2000 Itasca Suncruiser 32V

Having owned a 2 Bounders and knowing folks that have owned Southwinds and Winnies I would recommend the Bounder or Southwind.

Went and saw all 3 today...the Winnie in my opinion was the leading candidate.
Diesel engine (think 300 HP), freightliner chassis, allison tranny, air breaks and air suspension.
gives a nice ride.  Salesman wasn't interested in coming below 47K so i left.

2 problems i noticed on the winnie.
no signs of delamination, but when examining the interior it appeared that there was a water stain along most of the ceiling on the driver side of the coach
didn't feel soft in any areas

other thing was that the oil pressure gauge was stuck all the way to the right...assuming that the gauge was broken and nothing was wrong with the engine


when trying to negotiate the price down he showed me his nada guide book and it had 38K wholesale and 48K retail...but nada.com has it at 39 to 47...is the 48K retail the high end nada value?

probably should not have looked at this unit as i'm now hooked on the diesel

The "consumer" NADA book (as seen at nadaguides.com)  has low Retail and Average Retail and we recommend buying at/near Low Retail with nothing added for options. Dealers obviously want to be at the opposite end of the range.  I don't know what book he showed you, but $38k wholesale sounds rather high for a rig with a $48K retail. I would be surprised if he had much more than $32k invested in that trade-in. Did you notice the date on his book? A few months difference can sometimes significantly affect the values shown. And also make sure he is showing you the correct model.

But low-mod 40's is not a bad price for a 1999 diesel coach.

I'm thinking if I can get him to around 45K it's a good deal...you would figure the diesel engine and freightliner chassis should outlast me.

How bout the water stain I saw on the interior ceiling?  I went onto the roof and the roof looked in great condition...it's the one piece winnie roof...I didn't see any bad seals, but then again i'm no expert.  Not sure how the leak could have occurred especially because it's seems to be almost along the entire length of the coach.

The coach interior is quite dirty.  The salesman claimed that they were backed up and hadn't had chance to clean it since it came on the lot.  He agreed to waive the prep fee and they would bring in an outside company to get rid of all stains.  If at time of delivery I find anything that doesn't meet my liking i can back out of the deal...who know, probably just salesman talk.

went back yesterday and scoped out the roof trying to find where the leak might have occurred.  Appears that the moon roof over the bathroom has a crack in it.  Someone attempted to seal it with caulk, but the moonroof needs to be replaced.

That's an easy enough repair, but if there is a water stain along the entire length of the driver's side... yeesh, that's a LOT of potential water damage under the surface.  I'd be reluctant.  Point that out to the dealer and maybe it'll be worth a few thousand off (and maybe not).  That's something they should have caught on inspection if you ask me.

Water can enter the roof most anywhere - then it often runs along an edge or duct work or a wiring channel and appears inside somewhere entirely different. Or all along the path. The roof itself is rarely  the problem - it will be a seam around the edge, or around a hole (a/c, plumbing vent, antenna, etc.).

Dealer turned down my offer today...offered him 46K, with the conditions below.  Do the conditions seem unreasonable?  Looks like i need to abandon my search for the year.  Only have 4 or 5 weeks left before kids go back to school and want to get away for a week.  Motel here we come :-(


1.roof leak...leak showing signs from back of coach to middle of couch
leak is coming from the moon roof over the bathroom...it?s cracked and needs to be replaced
roof needs to be resealed
all windows, vents etc...need to be re-caulked
after replacing moon roof an entire leak test and report needs to be performed
Report of damage from that leak
a mold inspection also needs to be completed

2. the tub area needs to be re-caulked/sealed

3.smoke detectors are missing and need to be replaced

4.inside of coach needs to be detailed
    seat belts on driver and passenger seats are broken (plastic piece on side of chairs)
    a/c & heat ducts need to be cleaned

5.exterior
  needs to be detailed...waxed, etc
  rear end cap needs some work...looks like it was hit and is loose
  center windshield strip is not properly covering the windshield...piece missing at the bottom
  storage doors do not stay open and a few don?t latch

6.engine/chassis
  oil gauge is acting funny...when engine is running it?s all the way on high...needs to be looked into
  all fluids need to be replaced...oil/transmission/coolants/etc...on both main engine and generator
  need new oil filters and fuel filters

7.We are going to have vehicle inspected by third party mechanic.

If it has leak problems I would think he did you a favor by turning down your offer.  Ther will be more and better deals in the future.

Of course those are all perfectly reasonable requests.  Walk away from that dealer and don't look back.  He might call you back in a week or two with a revised offer, but at this point you'd be best to turn it down and tell him you already found something else.

He probably considers a mold inspection and duct cleaning to be unusual and "over the top" but everything else is pretty routine. 

From what I've read here, dealers in your area seem to be somewhat less than flexible in price and terms, so I would look further afield.  Take the kids to Disneyworld and drop down to Tampa and Lazy Days RV  for a day and you will see a whole different attitude and much better pricing. You might drive home with a new motorhome!

I think RV Roamer's advice is the best I've seen yet!

Yep, I agree...
Going to LazyDays is almost like going to an RV show.  They have quite a selection of both new and pre-owned.
As a matter of fact, the wife and I are heading there this Saturday. ;D

With over 1200 RVs in stocks at all times, it is hard not to find something you like and that fits your budget.

randco - when at Lazy Days may I suggest that you ask for either Brent Harmon or his wife Sharon Harmon. They are both in sales but are a couple of the nicest folks I know and they won't pressure you. Mention that you heard about them here - they know about the RV Forum and its folks.

I'm trying to get a feel for LazyDays pricing before I make the voyage down there.
They have a 1999 Winnebago Adventurer Diesel.  Looks to be the same model I was looking at here in NJ.  The one here in NJ I can get for 47 (but it does have the water leak issue we discussed).
I got a quote from LazyDays for 61K.  That seems way high to me?

http://www.lazydays.com/rvs/Motorhomes/Winnebago/Winnebago-Adventurer-Diesel-Motorhomes-001.html

Just exchanged some emails with the salesperson and they are willing to go down to 38K.  Waiting for some pictures

if you are "thinking" of getting it and are close to a deal.  do the $500 downpayment thing. Its fully refundable.

we lost out on a nice minnie winnie by 10 minutes for not putting a hold on it...i thought it was a bait and switch type thingy, but we met the buyers and waved them bye off the lot...lol..

agh well, we got something else, but still it stunk at the time.

has 90K miles on it...is that too much for a 99 diesel

90k is nothing as far as the diesel engine and not the transmission either, if it is an Allison 3000. Might indicate a lot of wear & tear on the rest of the coach, though.