Community Forums

HNA · 03-03-2012, 07:02 AM

Hello everyone,

My DW and I are possibly going to buy this coach. This will be our first motorhome. We had a TT for a few years, so we are not new to rving. My question is: Should I be looking for any particular problems with this coach, and what are your feelings about this model. Thanks for any insight.

frankdamp · 03-03-2012, 10:17 AM

We have an '02 325S. We bought it from the original owners in June 2010. It had less than 12,000 miles on it and only about 40 hours on the generator. It still had the original 01 (chassis year) tires on it, so we replaced them all immediately.

The only things I'd watch for are slide-out seals peeling off and slide toppers rotting out. we got a sizeable amount of water into the living room when we retracted the slide after it had rained for a couple of days. The topper was rotted and the top blade seal was rolled over for about 12" in the middle.

The supporting frames for the overhead cabinets went moldy over the winter, so I built a replacement set after the end of the 2011 season. While installing them, I found another section of seal was peeling off in the top RH corner, behind the driver's seat. The rig is parked with the slides closed, but I'll be sticking that seal down before the 2012 season starts.

We noticed on our final trip last year that both the dash air and living room roof air are not working very well, so that's another task for this year. No matter how careful you are, there's always something!

Georgetowns aren't the greatest quality in the business, but they're not bad value for money. We're reaonably happy with ours. I just wish it was possible to get the ergonomics right so that DW could drive it.

HNA · 03-03-2012, 03:15 PM

Frankdamp I'm sorry to hear of your issues. Thanks for the heads up. I will definitely look for these issue on this unit.

FC Ontario · 03-03-2012, 05:48 PM

We have a 2003 Georgetown MH and have been very pleased with it. We did find that the sdhesive holding the rubber seals for the slides can come loose, but I installed self drilling screws through the bulb of the two slides and it has been perfect since that. We bought ours new and have enjoyed many great vacations in it.
Which chassis is the 04 on?

HNA · 03-03-2012, 11:45 PM

I can't remember the model number, F53 or 55 I think. It is the 22,500 chassis which I count as a plus.

FC Ontario · 03-04-2012, 06:11 AM

So the unit is on a Ford chassis with the V-10 engine and must tell you we have been very impressed with the chassis and we tow a Pontiac G 6 with it and no problems at all.
The chassis would be a 22,000 lb chassis, which gives you a lot of extra carrying capacity. Ours is a 346DS and we have had it weighed as we travel with 100% gas and propane and 25% water and it was around 18,800 lbs, so you can see the capacity left.
You should know that in the last few years(have not seen the statistics for this past year) the Georgetown model was the largest selling Gas Class A Motorhome for all brands.
Good luck and happy buying.

HNA · 03-04-2012, 06:56 AM

You are correct. I got the 20500 chassis mixed up with the 22000 chassis. This forum is the reason we went from looking for a class c to a class a. I learned all about carrying capacities right here. Then when I weighed all of the kiddies, I knew we would overload a class c.

FC Ontario · 03-04-2012, 08:22 AM

We went from a 29 ft Class C to our 35 ft Class A and never regretted it for a second. The extra space and carrying capacity has been great. It took a while to even fill all the storage spaces. And some are still only partly full. LOL
Let us know if you complete the deal and be sure to enclose pictures if you do.
The V-10 is great.
Do you have a vehicle that you can use as a toad?
PM me if you have any specific questions.

frankdamp · 03-04-2012, 09:32 AM

FC:

I got some of the 3M adhesive that is formulated specifically for sticking weather seals down. It's supposed to be very good stuff.

We're also impressed with the V-10. WE've not thrown a mountain pass at it yet that it couldn't handle easily, including Washington Pass on SR20 (North Cascades Highway) It climbed the east side at 35 mph or more with no sign of overheating, on a day when the ambient in Winthrop was over 100 degrees.

We haven't got to towing a dinghy yet. Our daily driver is an '03 Kia Sedona, which has a curb weight of 4800 pounds. It would be very expensive to equip for 4-down towing and will be over the hitch rating on a dolly husky enough for a car that heavy. We may look for a cheap, older small car as an exclusive toad that a lighter dolly can handle.

On the whole, HNA, we're quite satisfied with our purchase of the GT, particularly the price, overall condition and low mileage. There are niggly things with all these vehicles - you just have to keep at it.

HNA · 03-04-2012, 10:01 AM

Thanks for the info. We are going to look at it in person on Saturday. I will keep everyone posted. We have a 2005 Mountaineer, and a 2000 Ranger. I don't think either of these are good candidates as a toad. This will be something I will explore down the road. I want to get comfortable with the coach first. I have a class a commercial for driving fire trucks, but I haven't driven anything larger than a fire engine in many years.