Buying my first RV this week! Looking at a 2001 Adventurer. Thoughts?

Hi everybody,

My wife and I decided to put our stuff in storage, get our apartment lease taken over, buy a used RV and hit the road full time for at least a year! We're getting an early start as we are 32 and 29 years old respectively. The plan was to drive down to Jacksonville, Fl and find our rig there, but we've found one here (the midwest) that offers some logistical advantages and looks like a great unit. We're doing a lot of research and familiarizing ourselves with the electrical systems, converters/inverters, generator, flat towing, etc, etc.

We're learning a lot but wanted to ask anybody in the forum their thoughts on a 2001 Winnebago Adventurer 32V. We found one for $20k with 48k miles on it. It looks to be in great condition with some nice engine upgrades along the way. Has anybody on here owned one of these guys and have any advice for us? Anything we need to look out for particularly or be weary of?

We'll have a mechanic check it out before we make the purchase but wanted to be a little more informed the next time I go in.

Thanks for your help!

That should be a good buy. What chassis is it on, Ford or Workhorse? I have a friend who had a 2004 version of that Adventurer on a Workhorse chassis. He liked the length a lot.

Hi John,

Thanks for the insight! It's a Workhorse chassis.

There was a brake caliper recall on the Workhorse chassis and it also has a tendency to burn spark plug wires.

That's really helpful, John. I appreciate it. I looked around and found this?

http://workhorseclub.com/documents/50401-C%20Bosch%20Brake%20Calipers.pdf

I doubled check my VIN and sure enough you were right. I did receive some of the previous owners work orders and it looks like in 08' the wheels were removed and calipers inspected and lubed. As of then they had 75% of the friction material left. Do you think that kind of thorough servicing would have uncovered a major defect if there was one?

Thanks again for your help.

Good for you guys!  Travel while you can, several years ago my wife and I took off for a year and a half and went cruising in the eastern Caribbean down to Venezuela.  We were 40 and 37 and had the physical ability to deal with off-shore sailing.

A few opinions/factoids/thoughts -

The Adventurer is and has been a top seller in a gas rig
Workhorse is out of the chassis business as far as I know, not sure how this affects parts, service, etc.
I think the brake caliper recall involved actually replacing the caliper, maybe somebody can clarify
Go to the forum library for a good pre-purchase checklist.  Ideally have it professionally inspected

My Dad has an 01 Workhorse chassis, he had the recall done twice, ultimately replacing the calipers.  Since then it has been fine. 

My brother-in-law owns a 2001 Adventurer. He had huge problem with front air-conditioner. Something about the radiator being in the wrong position in front of the air conditioning. Anyway, on hot days front air would not work. Only blew hot air. Also, the compressor went out on the house air conditioner. Better see what you can find out.

newtorvs said:

That's really helpful, John. I appreciate it. I looked around and found this?

http://workhorseclub.com/documents/50401-C%20Bosch%20Brake%20Calipers.pdf

I doubled check my VIN and sure enough you were right. I did receive some of the previous owners work orders and it looks like in 08' the wheels were removed and calipers inspected and lubed. As of then they had 75% of the friction material left. Do you think that kind of thorough servicing would have uncovered a major defect if there was one?

Thanks again for your help.

Click to expand...

Work done back in 2008 sounds like only service was carried out on those brakes, but maybe for similar reasons though. I seem to remember the actual recall and cure were announced only in 2010. It might be wise to look further into that aspect and have the Recall performed if it applies to this particular chassis.

http://www.motorhome.com/rv-travel-news/workhorse-announces-brake-recall-remedy/

Thanks for everybody's help!

I really appreciate the link, Stu. I'll call Workhorse tomorrow and get the specifics of the recall. Will manufacturer's typically do recalls on models this old? I read that it's about a 4 hour job. Do they help cover any of those costs with something this old? Might be a ridiculous question, I'm not sure.

Thanks!

I believe that was a mandatory recall and that they are required to provide it if it is in the date range of the recall.

There is a website (I believe it is Workhorse) where you can enter your vin and it will tell you if any recalls are open on that coach regarding brakes.  I bought my 2002 with no knowledge of the brake recall and found out that the recall work had been done (thankfully).  We have owned our 2002 Adventurer since Jan 2014 and have put about 3000 miles on it this year.  The only minor problem we have had is we get a Service Engine Soon light frequently while on our trip this summer.  The code was for a knock sensor problem but that is a very minor thing.  Eventually we had the knock sensor replaced but the light still comes on from time to time but I bought a cheap plug in analyzer to reset the light and it usually stays off for a couple hundred miles.  I have quit worrying about that as nobody seems to be able to give me a good answer on a permanent fix.  Our coach was bought from the original owner and he was very meticulous in keeping up the various systems on the coach.  One thing you should check is the tires for age.  Look for a DOT code (the letters DOT followed by 4 digits I think) which will tell you the year and week of the year that the tire was manufactured.  Seven years is pretty much the accepted max age you should keep a tire regardless of how good it looks or how much tread is left.  Tires are a big expense so it is important you check the age.  No AC problems with our Adventurer and there are two compressors in the basement AC compartment (no roof air).  When it's real hot and both are working, the One Step system will cut off excess use items (microwave, fridge, etc) instead of allowing breakers to pop.  Anyway, you should be happy with the Adventurer and there are lots on the road so you can get lots of help.

Hi guys,

After several calls to Workhorse and Winnebago I found out that my chassis wasn't part of the recall as it only affected the heavier duty chassis (mine is 18,000 lbs)

I appreciate all of the help and happy to not have decent brake calipers!

I did find that the previous owner had a Rear Axle recall fix done and as Johns10 mentioned, the compressor on the air conditioner has been replaced.

Thanks again everyone. I'm sure I'll be posting plenty more questions in the near future.

Google RV Tires for info on how to read the sidewall information and make sure you check that DOT Tire Identification Number to determine manufacture date.  Of all the advice I can give you that is common to ALL RVs, the date of tire manufacture is probably the one that can result in costing you the most money and grief if you are still riding on original rubber even with only  48K miles.  Also, you have a winner with the Allison tranny.  In my mind, the Chevy V-8 Vortec 8.1L and the Allison  5 speed tranny far exceed the performance of the Ford V10.  You can still get Workhorse parts and there are still service centers for them around the country.  Good luck.

You can also find information on Tire manufacturing date codes in our Glossary of RV terms (button in the menu above).

Tom said:

You can also find information on Tire manufacturing date codes in our Glossary of RV terms (button in the menu above).

Click to expand...

Thanks Tom.  That is one resource that I have never had a chance to explore and it looks to have some great info.

We just bought a 2004 Brave with a Workhorse engine.  Quite an upgrade from the
1989 Itasca we had for nine years.  Took it for a 800 miles test run last week and everything seems Ok.  I'm in the process of evaluating the four coach batteries.

I think they are original and need to be replaced.

Had the engine oil and transmission oil changed a few days ago.
Jim

[quote author=Bill N]That is one resource that I have never had a chance to explore and it looks to have some great info.[/quote]

Thanks Bill, we put a lot of effort into developing it. Hopefully this discussion will raise its profile.