2014 Winnebago Minnie Winnie 25B

gerrym51 wrote:
Forest river sunseeker/forester 2300/2301 chevy 4500

Thanks for the input. We started looking at these RVs and are very impressed with the quality. These offer a lot more than the Minnie Winnies. The FR has enclosed tanks which is a big plus. The full fiberglass front cap is also nice. We also met a factory rep and he answered a lot of questions in person as well as email.

The nicest thing the Minnie Winnes have is the floor plan, other than that, Winnebago really cheaped out on this motorhome. I think they are going to have a lot of warranty issues with these based on the fit and finish I saw on the few I looked at. Winnebago definitely sacrificed quality here. Cheaper, thinner wood, cheap door slides, cheap fixtures. Maybe if they improve these things we will look at again. Buyer beware, this is not typical Winnebago quality.

The wheelbase/length ratio is not the only parameter to make sure is right for good handling.

FWIW, front/rear weight ratios are also important for best handling and safety. We had our Winnebago Itasca Class C weighed - the front weighed separate from the rear - in order to compute this other important parameter. Of course this also tells you whether or not you have either axle overloaded.

The wheelbase/length ratio for the Winnie 25B is 183/318 or .575; perhaps they listed the wrong wheelbase when the specs were issued, as a ratio of .49 would be a wheelbase of 158, which is the wheelbase for the 22R. This is in reply to Fred 42's message of 1/2/13

pnichols wrote:

randrx2 wrote:
We fully understand the benefits of a slide, but we do not want one for a few issues. We want the RV usable with the slide in. We know there are several with the slide in, but that brings us to the next point, not wanting a slide due to maintenance. Also, having a slide adds weight as well as sealing issues. We just want it to keep it simple.

Your reasoning is dead-on with this. I couldn't agree more.

We intentionally bought a Class C with no slides without having had any experience with slides beforehand. We thought it though long and hard before we bought ... and came to the same conclusions as you did.

We have driven our motorhome down the highway in many blinding rain storms and I can't imagine how any design or construction techniques can year after year prevent one/two/three slides from remaining leak-free under these kind of travel conditions. Over the long haul, slides not leaking isn't gonna happen.

I was originally dead set on no slides too for all the above reasons. I ended up with a slide largely because all of the other things about the RV outweighed (figuratively) my worries of slide issues. So far after nearly 2 years the slide has given us no trouble and it does dramatically open up the interior of the RV. I have as much living area room (maybe a bit more) as my brother's 30 foot no slide E450 RV (the swivel cab seats help) I intend to keep the RV for many years so I'm not taking the decision to have a slide lightly. Mine is very useable with the slide stowed and we do stay in it that way when "curb camping" staying overnight at friends/relatives.

Totally agree on the slide. We don't want one. They are heavy (reducing CCC), subject to failure and leakage. We're travelers more than campers and would hate to be stuck in a location waiting to unscramble a broke slide. I'm sure when we graduate to a style of camping that keeps us in one spot for longer stretches, then slide(s) make sense.

Forest river sunseeker/forester 2300/2301 chevy 4500

randrx2 wrote:
We fully understand the benefits of a slide, but we do not want one for a few issues. We want the RV usable with the slide in. We know there are several with the slide in, but that brings us to the next point, not wanting a slide due to maintenance. Also, having a slide adds weight as well as sealing issues. We just want it to keep it simple.

Your reasoning is dead-on with this. I couldn't agree more.

We intentionally bought a Class C with no slides without having had any experience with slides beforehand. We thought it though long and hard before we bought ... and came to the same conclusions as you did.

We have driven our motorhome down the highway in many blinding rain storms and I can't imagine how any design or construction techniques can year after year prevent one/two/three slides from remaining leak-free under these kind of travel conditions. Over the long haul, slides not leaking isn't gonna happen.

Thanks for all the input. We fully understand the benefits of a slide, but we do not want one for a few issues. We want the RV usable with the slide in. We know there are several with the slide in, but that brings us to the next point, not wanting a slide due to maintenance. Also, having a slide adds weight as well as sealing issues. We just want it to keep it simple. That is also the reason we are looking at rentals as these units are "bare bones". We also do not feel as bad as tearing up and remodeling a used, inexpensive RV as a new one. We are no strangers to an RV. We currently do not have one, but have had others before.

Perhaps the OP should give some further guidance on price range. The new Minnie Winnie and the Triple E are drastically different purchases. If the Triple E is affordable, that opens up lots of other options to consider that people wouldn't necessarily consider comparable to the Minnie Winnie.

I know that you didn't want a slide, but you should take at look at the Triple E Model GT27S, here at this site:

http://www.tripleerv.com/gt/floorplans.html#anchor

Once you have tried a slide, you will really appreciate it. They are a well built Class C, with the bed in the rear. Don't give up on a slide.