Community Forums

Sixkids · 08-31-2011, 03:15 PM

We have a 2004 Minnie Winnebago 31C with approx. 48,000 miles on it. It is paid off. I LOVE the floor plan and the openness of it. It has the bunk over the driver and the one large slide that slides out the couch and dinette. I also like the oven under the 3 burner stove. The ONLY thing I don't love about it is the year, 2004. (And of course the mileage keeps going up! :0) We have looked at the newer models, (Access as the Minnie is no longer). I am not happy with the darker wooden cabinets and the step up to the bedroom and the shorter walking area around the back bed, (due to the under storage area). We have had Coachmen, Honey, Shasta, and Winnebago and are almost sold on Winnebago only, (for the quality). The Coachman had the cubboards falling off the walls and a floor so hot that we couldn't walk on it. :0( (although I have been told that the newer ones are better since they are now Forrest River.
My question is this. Would you reccommend selling our current MH, (Sniff! )

and upgrading to ......(what might be similar to our 'same level floor' in the back bedroom and light wood cabinets, and good quality) ...Or biting the bullet and just grow old with the old Class C?

mofa · 08-31-2011, 03:24 PM

If your happy keep it, if you have money to burn get a new one. Me I'd keep it and upgrade a few things that may be getting "tired".

Jambonee · 08-31-2011, 03:26 PM

I would keep it. Mine is a 1983 23ft fleetwood jamboree class c with 80000 miles and we still enjoy using it as much as possible.

wildtoad · 08-31-2011, 03:30 PM

If you like the unit, if you have maintained the engine/powertrain, if you have maintained the exterior with wash/wax/caulk/sealant.... Keep it. Paid for is good as is your line that you like it.

Steve N Sal · 08-31-2011, 03:32 PM

Don't know your financial situation but most would love not having a payment. That being said you sound to attached to the motorhome you have. Heck if you enjoy it I probably would stay with the one you have. If the maintenance is kept up, it will run for many more miles. If the interior is getting a little drab you could just spruce it up a bit. I think that would be a whoooole lot cheaper then diving into a brand new one. I probably haven't helped much but we too have a little older rig and maybe would like to upgrade but we like this one to much and will just hang on to it. It has treated us well. Good luck in your decision.

Elf · 08-31-2011, 03:37 PM

We purchased our motorhome last year. It's a 2004 model. I used to buy everything new. Now I buy what I like and makes sense. It sounds like you like what you have. You have given lots of reasons to keep it. If the only reason for trading it is the year that doesn't sound like much of a reason...but that's just me.

Conquest102 · 08-31-2011, 03:43 PM

It is paid off. I LOVE the floor plan and the openness of it.

You have answered your own question. If you have kept up the repairs and maintance you should really consider keeping it since you already know the issues. Getting a new/used means you have to start all over with what needs fixing and all the other surprises that WILL come up.

C-PHartley · 08-31-2011, 03:58 PM

It's cheaper to keep her. If it were me, I would take the money you would have paid in sales tax and registration fees and put it towards some repairs or upgrade to your coach and enjoy it. The cost of selling one and buying another may be significant.

TXiceman · 08-31-2011, 04:54 PM

Cheaper to keep her....unless you have the money to burn and you have an itch to get a new one.

Ken

sac1 · 08-31-2011, 05:10 PM

Considering the price of new or even newer you can put alot of money into fixing or upgrades. How about a new big screen tv or one of those really deluxe mattresses. So what if the title says the year if everything works and you like it. Keep it

Bobsbeatter · 08-31-2011, 08:22 PM

Are you scared of repairs adding up eventually? That would be the only reason to maybe upgrade, but even then, compared to the price of Depreciation, the cost of repairs pale in comparison.

Sixkids · 09-01-2011, 07:36 AM

Thank you for your replies! We would welcome any other replies also. It is very interesting to see your thoughts. Our 2004 Winnebago Minnie 30' Class C 31C has been maintained by my mechanic husband. There are only a few very minor problems ...knock on wood! .. wrong with our motorhome. The back bedroom crank out window crank doesn't work right, the front bunk window doesn't leak into the camper but turns into a fish bowl each time it rains hard. It is dual pane and the water collects between the panes in the one 1/2 of the window section. (Sometimes I threaten to add fish! :0), There is a small crack in the upper corner of the back roof, where the previous owner, (1st owner of the unit), backed into something and a small leak developed into the back wall of the back closet. Fixed this problem with a $20 caulking repair bill. We need to replace the two standard air vent roof covers as they sometimes open a bit while traveling. And the awning needs replaced. And for some reason the linoleum in the center isle likes to lift off the floor a little, but then will settle back down. Temperture related / needs new glue ???? That is the extent of all of the things wrong with this camper, except for 1 tire needing replaced. No MAJOR issues, (we hope!!). My husband and I , (He is 60 and I am 59), just retired from the Post Office as rural mail carriers, and our youngest two children, (out of 6), ages 16 and 18, travel with us. The camper is paid off. I guess the reason we were looking to trade up in years was because we figured that it would be worth more as a trade-in the sooner we traded it. For EXAMPLE IF it MIGHT be worth $45,000 as a trade in now ... in a couple years it might only be worth $10,000. We might loose more value by not trading it in now as compared to when ours bites the dust?? (How long on an average do they last anyway??)
Thank all of you for your answers .. I really like getting thoughts from REAL people instead of salesmen!!

Roadhawgs · 09-01-2011, 10:10 AM

As class C fulltimers, we have considered upgrading too. Then we come to our senses, as soon as we see the prices of newer rigs. Like you, ours is paid for, and that is a major concern. We like not having payments to contend with. Along with higher insurance rates for a newer model. More complex systems for things to go wrong with. We can make improvements as needed and still have some money in our pockets. I think we'll keep our 1987 "vintage" home.

LibbyLA · 09-01-2011, 10:34 AM

Sixkids,

You'll lose way more value in the depreciation of the new one in two years than you will on your current paid-for one. Given that there are people with motorhomes that are two or three or four decades old, yours is a relative babe, and you've owned this one from new, know how it's been maintained and cared for, you should have many more years of useful life from it.

If you get a new one, not only will you lose a lot of value in a hurry because of depreciation, but also you'll still likely have buglets to deal with. Unless the problems with your existing coach get so bad you don't want to deal with them or they are costing more than the coach is worth, seems like it's better to keep the paid for, familiar, and loved.

liz