Any Intent Owners?

[corton]

Giving serious consideration to buying a new Intent 31P. Any owners out there? Good unit? Issues? Things to check?


Thanks!

[Meridian42e]

When I saw the rubber roofs of the Intent and Outback coming down the production line at Winnebago I felt deflated. The intent, is everything Winnebago is not to me - its a cheap hook to get into the lower price market, and I saw many compromises on it that I thought were beneath Winnebago.

Don't want to offend anyone, but spend the money for the next level up and I think you will be much happier.

[BirchyBoy]

I’m not sure on the price difference but would echo what Meridian says. The Vista is the next step up and we’re really happy with ours. If you’re considering a new Intent, look for a good used Vista, 2017 or up. It should have the 6 speed chassis and improved slide mechanisms.

[corton]

Well, this would be our first of any type of camper/motorhome.


We're not going to full-time in it; really want new for the (aggravated, according to y'all...) peace of mind, new chassis, current tech, etc.


Only issue with going higher is the cost. A similar vista is around $20K more. So....have either of you owned an Intent or spent any appreciable time in one? I spent several hours at our local dealer, and yes, there's a slight diff in trim quality, but it didn't seem like $20K worth.

[Meridian42e]

The Intent just came out this year, so it will be hard to find anyone that has owned one. I saw them at the Rally.

You sound a little defensive, so perhaps your mind is made up and maybe you were looking for permission rather than opinion. I can only say what I saw and I personally don't like the rubber roof after Winnebago has been traditionally a fiberglass roof, there do not appear to be any options to upgrade to 50A service and 2 ACs, larger generator, or larger fridge, regardless of the floorplan. The water tanks are small compared to Vista in the larger floorplans, and I noticed not even the roof exhaust vent is a real RV exhaust vent.

It is definitely entry level and takes Winnebago to a new lower entry level than before.

[SarahW]

If you like the layout and function of the Intent, then go for it. I have no experience with the Intent but you can usually depend on Winnebago products. We all have to start someplace, and many of us aren't willing to jump in with the big bucks for our first RV experience.

As with all RVs, there will be initial issues but hopefully they will be minimal. Spend time studying the features of the RV... the OCCC (carrying capacity), tank sizes, layout, etc. If you think it will work for your family and planned use, then buy one and have fun.

We are occasional vacationers so we never planned to buy nor wanted to buy a diesel pusher, though most on RV forums treat gassers as "undesirable." Well for us, a gasser was the best choice and we have never regretted it. It works for US. You know best what will work for your budget and your family. Good luck and let us know what you decide.

[corton]

Well, I really kinda wanted an Intent, mostly because it was an affordable entry point.


Meridian, sorry if I sounded defensive. That wasn't my intent (oh what a pun...). Since it was new, I really hadn't heard *any*thing about it except that it was a lower finish-quality entry point than most experienced RVers would want. I was sincerely looking for owner opinions good or bad.


That said.....we bought a '16 Itasca Sunstar 31KE today. Take delivery late this week or next Monday. Found what I thought was a great deal and the unit was in very clean condition, miles appropriate to the age and use (as in, not 3000 miles...) Definite upgrade in the materials and overall usability. Drove well and was quieter than the Intent.


Time will tell of course, but at least we got off the fence!

[powercat_ras]

Winnebago is building a lot of the new lower cost models the Class A Intent and Class C Outlook. Pretty much every dealer in US and Canada has them on display at their dealerships now.

Winnebago says that they put a lot of effort into designs for the Intent and Outlook to make their assembly more straight forward with less labor, and with less chance of human error. This is a big part of how they can have a lower price point.

At the Grand National Rally in July, I was able to view display models of both, I was also able to see them being built on the same lines at the factory that are building the more expensive lines. Bottom line they have good Winnebago bones. Why? Same chassis are being used. Cabinets are built on the same cabinet shop. They use the same chassis, floor, and wall construction methods as the higher priced Winnebago lines. They use the same wiring systems and plumbing systems. True, the roof design is lower cost using a cheaper method to join to the sidewalls and a membrane top layer over the roof plywood vs. the filon panels used on the higher priced Winnebago lines.

There is certainly some cheaper materials used in the interior , such as fabrics, hard surface countertops, and mattresses.

I am looking forward to some Intent and Outlook owners sharing their experiences, I think they will be similar to the other Winnebago line owner experiences.

[Meridian42e]

Congratulations and enjoy that Sunstar! I hope it works well for you and you can have some fun! Welcome to the orphaned "Itasca" family as well

[BirchyBoy]

Congrats and enjoy!

[harmsal]

Hi...we purchased an Intent 26M in March of 18 and are going strong. Been on the road since May. No problems with the coach except for 2 factory recalls and one broken armrest on the drivers seat. Other than that...all is good. Mileage is around 7.5 to 9 depending on the terrain and speed. Ride might be a little rough on crappy roads but we like the coach. We opted not to spend a ton on a fancy coach because the Intent is just what we wanted and we like it. My two cents worth.

[Rovinboy1]

I bought a Intent early this year, the 31P model. It's our first Class A. I've had a few quality control problems including that armrest breaking. I also had a leveling jack break off the first time I used them due to it only having 2 spot welds on it, haha, that was a trip. I pull a 17 Grand Cherokee. Oh, I also had to have aligned 3 times, 3800 miles on it now. Winnebago has been good to take care of things, but lots of phone time.

[sammax]

Just traded my 2014 Forza 38r and got a Intent 31p. Really didn't need the big pusher. Used it 3 times in 2 years. Big expense sitting there. So we downsized. A lot of people won't u derstand but it's cool. The Intent seems to be built ok. Not top of the line but less parts to replace and less to go wrong. Instead of 11000 parts it has 8000. Fine with me. Runs fine and does the job...at my age it'll be our last coach..

[Goods605]

Enjoy your Sunstar! We have a 14. 31KE Sunstar and really like it.

[BryceCarson]

Originally Posted by corton

Giving serious consideration to buying a new Intent 31P. Any owners out there? Good unit? Issues? Things to check?


Thanks!

We have a 31P and just returned from a three month trip west. It was the first major trip. So here is the verdict. No major issues. As with any new motorhome after a 6000 mile trip expect small repairs; molding that came lose which has to be reattached, in the 6th week the hot water heater stopped working and we had a mobile repair service come out to the coach and discovered the factory had only crimped one end of the connection; the other end had come out thus no hot water (regardless of how much you pay for a new coach, this stuff happens as the Quality Controls at the factory are abysmal). Other than these few things we are very happy with our porchase.

Before we left I had Sumo Springs, a RoadMaster rear sway bar and a RoadMaster steering stabilizer installed. Cost around $2500 total parts and installation (but well worth the dollars). Our coach drives and handles like a higher end coach, does not sway or porpoise, takes sharp curves without leaning, the installed upgrades help very much in high crosswinds or when big trucks fly by and takes bumps very well.

The ride is extremely quiet, and the wife and I can carry on conversations without raising our voices, very few rattles or loud creeking noises (unless the road is very rough). We tow a Fiat 500 manual transmission four down and the coach gas mileage is excellent. The Ford F53 V10 engine is strong and overall there is excellent torque. Even going over the Rockies and high mountain roads we could somewhat keep up to speed even towing the Fiat.

The feature I like most isthe transmission self downshifts when going down the other side of the mountain. Pick up from 0 to 65 is not bad considering the weight of the coach and Toad. You can easily pull out in traffic entering the Interstate and excellerate to cursing speed without much effort.

The coach is the right size for a couple and several pets. Would feel crowded with more than 4 even though it sleeps 7. If you tried to sleep 7 you would feel like you were in a stall in the men’s room with 4 other men.

The interior is modern and the exterior is easy to maintain and cleans and shines ver well.

It would have been better with two AC units rather than the one large one, but is always cools the coach down and keeps it cool. In fact sometimes too cool. We live in Florida so a good AC is imperative. The heater works well as we had a chance to use it when we were in the Teaton’s for 6 weeks. I keep three LP tanks in the bay rather than the two that come with the coach. I really like the fact that when the two are empty (automatic crossover valve) I can pull them out replace them with the spare and take them in the Fiat anywhere to swap the two empty ones out and bring them back rather than having to break camp to find a refill station.This is very handy and keeps you from worrying about where and when to get propane before you reach your camp site. One less thing to worry and stress about.

Over all we love our coach and the price point we paid for it. Yes a more expensive coach would be nice but you know what, we are comfortable, we can go where and when we want while having most of the amenities a more expensive coach offers without the price tag. So hope this helps you decide what you want.

There are folks who look down their nose at we who want the joy of owning a coach at a low price point. They have spent much more than we and guess what, they enjoy their coach as much as we enjoy ours but we paid a whole lot less for the same enjoyment of travel.

So go with your dream low cost or high and enjoy life on the road. The beauty is that your lower cost beautiful rig and the $1M Provost will park side by side at an RV park and you will both enjoy the same thing...the beauty and freedom of being on the road in natures beauty. Travel safely.

[sammax]

Who did you get to install the swaybar, stabilizer and sumo springs?? Did you do only the rear...
Thanks...JK.

[BryceCarson]

Sumo’s all around, rear sway only. Found a local trailer repair shop. Put the RoadMaster steering stabilizer on myself. Considered front sway but decided to take our big trip first and see how it handled. No need to add it in the front.

Got a quote from LaMesa RV in Sanford, FL but they wanted to purchase the sways and Sumos and then install them. Would have cost $6k parts and labor instead of the $2.5k for parts and $250 for install labor. The trailer shop did all of the work for $250.00. Same shop also did my Blue Ox tow package a few months before.

If you have driven an Intent 31P before and after you would see a radical improvement!

[blueridge-fl]

BryceCarson, which trailer repair shop did you use? I live in the area and will eventually need a place to do the Blue Ox install.

[BryceCarson]

Ormond Trailer and Hitch. 1095 North US Highway 1 Suite 7 Ormond Beach, FL 32174. 386-615-8239. They sell and install the complete Blue Ox systems.

[sammax]

Thanks so much...I'm going to look into the springs, Sway bar and stabilizer...