Recap of our first year with our new coach

We happily joined the RV community this year when we purchased a 2017 Minnie Winnie 26A.  It's our first RV of any type after many years of tent camping. 

Since it's well known that you see far more negative things and problems in online reviews and postings, because that's what motivates many to post, I thought I would share our very positive and relatively trouble-free first year.    Especially given the many stories of new coach woes, I'm pleased to report a nearly flawless first season!

We purchased the coach in March from General RV in Huntley, IL,  and took delivery in early April.  The sales and delivery processes went quite smoothly.  Overall, despite a few communication issues, we were very happy with the experience.  Thanks to this site and a few other resources, we went to the walkthrough armed with checklists and a good idea of what to look for.  The tech that helped us was wonderful!  Spent plenty of time with us and patiently answered a BUNCH of questions.  It was really helpful, and only cemented our opinion that General has a pretty well organized system and genuinely helpful staff. 

We certainly hit the ground running, and have already put 4800 miles on the coach, over eight or nine trips!  Not bad, considering we're both quite a way from retirement, if you ask me.    Happily, over that time and distance, we had almost zero issues!  I took it in for warranty service only one time - it was for a section of wall paneling in the bedroom that was loose from the wall.  General fixed it overnight, and told me they documented and photographed it for Winnebago's QC folks.  Other than that, it's has performed perfectly in every way, and we just couldn't be more pleased!

Again, thanks to this site and my 5 years of constant research (LOL), we had almost no "D'OH" moments.  Only once did we start the genny without it being plugged into the receptacle, and I figured out the problem seconds after I realized there was no power.  The Admiral picked everything up quickly, as well, and is super comfortable using everything AND being very good at resource conservation when boondocking, which we do frequently. 

I had a few accessories purchased and ready to go when we got the coach.  The best ones so far are:

• GenTuri, so we don't smoke out the neighbors at crowded campgrounds
• Level-Mate Pro for ease of leveling.  (If you don't know about this, look it up!  It's the BEST!)
• Flagpole mount bracket for the ladder

We'd still like to pick up a surge protector, and I plan on installing a solar panel or two next spring.  We can easily go 5 days off grid, and probably longer, and the solar panels should eliminate the need to run the genny short of needing the AC. 

In conclusion, we are SO very happy with this coach, the RV lifestyle and the good folks we've met along the way.  I thought it would be nice to post this positive new coach feedback, rather than waiting for problems to post. 

Any others problem free and very happy with their new rig?  If you like, share in this thread!

I wish you all safe travels, happy days and good times!

JP, thank you for posting a positive review about your new motorhome and, like you, I hope it will encourage others to do the same.  Over a long period of time and five motorhomes (3 Cs + 2 As) we've also had positive experiences.

ArdraF

In the past 20 years, I've owned 6 RV's. I've had a few minor "issues" with each one of them, all of which I fixed myself, except one. It was an out-of-square slide that Jayco "warranty" repaired even though it was two years out of warranty.
So, I've had all positive experiences with my RVs.

Thank you for a positive review. I am glad we were able to help you. That is a really sweet looking RV. Could you post some interior shots please. And tell us where you went.

I'm traveling for work today (sadly, by air), but I do have a couple of interior shots I can post later. 

It was a fun summer.  We went to 5 music festivals (IL, WI, OH, PA), did a bunch of hiking at Devil's Lake State Park in WI, hit Richard Bong Rec Area in WI and just had a lovely weekend at Illinois State Beach.  Add in a few odd nights at campgrounds along the way, and it was quite a nice first season.

The festivals are nearly all boondocking situations, and we got right into conserving and planning ahead, so we've had no problems going up to five days off the grid.  Fresh water seems to be the main limiting factor.  We've not filled eithe waste tank up to the 2/3 light yet!

Thanks for the compliments - we think she looks pretty darned good, too!

I carry lots of bottled water to cut down on fresh water use.

SeilerBird said:

I carry lots of bottled water to cut down on fresh water use.

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We have two 5 gallon Coleman cubes for drinking water, and bring either one or both depending on the length of the trip. Seems like great minds think alike. 

FunSteak said:

We have two 5 gallon Coleman cubes for drinking water, and bring either one or both depending on the length of the trip. Seems like great minds think alike. 

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Well not exactly alike. I drink only bottled water because of the fact I have a tender stomach and I have gotten sick from tap water too often.

Thanks for the positive story. I had a post a while back regarding our purchase of a used Lance 2385 TT. After getting it home we found a problem with the underside of the slide moisture barrier. Got it repaired.

Here's where it get's good! Got everything we needed to finally take it out, which we took it for the Maiden Voyage Monday night. Just went about 45 minutes from our house to a KOA by Cripple Creek, CO. We wanted a place with all the bells and whistles to test all the functions. Everything worked GREAT! And by the way, if you are ever in that part of CO, that KOA was wonderful. Terrific owners and facility. They are only open seasonally until Oct. 1st so don't put on your snow tires and try to get up there

Hope to post more great stories in the future.

SeilerBird said:

I carry lots of bottled water to cut down on fresh water use.

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Some prefer the bottled water, but there are also many of us who use the onboard water just as we'd use the tap at home, taking care to keep the system clean, of course.

Fresh water seems to be the main limiting factor.

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Yep - conservation techniques (Navy showers, paper plates, etc.) can help, but there's only so much you can do.

I discovered Zero Water as a first adopter and now we are on our 2nd 30 cup dispenser unit after 6? years. I then control my diet and supplement with the right quantity of minerals and vitamins. I've had no digestive problems since starting on this path, lost 60#and increased my EF from +/- 10% to 33%. So something is working right. I use Zero particulate water to fill my 5 gal cube when I carry it along.

Hello from Vegas. 

As promised, I have a couple of photos of the interior.  First is the over-cab bunk (that's a fuzzy blanket hanging there, in case you're wondering), then the dinette and kitchen area.  Finally, the bedroom, complete with messy sheets.    The wardrobe slide is just visible to the right, and the gray wall at the head of the bed shows how far the rear slide extends.

Tough to get decent photos with just a phone camera.  I need to take a couple of the bathroom and shower some time.

We really love this layout.  The bed has a two-piece mattress, and we wondered briefly whether the seam between the two would be bothersome.  So far it's not been any issue at all, and the thing is very comfy - more than we expected, even.

Safe travels!