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Old 05-26-2012, 10:42 AM   #1
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Winnebago with Mercedes

Was just looking at a 2010 Winnebago IQ today with my wife. It is Chrysler body with a Mercedes diesel engine & transmission. It was very nice and I thought before I jumped into debt by falling in love with this I would post it to this forum in the hopes of getting some honest to goodness input on it. Is it a good model? Is it reliable? Will it be expensive to maintain? ( that is my major concern because Mercedes can be very costly to repair), Is it a joy to own?
I really liked the fact that the sales person said it gets 16 miles to the gallon. Is that true? That sure is important to me.
Any information will be greatly appreciated and mulled over by us before we make our final decision.
Thanks a lot!
Jim
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Old 05-26-2012, 11:25 AM   #2
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The Sprinter based motor homes have a pretty good track record. I think they have a fairly long chassis warranty. A lot of trades use the chassis as does Fed Ex. Mileage probably depends a lot on how you drive and where, but I would think 16 mpg is possible.
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Old 05-26-2012, 11:47 AM   #3
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The pro's to this chassis are that the warranty is great and the engine will go a million miles. The con's are that they're underpowered, even without towing a vehicle, and that 16 mpg in reality will be more in the 12mpg range.... Also, because the wheel stance is relatively narrow for the height they tend to feel top-heavy. I personally am a fan of a bit larger motorhome, just for a performance and handling standpoint.
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Old 05-26-2012, 01:35 PM   #4
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Hi Jim;
We owned a 2010 Itasca Navion (very similar to the View IQ).
Yes 16mpg is very likely. Highway travel to Florida we got 17 to 19. On the back mountain roads of Maine we got about 12 to 14.
We only owned it for one year so I can't speak for long term reliability but we really liked the build quality and the compact functionality of the unit.
It is a little underpowered going up the steep hills but we never minded, we weren't in a hurry and we were not trying to pass everything else on the road.
In the end, we determined it was just too small for our liking and we recently upgraded to a diesel pusher.
There are several dealers in New England, we've had good luck with Flagg's RV in Uxbridge,MA/N.Smithfield, RI. We bought our unit from a private party but the people at Flaggs were very nice about providing information.
Good Luck in your search... Shopping is half the fun
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Old 05-26-2012, 04:32 PM   #5
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Hi Jim;
We owned a 2010 Itasca Navion (very similar to the View IQ).
Yes 16mpg is very likely. Highway travel to Florida we got 17 to 19. On the back mountain roads of Maine we got about 12 to 14.
We only owned it for one year so I can't speak for long term reliability but we really liked the build quality and the compact functionality of the unit.
It is a little underpowered going up the steep hills but we never minded, we weren't in a hurry and we were not trying to pass everything else on the road.
In the end, we determined it was just too small for our liking and we recently upgraded to a diesel pusher.
There are several dealers in New England, we've had good luck with Flagg's RV in Uxbridge,MA/N.Smithfield, RI. We bought our unit from a private party but the people at Flaggs were very nice about providing information.
Good Luck in your search... Shopping is half the fun
Norm,
Thanks for getting back to me with that info. I really appreciate it. Believe it or not Flagg RV in Uxbridge is exactly where we looked at this particular model. We live in Uxbridge so it is just a hop, skip & a jump for us to go over there. We spoke with Jimmy Flagg. Really nice fellow. He wasn't "pushy" at all regarding sales.
We are kind of like you, we are not looking to go like gangbusters down the road. If she bogs down going up hills we won't mind.
I sure would like to know what the expenses would be long term however. I imagine that with proper maintenance I should get a quite a few trouble free years of service out of it.
So you felt it was too small for you? We looked at some huge Class A motor homes at Flaggs while we were there. I even sat behind the wheel of a few of them. To be honest with you, they were a bit intimidating to me! I don't know if I could even drive one of them!
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Old 05-27-2012, 01:56 PM   #6
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Hey Jim;
The Navion was awesome and the 2 of us could have vacationed in it for years. We moved up in size for 2 reasons...
We rarely travel alone, we usually have 2 or 3 adult friends with us. It got very tight in there with 5 adults mulling around.
We are "considering" full timing in a couple years, so we bought the big rig to see how we feel about it.

Our Navion was the J model with the bed in the back. We loved the convenience of having a real bed but it was a real pain in the neck to tuck in the sheets along the 3½ walls that surround it.

We put about 5 to 6 thousand miles on it the year that we had it and experienced only one issue. The fuel tank needed to be replaced because the fuel guage sending unit failed. Mercedes in Shrewsbury treated us great and covered it under warranty.

Good Luck, The Navions and Views seem to be more expensive than some other units but we certainly enjoyed ours.
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Old 05-27-2012, 08:33 PM   #7
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Under powered? I believe my View will out accelerate most diesel pushers to 65 mph. Might lose a little on some long grades, but performance is very good. The build quality on my unit is very good. I am averaging 16 mpg. Go for it.
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Old 06-04-2012, 03:11 PM   #8
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Under powered? I believe my View will out accelerate most diesel pushers to 65 mph. Might lose a little on some long grades, but performance is very good. The build quality on my unit is very good. I am averaging 16 mpg. Go for it.
That is really good to hear! We are actually looking at the View now instead of the IQ because my wife wanted the extra bedroom. Thanks for your opinion. We are leaning towards the View and I am glad to hear that it is not underpowered!! I am actually thinking about towing my motorcycle behind it. That ought to work, right?
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Old 06-04-2012, 03:21 PM   #9
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Look very very closely at any of these small diesel based units. Check the storage capacity. Check the holding tank sizes. Get in one and make sure you can deal with the small interior area. Make sure you can deal with the single sink when doing dishes. If you can live this way for more than a day or so, then they may be worth the high purchase price.

Many have purchased them and absolutely love them. Others... not so much.
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Old 06-06-2012, 06:22 PM   #10
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I have had my 2010 View 24A for 2 1/2 yrs and am happy with it. Just came back from a 1k mile trip to the Oregon Coast. We avg 16.5 mpg. I have 2 100w solar panels on mine. I have 16.5k miles on it. One oil change to date and just purchased oil to do the next one in a few weeks. Takes 13 qts of synthetic oil which can be expensive though I got mine on sale at NAPA for $5.79 qt.
Mobil 1 5W-40 ESP Formula M.
The newer models, 2011+ have a DEF engine and has about 20% more HP then the earlier models. I am getting mine set up to tow my Tracker and also a Honda Fit.
We sleep up in the OH bunk and find it very comfortable...they are more money then a similar Ford MH but they drive 10 times better IMHO. You can actually get up and move effortlessly into the coach area...try that with a Ford chassis!
Check em out and take one for a spin!
If you want to know much more...join this group:
http://autos.groups.yahoo.com/group/View-Navion/
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Old 06-07-2012, 04:19 AM   #11
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Originally Posted by MutinyGuy View Post
I have had my 2010 View 24A for 2 1/2 yrs and am happy with it. Just came back from a 1k mile trip to the Oregon Coast. We avg 16.5 mpg. I have 2 100w solar panels on mine. I have 16.5k miles on it. One oil change to date and just purchased oil to do the next one in a few weeks. Takes 13 qts of synthetic oil which can be expensive though I got mine on sale at NAPA for $5.79 qt.
Mobil 1 5W-40 ESP Formula M.
The newer models, 2011+ have a DEF engine and has about 20% more HP then the earlier models. I am getting mine set up to tow my Tracker and also a Honda Fit.
We sleep up in the OH bunk and find it very comfortable...they are more money then a similar Ford MH but they drive 10 times better IMHO. You can actually get up and move effortlessly into the coach area...try that with a Ford chassis!
Check em out and take one for a spin!
If you want to know much more...join this group:
View-Navion : Winnebago's Skinnie-Winnies
Thank you so much for that link. To date, I haven't found anything specific about the Navions. Glad you like yours. I love the MPG's. That is a strong selling point in my view (pun intended).
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Old 06-11-2012, 10:50 PM   #12
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Quote:
Originally Posted by MutinyGuy View Post
I have had my 2010 View 24A for 2 1/2 yrs and am happy with it. Just came back from a 1k mile trip to the Oregon Coast. We avg 16.5 mpg. I have 2 100w solar panels on mine. I have 16.5k miles on it. One oil change to date and just purchased oil to do the next one in a few weeks. Takes 13 qts of synthetic oil which can be expensive though I got mine on sale at NAPA for $5.79 qt.
Mobil 1 5W-40 ESP Formula M.
The newer models, 2011+ have a DEF engine and has about 20% more HP then the earlier models. I am getting mine set up to tow my Tracker and also a Honda Fit.
We sleep up in the OH bunk and find it very comfortable...they are more money then a similar Ford MH but they drive 10 times better IMHO. You can actually get up and move effortlessly into the coach area...try that with a Ford chassis!
Check em out and take one for a spin!
If you want to know much more...join this group:
View-Navion : Winnebago's Skinnie-Winnies
I have tried several times to get on this site after you recommended it. It seemed like it is just what I wanted. But every time try to log on ( I joined) they inform me that the calendar is being updated or something like that. Is that a working site? I sure hope so!
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Old 06-13-2012, 02:00 PM   #13
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I have tried several times to get on this site after you recommended it. It seemed like it is just what I wanted. But every time try to log on ( I joined) they inform me that the calendar is being updated or something like that. Is that a working site? I sure hope so!
Site is working fine....click on "Messages" on the left hand side...there are several thousand to peruse
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Old 06-13-2012, 07:54 PM   #14
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If you go with a corner bed, Travel Sak makes a summer/winter sleeping bag hat holds sheets. We used one when we had a corner bed, worked fine.
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Old 06-30-2012, 09:57 AM   #15
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My 2012 View is not under powered. I very happy with it. Hills are no problem. I'm sure I could pass any Class A going uphill. (I've owned 3 Class A's, 1 gas, 2 diesel) I only have 4100 miles on it. Averaged 14 mpg so far.
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Old 07-03-2012, 10:19 PM   #16
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My 2012 View is not under powered. I very happy with it. Hills are no problem. I'm sure I could pass any Class A going uphill. (I've owned 3 Class A's, 1 gas, 2 diesel) I only have 4100 miles on it. Averaged 14 mpg so far.
I've owned 3 Class A's as well - 1 gas and 2 diesel plus a Kodiak Super C and now an E450 based Itasca. I'd take a bet any day that the Journey with Cat C7 and Ambassador with ISC would run away from your View going up hill and leave you miles behind.
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Old 07-03-2012, 11:30 PM   #17
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Who really cares how fast or underpowered those motorhomes are, you gonna drag race them? Some you old people have to much ego going on.
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Old 07-03-2012, 11:34 PM   #18
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Who really cares how fast or underpowered those motorhomes are, you gonna drag race them? Some you old people have to much ego going on.

You're off the wall milkman. He made an absurd comment and I wasn't going to let it sit unanswered. No ego involved here AT ALL.

We have slowed right down after downsizing from the DPs and now travel at 58 to 60 mph and try to limit daily mileage to 400 max and 300 preferably - depending on where campgrounds are located. Our Tahoe could be towed without a speed limit but our Escape is capped at 65 mph - and we rarely go that fast (other than downhill).
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Old 07-04-2012, 05:37 AM   #19
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I've owned 3 Class A's as well - 1 gas and 2 diesel plus a Kodiak Super C and now an E450 based Itasca. I'd take a bet any day that the Journey with Cat C7 and Ambassador with ISC would run away from your View going up hill and leave you miles behind.
Not a chance. Two of the Diesel's I've owned were Cat C7's. The view easily gets out on the freeway to merge with traffic. Where the C7's poked along like loaded semi's.
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Old 07-04-2012, 06:39 AM   #20
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Norm,
Thanks for getting back to me with that info. I really appreciate it. Believe it or not Flagg RV in Uxbridge is exactly where we looked at this particular model. We live in Uxbridge so it is just a hop, skip & a jump for us to go over there. We spoke with Jimmy Flagg. Really nice fellow. He wasn't "pushy" at all regarding sales.
We are kind of like you, we are not looking to go like gangbusters down the road. If she bogs down going up hills we won't mind.
I sure would like to know what the expenses would be long term however. I imagine that with proper maintenance I should get a quite a few trouble free years of service out of it.
So you felt it was too small for you? We looked at some huge Class A motor homes at Flaggs while we were there. I even sat behind the wheel of a few of them. To be honest with you, they were a bit intimidating to me! I don't know if I could even drive one of them!
Hey Horizonchase,
FlaggRV in RI is where I bought my Cambria and Jimmy was my salesman and I actually did a walk thru of that unit the last time I was there (very nice), what a small world. Flagg is great to deal with. If there is a unit there that you would like to drive just ask. One of the salesman actually trained me on how to drive a 40 foot DP (we almost bought a used Itasca Meridian) before we bought the Cambria. The service after the sale is awesome. I have had them do several mods to my Cambria in the year that I have owned it.
Todd
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