Newbie Questions On Possible Used C Purchase

[paulmlac]

Hello everyone...

We are currently in a pop-up & looking to move into a C for an easier experience. We've been looking for a couple weeks (4 dealers in person, 2 more via phone but nothing in our price range at them, & 1 private sale). I think we found it yesterday. It's a '05 Minnie 31C with about 20,000 miles & about 100 hrs on the generator at a dealer.

I drove the unit. I know zippo about engines. It fired right up & drove very smooth though. There was no wander in the front end. I was looking for that as another unit I drove had quite a bit of wander.

I looked extensively at the roof, cabover, in closets, etc & found no signs of any water stains. The dealer said it was stored indoors which I know helps. It was also the cleanest unit I've ever looked at having seen probably 25 - 50 pop up's & C's over time.

I am just a real cautious person though figuring that someone turned it in because there's problems. We bought two pop up's new because we couldn't find one that fit the bill. I'd like to do that here too but can't justify such a massive depreciation hit on a toy. My being so cautious popped a lot of questions into my head overnight. I'd appreciate any help from the group:

- Chasis: I've read a lot about Ford making a big improvement right around '05 (something about spark plugs especially). I'm thinking it's on an '04 chasis though because the shifter says "overdrive" instead of "tow haul" (learned from the web that's a visual clue). Would getting an '04 chasis be a deal breaker to anyone?

- Flooring: There was vinyl in the main area. The only carpeted areas were the cab, under the dinette, & the bedroom. The vinyl is appealing to us since we have kids with dirty feet! I found the '05 Minnie brochure on the web & know that much vinyl is not stock. I'm pretty sure it was never a rental with that low mileage. Anything to look for there?

- Slide: The slide took maybe around 30 - 40 seconds to open & then the same time to close. I did another slide on a Fleetwood that was very quick (5 - 10 seconds) at a different dealer & recall the dealer saying it was so fast because it was a hydraulic system. So, is 30
- 40 seconds normal for a Minnie slide or a problem?

- Generator: Right away, the dealer said it may not fire up as the gas gauge was below 1/4. It turned over but never "caught". Is that 1/4 of gas tank thing true or was the dealer just trying to mask a known problem?

- Other stuff: The unit was plugged in so I tested as much other stuff such as light switches, microwave, etc as I could. Everything worked. The only thing I noticed the LP detector by the floor didn't have a green power light indicating it was working. The dealer said that would be repaired as part of their pre-purchase inspection.

- Speaking of inspection: I called several dealers & RV repair places & they're scheduling inspections for mid to late August. So, I'm obviously going this alone. The dealer gave me a sheet with what they look at. I know full well they won't get into extensive repairs. The thing that caught me though is it's $995. I was surprised by that. Realize the entire pricing thing is negotiable but is charging for that typical?

I spent a couple hours with the unit. Unfortunately the wife is out of town so she won't be able to see until mid week. And I'll be out of town when she looks. With low mileage, Winnebago being above average, what looks to be a well cared for unit, & the dealer checking the house stuff, I'm thinking it's OK. But I found out it's sat at the dealer for a couple months so somebody must have passed it by. Needless to say, any help would be appreciated!

Thanks!