Bought first MH 03 Minnie 31C

[Big Muskie John]

Hello,

My wife and I just bought our first MH it's a 03 Winnebago Minnie 31C. We pick it up next Friday. As with any big purchase you start to second guess if it's the right choice, so I thought I would see what some of your thoughts are regarding this MH. It has 37,100 miles on it, the dealer has no maintenance records, however has all the manuals. the dealer is giving a 30 day "deluxe" warranty. The MH seems to be in good shape, I looked around with a flash light in the closet's and so forth checking for water damage, I could not find any, but I am no expert. The dealer told me everything works that the our aware of they seem like good people? Originally they were asking $54,000 then dropped it to $47,000 when I first started looking at it, we went back and forth and was able to get them down to $36,500 I took it for a test drive and when we got back that's when I said I would take it.

Everything happened so fast I really never looked under the hood or anything like that. One of my questions is 37,000 miles a lot for an 03? Will things start to need replaced soon, or should I be ok for a year or two? Besides the dealer's 30 day warranty, they are offering an extended warranty through Star, is this something to consider? It's pretty pricey, $3,262.00 for 4year/48,000 miles, it looks like it covers a lot of things, but again what do I know, this is our first MH. Is there anything else I should be worried about or check into before I pick it up next Friday and sign the papers?

We plan on using the MH for various activities, I road race motor cycles so we will be taking it to the tracks towing an enclosed trailer. We like to Muskie fish so we will also be towing our boat with it and putting it in and out of the water with the MH. Do I need to beef up the transmission or put a cooler on it?

Here are the specs I found in the cabinet:

GAWR Front:4600 Rear:9450
GVWR: 14,050
UVC: 11,905
CCC: 853
CCWR: 20,000
Factory installed options: 368 lbs

Will I be able to haul the boat, motorcycle trailer etc with this MH with confidence? It has a 3,500 lb hitch, the trailer and boat weigh under 3,000 lbs each.

I appreciate any feedback and sorry for the long post.

[Big Muskie John]

Hello,

My wife and I just bought our first MH it's a 03 Winnebago Minnie 31C. We pick it up next Friday. As with any big purchase you start to second guess if it's the right choice, so I thought I would see what some of your thoughts are regarding this MH. It has 37,100 miles on it, the dealer has no maintenance records, however has all the manuals. the dealer is giving a 30 day "deluxe" warranty. The MH seems to be in good shape, I looked around with a flash light in the closet's and so forth checking for water damage, I could not find any, but I am no expert. The dealer told me everything works that the our aware of they seem like good people? Originally they were asking $54,000 then dropped it to $47,000 when I first started looking at it, we went back and forth and was able to get them down to $36,500 I took it for a test drive and when we got back that's when I said I would take it.

Everything happened so fast I really never looked under the hood or anything like that. One of my questions is 37,000 miles a lot for an 03? Will things start to need replaced soon, or should I be ok for a year or two? Besides the dealer's 30 day warranty, they are offering an extended warranty through Star, is this something to consider? It's pretty pricey, $3,262.00 for 4year/48,000 miles, it looks like it covers a lot of things, but again what do I know, this is our first MH. Is there anything else I should be worried about or check into before I pick it up next Friday and sign the papers?

We plan on using the MH for various activities, I road race motor cycles so we will be taking it to the tracks towing an enclosed trailer. We like to Muskie fish so we will also be towing our boat with it and putting it in and out of the water with the MH. Do I need to beef up the transmission or put a cooler on it?

Here are the specs I found in the cabinet:

GAWR Front:4600 Rear:9450
GVWR: 14,050
UVC: 11,905
CCC: 853
CCWR: 20,000
Factory installed options: 368 lbs

Will I be able to haul the boat, motorcycle trailer etc with this MH with confidence? It has a 3,500 lb hitch, the trailer and boat weigh under 3,000 lbs each.

I appreciate any feedback and sorry for the long post.

[Hikerdogs]

I'm sure you'll be happy with your purchase. I would treat it as though no maintenance had ever been performed, and do everything necessary for the mileage including changing engine oil & filter trans fluid, brake fluid, and lubing the chassis. If you have all the manuals there should be a maintenance schedule in the partial chassis manual.
We have about 50'000 miles on our 01 Adventurer and everything works fine. I see it as barely broken in. We're planning a several month trip to Alaska this summer and I don't expect any problems. Personally I think it's better that the unit has some miles on it. That means it hasn't sat around for months on end without getting any excersize.

I'm not a believer in service contracts or extended warranties. The company selling it is betting you won't have problems and you are betting you will. It seems they generally charge a price that will cover all the expected problems plus enough to give themselves a profit. Not that it's a bad thing, but to me it's like paying for service in advance whether you get it or not.

[smlranger]

John:

Welcome to the forum.com . You have come to the right place to get lots of help from some great folks. Also, we want you to come back often and share your experiences on the road.

If not too late to do so, see if you can get the dealer to spring for all fluid changes....oil, tranny, tranny filter, rear differential. If not, suggest you do that. With a CCC (cargo carrying capacity) of only about 850 lbs, make sure you don't overload...suggest you load for travel and head for a CAT scales and get the rig weighed to make sure. Also, check those tires and make sure they are properly inflated for your actual loaded weight. If you have a good trusted mechanic, have them check all systems...belts, hoses, etc. Better to do a little preventative maintenance than deal with a breakdown on a trip when you'd rather be fishing .

Like Hikerdogs, I am not a fan of extended warranties. You can put that money aside, let it earn a little interest, and tap into when you need repairs.

So get that baby ready, have some fun, and come back often and tell us about it.

[The Clock Meister]

Hope that you will enjoy your new MH for many years.

Our first Winnebago was an '03 Minnie 31C. We kept it for several years, and certainly enjoyed it. Never had any problems to speak of with it.

As others have said, do the full maintenance drill on it - all fluids, belts, hoses, etc. and have the mechanic go over all systems. Don't forget to keep an eye on the tires. They are getting close to replacement age.

We towed a car with ours, and never felt that it was any problem. Keep an eye out for your weights - get it loaded the way you would travel and get it weighed, four corner if you can.

If you have any questions, you will find that this forum is a great resource. Most issues can be found doing a search, and if you can't find your answer the chances are good that one of us has been through the same issue.

Chris

[Avatab]

Hi John, Did you pick up the 31c today? How did it go?

We had a 2002 Minnie 31c for 2 years and loved it. The V10 is a great engine that will last a long time. We towed a Jeep behind it without any problems. The big slide in the 31c really opens up the space inside when stopped and the walk around bed is a big plus.

Only things we had a problem with was some condensation/leakage in the front bunk area. Wasn't serious, just annoying. And if we had kept it, I would have tried some bigger anti-sway bars and/or a SteerSafe. The 31c is long for a Class C and ours did not like big trucks going by... LOL. Again, not a huge problem but something we had to get used to on the highway.

Good luck, let us know how its going.

[tps0424]

I was wondering how it went too. Hope it's everything you knew it would be!