Phoenix Cruiser , Aspect, Cambria Owners Questions

[OFDPOS]

I'm going to go check out a 2006 Itasca Cambria 26A? Wednesday it has 14,500 on the OD I could only get a quick look at it last Sat.

But will be able to crawl over under and around it Wed.
Any special areas I need to be concerned about looking at ?
I know with the reg C to look ,touch and feel in every corner especially the overhead cab area.
Being as these don't have the hugh overhead ,still need to look in that area.
Any other typical or otherwise places I need to look at , any particular appliance's to look for or NOT to look for ??

Thanks for any input.

[Fastpaddler]

OFDPOS wrote:
I'm going to go check out a 2006 Itasca Cambria 26A? Wednesday it has 14,500 on the OD I could only get a quick look at it last Sat.

But will be able to crawl over under and around it Wed.
Any special areas I need to be concerned about looking at ?
I know with the reg C to look ,touch and feel in every corner especially the overhead cab area.
Being as these don't have the hugh overhead ,still need to look in that area.
Any other typical or otherwise places I need to look at , any particular appliance's to look for or NOT to look for ??

Thanks for any input.

I had a 2005 Winnebago Aspect 26A for 2 years. Excellent and stable rv. It had good insulation and thermo windows plus Winnebago ducted vents for heat and aircon. I had the CONVERTER fail which became evident when the lights went out one night. I also had the slide-out screw type slide unit break a mount which was welded. Otherwise, I liked it a lot and the V10 was good for 12 or so mpg for us most of the time. I did not like the corner bed and found it awkward to get out of at night without crawling over my wife. And, as noted, it is hard to make up. Otherwise great.

[Pops]

Agree with both Ron & pnichols on the corner bed.
Luckily I have a small DW that if I pull my legs up, she gets out easily.
I got a bad back at times, so a ready place is so convenient.

[pnichols]

Ron,

You're right regarding foam mattress toppers.

Foam toppers vary A LOT in not only thickness, but material stiffness/density, and heat dissipation. I think it might be big business out there to manufacture/offer furniture foams with several parameters that are variable. The DW had to find a foam that played just right with the (excellent, BTW) stock under-lying Winnebago mattress. Now she finds - for her back - the Class C corner bed's feel to be superior to that of our $$$$ stick-house MB king size mattress.

But once found - and when combined with a fitted foam topper sheet/cover - our small Class C corner bed is a winner ... especially in comparison to what other (negative) things one has to put up with in a longer Class C.

[ron_dittmer]

pnichols wrote:
X100 on what Ron said above re Class C rear corner beds.

I our situation we needed an always-ready bed so the DW could nap or give her bad back a quick rest anytime anywhere on short notice. Our bed had to be "corner" so we could have a short Class C for small campsites anywhere anytime and to also be able to go toadless.

We don't make up the corner bed at all. The mattress has the never-washed, never-removed, vacuumed-only, original Winnebago color matched mattress cover on it. On top of this mattress is a 2 inch foam topper. We use a fitted sheet on only this foam topper and remove/wash/replace the fitted sheet after every trip. We throw a fancy color matched down comforter over the whole thing to help keep it dust-free and "kindof looking organized" between uses. This all works like a champ and helps keep camping life simple.

You make some good points about having the bed available all the time. I did not even consider in my post, slide-out couch convert-a-beds, murphy beds and other push-button beds. They have their own challenges with being made up......they get torn down, not made up. And they are never readily available.

About your memory foam topper, We learned both in the motor home and at home that every kind of topper we've tried, just don't agree with us. They make it more difficult to get in and out of the corner bed by swallowing us up. We also found them being hard on our backs for reasons we can't explain. Maybe it's just us, but mattress toppers are a surprising thumbs-down by us. If your back is sore in the morning, and/or it's hard to get in and out from the rear corner bed, I advise to then remove the topper for one trip and see how it goes for you. Maybe you'll come to the same conclusion as us. But if a nice topper works for you, then surely don't mess with a good thing.

Oh....like you, we have a comforter that is the size of the mattress. It covers the flip-fold stuff in a flash.

[pnichols]

X100 on what Ron said above re Class C rear corner beds.

In our situation we needed an always-ready bed so the DW could nap or give her bad back a quick rest anytime anywhere on short notice. Our bed had to be "corner" so we could have a short Class C for small campsites anywhere anytime and to also be able to go toadless.

We don't make up the corner bed at all. The mattress has the never-washed, never-removed, vacuumed-only, original Winnebago color matched mattress cover on it. On top of this mattress is a 2 inch foam topper. We use a fitted sheet on only this foam topper and remove/wash/replace the fitted sheet after every trip. We throw a fancy color matched down comforter over the whole thing to help keep it dust-free and "kindof looking organized" between uses. This all works like a champ and helps keep camping life simple.

[ron_dittmer]

As an owner of THIS rear corner bed motor home, I find it entertaining that making up the bed is a serious topic of discussion.

I look at it this way. If I must have the bed all "prettied-up" like my wife likes at home, then I'd want a walk-around bed. But then I will need to rule out a corner bed, twin beds, and cab-over bed, when combined makes up nearly the entire class C/B+ market. What percentage of B+ motor homes with walk-around double/queen beds make up the industry?

Otherwise just flop-fold the extra material against the far wall and be done like I am.

For my wife and I, the real issue with a rear corner double bed is all about access for the person sleeping against the wall. For that person to get out, both should get out, or at least the other person needs to be able to curl up into a tight ball to allow the other to pass.

Admittedly it is not ideal for anyone to have a rear corner double bed. A walk-around would be a lot nicer so each can get in and out of bed independent of each other, and yes you also benefit from a nicely made up bed. But in our case, the rig would get too long to fit inside our garage HERE. So we deal with that inconvenience to make life with a motor home work for us.

[OFDPOS]

leeper wrote:

akrv wrote:
Take some sheets and make up the rear corner bed.

Good one. This guy knows what he is talking about!

LOL for some reason I find that funny !!

Well I thought for sure the lady was going to call back and counter but she didn't.

I found a 2012 Nexus 24P with 3,490 miles on it.
Had the vin # ran on Autocheck and came out clean one owner just like the RV place said "owners traded in on a Class A.
We over the phone made a contingency agreement to purchase it.
Road trip this weekend to see and 99.9% sure we'll buy it !

Thanks for the comments on the Cambria, Aspect, and PC !!
Much appreciated.

[leeper]

akrv wrote:
Take some sheets and make up the rear corner bed.

Good one. This guy knows what he is talking about!

[OFDPOS]

Ok try to keep this a small post.
Got there the outside of the Cambria looked good (needs to be buffed and waxed) Clearcoat over cab area is alot bigger on top (whole front cap would need to be wet-sanded and reshot.)
Every outside compartment was full of the owners stuff , she unloaded the rear comp to get the ladder piece out. I climbed up on the roof, somewhere along the line somebody had scrapped or peeled from side to side on the front cap/roof and in places I easily could slip a penny in the crack"S" all the way across.
The back was sealed up good until you got to the sides once again cracks I could slid a penny in them.
Gen only had 57.3 hrs. Was told they fired it up every couple weeks to run it (with all lights on for load) not enough of a load?.
Everything appeared clean BUT everything had something in it from food in kitchen cabinets to clothes in the others.

The outside panel for the water heater water has leaked down the outer panel and when she opened up the compartment under it the carpet inside had that white chalky calcium from the hard water plus out side on the removable panel for the water heater had the calcium deposit on it as well as the side of the MH.

The eng compartment looked like the hood hadn't been opened in ???? Dirt/Dust covered everything .Oil looked ok not black , the Trans fluid looked ok and didn't smell (burnt).
Looked at the undercarriage no obvious rust , trans , oil pans dry ,no wet spots anywhere.
Once parked on level ground ran the slide out creaked a little but I have never seen/heard a slid open / close before either.

On the test drive at first felt shaking maybe tires? Once a few miles down the road felt better but heard some noise from the slide area. Noise from above cap area.
But heard something from the front end , Not metal on metal clank but something clunking.
The exhaust seemed nosier/louder than the 2 other MH's with the v10 eng I've driven.
Tires are the older Michelin LTX dated 12 with 4K miles (plus the front tires were feathered on the outer tread) and thought maybe they would fall under that recall?

Over all it was a clean rig (of what we saw)

Now the kicker we offered lower than her asking price, they needed more "so they could pay it off"
So now No pink slip in hand.
We went through a similar pay off vehicle when we bought our Mini , wasn't a nice experience !

So at the moment back to the looking mode ...

[LadyRVer]

Bought a 2008 Winnebago Aspect 26A used in 2010 and had only one problem..
the two relay switches which brought the slide in (or out) were corroded and we replaced them. Very easy to drive and handle. Towed a Chev Cobalt then traded and towed a Fiat. Excellent unit. No leaks, no problems.

[Pops]

We bought a used 2007 26A in 2009 with only 6500 miles on it. Was a repo.
Sharp Microware didn't work. Dealer repaired(circuit board),no problem since.
Several trips later,trouble with the calipers sticking(and unsticking)Repaired.
Toilet, like Rolin said, I'm 6'1", gotten use to it.
No problem with front cowling yet, but when I replace TV will check out area.
Travisack cover for corner bed is the way to go.
Now have 30000 miles on it, Ford transmission great in mountains going up or down, handles great on interstates or secondary roads (comfortable driving it anywhere compared to the A I had before). Have not made any extra additions to the handling that many do to their C's cause hasn't been necessary(yet).

[OFDPOS]

Thanks for the input , no NOT long winded at all (insert Thumbs up here)
I like reading and hearing all the info I can get !

I don't know the story behind it (MH) yet, when I called on it .An elderly lady answered the phone and I asked a few basic questions and she answered every one .
I mentioned about seeing a shooting club sticker on the window , she said yes she belongs to the club and they shoot every month . Thought that was pretty cool for some reason ? lol

Thanks again for the info !

[F1bNorm]

Winnebago has all there brochures, manual and diagrams online. Go to: Link

We have an '06, Aspect 23D. We really like it.
At 14,000+ it might still have original tires. They may look good but are aged out. Also check for tire wear problems.

If you're handy, most of the fixes are minor and home doable. If you have to have it done, it could nickle and dime you to the poor house. Having said this, it would apply to almost any RV 8-9 years old.

Winnebago seems to be very thoughtful in design and quality. It's not the gold standard, but nice.

[Rolin]

Hi OFDPOS, We have a 2007 Aspect 26A. Believe it is exactly like the Cambria, except the Cambria has a few extras and different quality materials. It feels really solid driving down the road. We really like it. Our experience so far:

1. King pins on front wheels were loose and had to be replaced (dealer paid 1/2 cost of this). I think this is a Ford thing....with the way they did there front suspension.

2. So far the brakes have been great (much better than our previous motorhome that was on a the Chev chassis), but there have been a number of complaints about calipers. We just make sure we keep the wheels covered and it doesn't sit a long time.

3. Toilet - ol' yeller is right...it can be a tight fit. We moved the toilet paper holder (it was right between your knees) and added a handle (Home Depot) that makes it easier to stand up. I am about 6'4" and that was a big help. Probably not an issue for some one less tall.

4. Removed the Sony TV and installed a flat screen that can swing out so it is easier to view from the bed. Think some of our squeaks were due to that big heavy Sony tube type TV.

5. No leaks in our unit, I did see a Aspect 23D with a stain on the front passengers side. Inspected the roof and think the leak was from one of the running lights. Our roof looks solid...no problems. We check it about every six months just to be sure. Have inspected the nose cone connections and they have all been tight. However, there have been some reports of loose connections. That is the only Aspect/Cambria unique issue I am aware of.

6. On our 2007 the front cowling piece, basically a decoration, was wobbly. The rubber spacers were worn. So they were removed and some foam inserted.

7. If there is no air in the rear air bags the ride is a little harsh. Found that 70lbs makes things nice and comfortable.

8. Drivers seat: don't know how tall your are but the seat would not move back far enough for me (again think this is a Ford thing), so I raised it slightly and moved it back so I had more leg room.

9. Don't like the check valves on the hot water heater. Winnebago does this so its easier to winterize. But, makes it harder to regulate the hot water when taking a shower. Plan to remove them this Winter. This isn't specific to the Aspect/Cambria.

10. Rear corner bed; Not an issue for us. We have one of those travisack (sp) sleeping bag type things (queen size), takes me about 60 seconds to make the bed. We have a cover for the mattress that matches the interior decor and the travisack color is also complimentary so the bed looks good and is easy to make up. If you use sheets and blankets it might be a bit more difficult.

We have put about 15000 miles on it, 9000 in the last year on a loooong trip. It drives great, very comfortable. Love the smart transmission (think it was and upgrade in the 2006 year). Like the size, easy to drive in traffic.

Sorry about the long post...get a little long winded at times ;-).

If you get it ol' yeller and I can share information with you. You can PM me with any specific questions you might have.

P.S. Check that the heater/air conditioning controls work. After taking delivery we found ours would only work on defrost....mice had chewed through the air control tube. We were able to cut and splice to fix it but it took a while to find the problem. Mice do like those rubber tubes on the Ford.