2000 Itasca Suncruiser 32V

[Gary RV_Wizard]

Ask about any known problems or items needing repair. Also inquire about whether maintenance is up to date and did he do all the routine oil, tranny fluid, etc, changes recommended in the owners manual for engine & chassis. Also chassis lubes. Most people don't want to admit they ignored maintenance, but you can imply that he may have let things go because it was being traded in anyway and ask what YOU should be doing to get it up to date.

I'd also ask how often he used it in the last 3-4 years, i.e. has it been sitting around a lot. And did he run the generator regularly. Some owners will immediately give you a full dump of all the trials and tribulations or offer to send maintenance records. Others will just give minimal answers and appear to wish you weren't intruding on their time. Or may decline to talk to you at all - the previous owner of mine would not return calls from me or the LD rep who also called.

 

[John Z]

OK...here's the deal...waiting to hear back on maintenance records

LD is standing strong at 47K as the sale price.  It's a 2000, but only has 25K miles on it.  According to LD it's in great shape...they are also offering the 30 day warranty with it
the winnie was as is.
I believe the NADA is 44K...appears to have had new tires put on this year and new batteries last year.

 

[John Z]

One thing I noticed is that on the Monaco the kitchen and the stove are part of the slideout...seems like the opposite setup on the winniebago
Is it problematic to have the appliances as part of the slide?  Not sure how the pipes and propane lines are connected

 

[searching]

Ask about leaks...trust me...ask about any leaks

 

[Ned]

We've had a kitchen slideout for 11+ years and the plumbing has not been any problem.  We're full timers so the slideout gets moved in and out a lot.

 

[Gary RV_Wizard]

Galley slides are quite common and seldom a problem. Yes, the movable plumping and propane lines are an extra complication, but the solution is not rocket science - just a couple of flexible hoses.

The NADA range is $44.3k-$53.4k, so you would hope to get it for $44k-45k as you say. New tires and batteries and the ultra clean condition may make it worth while to pay $47k. I'm sure that LD is figuring they can sell a nice clean Monaco diesel easily and so is not too  inclined to discount further. If you were there with checkbook in hand you would probably have a bit more bargaining leverage - no sales manager likes to see a customer walk! Would you be asking them to hold it for you or could you take delivery before the end of the month?  They like to turn them quickly, so a sale today gets more attention than a sale next month that might get canceled before delivery.

LD is very good about the 30 day warranty - they will honor it right to the last day and maybe even a bit more.

 

[Ron]

One thing I noticed is that on the Monaco the kitchen and the stove are part of the slideout...seems like the opposite setup on the winniebago
Is it problematic to have the appliances as part of the slide?  Not sure how the pipes and propane lines are connected

No problem at all.  We also have a kitchen slide with the stove and sink on the slide.  Have never had a problem even fulltiming since 98.

 

[John Z]

getting closer...we are going down a week from Friday...if everything goes ok we will be hauling back to NJ in the Monaco next weekend

 

[Gary RV_Wizard]

Hope it all works out, John. Let us know how it goes!

 

[John Z]

what should i expect when i arrive at lazyDays?
I've "soft" negotiated a price on the rig via phone and email...Will i have any bargaining power when i arrive or do they know once i'm there they have me

 

[scottydl]

I'm sure they know you are a lot less likely to walk away, once you're there.  But YOU are the one that has to decide that you ARE willing to walk away if the price isn't right.  Then you still hold a fair amount of bargaining power.  Make that decision before you get there, or you'll never stick to your guns once you are staring at the rig in person. 

 

[John Z]

Well we made it back in one piece.  Journey went pretty much according to schedule
1) Flew to Tampa (LD) early Friday morning
2) Bought the 2000 Monaco Knight for 47K including the extra services we requested (transmission fluid change, all air/oil filters on engine and generator) on Friday
3) Stayed over night at LD to test everything out.
4) Had LD fix a few items on Saturday morning/early afternoon.  Biggest item was a leak in the front a/c unit. 
5) Left for home Saturday afternoon
6) Arrived home early Monday morning (1,200 miles later).

Ran into 2 problems on the way home. 
1) The a/c started to leak again.  Gonna have it checked out at a local deal this week.  LD said they would pick up the tab being we found it and they said they had fixed it before we left the premises.
2) The first time we tried filling her up with gas ... after pumping about 10 gallons it came gushing back out at me and i got drenched...after showering and a good night sleep we filled it up in the morning...when filling in the morning alot of air came out of the tank when we took off the gas cap...thinking maybe when they changed the fuel filter it trapped some air in the tank...not quite sure, but it seems ok now.

thanks to the diehards on this forum i can now look out my living room window and see a beautiful rv sitting in my driveway.  we are planning on taking our first "relaxing" trip the first weekend in october....

i have a million questions about storage, but i'll save that for another thread.

 

[scottydl]

Congrats!  No trip is without its "roadbumps" (especially the first one ) but it sounds like you have them well under control so far.  You arrived at your purchase pretty quickly, considering you first post here just over 2 months ago.  But it sounds like you got a quality unit, and LD certainly has a positive reputation amongst the RV crowd from what I've read.

 

[Gary RV_Wizard]

Congratulations! I think you got a real nice rig at a decent price.

 

[Ron]

Congratulations.  Sounds like a nice rig for a good price.  I am sure you will enjoy it.