Opinions on 2009 Forest River SUNSEEKER 2860

[Baja_Man]

Hello--
As I try to make a decision on a unit for me and my family I am asking those more experienced for opinions on units in my budget range (Max $40K).
This unit just became available a few days ago on CL. Guy purchased it from orig owners and has had it fir two months. He says he buys, uses them, cleans them up, and the sells. Its like a hobby he suggests. Selling price $36K.

Going to see it tomorrow. What opinions can you share for those that own or have owned, or know about this Forest River product. The Winnie I saw last weekend had a fiberglass roof, but a small slide. It was a 2008 29T Access model; same price ($36K)

Thanks for the input!

[RedRollingRoadb]

I have a 2007 2860 bought from a local rental company and I spent sometime talking to the owner who has a fleet of Forest River products.

The one thing that he did was have an additional leaf in the left rear spring as is was leaning due to both slides on the left. Said that FR admitted there was a problem and never flinched about reimbursing him for his cost. He also did a modification on the bed as it was not level.

I never cared for the way it handled and replaced the front shocks. I understood that the left (?) side is rather difficult to do so when the local tire shop said $15 each to install I said "do it".

I replaced both front and rear sway bars with larger Hellwig bars from HDTruckSprings.com. Better part of a day to do it and not to difficult do. The bars made a huge improvement in handling and would recommend that anyone do it. Had an alignment done after I did the bars. Read up on the alignment on the Ford E-450 and find someone who understands the problems involved with this chassis and doesn't just set to Ford's specs.

For the most part the house has been trouble free but do look for signs of water damage and rodent intrusion.

Might look at ForestRiverFourms.com to get some more advice too.

[mlts22]

First is checking for water damage, especially in the cabover. I'd find someone to take with you who can find the discolorations, soft wood, blisters, and other signs that there is wood rot from water intrusion. If there is, run. Mold in the walls can make people sick and render a rig uninhabitable.

Second, check for rodent damage/inroads. Too many Mickeys and Minnies, and that can invite bronchitis and other issues.

Once the integrity of the rig is checked, I'd check to see what works and what doesn't. The first thing I look at is the generator. Was it run/exercised regularly, or will you have to have a RV dealer drop the genset to replace the carb?

After that come the appliances. A dead fridge can be $2000 to replace. Similar with a dead A/C unit.

Of course, chassis upkeep comes to mind too. Oil changed, air filters, brakes, etc.