Welcome Anthony!
Congratulations on the new to you motorhome. It sounds like a grand adventure.
There are a couple of things to be aware of when buying a 12-year old motorhome:
First up is tires. Motorhome tires don’t wear out they age out. Most recommend replacing them at 5 - 8 years regardless of tread or mileage. There is a DOT date code on them indicating the year and week of their manufacture. Also check the side walls for cracks. Since many RVs spend plenty of time sitting their tires can suffer from the ozone, sun and inactivity.
Next for me would be batteries. You have two sets: house and chassis. When RVs get sold at a dealership they can have even newer batteries abused by careless treatment by salespeople that show the RV and leave lights on, etc and lack of attention. So the house batteries take the worst brunt by both inattentive previous owners and time spent on the sales lot. RV house batteries are a subject to do research on before just buying a new set quickly.
Lastly, every Winnebago owner must do careful roof inspections. The factory uses a unique roof construction method that needs inspection and sometimes resealing to keep it serviceable. Assuming you have no leaks currently the area of concern is the top sides of the RV where the FRP roof material is tucked into the drip rails on the sides of the RV.
The roof is not tucked into those rails and screwed down, it is tucked in and sealed with silicone sealant which can dry out and lose its ability to hold the roofing in place. If your roof is loose there it can pop out on the sides and catch the wind to ill effect when driving.
The easiest way to educate you is to tell you to search out some YouTube videos from the “AZ EXPERT” channel. He has a number of them on Winnebago roofs. Here’s one that explains the issue:
Best wishes for great trips for you and your bride. Use the RV often and have great times exploring the country.
Linear Mode
