What do you think of this Workhorse?

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PattyShipc

PattyShipc

Well-known member
Joined
Apr 5, 2021
Posts
116
Location
Fort Collins, CO
Hello friends,
So, I followed your advice and I looked at another rig today, one close to my home. :) Second owner. 2006 Workhorse, Allison trany, 8.1 Liter GM Vortec V8, 62,000 miles. W22 chassis.
I toured it, started it, but did not drive it. Yet. It's in good condition...good enough to do a few short trips. I will replace the carpet, but sofa, benches, and bed look and feel good. All appliances are in working order.
If I decide to purchase it I will take it in for an inspection first.
Tires have good tread but cracked on the sides.

What do you think?
(I'm in the process of determining the CCC)
UPDATE: CCC is 1400ish

32 ft Class A National Sea Breeze - $33,500​

The cupboards and drawers are real wood.
Furnace
2 Air conditioners
1 Bedroom slide-out with a walk-around Queen bed.
1 Kitchen/Dinette slide out
Sofa sleeper
Dinette sleeper
10 gal. water heater
Microwave/convection oven combo
2 TVs have been replaced with flat-screen TVs, 1 smart
Leveling system
Ceiling fan
Power step
Luggage rack and ladder
Trailer hitch
Solar battery charger
Backup camera
Awning, manual
NEW mounted automatic satellite dish
NEW brakes
Axels overhauled
Reconditioned fuel system
Michelin tires
 
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The age of the tires is important not the amount of tread. Over 6 years old get new all around. Check the DOT date do not believe the owner. Also is it one of the workhorse chassis with the Autopark driven by what is referred to as the "rotten green switch". If it is then make sure that is working

AutoPark parking brake system help, troubleshooting, and repair

AutoPark parking brake system help, troubleshooting, and repair for; chevy workhorse chassis, j71 systems and actuator repair
www.rvautopark.com www.rvautopark.com
 
Overall a potentially good coach, though be aware that National had some major defective fiberglass wall problems around those years, not their fault, their fiberglass supplier screwed up. It was probably a big contributor to them going out of business in the 2008 economic collapse. You can google it National motorhome, crane composites fiberglass lawsuit. I know the problem fiberglass was put into some early 2006 models. Not sure when it started I think 2004. National used a tiered naming scheme, I think Sea Breeze was one of their lower tiers, just below the Dolphins (think of it like Buick and Oldsmobile, from back in the day when Oldsmobile was still around). Generally National motorhomes were considered a good value for the money.
 
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Is it at a dealer or individual? Do you have someone qualified to do the inspection? Good luck!
 
In terms of the workhorse part of my 2005 the only complaint is that the oil cooler fell off it's bracket and blew my engine (long story) Insurance covered it.

The 2006 I believe it has the Allison 6 Speed (mine was a 5) more transmission "Speeds" usually translates to better MPG and a bit smoother ride.

If the engine passes inspection, tires are not too old, and house is in good condition.. I'd buy it.

But be aware it is an older unit so it will need tender loving care.> Water heater, Refrigerator Cooling unit and Air Conditioners may all be near end of life.
 
2006 should have the J72 brake, which from what I've read (and experienced with mine so far) is far and away better than the J71.

In general I'm pleased with the 8.1 vortec. The Allison has a great reputation, mine has the 4L85E which has some issues but is holding. Of the workhorse series I would lean towards a W22 or W24 as they have the best potential for longevity and serviceability.

At this age I'd look carefully at the roof. If it hasn't been re-coated it will need it, along with a close inspection for water damage. From there it comes down to a functional test of the equipment. You can't rewind the clock so some stuff may not work, or work perfectly. This isn't necessarily bad, it's just a data point and something to be factored into the value and level of pain to restore back to serviceable. From there it is what it is, it ain't new, ain't perfect but it ain't $150K either.

Mark B.
Albuquerque, NM
 
I'd say that is potentially a good choice for your needs if the condition proves out. You defintely need to check the tire date code - good chance they will need replacing due to age and that's a $2500-$3000 expense.

The CCC of 1400 sounds low but I'm guessing it's from the placard on the coach, which will be measured by to the 2006 RVIA standard. That results in a very low number because the weight of water and people are shown separately. Typically the total weight capacity of a 32 footer on the Workhorse Wxx chassis is quite generous. Add CCC + SCWR + Water + Propane together to get the equivalent of today's OCCC rating.

A 2006 Seabreeze will have a TPO roof, so I would expect it to be still in good condition except for dirt or stains. Seams and openings may well need their caulking updated, though. Roof inspection is one of the key items before purchase.

A friend of mine owned a 2005 Seabreeze 34 for several years and it was a solid performer.
 
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This brings up the point of knowing the difference between CCC, NCC, and OCCC (which is the current federally mandated method) See Weighing Your RV - Family RVing Magazine not the best write up, but all the information is there, basically NCC was used in the 1990's, CCC was used after it until 2008 when the federal government got involved and mandated using OCCC
 
Mark_K5LXP said:
2006 should have the J72 brake, which from what I've read (and experienced with mine so far) is far and away better than the J71.

In general I'm pleased with the 8.1 vortec. The Allison has a great reputation, mine has the 4L85E which has some issues but is holding. Of the workhorse series I would lean towards a W22 or W24 as they have the best potential for longevity and serviceability.

At this age I'd look carefully at the roof. If it hasn't been re-coated it will need it, along with a close inspection for water damage. From there it comes down to a functional test of the equipment. You can't rewind the clock so some stuff may not work, or work perfectly. This isn't necessarily bad, it's just a data point and something to be factored into the value and level of pain to restore back to serviceable. From there it is what it is, it ain't new, ain't perfect but it ain't $150K either.

Mark B.
Albuquerque, NM
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Thanks for the reply, Mark. This is a W22. Can you tell me what that means? totally agree about the roof. We didn't climb up there but I will have it inspected. If there are issues I will pass, or take the cost of repair off of my offer to purchase.
 
This is just a brief overview, in about 1998 Workhorse bought out Chevrolets motorhome division, they then continued to manufacture the existing legacy Chevy P series chassis, making minor changes and improvements to it over the years until 2006, They also introduced their own W series chassis I think in 2001 or 2002, these are the W16, W18,W20, W22 and W24 chassis (not introduced in that order) generally speaking the number is the GVWR of the chassis in thousands of pounds, though I think W22 was offered in both a 20,000 and a 22,000 pound, and there may not have originally been a W20. As a model family they have more in common than being different between them, with key differences being the brakes (there was a big brake recall on some W series chassis), also the lower weight rated models don't have the automatic parking brake.

My 2002 P-32 chassis coach has a J71 automatic parking brake, and yes I have to stay on top of it, and it has briefly stranded me on the side of the road once, failed completely while in the storage shed 3 days after getting back from a trip, and I just had to deal with a small leak from it last week. Generally speaking the J72 may be a better design, which does basically the same thing, the problem is it was only built for 2 years before Workhorse closed its motorhome chassis division, so parts may be an issue in the future.

p.s. if you have not found it yet you may want to use the inspector locator tool at NRVIA.org
 
Would add that the other given besides the aforementioned roof and tires, also check the batteries. Even "new" ones can be bad due to neglect, so can't just go by the born on date. Not show stoppers but I use them as items for negotiation.

Mark B.
Albuquerque, NM
 
A 2006 Seabreeze will have a 1 piece FIBERGLASS roof. Nothing to worry about here unless it has been damaged. All joints will need to be checked however, they can still leak if not kept up. I recommend going on line and looking at the brochure's for that coach. Read the specs for yourself, instead of listening to guys that DON'T know what they are talking about are saying.


By the way, that GM chassis was an option that year.
 
I would offer that I have a 2005 with a fiberglass roof, and I see plenty there to worry about. Well sun baked, gel coat oxidized/chalking, sealant crumbling. Not ruined or leaking (yet) but it's best days are behind it. A schlup with wax won't fix that. At a minimum it needs recoating and resealing at this point. Additionally, the shower skylight and top cover of the A/C is brittle and cracking. Not unexpected in my climate and nothing irrecoverable, but points to know and consider with any RV roof.

Mark B.
Albuquerque, NM
 
Charlie 5320 said:
A 2006 Seabreeze will have a 1 piece FIBERGLASS roof.
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Great! Didn't realize the Seabreeze had been upgraded to fiberglass roof - earlier years were TPO (since 2002). Looks like there have been some other upgrades vs earlier years as well, so probably a nicely equipped coach. And if the brochure is correct, the Workhorse W22 chassis implies it's the Seabreeze LX model, so top of the Seabreeze line.

In my opinion, the 2006 Workhorse W22 chassis is about as good as gas-chassis coaches come. Not that I would turn down a 2006 Ford F53 either, but the only thing better is a Workhorse W24 (higher weight capacity and a few extra goodies).
 
Mark_K5LXP said:
I would offer that I have a 2005 with a fiberglass roof, and I see plenty there to worry about. Well sun baked, gel coat oxidized/chalking, sealant crumbling. Not ruined or leaking (yet) but it's best days are behind it. A schlup with wax won't fix that. At a minimum it needs recoating and resealing at this point. Additionally, the shower skylight and top cover of the A/C is brittle and cracking. Not unexpected in my climate and nothing irrecoverable, but points to know and consider with any RV roof.

Mark B.
Albuquerque, NM
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I would take that chalked fiberglass roof over a tpo or rubber roof any day of the week. Get up there and SHINE it up if ya want to. I washed mine on the Dolphin yearly and didn't have any problems with nastys running down the side of the coach. That fiberglass roof will out last any tpo or rubber roof there is. You have to seal up the seams on any roof. The sealant has little to do with what type of roof ya have. No need to recoat a fiberglass roof unless it has been damaged some how, surly NOT by the sun.
 
NM is the opposite of IL, vehicles here rot from the top down where in IL they rot from the bottom up. But I would rather replace sunburned paint than salt eaten metal.

Mark B.
Albuquerque, NM
 
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