008 Astoria's are "pre-DEF" coaches which is great (the forum has many posting about DEF system problems). If not for the failed vinyl graphcis and high cost to replace those graphics I would still own the Astoria.

If you are looking at an Astoria, make sure it has full body paint (e.g. the Pacifica edition) and not vinyl graphics. Otherwise the Astoria is a great coach!

moikey · 07-16-2021, 10:57 AM

Thanks Mike. It is the Pacific edition and the paint looks fantastic from the pictures. I've emailed the owner with a few questions. He recently replaced all batteries - tires are about 2 years old with 18k miles on them so he's been doing some travelling but that is what we plan to do. I'll let you know - it's about 500 miles from me so working on logistics of going to see it.

fagnaml · 07-16-2021, 11:13 AM

Moikey --

Glad to learn the Astoria 3772 you are considering is the Pacifica Edition. A drive of 500 miles to see the Astoria sounds like a good, long weekend road trip!

Ask the current owner for their maintenance log for the chassis, coach side and generator. A well kept maintenance log is a good sign the current owner has pride in the Astoria.

If you go look at the Astoria, ask the owner to allow you to take a test drive. Driving a Class A the first time can be a bit un-nerving as the only thing in front of the driver is a big windshield and no hood that your Class C and other vehicles have.

And before making a decision to purchase, hire a certified RV inspector to conduct a thorough inspection of the Astoria to know of any concerns the current owners needs to address. A certified RV inspector can be found via the NRVIA website --> https://www.irv2.com/forums/f120/dam...-a-545459.html

moikey · 07-17-2021, 10:05 AM

Thanks for the excellent advice.

Carel · 07-24-2021, 06:13 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by moikey

I've just sold a 2014 Minnie Winnie Class C and am in the market for a DP. I see a 2008 Damon Astoria 3772 for sale and was wondering if anyone with that model could let me know how they like it. From the pictures it's a great looking rig. I started researching and see that 2008 was the first year for that model. Anything I should be concerned with? The MH has 40,000 miles and appears to be well maintained. I've just retired so the plan is to full time for a few years to see the US/Canada and I want to make sure that whatever I end up with is reliable. Thanks in advance for any replies.

Mike

Hi Mike,
We imported a Damon Astoria 3772 PE a couple of years ago to the Netherlands, Europe. It is a great coach and we are very pleased with it. Since march this year we are fulttiming.
We had some small issues with the fridge and heater, but nothing big. And we changed the satellitesystem and leveling system. Of course we had to converse 110 volt to 220 volts, because that is the voltage here.
So we are very happy with our coach!
When you decide to buy, enjoy your ride
Karel Jonkers
Holland

moikey · 07-24-2021, 02:08 PM

I was able to find a somewhat local person that has all the RV inspection certifications. The inspection is schedule for 7/28, hoping it comes back all clear. I'll update once I get the inspection report.

moikey · 08-11-2021, 12:29 PM

Been off on vacation for the past week. Got the report back and it is mostly good - the inspection was thorough. It is recommended that the entire roof caulking be removed and re-applied - photos were included showing cracking everywhere so that would definitely need to be done. I called a local place and they said for a 38 foot (without seeing it) they would guestimate about $1200 to do the entire job. The removing is the majority of the work. I had to reseal the shower skylight on my Winnebago and because it was (1) a new task to me and (2) i am sometimes over cautious and wanted to do it right it probably took me 3-4 hours to remove, clean, and reapply caulking.
There is also a wrinkle and tear on the main awning and I was told about 2-3 hours to replace and the cost of the awning.
The dash air doesn't work - when tested after 10 minutes running it was blowing 80 degrees. The owner mentioned that because it is a motorhome it needs the coach air to be running along with the dash to cool it down properly. I don't buy that as they would be competing with each other - the dash should be well below 80. I know that A/C can be as simple as a recharge but don't hold any hope that is the complete issue. If it hasn't been working for awhile I'm thinking at least an evac and recharge and probably seals needing replaced and maybe other internal components. Has anyone had to have the dash air 'overhauled'? I'm thinking this could be in the neighborhood of 1-2k based on previous car A/C repairs.
Some slight paint chips and one of the storage doors appears to have a crack that was patched. The inspector did a ride along and mentioned that the brakes squeaked enough that he mentioned it and that could be a concern. The owner told him he had them looked at because of the squeaking and was told they were good. The unit has 40k miles - I read that the brakes should be good for about 100k miles. Trying to get some figures together so I can make a fair offer based on the inspection.

HarryStone · 08-11-2021, 02:55 PM

There is not an immediate need to remove self leveling caulk before re-applying new. The only requirement is to clean the old caulk with mineral spirits, or a good cleaner and water, then finish off with alcohol. Let dry, and apply your new caulk. If it looks like there is too much, or what is there is peeling, then you can remove first, but if you have a rubber roof, take special care to not damage the rubber membrane, use plastic scrapers if possible.

HarryStone · 08-11-2021, 03:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by moikey

The dash air doesn't work - when tested after 10 minutes running it was blowing 80 degrees. The owner mentioned that because it is a motorhome it needs the coach air to be running along with the dash to cool it down properly. I don't buy that as they would be competing with each other - the dash should be well below 80. I know that A/C can be as simple as a recharge but don't hold any hope that is the complete issue.

Most Class A operators run both the dash air and the coach AC unit(s) to keep the coach cool. They don't compete against each other. But running the coach AC units usually require the gen set to be running at the same time. Sounds like your dash unit is bad. Did you look to see if the compressor was running? It's probably out of freon. You could take it to a service center and have it recharged, get a kit and recharge it yourself, or take it to a service center and have them figure out why it is low/out of freon, and fix it.

moikey · 08-12-2021, 11:37 AM

Harry, I agree with you. The reason I said they would be competing is that the dash is blowing 80 degrees - which is basically heat - so it would be competing with the roof air to cool the coach. In that case, it's better to not run the dash air at all as there is definitely something not working correctly.

moikey · 08-12-2021, 12:02 PM

I'm confused as to what type of roof these coaches have as the 2008-09 Damon Astoria manual mentions both TPO and rubber (below). Do you know what type of roof these have?

Inspect the roof components at least twice a year to make sure that all the seals are not cracked or worn. Proper maintenance of seals is necessary to keep moisture from entering and causing severe damage such as rot, mold, or mildew. If you encounter drying, cracked, or weathered seals, make sure to reseal as necessary. Remove the old worn seals first before reapplying the new seals. Check with your dealer for the type of caulking required for thermoplastic polyolefins (TPO) roofs and the correct methods of resealing. Silicones and synthetic sealers cannot be used on the rubber roofs. Special sealers are also required for the skylights. Your Damon dealer may perform the periodic roof seals for you if desired.