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Old 05-21-2018, 07:13 PM   #1
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Thoughts on Minnie Winnie vs Spirit

Hello All!
I need some help on deciding between two 2018 models 31G. One is a Minnie Winnie and the other is a Spirit. Spoke directly with Winnebago and they said they are exactly the same as the Spirit name is a left over from the Itasca era. What are your thoughts? I like both models and have the two dealers to within $1K of each other. Is there a resale difference? Meaning would the Minnie Winnie command a higher resale than the Spirit down the road?

Thanks in advance for your thoughts.
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Old 05-26-2018, 05:36 AM   #2
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Hello, my two cents. I just purchased a 2019 Minnie Winnie 31G. I was in your shoes a couple months ago and was told the same thing you were. I would have purchased either model and went for the best deal.

Something to keep in mind with whatever you decide is weight. My salesman talked me out of the leveling jacks because of weight limitations. I weighed my unit on our first trip with a full tank of gas and no water and it was 500# under the GVWR on the front and back axle.

Good luck with whatever you decide.
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Old 05-26-2018, 06:58 AM   #3
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Hi Motts,
I really appreciate you mentioning leveling jacks. I'm about to purchase either the Spirit or Minnie Winnie 26A, and am trying to decide how important electronic stabilizing jacks would be. They aren't available on 2017 models, but are an option on the 2018 models-but it appears the price is about $3000 more than a 2018 model that does not have it. Grateful for anything you learned about this in connection to your purchase. Thanks!
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Old 05-26-2018, 08:58 AM   #4
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“Spirit” conjures up what thoughts? None to me.

“Winnebago”...who in America or Canada doesn’t get an instant positive feeling?
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Old 05-26-2018, 11:45 AM   #5
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Years ago Winnebago's "Itasca" line used to be slightly more upscale than their models named only as "Winnebago". As I understand it, that merely meant that the "base" Itasca models contained more options than the "base" Winnebago models. These "double RV" lines from one company (Winnebago) may have resulted from Winnebago buying the Itasca RV company way back when and wanting to still attract buyers who had heard of, or once owned, an Itasca RV (not sure on this history, though). I'm sure that this confused potential Winnebago buyers years ago ... I know it did me.



The "Spirit" name used to be applied only to their Itasca line models. I'm not sure today what the Spirit name in itself means with respect to new Winnebago motorhomes. We have a 2005 Itasca Spirit Class C motorhome and it does have a lot of features that today appear only on Winnebago's option lists for it's various motorhomes, whether a Spirit model or not.


As a side note, one thing that Winnebago is still offering is the option of small Class C motorhomes built on the heavy duty Ford E450 chassis instead of only a choice on the lighter duty various van truck chassis. We have the optional E450 chassis (an E350 chassis was standard at the time) under our 24 foot Itasca and it provides a real solid and in-control feeling in all situations.
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Old 05-26-2018, 12:40 PM   #6
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Quote:
Originally Posted by tjfaux View Post
Hello All!
I need some help on deciding between two 2018 models 31G. One is a Minnie Winnie and the other is a Spirit. Spoke directly with Winnebago and they said they are exactly the same as the Spirit name is a left over from the Itasca era. What are your thoughts? I like both models and have the two dealers to within $1K of each other. Is there a resale difference? Meaning would the Minnie Winnie command a higher resale than the Spirit down the road?

Thanks in advance for your thoughts.

Buy the one you like best, at the best price you can negotiate. Resale difference won't amount to a hill of beans.

I understood at one time that the Winnebago/Itasca naming was similar to Chevy/GMC. They came up with that so that competing dealerships in the same area wouldn't have to deal with price matching. "We sell Winnebago; they sell Itasca!"
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Old 05-26-2018, 01:23 PM   #7
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We almost bought a 31G (Spirit) in Oct '16 but ended up with a 31D (2017). We didn't need the bunks and liked the N-S bed and 3 smaller slides. We love our leveling jacks. The first thing we do when we pull into a site, is put hosspads under one and put the jacks down. They are a must in my book. Yes, they add weight. We are 2 adults and 1 dog and just go over (I know not ideal) GVWR when fully loaded for 3 months. We've worked through a few bugs but overall very satisified. We have been to Forest City twice, good outcome in both instances. Winnebago packs in a lot for the money. You can find less expensive and more expensive, we are happy where we ended up. The 31G will have the same great bedding, comfortable upholstery, attractive durable cabinets and drawers, ditto for window coverings, etc etc. We love our electric/LP hot water heater. I like having 3 TVs. Also like the oven. The 31G is a very good unit in my opinion, I spent a lot of time looking at them before we bought the 31D. If I was alone, I would go with a 25B and install jacks. Wouldn't need slides if I was by myself.
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Old 05-26-2018, 04:04 PM   #8
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Just a few thoughts re a leveling system, TJ ..... FWIW:

Weight is always a concern for those of us with 30+ ft rigs on the E450 chassis. They are just plain heavy. I believe you will find that a hydraulic leveling system will "cost you" approx 180 lb in carrying capacity. My situation is similar to Mott's; DW and I travel light and using (CAT scale) weight data I have found that I still have about 600 lb to spare when loaded for travel with full fuel, 1/3 tank water & full propane. One thing that helps is to put dense stuff; e.g., tool boxes, bottled drinks etc in my 2800 lb toad where I have a LOT of extra capacity when compared to the GCWR number and the hitch rating for my coach ( a lot of folks do this, BTW.)

In my case, my jacks go down at every overnight stop .... even on a perfectly level site. (Exception: On rare occasions I end up on an asphalt surface in a WalMart or HD lot and out of courtesy I don't extend the jacks.) There is a lot of difference in the stability/feel when the rig is connected to the earth with a rigid hydraulic link as opposed to being connected via elastic elements (springs and tires.)

Leveling systems add one more level of complexity that many folks don't want and they would rather use blocks to manually level and spend the leveling system $ on fuel or whatever. They certainly have a point. I have been fortunate in that my only maintenance in 11 years has been to add a quart of fluid to the hyd reservoir. Just my 'sperience........... YMMV, of course.

One option might be to use the rig w/o jacks for a while and if you decide jacks are for you they can be installed after the fact. I believe the cost going that route will be in the $4K range vs 3K you mentioned if factory installed. HWH levelers in Moscow, IA will give you an estimate over the phone; I believe there are lots of dealers in Big Foot levelers around the country that would give you an estimate also. I have read of many self-installs on various forums.....not a huge deal.

Gotta be exciting picking out a new coach. The way my 11-yr-old rig runs though (especially the Ford part) I can't justify it.

Best............... ed s
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Old 05-27-2018, 05:55 AM   #9
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Youracman, I was not sure how much the leveling system weighed, that is not as much as I thought. We have only been out once and already had to buy another set of dully leveling blocks. A leveling system will be an option for me down the road. I am still experimenting with weight, need, storage etc. and will continue to gather information to set up my unit how I want it. By the way, I thought I was about done with modifications and spending money but after reading your post I started looking into leveling system installation. My wife thanks you, HAHA.
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Old 05-27-2018, 07:43 AM   #10
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Seems leveling systems have lots of problems and weight while costing a bundle but I’ll admit watching them activate is impressive.
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Old 06-02-2018, 06:41 PM   #11
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Manual Jacks

I went with the 2017 Minnie Winnie 31K. I haven’t used them, but I went with manual scissor jacks and stacker jacks from Amazon. The RV place near me quoted me $7200 to have a system installed. I am about to be a full timer and I can’t afford that. I also bought a nice electronic level. I hope it works, but it only cost about $260.
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Old 06-02-2018, 07:22 PM   #12
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Manual scissor jacks will work forever! However, consider wrapping each of them with a bungee cord when traveling. Good insurance that they don’t drop due to vibration.
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Old 06-03-2018, 06:27 AM   #13
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I know that our Class C moves somewhat, but our last TT moved a lot more with the stabilizers deployed. We have never had anything but the lego type blocks to level with, so I have the system down quite well. I have levels mounted inside the RV where I can see them from the driver's seat. When I am where I want to be, I know by the bubble position how many blocks will be needed under the wheels. I put the blocks out beside the wheels and move forward to clear them. Then push the blocks in line with the wheels and back onto them. It takes a little experience to know how many blocks to use, but its not hard to figure out.
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