Considering an '08 Itasca Sunrise

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jbbrick

Active member
Joined
Sep 22, 2017
Posts
35
Location
Northern Calif
Hi All, I'm new to the forum but have had RV's for 40 yrs. Currently an '02 Adventurer 32V and I just ran across an '08 Sunrise 32H with almost no mileage that I'm considering. I've downloaded all the info and brochures, it's got a different floor plan than I'm used to. I guess the questions are:
Is there enough pantry room? This one has the 4dr refrig with one pantry. Our present one has two.
How does the one room bath work out? We have a split bath now and keep a cat box in the shower. Anyone have cats with this plan? Any better place for the box?
Generally do you like this unit (or the Winn Voyage)?
I don't like that the left side storage bins are under the slide and don't come out with the slide(my Adventurer does). How inconvenient it this?

Yes, even though it's low mileage, it has new tires so thats one expense I won't have. Thanks in advance for your info, Jerry
 
Welcome Jerry.

jbbrick said:
...
Is there enough pantry room? This one has the 4dr refrig with one pantry. Our present one has two.
Our Horizon had a 4-door Nocold and one pull-out pantry slide next to the fridge. It has worked well for us. We have a 50 gallon plastic tote in the basement on a slide that serves as out 'grocery store.' I replaced the Nocold with a residential fridge years ago.

How does the one room bath work out? We have a split bath now and keep a cat box in the shower. Anyone have cats with this plan? Any better place for the box?
Our shower and head are separate but we keep the litter box in the hallway - worked fine for 115,000 miles so far.

Yes, even though it's low mileage, it has new tires so that's one expense I won't have. Thanks in advance for your info, Jerry
Low mileage on a unit that's almost ten years old? What is the mileage? That means the unit wasn't used very much which I don't consider a good thing. Use it or lose it.
 
All your questions seem to be a highly personal matter. What works for one family may be anathema for another.

A second bath area is really convenient on those occasions when one is busy, but you have to assess how often that actually occurs. You give up 10-16 sq ft of space to have that, so the question becomes which provides more benefit for you? The 2nd bath or whatever is in place of it. Bigger galley, larger bedroom, a closet, or whatever.

Most people love having a larger fridge - it's a real plus. But RVs are also notoriously short on galley storage (drawers and cabinets), so again you need to assess whether this floor plan has enough space for what you want to carry.

We've always found a place for the cat box, but it has varied in each of the several RVs we've owned. It doesn't have to be the shower (at least not in our opinion), but there has to be some place. Look around and figure out where you would have to put it and whether that is OK with you (and Mama) or not.

The storage bays that don't move with the slide are larger but less convenient to get things in/out. I didn't much care when I was younger, but as my joints got old and stiff I found that kneeling under the slide was more of a hassle.
 
Anathema... The big word of the day. I had to look that one up Gary. 8)
 
My 2011 Adventurer does not have storage bins that come out with the slides. I have learned to live with it but hate it. I try to get all the things out before I open the slides but of course thee is always one or two things that I need later. My back is shot. Slao draining the tanks is a huge chore the full room slide is in the way...Wahh!!! lol
 
I didn't realize that the drain setup is also below the slide, that may be something to consider. I'm going to look at the beast tomorrow and see how it works for our needs. My wife already is not happy because it has no oven, she's not crazy about the convection. I can always change out the stove if needed.

BTW Gary, I used to learn a lot from your "Internet by cellphone" postings on the Yahoo groups.
 
The "full wall" slide on the 32H won't be real deep but it does run almost the entire length, so yes it affects access to things like the water hook-up and sewer drain. And all the bays on that side. As with most things in an RV,  what you gain in one place you lose in another, so you have to weigh the tradeoffs.
 
The early 2004 versions of the Vectra/Horizons had bay doors on the passenger side (in the living area) that didn't swing out, they opened up the usual vertical way. This was a really, really bad idea since that side has a slide and you would have to duck under the door to retrieve anything. Winnie must have gotten an earful from owners and deservedly so, this was a huge design fail. Later '04s and '05s had side swinging doors.

Winnebago didn't want to use side swingers due to added expense of beefier hinges.  ::)
 
Gary RV_Wizard said:
No day is wasted if you learned something new...  ;)

But as Father Time marches on, I find myself learning the same "new things" rather frequently!!!!!
 
Well, after looking at the Itasca we decided to pass on it. It's a very nice unit, 6k miles, new tires & batts, full body paint and in really nice overall condition. But, we left to talk it over and decided we like it but don't love it. The naugahyde is dark cocoa and the whole interior is not bright like my present '02 Adventurer. A few other things that stand out...the side bins don't extend with the slide although the slide is not as deep as mine so it's not too much of a stretch under there. It's prob a good buy for someone else but just too dark inside for us. Thanks for all the input, I'm still looking but not in any hurry.
 
I don't like dark interiors either, in a confined area you would feel like you're in a cave. When we shopped for new flooring for the coach lots of the engineered wood was dark and distressed, passed on those. We found a nice light maple which really looks great.

Thanks for the follow-up.
 
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