Community Forums

annieme · 09-16-2023, 08:12 AM

A dealer nearby has this 2005 Winnebago Vectra 36 GD for sale. It has 96,000 miles on it. Diesel. From the pics it looks pretty decent. Listed at $59,900. Is this MH decent? Or should we pass on it? Haven't looked at it yet. Looking for opinions good and bad. Is is pretty stable on the road? Things we should be looking at? We are retired and new to RVing. Bought a 2011 Jayco Greyhawk 26DS last summer and don't like the way it handles. Would trade it off. Thanks.

FIRE UP · 09-16-2023, 09:27 PM

Annieme,
Well, we have an almost sistership to the one you're looking at or considering. It's an '04 Itasca Horizon 36GD. You see, in the hierarchy of the Winnebago and Itasca lineup way back then when these were made, the Winnebago Vectra and Itasca Horizon were the top-of-the-line models. One step down was the Winnebago Journey and the Itasca Meridan. I can't remember the third step down.

But, the Vectra, as stated, was Winne's flagship of that era. They had better cabinetry, more and better lighting throughout the coach interior, most of the time different and better dash instrumentation, and a few other odds and ends in the interior. The outside compartments also were an upgrade in the fact that the propane tank was mounted alongside the frame whereas in the Journey and the Meridian, the propane tank takes up the compartment just in front of the right set of rear duals.

The the last cabinet behind the rear left duals houses the shore power and related equipment, such as the inverter/charger and transfer switch. The cabinet in front of the left duals houses the water and sewer components.

Those are just a few of the differences in the Vectra and Horizon over the lower version coaches.

We've had our '04 Horizon now for 12 years and it presently has 111,000 miles on it's CAT C-7 330HP and that motor runs like a top and I have ZERO problems obtaining any parts for it if and when needed. The Allison 3000MH tranny also has been totally flawless in that time/mileage frame. The chassis is a Freightliner XC *Evolution* chassis and it's been great. The only real replacement parts I've installed are the four air bags for the suspension which is a given for that kind of mileage and time.

The interior in ours has been upgraded strictly due to the CEO's desire to change and make it more modern. We've changed the stringed shades to dual roller day-night shades. Our slides and jacks are HWH and with some minor parts changes here and there, have been great working.

All in all, this coach has been outstanding in all fields in the 12 years and 111,000 miles. We've ran it from our home in AZ to Niagara falls and many points in between and not a heartbeat skipped. And we tow either 6,700 lbs worth of GMC truck and Honda Goldwing or, a 5,300 lb. 2015 Jeep JKUR and the coach carries a '20 Honda NC750X DCT and still, it cruises on down the road. Questions?
Scott

annieme · 09-17-2023, 07:11 AM

Thanks for the great info. Sounds like something we should take a look at.
Couple of questions -
How does it handle on the road, cross winds, semi trucks passing by, etc., hilly roads?
What kind of fuel mileage are you getting?
Thank you.

FIRE UP · 09-21-2023, 03:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by annieme

Thanks for the great info. Sounds like something we should take a look at.
Couple of questions -
How does it handle on the road, cross winds, semi trucks passing by, etc., hilly roads?
What kind of fuel mileage are you getting?
Thank you.

Annieme,
Well, cross winds and trucks etc. may or may not have affects on the handling. Much of it depends on how much wind and how close you pass (in opposite directions) of those trucks. In many cases, just a few inches increase will alleviate the affects. By that I mean, when I'm approaching an oncoming Semi, I simply sub consciously move to the right just a few inches to a foot or so, depending on just how much road surface I have to play with.

We have the CAT C-7 330HP and while it's not a contender for top fuel eliminations, it holds its own fairly well. In gas mileage respects, well, first off if one worries about fuel mileage in a rolling gymnasium, then maybe they should just get car that accelerates in fuel mileage and hotel it. These things are not made for gas mileage. They SUCK AT good mileage.

They are heavy and have about as much aerodynamics as a building on wheels. Our coach has a GVWR of 27,910 lbs and I'm running down the road at close to 31,000, plus or minus. Yeah, yeah yeah blah blah, in the poo pooing of me being overloaded. We've been like this since the start of ownership of this starship about 12 years and 100,000 miles ago. It is what it is.

Then add a 5,300 lb GMC truck which consistently carries a Rampage lift/carrier for our 840 lb Honda Goldwing, and I'm seriously lucky if I break 7 miles per gallon. We just finished a trip today that started in Hatch UT and ended up in lake Havasu AZ. I don't know if you know that area of UT but, primarily it's all down hill from Cedar City to Mesquite NV.

I watched my Trip-tek report "average mpg" on the screen at approximately 65 mph during that part of the trip and we actually achieved a whopping 12.9 mpg!!!!!!!!!!! Well, that's predominantly fairy tale living. Because, when we started climbing grades here and there for the rest of the trip, it dropped to 5 mpg. This coach gives of lots of quality RVing and camping. I'm not proud that we eat that much fuel for a large majority of the time. But, again, it is what it is if you "invest" in large heavy RV's.

The fit and finish of this Winne/Itasca product has been outstanding over the years of ownership and mileage. Oh I've had to do my share of repairs, alterations and improvements, no doubt about it. If you own and USE an RV as much as we do, stuff's gonna break and wear out. We keep ours in an RV garage so, for a 2004, the outside finish is pretty darn nice for just shy of 20 years old and 112,000 or so miles.
Scott

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