Winnebago/Itasca
What's the differance?
Forum Discussion
- Both from Winnie. Just a different model. GM - GMC - Buick - Oldsmobile - you get the idea.
- I think it allows one dealer to sell Winnebago's and the dealer across the street to sell Itasca's with out infringing on each others territory. The manufacturer win either way. Itasca's are said to have a little more glits. Kind of like Ford and Mercury.
- I've also heard that Itasca models are supposed to be a little nicer. The two brands have sister models. For example, the Itasca Suncruiser is the same model as the Winnebago Adventurer.
- I have been to the factory, they are both made on the same assembly line, one right after the other.
- It is not always a territorial issue, as many Winnebago dealers carry both brands; identically equipped equivalent models are priced pretty much the same.
Historical reason for creation of Itasca brand was an exclusive contract for Chrysler to supply chassis for Winnebago. Winnebago Industries created Itasca to use newly available chassis from GM.
By the time Chrysler got out of business, the Itasca brand was entrenched and had good sales, and Winnebago shifted to something like the Ford-Mercury or Chevy-GMC thing, but that has not been the case for at least the past ten years. - Both are identical model for model. When we shopped for our MH we looked at the Itasca Sunstar 35F and the identical Winnebago Vista 35F. Exterior paint colors and interior colors were different but that was it. In Texas an Itasca dealer cannot do Winnebago warranty work due to state's franchise laws.
Greyghost wrote:
When we bought this one the Meridian came one way: Full Blown
Here are links to the Winnebago Journey and the Itasca Meridian. The price range is the same for both, in years past the Meridian had a more upscale interior But I haven't looked at either for quite a while.
Journey
Meridian
But it's nothing that can't be optioned on a Journey.dalehelman wrote:
I think it allows one dealer to sell Winnebago's and the dealer across the street to sell Itasca's with out infringing on each others territory. The manufacturer wins weather way. Itasca's are said to have a little more glits. Kind of like Ford and Mercury.
The addition of the Itasca brand was originally to allow additional dealers in an area without infringing on the franchise of existing dealers. Over the years most dealers either carry or can order either brand.
The Itasca line was originally a little more luxurious. However over the years they have become almost identical. When we were looking for a new motorhome in 2013 we checked out both the Itasca (Suncruiser) and Winnebago (Adventurer) brands top of the line gassers.
The list prices were within $1000.00 of each other so we called the factory asking the differences. They sent us a list detailing the similarities and differences between the 2. It turned out there were minor almost undistinguishable differences in amenities. The only noticeable differences were in the interior and exterior color schemes.
Since we couldn't tell the difference between the 2 as far as floor plans, amenities, and chassis, we made our decision on the color schemes. We decided on a 2013 Adventurer.
