First Time RV owner...need some advice please!

You're on the right track...checking things out before you buy. Have a mechanic go through the chassis too. Plan on new tires (safety) right away. Both brands are respectable. Get on the roof lay on the ground and look underneath with a light. open every drawer, cabinet, compartment and look for water damage. Good luck, it's a lot of fun once you learn the ropes.

Especially check the cab over area for water leaks. Look for stains, feel and gently push on the corners to make sure there is no "give". Smell for mildew. Do this around the coach door, vents, and all windows. Make sure all appliances work. Make sure the house batteries have the correct amount of water in them. Check the date codes on the tires, and plan to replace them if over 6 years old, no matter how good the tread looks. Have the truck engine and tranny checked by someone who knows these things. Good Luck

Welcome to the Forum.

So far you have been given good advice and I think you will get a lot more.

Let me address Winnie and the Fleetwood issue,I have had both,a class A Winnie and a Class C Fleetwood Tioga. Both have good Quality build in my opinion.

The problem that I see with the Winnie is that it points to very poor maintenance if you found this many things wrong. Another thing to consider is at that size and with 2 slides you may be close to the max GVWR ( Gross Vehicle Weight Rating)and maybe close to your GAWR(Gross Axel Weight)
Leaving you with a smaller CCC (Cargo Carrying Weight)

All a fancy way of saying it may be overloaded before you get all your supplies and people onboard. This was the problem that I had with my Winnie.

As for the Fleetwood if they are willing to do the PDI and orientation that sounds better. Yes it will be smaller without the slideout but it is a very nice floor plan,with the rear bed,couch and the Curbside Dinette. I had that on my Winnie and it so much better than on the other side where you will look at your neighbors while eating. We also liked that we could sit there and watch the kids play outside.

As for the upgrades,that is the fun of having your own rig you can do what ever you want to make it your own. I know I did.

As you can see in my signature that I have a Fleetwood Tioga that was a Former Rental it had proper maintenance and has held up very well in that harsh environment. I have had absolutely no problems with it.

Good luck in your Quest for a RV that will suit your needs and budget.

How about you rent one for a week to see what you need vs what you want and to better prepare yourself to evaluate/question a potential purchase?

Try to buy a single owner unit, where they kept all of the maintenance records. That kind of person generally takes good care of their "stuff".

Sorry. Wrong thread. Will delete.

I have a 31' Winnebago with a slide. I definitely recommend an RV with a slide. As stated above, one of the drawbacks of the slide is added weight.

Is the Minnie Winnie at a dealer? You should be able to negotiate a PDI and orientation. Also, there is usually a huge mark up on RVs sold at dealerships. I purchased my RV used and was able to talk them down $24k from the original asking price.

Good luck!

We bought ours about two months ago and have a similar story. Despite the checks, orientation, records, good vibe about the sellers, etc. We ran into issues that surprised them when we called (yes they were gracious post sale too)- tires, brakes, minor repairs. Plan on buying a house and a car, and set time and funds aside accordingly. It's all part of the experience- even buying new has plenty of issues that you'll see in these forums. Welcome, and enjoy!

After you buy, I strongly recommend sealing the entire roof with Eternabond.

What you should be looking for is an interior arrangement (floor plan) and a collection of features that your family can live with. Then you try to find it in good condition.

The collection of problems on the Minnie Winnie sound minor and easy to fix. They could be difference in age, or indicative of lax maintenance. The three year newer Fleetwood could have the same problems three years down the road without regular and proper maintenance (batteries in particular don't last much longer than that, thus the short warranties).

My experience in ten years with two local RV clubs, folks more often end up trading to different RVs because the RV didn't fit their needs, not because it had things that needed to be maintained. The first two you find don't represent everything out there that is available.

The older Minnie Winnie is likely more expensive than the newer Jamboree because the Minnie Winnie is considerably upscale (Minnie more closely competed with Jamboree). The floor is set well about the chassis frame rails to give it a basement, and most of the utilities are in this basement, which is likely heated (it was in the 2004 model year).

Depreciation from this point? Depreciation is typically a constant fraction of value per year, so for same current value, the curves should closely match. 2002-2005 you are already past the big part of depreciation.

When I was shopping, I passed on the Minnie Winnie (=Sundancer) 30V because I thought it was too heavy for the chassis and I don't like to see LPG appliances in a slide out. We found a Spirit (=Minnie) 29B which was a similar floorpan with almost as much room, but a few hundred pounds lighter. We did not expect to make use of the extended season the Minnie Winnie basement provides.