Well, we are back in the RV world. Previously owned a nice Arctic Fox Truck Camper. Had some career moves that necessitated selling it and my F350. I loved it, but the wife had some issues, mainly with the height and the high step in and out out of the TC (plus the loading and unloading).We finally decided to jump back in, now with a B+. Found a good deal (to us) on a 2006 Kodiak by Vanguard VXL 2200. 22 foot, Ford v10, single slide.time to start the customizing- first is LED lights inside. It only has a single coach battery, probably look for an AGM set up that will fit. Maybe some solar, definitely a back up camera. Let the fun begin!!I'll post some pics and update my profiles. Like to hear from other Kodiak owners and what they have done with theirs.

Congrats. We are looking for a B+ so will be anxious to see pics of yours. PM me when you post them if you don't mind.

Here you go. This is the Vanguard VXL2200. It is the same unit without the generator and lower saddle bags. This is a 2002. We stripped off the decals and painted the bottom with rocker guard. We have put about 80,000 KM on ours, about 32000 of that in Mexico. Very reliable solid rig. Tanks are are all heated and although ours has the single pane windows the Kodiaks often came with dual pane. Two group 31 AGM batteries fit nicely in your battery compartment. An inverter and upgrade charger go nice under the rear most bench seat nice and close to the batteries. Theres also 320 watts of solar on the roof. We also put supersprings on it and replaced the rims with Aluminums so no more hubcaps. Also added a rear sway bar and Koni shock. The thing drives like a sport truck. :) You don't need the rear sway bar because the slide units were on the E450 chassis which already has the sway bar. Wish I had the slide but we get buy. Good luck and have fun.

Finally got some pictures to load.

Perfect, what is your gas mileage like. Its just what we are looking for.

Georgeous. Great little motorhomes. As for previous question re mileage, our last trip through the koutenays a couple weaks ago we were consistently in the high 13's with ours which is pretty much the same coach without the slide.

New to me Kodiak VXL 2200-PICS ADDED | Good Sam Community

21 Replies

Fish_mojo
Explorer
Nov 15, 2017
Nick, buying used can be a **** shoot. Sometimes you get lucky and everything falls into place. Sometimes, you drive 2 hours to look at something you are excited about and it turns out to be a piece of junk. Every situation has its own story. The Canada thing may be legit, it just their circumstances.

My generator is finicky too. If it hasn't been run in awhile, it takes a bit of cranking to get it going. Once it goes, its fine but the AC load when it cycles causes it to trip off. The generator is noisy in the RV and vibrates. I really don't bother with it. I try to find an RV park with shore power if I need AC.

The manuals aren't really worth much for information. Its really a mix of vendor accessories like the stove, generator, fridge, etc. The main Vanguard one is kind of worthless. I'd ask them to send it to you if you reach a purchase agreement. Not a deal breaker.

I bought mine on my intuition from my visual inspection and test drive. A big part was confidence in the seller that you trust them. My sellers were elderly who bought it new. If your sellers look suspicious, don't be afraid to walk away. There are plenty of RV's for sale out there.
resucami
Explorer
Nov 15, 2017
Thanks for your replies. I've been talking to the woman who owns the vehicle. The lady is not easy to understand; she had severe surgery recently and is still recovering. I will look at the vehicle tomorrow afternoon (it's a two hour drive but I have to go there for another reason anyway).

I got a Carfax VIN report for the vehicle and it turns out that the vehicle was registered in Canada until 2016. The seller says that it was originally owned by her sister in Canada - allegedly the vehicle was always owned by members of just one family. According to the VIN report the vehicle had four owners so far; three in Canada and one (since 03/2016) in Arizona.

If I understood the lady correctly, all manuals and documentation for the vehicle are with some relative in California right now. That does not make me happy. Whenever I was talking to someone else about an RV before it was clear that manual and maintenance documentation were in the vehicle. I tried to find a manual online but was not successful - these vehicles are just too rare, I think.

I also asked her to have the vehicle connected to shore power when I'm coming and ready to have the generator running and she told me that the generator "might need a tune up." That also does not make me happy. Isn't it true that generator "tune ups" can be very expensive?

I doubt that I will be able to have the vehicle checked from an RV shop. I will have to go with my 15 page checklist, my intelligence, and my intuition. I will go there with money in my pocket, but I am also ready to walk away again.

If you have any more input or tips for me - please let me know. Thanks.

Nick
Fish_mojo
Explorer
Nov 13, 2017
resucami wrote:
Hello Fish Mojo and John & Angela. Do you still have your Kodiak RV's? I am about to look at one this week. It's a 2003 Kodiak 2200 VXL on an E350 chassis with 83,000 miles. Do you have any tips what to ask and check in particular for such a vehicle? That would be great!

Still have mine, doing fine. We have put probably 40k miles on ours since we got it 3 years ago. Great traveling rig. I also use mine to tow my 20 foot boat for combined fishing and camping trips. Nothing to unusual outside normal wear and tear. We have had an alternator go out, changed the tires, and on the camper side, the shore power transfer switch went out (self-repaired). I'd recommend if you like the rig and drivability and are ready to make an offer, get into a reputable shop (NOT CAMPING WORLD) for a check out.
Good luck!
John___Angela
Explorer
Nov 13, 2017
resucami wrote:
Hello Fish Mojo and John & Angela. Do you still have your Kodiak RV's? I am about to look at one this week. It's a 2003 Kodiak 2200 VXL on an E350 chassis with 83,000 miles. Do you have any tips what to ask and check in particular for such a vehicle? That would be great!

Hello rescami. Ours served us well for many years but we have since sold it. We bought it to travel through Mexico, we did that for 5 years and now someone else is enjoying it. We had no problems with it and it had 183,000 ish kilometers in it when we sold it. We had to replace the floor in the kitchen area but that was easy. If you h ave any specific questions let me know.

John and Angela
resucami
Explorer
Nov 13, 2017
Hello Fish Mojo and John & Angela. Do you still have your Kodiak RV's? I am about to look at one this week. It's a 2003 Kodiak 2200 VXL on an E350 chassis with 83,000 miles. Do you have any tips what to ask and check in particular for such a vehicle? That would be great!
westernkitty
Explorer
Apr 29, 2015
Congrats on your new trailer.

My husband and I have had our KODIAK VXL2200SL since 2006, it is a great little camper for the two of us. I really like the one picture of the KODIAK with the decals removed and painted flat white, I think this maybe something we will need to do, she is looking pretty faded these days.
EMD360
Explorer
Oct 29, 2014
Glad to see the pics. The inside looks a lot like our Itasca minus the cab over bed and plus the slide out for the couch. Ours is a perfect size for us. Have fun!
bagman
Explorer
Oct 25, 2014
Looks like a very nice and easy driveable B+
John___Angela
Explorer
Oct 20, 2014
Fish mojo wrote:
John & Angela wrote:
Great to hear. We were in Bryce and Zion about the Saale time. Super incredible parks.

Happy travels.

do you have a cover for your Kodiak?

No but I believe Adco (spelling) does. Let me know how it goes.
Fish_mojo
Explorer
Oct 20, 2014
John & Angela wrote:
Great to hear. We were in Bryce and Zion about the Saale time. Super incredible parks.

Happy travels.

do you have a cover for your Kodiak?