Purchase Advice 2015 Minnie Winnie

[hglehigh]

My husband and I are thinking of purchasing a 2015 Minnie Winnie 26' with 68K miles. The interior looks great. No rust. Everything works except a couple of running lights. The ask is $35K. Does the price seem right? What should we be planning to fix or replace?

Thanks in advance for any tips/advice. (I have read that the 5 speed transmission will rev high on grades. Should we have valves checked/replaced?)

Holly

 

[Eagle5]

Greetings Holly,
The 6 speed is a much better transmission. The 5 speed has one overdrive (5th gear), 4th gear is direct-drive, and 3rd gear is a big drop in gear ratio. What happens is when you start up a grade in Cruise Control is the transmission will drop from 5th to 4th to 3rd gear in short-order, and the V-10 is left screaming.
The newer 6 speed has two overdrives (6th and 5th) and 4th is slightly below a 1:1 ratio. The reason Ford uses it is because the spacing between the six speeds is all even, and the shifting is far less chaotic.
The V-10 can be damaged by two things:

1. Using 5W-20 weight oil
2. Holding the RPMs over 4,000

It is not the valves that go bad, but rather, it is the cams and followers which activate the valves. I believe getting a visual inspection of the cams would be expensive, but I have not checked into the cost of that.
With all that said, it doesn't mean that your 2015 would be damaged. If it seems to run well and you do purchase it, I would do two things:

1. Change to 0W-40 Mobil 1 oil
2. Do not use cruise control going up a steep grade and just take your time, keeping the engine speed at or below 4,000 RPM.

If the engine seems to run well, and as you say things seem to be in good shape, I guess that $35K isn't too bad. Just figure on replacing the six tires if they are the originals, and maybe the lead/acid batteries as well. Of course, both of these items may have already been recently replaced, given the 11 year age of the motorhome.
This article also has very good information for things to check:

Picking Up Your New or New To You RV - Must Read!

Whether your RV is new from the factory, or existing stock at a dealership, or even just "new to you" when buying used from a dealer, consigner or private seller you MUST take care of more than picking out an RV and arranging financing. Here then, is a good start on the process and keep in mind...

www.winnieowners.com

Welcome to the forum.
Eagle5

 

[RV_Lee]

I'd be looking for one with the 6-speed, they started making them in 2016. Not all will have it, make sure.

6-speeds will have a 4th gear on the selector, quickest way to tell