Is it a Winnebago or an Itasca ???

RV Vagabond · 05-19-2016, 04:52 PM

Is it just me or is this really messed up? Someone at the factory told me that in October 2015 they stopped putting out Itasca RV's and from then on, they all will be Winnebagos. They said they were doing it to "strengthen the Winnebago name"

I just bought a 2017 Solei (custom ordered and not taken delivery yet) and the front cap says Winnebago and the name Itasca is nowhere to be seen, however, the dealer says it is officially titled as brand name Itasca. So I will have to tell people that I have an Itasca, but then I show up with what appears to be a Winnebago. Seems to me they are strengthening the Winnebago name by mislabling Itascas as Winnebagos. How confusing is that

RogerRoll · 05-19-2016, 07:00 PM

Potato, potatto.
The s'mores will taste the same.

2010 Winnebago Aspect 28B

powercat_ras · 05-19-2016, 09:42 PM

Did you get to see the Manufacturer's Statement of Origin (MSO) whatever Winnebago called it on that document should be what the dealer put on the title paperwork.

Certainly, Winnebago has removed all traces of Itasca branding from the Winnebago Industries web site and all current brochures and other sales literature so it would be strange that they would still be calling it Itasca on MSO, I suspect your dealer may have made an error in your title paperwork.

TeJay · 05-19-2016, 10:04 PM

Maybe things have or are changing. We toured the WBGO factory back in 2013. At that time they told our group that WBGO was the first name. Sometime later they developed the Itasca line. The exact year matters not.

Keep in mind that every year including the 2014 year which is the year model we ordered if one selected the Vista line it was a WBGO. The exact same coach with the Itasca name was called something else. I can't remember the name.

The point is the two lines were built in the same factor in the exact same places along the factory lines. The only differences besides names were the interior colors and Decor and the exterior colors. I'm almost certain the floor plans were the same.

So if the lines are identical except for colors why did WBGO create the Itasca line??? To get double the exposure to their product lines.

At the time we ordered we had the choice to select a WBGO color or Itasca color since there were different.

So maybe they are dropping the Itasca name to strengthen the WBGO name. Oh well if it works for them.

TeJay

grtharris · 05-19-2016, 10:06 PM

I just looked a a few 2016 Itasca MSRP price sheets and they all say Itasca plus the model name.

RV Vagabond · 05-19-2016, 11:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by powercat_ras

Did you get to see the Manufacturer's Statement of Origin (MSO) whatever Winnebago called it on that document should be what the dealer put on the title paperwork. Certainly, Winnebago has removed all traces of Itasca branding from the Winnebago Industries web site and all current brochures and other sales literature so it would be strange that they would still be calling it Itasca on MSO, I suspect your dealer may have made an error in your title paperwork.

My dealer specifically said that the MSO on my 2017 says Itasca - Winnebago seems to really be playing this game of confusion. I think this phasing out should have been done right at the end of the 2015 or 2016 model years, instead of piece by piece, creating hybrid coaches, and to make it worse, they did it in the middle of the 2016 model year.

Rockwood27 · 05-20-2016, 05:27 AM

Have you actually looked at the MSO? I wouldn't take a dealer's word for it. You can call Winnebago and ask them.

Electra 225 · 05-20-2016, 08:47 PM

Jerry I haven't understood what they're doing from the git go. Many years ago, I seem to recall it was as far back as the 1970s? Winnebago created Itasca as an elite line of motorhomes above the regular Winnebago of the time. If you had an Itasca, you had their top of the line.

Now they're just wanting to get rid of the name and put it all under one brand. I just am not clear as to why. In another related thread on this topic, I said, it would have been much better if they just kept the name going.....and just make them different (other than colors etc alone) from their Winnebago counterparts. It would have gave them even more unique models in the marketplace. The way they're doing this really makes no sense to me. I'm not stressing over it unnecessarily, I just think it's unnecessary.

Other Itasca owners have freaked out saying we're all screwed on resale value now that we own an orphan. I'm not convinced that is true though. I've got Winnebago Ind badges all over my coach alongside of the Itasca badges. They've really been one in the same for years now. What really makes this messy is, they drop the Itasca name, but KEEP the model names. So how can my Itasca Ellipse be an orphan, when the Ellipse still exists, with the only omit-ion being the Itasca nameplate? Makes no sense at all.

Anyway, Tejay I believe the Itasca equivalent to the Vista is the Sunstar, or I should say, the Winnebago Sunstar. I'm getting a headache.

Regards,
W.D.

Hikerdogs · 05-21-2016, 06:11 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TeJay

Maybe things have or are changing. We toured the WBGO factory back in 2013. At that time they told our group that WBGO was the first name. Sometime later they developed the Itasca line. The exact year matters not.

Keep in mind that every year including the 2014 year which is the year model we ordered if one selected the Vista line it was a WBGO. The exact same coach with the Itasca name was called something else. I can't remember the name.

The point is the two lines were built in the same factor in the exact same places along the factory lines. The only differences besides names were the interior colors and Decor and the exterior colors. I'm almost certain the floor plans were the same.

So if the lines are identical except for colors why did WBGO create the Itasca line??? To get double the exposure to their product lines.

At the time we ordered we had the choice to select a WBGO color or Itasca color since there were different.

So maybe they are dropping the Itasca name to strengthen the WBGO name. Oh well if it works for them.

TeJay

The Itasca line was developed in the 1970's for several reasons. First off Winnebago had contracts that included designated areas for dealerships. They couldn't add another Winnebago dealer within a defined distance of an existing one.

Secondly they had an exclusive contract with Dodge to supply Winnebago chassis components. With the advent of the Itasca brand they could purchase whatever chassis they found suitable for their house design.

Also early on the Itasca brand was slightly more "luxurious" and slightly more expensive. Even as late as 2001 The Itasca models had a number of amenities standard that were optional on the corresponding Winnebago models.

Over time the differences became more blurred. When we were shopping for our 2013 Adventurer we also looked at the Itasca Suncruiser. We couldn't tell any differences other than colors and fabrics so we called the factory to define them. We were sent a list of 15 differences between the 2 models. They were all color choices or name badging.

I believe the only differences today are colors. They both have exactly the same standard features and optional amenities. They may have chosen to retain the Itasca name on the certificate of origin to simplify ordering replacement interior fabrics and exterior paint colors. In time I'm sure their system will change to completely eliminate the Itasca terminology from the motorhomes that no longer display that name on the exterior.

Atom Ant · 05-21-2016, 07:11 AM

I compared brochures on the 2013 Itasca Meridian and Winn Journey, as well as the Tour and Ellipse, and they looked identical in the listed features with the exception of paint and interior decor. Even those were close. When we were shopping we didn't have a preference between the two, although I didn't like that big "W" on the rear sides of the Winn.

TeJay · 05-21-2016, 07:35 AM

Atom Ant,

Yep that's EXACTLY what I reported was happening in 2013, 2014 at the factory. Itasca and WBGO lines are identical except for model NAMES, interior and exterior decor and colors.

We visited the factory just about the time they were switching form 2013 to model year 2014. The new brochures were not even out but they were making the changes on the 2014 units that were ready for shipping.

I had been to three different cities: Little Rock, Houston, Tulsa and 6 dealers trying to see the 2014 changes but NOBODY had anything new. The only way we could make color choices was to see it at the factory on recently completed units setting in the shipping lot.

The model changes take place in mid April and early May. So dealers only have what's left from the previous year and maybe, just maybe they have the new brochure showing what the color changes will be for the new model year. We saw nothing new as far as colors until we visited the factory.

That was in early May of 2013. We made our choices of the 2014 colors and got our 2014 unit in August of 2013.

The reason we went to the factory (600 miles) was simple. We once bought a TT without ever seeing a live model of what it was going to look like. When we got the unit we discovered that the large main slide only moved out 19". We kept that for one year.

The next TT we got the largest slide moved out 38". A BIG, BIG difference. We'll never make that mistake again. Always see a real model for what you want to order. A brochure can be deceiving if you are not careful. The exact distance slides extend is not usually a listed feature in the brochures.

TeJay

cdrprn · 05-22-2016, 05:31 PM

I have a 2014 Itasca Suncruiser 32H. It has WBGO red badges on the front and "Itasca" painted-on everywhere else. Oh, and the aluminum wheels are from Taiwan. I still love it no matter what it is.

RV Vagabond · 05-22-2016, 11:19 PM

Up through the 2015 model year, Itascas were totally separate models as well as the units produced through midway of the 2016 model year. With the second half of the 2016 year (Sept. 2015) Itascas were labled as Winnebagos and the Itasca name appears nowhere except on the purchase paperwork, as is all 2017's.

The above may have varied with different models, I researched only Forzas & Solei's and ended up buying a 2017 Itasca Solei.

NYBobbo · 05-24-2016, 01:05 PM

When I ordered my 2016 View the dealer offered me the option to have the Itasca or the Winnebago name. I chose the Winnebago to avoid having to educate the next owner about the fact that they are the same. I don't see any resale value difference for either name. Enjoy your RV!

dkrobath · 05-24-2016, 01:46 PM

They will be know as Winnebasca's from now on.

Atom Ant · 05-25-2016, 08:44 AM

hahahahaha - that's better than Itabagos I guess

ChasA · 05-25-2016, 02:59 PM

I like Itabago. ,😉

Electra 225 · 05-25-2016, 06:55 PM

Or Winnetasca
That's the solution. Combine both names one way or other, and be done with it.

bluepill · 05-25-2016, 07:08 PM

Remember GM dropping the Oldsmobile and Pontiac lines, but keeping the Buick name? Everyone in the industry used to refer to them as "The BOP" lineup (Buick, Olds, Pontiac). Once GM started using motors from other divisions, there was little distinction except for color/options/badges.

The days of the Itabago will soon pass into an obscure footnote in Wikipedia.

Electra 225 · 05-25-2016, 07:26 PM

True, that's exactly right. Still like Winnetasca though