Are Winnebago RV's the top of the line or close to it?

As you can see there are many opinions and no right answer. All I can say is we really like our Winnie. Almost traded it yesterday for a 38 ft class A DP. We finally said "why? We like what we have.". It comes down to what you want in extras and floorplans.

pnichols wrote:
Paul,

Would you please elaborate on the construction of the wood walls that you say Winnebago is using in their Class C motorhomes?

Thanks, in advance.

Sure. And here's the big disclaimer that all that follows is IMHO...

Behind the exterior wall is a sheet of luan (wood). If / when water gets behind the exterior wall, the luan absorbs the water. Then the luan separates (AKA delaminates) from the exterior wall. I don't have numerical proof but I would speculate that delam is one of the biggest factors (if not the biggest) that can make your unit lose value the quickest.

Azdel is a composite material used in place of luan. Among other benefits, it doesn't absorb water. It essentially means delam won't happen. Google "RV Azdel walls" for more info & it's other benefits (which include being lighter & having a greater insulation R value than luan).

When we were shopping (1 yr ago), the only class C manufacturers using Azdel were Nexus (kudos to them as they were using it in both the roof & walls) & Forest River (including the Sunseeker, Forester, & Coachmen lines - in the walls only). I don't know if that list is still correct today??? I thought I heard that Winnebago was thinking of using Azdel rather than wood but perhaps only in their Access Premier line??? I would strongly suggest that you get detailed info on what the wall is made of for the particular brand / year you are looking at. A dealer may say that Winnebago uses Azdel but do they use it only in the Access Premier as an example but not the Winnie (or Winnebago but not Itasca).

We ruled out any manufacturer who didn't use Azdel at least in the walls. Basically that left us with Nexus & Forest River. Nexus was more money than we wanted to spend (we are weekend warriors). Forest River / Sunseeker offered what we thought was a good mix of the best construction materials (fiberglass roof & Azdel walls), good quality (much improved versus says 5 yrs ago), standing behind their product (shocked at some of the things I read on the net about them taking a unit several year out of warranty back to Elkhart to, as an example, replace a wall at no charge if there is a problem), & a strong price / value relationship.

Again, just IMHO.

Paul,

Would you please elaborate on the construction of the wood walls that you say Winnebago is using in their Class C motorhomes?

Thanks, in advance.

Somebody mentioned this point above already. But it's very valid. Probably nobody has owned recent models from enough of the manufacturers & done an in depth comparison (like Consumer Reports does for cars). So, that said, people tend to be overly positive to what they own (unless they have a real piece so to speak).

But here's my thoughts regardless...

Born Free & Lazy Daze would be among the "best". Nexus seems very strong also. Never owned any of these manufacturers. But I've read enough about them to appreciate the quality that goes into their construction.

Then there are all the volume builders.

Here's my personal opinion from our shopping (&, in the spirit of full disclosure, we got a Forest River Sunseeker):

Winnebago: We felt they were over-rated. Many happy owners no doubt. But older style construction materials. Fiberglass roof is great. But uses wood walls. That technology is older. Problem is wood walls can absorb moisture &, if / when that happens, it will lead to delam which is one of the biggest drains on RV values. Higher price based on name.

Forest River Sunnseeker: Also fiberglass roof. But Azdel walls (for those that don't know, Azdel doesn't absorb moisture so delam won't happen, has a higher R value, & is lighter). So 2 check marks. As I scanned through the list on the 1st page, our unit has the vast majority of the items. It does not have carpeted storage but we'd rather it not be carpeted given that we store dirty stuff in them. But then again it has some things the Winnebago doesn't such as a bigger gray tank (39 gallons). Pretty good reputation among at least newer owners (which I would agree with as one of them). I think older Sunnseekers left a lot to be desired. But since Warren Buffet bought out Forest River, he really sank a lot of money into improving the Sunseeker line. Value priced.

Several folks said this point above too. But it's spot on. You could take the "best" class C manufacturer & get an absolute lemon for a variety of factors. Likewise, you could take the "worst" class C manufacturer & get an absolutely perfect unit.

Good luck on your search!

Cleaned up some of the comments.
Please stay on topic.

+1 on Born Free.

Searched all over, toured the factory at Nexus, Phoenix Crusier, Thor, and Born Free. The Born Free will be more money, however, it will not rattle, or rock and roll.

Resale is much higher.

we currently have the winnebago 24g 2013 and looked very close at both versions itasca and winnebago,from what I can tell the itasca version a a couple hundred dollars more,dealers of itasca will say their units are the high end ones,however the only difference I could see was the color schemes,as far as winnebago as a brand I'd say they are the upper class,we had an 04 minnie before,like any company on the stock exchange they have numbers to make so on the line it's go go go,so you'll see a few misplaced staples,cosmetic issues,but overall they are built very well,I think more important is to find a good dealer cause you will need them for something,I am amazed at how bad many of these dealers are,they know very little about their product,just what they cost.good luck
9r

precioustime wrote:
Interested in a 2014 Winnebago View 24G with the rear slideout and a queen bed. Is a Navion the same as a View? Is Itasca the same as Winnebago? Same manufacturer? Is the navion or View a good quality rv?

In their price range or greater, the answer is a resounding YES!

No one sells or has sold as many motorhomes than Winnebago.

See a few and buy one!

Yes, Winniebago parts seem a bit expensive ... but I consider the convenience of getting an exact replacement part whenever needed as well worth the extra $$.

For instance, I recently wanted to add an additional lock to an overhead cabinet door to help prevent it fron opening when traveling offroad. I checked at a couple of local hardware stores to get what I thought was a "standard" latch (from probably Ch**na) to add to the one already on the cabinet door. The local stores had kindof the same latch alright ... thinking their's was exact I bought it and upon getting home ... found it to be slightly smaller than the Winnie originals, so it would not fit right nor be as strong. I picked up the phone and ordered the latch from a Winnie parts supplier by giving them only the VIN of my Class C motorhome. The exact latch type and size - even in the original hard to find bronze color - arrived shortly. IMHO, this kind of ability to keep one's (8 years old in my case) rig in original configuration - is a fantastic Winnie service.

I feel good about Winnie.

The items phil lists to make the good point that W has been around a while and is attentive to all sorts of hardware features that add luxury and added performance for the RV owner…and they provide very detailed W parts lists for every unit.

I have seen what W charges for W-specific parts as a friend has a W class A, and here, you do need to pay to play.

He needed 4 newly engineered plastic gadgets (maybe 4”x2”) that replaced the OEM stuff that locked a sliding door in place while moving, and $130 later he had them in his hands.

On a recent trip when an electric part of his diesel fuel pump went out, he opted to only pay $1000 for the part, not the $5000 for a whole new fuel pump.

Not knocking ‘em, but it does remind me of Mercedes stuff.