Why a Winnebago?

[baraff]

We stumbled onto our Winnebago Aspect when we were shopping for motorhomes. It is a 2005 Aspect 26A (first year model) and we bought used, with 50,000 miles on the odometer.
We could not be happier with it. We have had only a few minor problems, such as a small gas leak at the stove regulator and a tiny roof leak. Both easily repaired. The ONLY complaint we have is the corner bed, as we age that corner bed becomes more and more difficult to get in and out of.
I wish Winnebago made a DP to compete with Tiffin's Allegro Breeze 28BR. I would buy it in a heartbeat.

[garykk]

WE bought our WB in 2012 after years with TTs and a 5th wheel. We switched for the convenience of traveling in a MH ( nothing like making a pot of coffee while on the road )
We looked at used MHs, both pusher and gasser and then started looking at new models, fell in love with the floor plan on the 35F, that and WB's reputation, online manuals etc, and steel cage sold us...

[kjburns]

Originally Posted by Chiefbvfd

RayandLin and KJBurns - It is a small world. We live in Iowa, 173 from Forest City. And 1,588 miles from Prescott. We just made the trip to Prescott this past June to purchase our new Journey 34Y, at Affinity RV.

I remember that one. If I had been in the market for a 34' coach, it wouldn't have been there

[RayAndLin]

I noticed where you are located... I am an ex-Chicago girl; we vote early and often... :-)

[ru499]

Just check the classified ads for motorhomes. Considering Winnebago is one of the top sellers, ever notice that there are very few used ones for sale. That tells me that Winne owners are pretty happy with their motorhomes. So I bought one!

[Chiefbvfd]

Originally Posted by kjburns

I remember that one. If I had been in the market for a 34' coach, it wouldn't have been there

I'm glad you didn't what a 34', because we looked for almost a year for a 34Y and we dearly love the one we got in Prescott......

[Chiefbvfd]

Originally Posted by RayAndLin

I noticed where you are located... I am an ex-Chicago girl; we vote early and often... :-)

We were up to the big city last weekend. Went to St. Charles to the Flea Market. Wind is still blowing....

[scbwr]

Off topic to a certain degree, but our choice of a Winnebago towable was based upon not only floor plan and design, but by the overall quality of the Winnebago towable line. It will be interesting to see what share of the market Winnebago is able to attain as their towables become more observable at campgrounds and RV shows.

Compared to their motorhome support, Winnebago needs to do a lot more to help owners by providing more details on construction, wiring diagrams, plumbing schematics and more detailed instructions for winterizing, etc. Developing a better support department could also attract more buyers.

And, having a towable division may help with sales of motorhomes as many purchasers follow the pattern of owning travel trailers, then 5th wheel trailers and then motorhomes.

[puttin]

RayandLin,

We chose Winnebago because at the time we purchased (4-08), there were comparatively few bunk bed floor plans in a class A. We chose the 35-J Sightseer and it had very few problems from the start- and none since. I then had a bad accident in it a little over a year after we bought it. There was lots of cosmetic damage but very little mechanical damage. I was forced off the road by a big rig while traveling east on Interstate 40 from Lake Havasu. We were also towing a 24' boat. We went down a small embankment and ran through a bunch of desert bushes and over rocks before the rig finally stopped...I thought the windshield was going to pop out! A nice CHP Officer stopped about 5 minutes later and called a tow rig from Needles to pull us out. Believe it or not, I drove it to Bakersfield and the next day home to the Bay area. It drove completely straight (although the steering wheel was off of alignment). I found a shop to get all the repairs done (which took 5 months to complete). Everything has been working great since with no returning issues. Now, I think Ford as well as Winnebago make a great product. The fact that we were unhurt and were able to drive it 600 more miles home is a testament to that.

A gas chassis was my choice for alot of reasons...not the least of which were all the maint. items necessary on Diesels. I don't want to start a mess with the gas vs. Diesel notion but frankly, at the rate I'm going, I will never put 100,000 miles on our motorhome so I won't be able to take advantage of a Diesel's longjevity, and most Diesel owners seem to move to new coaches as often as us gas chassis people do anyway. I don't need the weight carrying ability or the torque either but those things are purely based on our needs.

In conclusion- I don't plan on ever buying another coach (if I can help it)...ours fits our needs perfectly. It still looks and drives like new. I like the online help from Winnebago with all the documentation they keep handy, as well as their customer support. The workmanship is obviously sound. If you do your research- you'll see that most people advise you to buy based on the floorplan that suites you best...I'll agree on that. Winnebago makes many of them and there are enough so that you should be able to find one that makes you happy and comfortable.

[RayAndLin]

Originally Posted by puttin

RayandLin,

We chose Winnebago... I was forced off the road by a big rig while traveling east on Interstate 40 from Lake Havasu.

If you do your research- you'll see that most people advise you to buy based on the floorplan that suites you best...I'll agree on that. Winnebago makes many of them and there are enough so that you should be able to find one that makes you happy and comfortable.

We know that stretch of road well; it is just up the road from us. You were very lucky! We have been told of the cage the surrounds the front of the coach- looks like it did its job!

I think you gave a lot of well-reasoned advice... I confess I am really liking the Adventurers' 35P and 38Q layouts. We went to a show in Phoenix a couple weeks ago and I walked into both. I loved the lounge and kitchen in the 38Q and preferred the 35P's bedroom and stackable w/d in the hall. Think they will do a combo for me?

[Bumps]

Lots of RV shows and research (online and F2F talking to EVERYbody we could connect with) led us the Winnebago way. Seemed to us that the Winnebago owners were the most enthusiastic about their coaches. Kept hearing about how well they were made and how much safety is incorporated in their design. Also seemed like Winnebago owners held the customer service at Winnebago in pretty high regard (important 'cause we were looking at used coaches). All of that enthusiasm seemed genuine and was important to us. But it was hard finding the floorplan that we wanted (we almost went with another brand, in fact). For some reason(?) used Winnebagos are kinduv hard to find. We had accumulated a Wish List of 49 things that (for us) defined the perfect Class A. Finally, in one day, we saw two coaches for sale that were as perfect as we had ever found. One was a Journey. One was a Vectra. We drove home happy that the Vectra had 48 of the features on our Wish List. Now we are beginning to talk about another coach, and Winnebago is the only brand we will consider. \ken

[SeeTheUSA]

We shopped for two years before we bought our first RV in August 2005. A few major shows, many tires kicked at various dealers. Looked at motor homes, trailers, pop ups, fifth wheels, etc. Even tents!

Finally decided on a 2006 Winnebago View. Wanted a diesel, loved what we perceived as the Winnebago quality. Traded that great rig for our current one . . . and the choice again was Winnebago.

[Tom-NC]

HI,

We are on our 4th Winnebago and would not own any other make.

They have so many floor plans to choose from plus different coaches to choose from.

We started out with a '89 Minnie Winnie 24' Class XC and loved it until we got tired of corner bed and then went to a '96 Minnie Winnie 31'. That was a great coach with the 460 but due to heat problems in Class C I went through manifold bolts, ( not Winnies problem) and after that it was a big step up to a class A and a 2004 Adventurer 33'. That coach took us everyplace we hadn't been too and even to Alaska and back. Then we went to a Rv rally in Atlanta and purchased our present motorhome a 2014 Adventurer 35'. This will probably be our last motorhome and we love the floor plan and the full wall slides including all the other amenities.

Another good part is parts are readily available and wiring diagrams, etc. They also make most of the parts on site other than appliances etc.

Finally all I can say is to buy a WINNEBAGO!!

[raycyn778]

We traded a 2012 Forest river Georgetown 378 for a 20414 Winnebago Adventurer 37F thinking that Winnebago would be of higher quality and we loved the floor plan. We may have the RV from hell. We have had numerous major and minor problems since we picked it up in Feb. of this year. The dealer has had our unit in his service dept for over 9 weeks during two service visits so far this year and a repair list of over 31 items from a non working rear A/C unit, an entry door that opened during travel, a bad fresh water sensor that reads 1/3 all of the time, leveling system that won't fully retract the rear jacks but does not warn us and when they fully retract, the warning light goes on. We have black marks on the floor tiles from the slide gaskets (third time), floor tiles separating in the bathroom exposing the plywood underneath, couch was not secured to a floor beam, only the plywood and came loose on our first trip, passenger slide stuck open twice (had to remove panel from wall and use emergency retract circuits), full wall slide closed fully up front but stuck out 4 inches in back...faulty TV raise/retract switch over couch area, couch footrest release cable is broken, paint chipping off the side.. the list goes on and on.... we have an appointment for January for what is now a list of 12 more items to be repaired, three of them are dealer do-overs. This may be unusual for Winnebago but it is reality for us and it sucks. Our Georgetown that we had for over two years did not have 1/4 of the problems this rig had/has. Be very careful, there are other manufacturers with better quality than Winnebago..take the time to look

[Tom-NC]

Sorry to hear about all your problems but that is very rare with Winnebago.

I'm sure the factory would make everything right, however the dealer you bought it from should not have let the coach go with all those problems. I blame the dealer for your problems as they don't know what they are doing. Have you contacted Winnebago and gave them your list of problems?

Once you get everything repaired you will truly enjoy a great coach made by a great company who has been making coaches for a very long time.

Enjoy!

[raycyn778]

Originally Posted by Tom-NC

Sorry to hear about all your problems but that is very rare with Winnebago.

I'm sure the factory would make everything right, however the dealer you bought it from should not have let the coach go with all those problems. I blame the dealer for your problems as they don't know what they are doing. Have you contacted Winnebago and gave them your list of problems?

Once you get everything repaired you will truly enjoy a great coach made by a great company who has been making coaches for a very long time.

Enjoy!

Tom, its hard to take serious your remark to "enjoy"!! The way you defend and promote them makes me think you work for them in some way, or did at one time! Dealer was Tom Johnson's in Concord NC. I never looked at it as the dealers problem really. It should not have left the factory like this. I mentioned the rear A/C...on our first trip the rear heat pump would not work, when I brought it into the dealer for warranty repairs including the heat pump, the service tech told me that when they called in the A/C's serial number to Winnebago to authorize the repair, the A/C unit's numbers did not match what they had on record for our unit and it turned out that the A/C unit that was installed did not have a heat pump built into it and it should never have been installed on a class "A", that they were for less expensive towables only since it was an A/C only unit. What does that say for the factory??!! We have had well over 25 cosmetic issues as well that I did not even mention. If I could go back in time, I would walk away, no run away from Winnebago. This is not a first year in production unit.
You mentioned did I tell Winnebago about this. Who would I give this list to? I really do not want to drive over 1100 miles to have something fixed that should have been done right in the first place. My immediate problem is that the dealer is over 2 hours from our home so bringing it in for repair work is a project. Wife has to follow in our car or I have to tow it. But dealer wont insure safety of trailer while on their lot. I know that eventually this will be behind us but this is supposed to be Winnebago's flagship gas rig. Terrible
Ray

[Tom-NC]

Hi Ray,

I don't work for Winnebago nor have I been a dealer for them. I am just a Happy Winnebago owner on my 4th Winnebago product.

Right off the bat one of your problems was that you went to Tom Johnson RV which I would never go to reason why is that they charge you $50.00 a night at their campground when you are having service work done. I live about 4 hours from them in NC and still would not use them.

You may be correct that it shouldn't have left the factory the way it did by the dealer should have picked up on the problems when he accepted the coach and sent it back.

As far as every particular problem and it seems you had a lot of them I would have taken it to the factory and get it repaired correctly because obviously your dealer didn't do it. I just had an air conditioning issue with my rear AC/heat pump and when the Coleman repair came he said the unit was bad and had to be replaced. He took pictures of it and got all the correct documentation and ordered a replacement from Coleman, well guess what they sent the wrong unit and it was just an AC unit not a heat pump. That doesn't mean that I won't buy a Winnebago. He reordered ad now i have the correct unit.

My unit was purchased at a Camping World/Good Sam Rally in Atlanta. The coach came from Winnebago to CW, Oakwood, Ga and then to show. After i purchased it it went to CW Woodstock, Ga for prepping for me. They didn't go over the coach at all or they would have found a plastic cover over the intake to the propane furnace. Well we used the coach and needed the propane furnace and after awhile the propane detecto went off and i couldn't stop it even though i reset irt. Well what happened was since the plastic was there the unit got rto hot and a weld broke causing propane to get into the coach.. I fixed the problem with the plastic but the damage was done. The furnace had to be replaced, dealer error.

I ordered as options was a washer and dryer and a sleep number bed. Well there was no access to the washer valves and the bed platform was not bolted down after the pump was installed nor were the proper shocks installed in fact they were disconnected. Contacted Winnebago and they said they should have installed an access door. The door was sent to me and I had another CW install it. The bed problem I ordered the correct shocks and fixed everything myself. Does that mean i wouldn't recommend a Winnebago, NO!

Ok so there was an error at the factory they should have been made aware of it. Yes you should have gone to the factory even though it is 1100 miles away. They would repair all your problems and allow you to stay with the coach in their campground for free.

I assume that you are not retired. Whenever my RV needs something fixed and believe me there are things that have to be fixed I STAY with the coach. When I had repairs done at CW in Robertsdale, AL I stayed there a week and every night I got the coach back to stay in it.

Yes I like Winnebagos and highly recommend them but I feel they are built well and all the parts in them other than appliances are made there in Forest City plus you can get a complete parts list and wiring or plumbing diagrams on line. I know a friend of mine that took delivery of a brand new Newmar and didn't have the correct manual for it.

Everything will turn out great I'm sure and you will praise your Winnebago Adventurer as time goes on. Go take a look at other manufacturer forums and see what problems other coaches have. I know a guy who can use a screwdriver to put a hole in the floor of his compartments. I bet you can't on your coach.

Like I stated before, Enjoy it and I'm sure you will but definitely take a trip to Forest City you will be glad you did.

[allegro1x]

raycyn778 - sorry to hear about your problems with the 37F unfortunately your problems will never quit till you get rid of it. two members of our goodsams club have 37F's one is a 2013 and the other is a 2014. Both of these folks continue to have problems. The guy that has the 2013 is hoping to get everything fixed, so he can trade it off. Dave

[Dfreiberger]

In 2010, my wife and I started camping and bought a 30 ft. Outback. We enjoyed the camping so much we traded to a class C Fleetwood Jamboree 31M; a great floorpan for a class C. We enjoyed the Fleetwood for a little over a year and realized we wanted more space so we bought a Holiday Rambler 36SBT Class A. We had our eye on this unit for a while and thought it was the right one for us. After buying it, we realized there were things that weren't right for us. So, we started shopping around again.

When we were looking a Class A motorhomes, I could never understand the price difference for the Winnebagos over the other manufacturers; mostly because I let price deter me from actually looking at quality, etc.

We saw a Winnebago Adventurer 38Q and we both loved it. It had so much to offer regarding room, storage, entertainment features, and overall quality. A couple weeks back, our local Winny dealer had a Winnebago Rep. out from IA and I was able to spend 2 hours with him going over the coach, every detail, every feature. By the time we were done with the rep., our mind was made up.

One of the features showing attention to detail was the literature that came with the rig. All the owner's manuals are specific to your actual rig by serial number; not like other manufacturers who provide a generic owners manual and a bunch of other appliance manuals all thrown in a pouch. I was given a satchel with specific manuals and a complete list of all appliances/components by part number and serial number.

Many great features, electronics, electrical, and floorplan. Really love it.

[Dfreiberger]

Originally Posted by Tom-NC

Hi Ray,

I don't work for Winnebago nor have I been a dealer for them. I am just a Happy Winnebago owner on my 4th Winnebago product.

Right off the bat one of your problems was that you went to Tom Johnson RV which I would never go to reason why is that they charge you $50.00 a night at their campground when you are having service work done. I live about 4 hours from them in NC and still would not use them.

You may be correct that it shouldn't have left the factory the way it did by the dealer should have picked up on the problems when he accepted the coach and sent it back.

As far as every particular problem and it seems you had a lot of them I would have taken it to the factory and get it repaired correctly because obviously your dealer didn't do it. I just had an air conditioning issue with my rear AC/heat pump and when the Coleman repair came he said the unit was bad and had to be replaced. He took pictures of it and got all the correct documentation and ordered a replacement from Coleman, well guess what they sent the wrong unit and it was just an AC unit not a heat pump. That doesn't mean that I won't buy a Winnebago. He reordered ad now i have the correct unit.

My unit was purchased at a Camping World/Good Sam Rally in Atlanta. The coach came from Winnebago to CW, Oakwood, Ga and then to show. After i purchased it it went to CW Woodstock, Ga for prepping for me. They didn't go over the coach at all or they would have found a plastic cover over the intake to the propane furnace. Well we used the coach and needed the propane furnace and after awhile the propane detecto went off and i couldn't stop it even though i reset irt. Well what happened was since the plastic was there the unit got rto hot and a weld broke causing propane to get into the coach.. I fixed the problem with the plastic but the damage was done. The furnace had to be replaced, dealer error.

I ordered as options was a washer and dryer and a sleep number bed. Well there was no access to the washer valves and the bed platform was not bolted down after the pump was installed nor were the proper shocks installed in fact they were disconnected. Contacted Winnebago and they said they should have installed an access door. The door was sent to me and I had another CW install it. The bed problem I ordered the correct shocks and fixed everything myself. Does that mean i wouldn't recommend a Winnebago, NO!

Ok so there was an error at the factory they should have been made aware of it. Yes you should have gone to the factory even though it is 1100 miles away. They would repair all your problems and allow you to stay with the coach in their campground for free.

I assume that you are not retired. Whenever my RV needs something fixed and believe me there are things that have to be fixed I STAY with the coach. When I had repairs done at CW in Robertsdale, AL I stayed there a week and every night I got the coach back to stay in it.

Yes I like Winnebagos and highly recommend them but I feel they are built well and all the parts in them other than appliances are made there in Forest City plus you can get a complete parts list and wiring or plumbing diagrams on line. I know a friend of mine that took delivery of a brand new Newmar and didn't have the correct manual for it.

Everything will turn out great I'm sure and you will praise your Winnebago Adventurer as time goes on. Go take a look at other manufacturer forums and see what problems other coaches have. I know a guy who can use a screwdriver to put a hole in the floor of his compartments. I bet you can't on your coach.

Like I stated before, Enjoy it and I'm sure you will but definitely take a trip to Forest City you will be glad you did.

I have the airbed in my Adventurer. It does not have shocks. I wonder if I was supposed to have shocks on my unit?