2006 Itasca Navion vs 2009 Winnebago View

[roadmooretravel]

We have two good options for our new (to us) RV:
RV #1: 2006 Winnebago Navion 24H from a private seller. Unit is in good condition, has 75k miles, and is listed for $36k. We've taken a look at the unit, gone for a test drive, etc and everything seems in good condition, however it is well-loved and there is some rust around the cab overhead. All maintenance was completed by the seller. Tires have around 2,000 miles.

RV #2: A 2009 Winnebago View 24A from a dealer. Asking price is $41,000 and has 48k miles. The layout isn't as ideal, but the unit is in better condition, is very clean, and it does have a bit more storage than the other. It is at a dealership and has been there for a little while. We do not have a repair record for this one, but will get it inspected also. Tires are older.

Our goal is to RV full time with our two dogs and to travel around the US for 6ish months. We then are hoping to sell the unit.

Does anyone have advice about private sellers vs dealerships?

Any insight on either of these RV types and resale? We are concerned because the 2006 is starting to get up there in age and there is a good chance we will push the 100,000 mile mark.

Thanks!

[CharlesinGA]

roadmooretraveled wrote:

CharlesinGA wrote:

On the '06 a critical area is the metal band around the top of the cab at the juncture with the cab over. Use a magnet, if it is steel, RUN. Many have been replaced by aluminum bands and if so, fine, if not, WBO gets lots of money for one, and it will take lots of money to replace it. They rust bad.

We noticed that there is a lot of rust in the area you are describing. The owners state there is no water damage inside the cab, but there was a leak over the rear entry door. We were going to ask our mechanic about this, but is the rust itself a dealbreaker? Assuming we drive it for a year full time in the elements and plan to resell.

Thanks! The post was very helpful.

I got lucky, I knew nothing about the View or Sprinter when I bought mine, except it has a diesel and gets decent fuel economy, and I wasn't going to get stuck with a "gas hog" if the price of oil skyrocketed again. Turned out the '07 has several good features that add to its value. One is the aluminum band around the top of the cab. Another that no one ever mentions on the View/Navion forum is the later style crank damper and crank (FOR THE FIVE CYLINDER ENGINE ONLY). Prior to about March of '06 Sprinter CHASSIS production the crank damper had a rather small bolt retaining it and a small keyway. These are bad about the bolt coming loose and the key way shearing out and destroying the crank, it does happen, read the Sprinter T1N Forum. Mine has the larger, stronger bolt and the heavier keyway/key. Upgrading is not possible unless the engine is removed and disassembled and a new crank installed. THIS IS NOT AN ISSUE WITH THE V6.

If I were to buy a View again, I would look long and hard for a Bunk Bed model. They are fairly "rare". Bunk beds across the back, no slide to give trouble and add weight, and for me as an individual traveling, would be the best floor plan. Found in '07 and '08 as the 23B or 24B with no slide, and in '09 and '10 it was the 24P with a slide for the sofa/table.

The '08 towing is listed in the brochure as 3500 lbs, in the '10 brochure it is 5000 lb.

Charles

[Dakzuki]

Gonzo42 wrote:
One other little thing. Ours has the propane powered generator and later models are diesel powered. I like the propane. Your opinion may vary.

Maybe you don''t like the H floorplan, but we do, and the other floorplans have very small side windows, which sort of belie ther 'View' model name.

As for the sleeping choices, DW needs the firmness of the dinette support. I can sleep almost anywhere, and use either the couch or crow's nest depending on the night tmmeperature.

Actually most of them are LP powered. Diesel was an option when I bought mine. I have diesel. The up side is it doesn't drain the LP supply. The down side is it stinks....and it's loud.

[Gonzo42]

One other little thing. Ours has the propane powered generator and later models are diesel powered. I like the propane. Your opinion may vary.

Maybe you don''t like the H floorplan, but we do, and the other floorplans have very small side windows, which sort of belie ther 'View' model name.

As for the sleeping choices, DW needs the firmness of the dinette support. I can sleep almost anywhere, and use either the couch or crow's nest depending on the night tmmeperature.

[roadmooretravel]

CharlesinGA wrote:

On the '06 a critical area is the metal band around the top of the cab at the juncture with the cab over. Use a magnet, if it is steel, RUN. Many have been replaced by aluminum bands and if so, fine, if not, WBO gets lots of money for one, and it will take lots of money to replace it. They rust bad.

We noticed that there is a lot of rust in the area you are describing. The owners state there is no water damage inside the cab, but there was a leak over the rear entry door. We were going to ask our mechanic about this, but is the rust itself a dealbreaker? Assuming we drive it for a year full time in the elements and plan to resell.

Thanks! The post was very helpful.

[CharlesinGA]

While I don't claim to be an expert, I have done a lot of reading and looking over the past two years that I have owned my '07 View 23H (which is the same as the Navion 23H you are referring to. Spending lots of time on the View/Navion forum on Yahoo has told me alot.

'06 is on the '05 or '06 Dodge/Damiler T1N cab and chassis, 158 inch wheelbase, 5 cylinder inline diesel, 2.7L, 154 hp if I recall correctly.

'09 would be on an '07 or '08 (most likely '07) Dodge/Damiler NCV3 cab and chasssis, 170 inch wheelbase (hence the MH is one foot longer in the coach area) and is powered by a V6 3.0L diesel, with, I think, the same hp.

On the '06 a critical area is the metal band around the top of the cab at the juncture with the cab over. Use a magnet, if it is steel, RUN. Many have been replaced by aluminum bands and if so, fine, if not, WBO gets lots of money for one, and it will take lots of money to replace it. They rust bad.

On the '06 if the transmission has not had at least a couple of transmission fluid changes by now, I would also RUN. The T1N transmission in this heavy load installation has a higher than normal failure rate. Many of them last a long time, but too many fail early.

The '06 has a 3500 lb tow capacity while the '09 will have a 5000 lb tow capacity. I'll bet that neither of these are capable of the max tow capacity given all other weight factors.

Floorplans are important, and the H model floor plan sucks, plain and simple, even though it is the most common one found on these early models. Either you sleep on the cab over, climbing a ladder, or you sleep on a jackknife couch that is not real comfortable, and the bed has to be made up every day.

The 24A has a full wall slide. While I have not heard anything bad about it, I suspect it is because few were probably sold. This was introduced in the height of the economic collapse (the same reason the chassis will be two years older than the coach, they were not selling and WBO got stuck with a lot of chassis') The A has the same sucky floor plan of the H but with more space when the slide is out. Make sure that everything is usable and accessible with the slide in, including the bathroom area.

Seriously, for full timing, I would be looking for a J model, with the rear corner bed. These are found with a cab over bed, or possibly a cab over storage area instead.

2006 brochure
https://winnebagoind.com/resources/brochure/2006/06-Navion-bro.pdf

2009 brochure
https://winnebagoind.com/resources/brochure/2009/09-View-Brochure.pdf

Charles
2007 Winnebago View 523H on a 2006 Dodge (Daimler-Chrysler aka Mercedes) Sprinter 3500 chassis (T1N). Bought Sept 2015 with 18K miles on it, Prog Ind HW30C, Prog Dymanics PD4645, Coleman Chill Grille, PML/Yourcovers.com deep alum trans pan, AutoMeter 8558 trans temp gauge, Roadmaster sway bar, Koni Red shocks (front & rear), Fantastic Ultra Breeze hood, added OEM parabolic mirrors and RH aspherical mirror, MB grill conversion.

[pnichols]

Here's my one cents worth: Reading in these forums about RV build quality nowadays, the 2006 Navion just might be better built than the 2009 View.

Another consideration, aren't these both based on the Mercedes chassis? If so, is the 2006 diesel engine perhaps the better one ... based on forgiving of the latest diesel fuel formulations and general maintenance costs?

[midnightsadie]

from past experience,seller will tell you the truth, dealer will tell you anything to make a sale. and the dealer really doesn,t know any thing about the rv, how could he ,they took it as a trade.if it has a MB diesel? ours runs great.and most go 300k or more.

[Gonzo42]

IMHO, they are so similar that your preference on the floor plan should be the deciding factor. Other than that, no RV has enough storage. One always wants more.