Looking at purchasing a 1995 Winnebago Vectra 34'

lientrac said:

...Haven't heard from anyone on costs for a the addition of seatbelts yet either.  I googled it, and lots of people have ideas, suggestions, have done it, but no one can give me a rough idea!  Does everyone do this mod by themselves?...

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Seat belt anchor points are specifically engineered and I would not consider that a DIY project.  Do you know if there were seat belts there from the factory?

Hi John,

In the dinette seat cushions we found holes in the rear of the cushions where a seatbelt could be pushed through, but we were unable to locate any seatbelts.  We looked in the storage area but didn't see any.  I don't know if they were removed at some point or not.  Does the 95 Winnebago have seatbelts in the dinette?  If there was, we could just reattach seatbelts, which would be much easier I would think.  We found 3 in the couch and one in the club chair.  I thought a lot of the Class A have only 5 seatbelts.  When I googled, a common complaint was that there weren't enough seatbelts.  Mostly there were only 4 or 5 seatbelts.  I would be happy to be wrong!!!  ;D

Call or email Winnie Owner Relations and ask them.

Before any one can answer the seat belt question, you would have to know what the coach layout is like and where the possible places for the installation are. The belts (perhaps with or without shoulder straps have to be securely fastened to hard points in a coach or car or truck. Where that might be it is anyone's guess. Do it yourself?? Possible I guess but.... Where to get some legal ones? Perhaps a scrap yard but they can be difficult to remove (trust me, been there!!) .... Would the chosen location and installation pass an official inspection should one be required??  John's suggestion to call Winnie is a good one but you will likely need the coach identification numbers for them to help on that specific coach.

Many coaches have at least 4 already provided, driver, passenger and two others often found tucked behind  couch cushions or with the dinette seating, sight unseen unless searched for. I can't understand why anyone would take the time to remove them if they were installed to start with.

I certainly would not add them to a couch located at the back of the coach and behind the rear wheels like my buddy's small coach. I have been air/seasick way too often to even contemplate that location.

All that to say, you are developing a good sense for your requirements, the coach you are contemplating is far from being the only one available in Calgary, Edmonton, etc or even in BC.
Examining/exploring a number of them, even if they have shortcomings, or otherwise not acceptable, is a good way to learn. Above all, don't rush in and purchase the first one you fall in love with.... Good Hunting!!!!

It was common to have seat belts in the front facing bench of the dinette.  Lap seat belts are $20 to $40.

http://www.seatbeltsplus.com/category/2-Point-Lap-Seatbelts.html

You should be able to find the original fasteners or holes if it had them.

You can use CarFax to check for any outstanding recalls or accidents and what type of title it has. I know many that have imported an RV bought in Arizona into Alberta and Saskatchewan without any real problems. Some make a point of going to Quartzsite specifically to buy an RV.

Hi guys,

I emailed Winnebago and hopefully I get a reply soon.  If the seatbelts are not there, then I would need to add them.  But they have to be certified apparently, so I do need to bring it into a shop to do.  At least the seatbelts are not too badly priced.  I think it would be the labor yah? 

I cringe a little when I read about some of these diy'ers that are thinking about doing it themselves...my kids will be in that!  I'll pay someone hopefully to do it right!

@ Alfa32user - the dinette and the sofa are mid-coach so it should be OK.  The bed is in the rear along with the bathroom.  And no, no one will be back there when the RV is in motion.  There are more and more RV available and we have seen a few.  A lot of them are asking way too much, more than this lady with RV in worse shape even though they are newer.  I just didn't want to spend $20K with possible more repairs.  I want to keep everything under $20 incl. potential repairs such as the fridge. 

There are some in Edmonton, and that is a three hour drive for us just to look.  Then we have to worry about arranging inspections and that would involve another trip...see where I'm going with this???  This is the reason why we won't be going to Quartzville for an RV.  I would need to spend at least three days there for documents, inspections etc and then another 3 days to drive it back.  Although with some of the prices Wavery posted, it was super tempting.

Have an awesome day!

If you have the seat belt holes or brackets, or whatever Winnebago used to anchor the seat belts, then buy some Grade 8 fasteners (they are high tensile strength) and bolt away.

When we were sailboat shopping a few years ago, we probably covered 1,000 miles on weekends looking before we found our boat.

1000miles?!  Eck!  I'm patient, but not that patient!  You are very patient John.

But you are right, we won't rush into it.  I fell in love with 3 other ones, then slept on it and decided against the other 3.  This one, I keep coming around to, but the price has to be right.  So, we'll see. I'll try really hard not to rush into it  ;D

Thanks!

I can't answer for the price differential in Edmonton vs USA. I know its more there, but don't have a clue how much.

You aren't going to see 10 mpg and rarely 8 mpg. I drove a 1996 coach with a 460 Ford for a couple of years and know the fuel numbers all too well. Figure low 7's most of the time.

Are three batteries really $800 in Alberta? Wow! I would not have guessed more than $400, e.g. $100 for the starting battery and $150 each for modest deep cycles for the house.  You could do it for $275 in the states.

One more thing to consider in a 20 year old coach is the rubber products. Sway bar bushing control arm bushing even shock mount bushings all of the rubber front and aft are labor intensive. If you vectra has air ride there will  be air bags to consider.
Good Luck

Sounds scary!  Yes you're right though JFR - there will be lots of maintenance with the older RV.  But given that we are unsure whether we will enjoy RVing, it doesn't make sense to make a huge upfront investment.  It would be nice to get a newer one, but to resell an RV, it might be difficult. One guy that I called has been trying to sell his RV for a year.  He dropped his price $10K from last year I think.  I still think he's a bit high...but he says he's firm on the price, so I didn't bother going to check it out.

Anyways, just thoughts. 

I agree with Gary, $800.00 for batteries is very high despite it being Edmonton. Shopping will bring that down to $400 or so max., at least initially. If your usage dictates you need more expensive ones later on, well...

Plan a few vacations below the border if necessary.

It doesn't hurt to be a bit aggressive with pricing when dealing with the seller when you have expensive things like tires needed. Walk away if necessary, and come back later. The seller will realize, as you have, the market is very limited and he has to adjust too.

I think the NADA guide line is still good for starting the pricing discussion (perhaps using the upper value) despite it being Canada (in this case), and bearing in mind smaller markets can mean premium pricing in many cases. Perhaps by comparing the MSRP of two new identical units in the US and Canadian markets to arrive at a somewhat logical premium. (This pre-supposes you can find an honest MSRP in both markets!!)

I have to admit that if a seller really believes that 10-12 yr or older tires (as an example) are still good to go, (many do) you will never convince him otherwise, unfortunately, and you will either have to capitulate, compromise or keep shopping.

You might go check that other one out anyway just for comparison purposes and see what he thinks warrants his higher price. Keep in mind that a seller may have purchased the motor home using a loan, as we do with cars, and is often is trying to get out from under it without still owing an arm and a leg.

I don't know about individual purchases, but it can't be too bad buying from an experienced dealer. When I bought my current MH at Lazy Days in Tampa FL I got into a discussion with the $$'s lady about spending the winter in FL and then getting it back toTX so we could register it. She mentioned that dozens of Canadians do it with them every year. I inferred that Lazy Days does all of the data collection and then its a simple matter to get it imported. Maybe its time for that Florida vacation ;D Might pay for itself.
Ernie
Incidentally, they just send you a second temporary plate when you're ready to go North.

: Ernie - that gives me some ideas!  I think that is now on the table.  I'm finding that individuals are too attached to their motorhomes, and really fixated on what they have spent on the RV as opposed to its value.  Especially with the well maintained ones - unfortunately, the ones that I am looking for!  ;D

I was thinking about going to a dealer in Montana or Washington/Idaho - all within a day's drive over the border and do some shopping.  Might be worth the drive if I can't find anything in Canada.  And obviously dealers are less attached to their vehicles then the individuals are!

Thanks!

We have bought 3 motor homes on line and 2 of those purchases included trade ins. Unfortunately most of the dealers in the northern states are fairly small and don't have the inventory that dealers in more populated areas have and seem to be just as attached to their RVs as individuals. Portland or Seattle might be a good place to look. We bought one motor home in Portland and there was a lot of competition there. We traded in a Thor Fun Mover on a Winnebago Brave converted for handicap use. It took us three days to drive from North Dakota. All the paper work was done ahead of time and we only spent about 4 hours at the dealer transferring things from one motor home to the next and finishing the paper work. The next one we bought while we were in Arizona. It was in Houston, TX. We drove to Houston, finished the sale in about 1 hour and drove off with my wife driving the old motor home and me driving the new one.

I imported a handicap van that I picked up at the factory outside of Toronto and drove back to North Dakota. All I had to do to get it into the US was to declare it at the border.

As others have mentioned, you save a lot of money and get a good vacation, essentially free. Then you can later sell in Canada for a high price.

Update:  So long story short - Winnebago lady kicked me to the curb!  Her lowest prices was $15,500, with a new set of tires, and three new batteries - total investment would have been $19,800 for me.  Which was a little high for me, considering the high on NADA was $9000.  Then using NADA as a guide, I made an offer on a 2004 Coachmen Mirada 300QB - no slide.  Needed new tires, a new windshield, and a new awning.  Made him an offer - low end of NADA, $21,000 since it needed some big ticket repair items.  He told me a dealer offered him $25,000 as is!  Am I going crazy? Shouldn't I be using NADA? 

I think I'm going to take a break from RV hunting.  It's stressful!  :-\

You can believe that seller if you want. But he can say anything and, like many salesmen,  if his mouth is moving, he is lying. The only question I would have for him is: "If you were offered such a great price why did you not take it?"  !!! If it was true, it was likely as a trade-in on a very expensive unit with a nicely padded price.

NADA is only a guide line. The rule for a used unit is Condition, Condition, Condition and we are often blinded to the faults of our own 'stuff'....

Nah, you are not going crazy.....

;D Thanks Alfa38user!  That made my day.  It was an ugly weekend.  I'm not that good at negotiating, so I need specific guidelines - hence why I used NADA, but being turned down twice in a weekend was a little discouraging.  I was really hoping to get an RV for the May long weekend for camping!  Was so excited about that...but such are plans.  Looks like we're in a tent at least for the May long!


Thanks for reading!

lientrac said:

Update:  So long story short - Winnebago lady kicked me to the curb!  Her lowest prices was $15,500, with a new set of tires, and three new batteries - total investment would have been $19,800 for me.  Which was a little high for me, considering the high on NADA was $9000.  Then using NADA as a guide, I made an offer on a 2004 Coachmen Mirada 300QB - no slide.  Needed new tires, a new windshield, and a new awning.  Made him an offer - low end of NADA, $21,000 since it needed some big ticket repair items.  He told me a dealer offered him $25,000 as is!  Am I going crazy? Shouldn't I be using NADA? 

I think I'm going to take a break from RV hunting.  It's stressful!  :-\

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We looked at that same coach only it was a 2001. It was in immaculate condition (always covered) with 50K miles on it. The guy wanted $16,000 FIRM!! and was in no hurry to sell. He owned a big contracting company and the coach was parked in the corner of the lot.

The reason that we passed on it was because it didn't have a slide. The Winnebago that we settled on has a 13' main slide and it makes a huge difference in living space. We wouldn't consider a coach with no slide, at any price.

I'm with Stu 100%, but don't use NADA as a rigid guide, or your only guide. Local prices can vary a lot, and online NADA RV prices do not reflect local market conditions, seasonal fluctuations, or even brand differences other than original MSRP.  Particularly don't rely heavily on NADA for the Canadian market - prices are more than a little higher there. I don't know whether to suggest a 10% adder or 25%, but you probably need some "Canada factor". Maybe some of our Canadian members could offer some opinions?

Look in local classified ads (e.g. newspaper & craig's list) for price hints, but remember those are asking prices from people with a vested interest in making them high. Check out Ebay prices too, and RV sites such as RV Trader (rvt.com) and rvclassified.com, whether in your area or not.  And use the PPL Consignment Sales site as well - they list the actual selling price of all the RVs they have sold in the last two years. You still have to make a Canadian adjustment on most of those, but it should give you a foundation to work from.

Sellers often confuse the trade-in price with a market value, not realizing that a dealer subsidizes the trade-in value by discounting the new one. Customers would likely be offended by the actual value of their trade-in, so the trade price is pumped up to look good. The dealer doesn't care as long as the bottom line is ok. Dealers rarely even pay full wholesale value for a used rig, so you know that $25k was a fiction.