considering a motorhome at our point in life, need your opinion

[Ray,IN]

Hello friends, My wife and I are contemplating buying a 2001 Winnebago Journey Dl 36LD. I located it on the internet, about 200 miles from our house. Would you take a look at the add and offer advice whether it will be worthwhile for us to drive there for a look-see?

We've always had a 5th wheel, but advancing age makes a MH appealing to us. Oh, I used to own a 30' 1976 Allegro CL A back in the day, (prior to DW) but it was a simple machine with a Dodge truck gas engine/chassis. Everything in/on that MH was accessible, and I could fix anything that broke. Todays MH's, I haven't a clue.

[Skip426]

JMHO, not sure if the price is in line with current market conditions.
Are you considering trading in or purcase outrite?
Anything on the internet to comare it with ?
Any word on the age of the tires , or service records ?
Phone and ask questions , if you like the answers ...
If , I was still in the market I'd do the drive.

[Arch Hoagland]

Looks pretty good from the pictures. I think you could make a weekend outing going to see it.

The price is always negotiable.

Perhaps I'm blind but I couldn't see how many miles are on it.

[HeapBigEngin]

The coach looks very, very nice. Just MO, but there is a lot more to buying a coach like this than just price. Price alone doesn't mean very much without looking over a whole lot of other things. Like above posts, it would be nice to know mileage and maintenance history. Tires, if necessary to replace, can be very expensive. If maintenance is not quite up to snuff, that will get expensive quickly as well. Of course, the floor plan must work for you....and it should be very near the top of the list.

To each his own. But two things on the coach that would not work at all for us. First, VERY limited counter space. Take off the oven covers....and there isn't much room left. Second, there appears to be only one vanity/sink area. We have 2 (the second came in place of the w/dryer setup). 2 of these "guys" makes close quarter living a whole lot easier. Just MO. But, it may be worth a day trip to go see it. It could help you determine what works for you...and what doesn't. And it's cheaper by far finding that out beforehand. Right?? Good luck....and have fun!

[Patrol 65]

The coach really looks nice from the pictures. Because it is a diesel, I would be more concerned with the age of the tires than the mileage on this coach. A diesel engine will probably last a lifetime with proper maintenance. Make sure that all of the appliances, air conditioners and furnace, sewer and water hookups, jacks and slides are fully functional.

[Gerald Duerr]

Nice unit.But is the price realistic.^ Cheers Gerald

[mikelm48]

Checking NADA, Low Retail is $48,390 and Avg Retail is $58,300.

[KoolBell]

With any purchase there is risk, more so with a used vehicle.
#1 factor of course is pricing. Compare your RV to this guide---> RV Prices, RV Reviews, RV Values, Camper & Trailer Specs, Motorhome Value | NADAguides | NADA RV, Recreational Vehicle Price & Appraisal Guides | NADAguides

I find that wholesale price is about 10% lower than the low retail, although I am not an expert, I have purchased three travel trailers and two Class A's, and this has served me well.

[Jimooo]

Seems to me that dealerships try to get away with not replacing the tires,batteries,engine and genset fluids , that's what you need to make sure that they replace or service and ask to camp close by for weekend to test everything out before you buy.

This will tell you how bad that they want to sell it .

Good luck, James

[topdownman]

How'd you calculate that? I got this:

TOTAL PRICELow Retail $44,890Average $54,090

I think they're way overpriced. $50,000 would be playing ball.

Originally Posted by mikelm48

Checking NADA, Low Retail is $48,390 and Avg Retail is $58,300.

[Kelm130]

Price is a little high - We just bought a 2003 Journey 36 DL GD with 28k miles on it with new oil, filters and 6 new Michlen tires for $51k off of E-Bay (not for the faint of heart but I could back out anytime). You could probably find a nice full paint 2004 for that much money. You might have to drive a ways... I drove 10 hours and it was worth every penny.

[smlranger]

First, I would also say they have it way overpriced. I have the 2002 DL 36GD and have added lots of extras plus mine has a fairly new full body paint job. Something slightly south of $50K is more realistic.

Ditto on the previous suggestions to ask for evidence that the drive train has been properly maintained. Oil, filters, air dryer, air cleaner, transmssion, cooling system. At 12 years of age, I would want new belts and hoses. A set of tires for that beast is $2,800 - $3,500 depending on which brand. If it has not been done, the Onan genset in front of that coach needs to be removed for replacement of coolant hoses, drive belt, thermostat and temp sensor. That is a big job (I am in the process of doing that now myself).

We love our Journey but maintaining a DP is not cheap, especially if you have to pay someone else to do all of it. Just make sure you are prepared for that.

That coach does look nice and whomever owned it previously, at least took care of the house part.

[radams]

Just thinking out loud here but based on the learning curve I went through when I got my latest, and the expense of bringing everything up to snuff, and you mentioning "advancing age", are you sure you want tackle something like this? It's a daunting task for anyone to go through. Just sayin . . .

[1ciderdog]

When I bought my 2004 a couple of years ago the asking price was high but I offered 25% under the low NADA listed value. They did not take that and countered with much lower than original asking price. We negotiated a bit. So don't hesitate to make a somewhat low but sincere offer. It looks like a great RV but do check it out closely.

[Ray,IN]

Thank you everyone! You offered sound advice and tips. I'll do more homework and perhaps make the drive next week if the phone calls are promising.