Warranty on 2007 Winnie 38J

[oldryder]

Looked at a 2007 Winnie 38J today with 22,000.  Generator has 95 hours.  Seller is asking $48k.  It'll needs tires due to age of rubber and weather checking.

Owner bought a "bumper to bumper" warranty that runs thru June 2020 for $5000 and it's supposed to be transferable.

Coverage includes virtually everything, all the RV equipment plus the drivetrain and suspension.  It looks very complete.

The warranty is from "Amerucan Guardian Warranty Services".  Warranty was sold thru a large local RV dealer.

If it's real it reduces my risk of purchase considerably but I've read a lot of horror stories here about aftermarket warranties.

looking for advice.

thx
mark in MN

 

[phil-t]

What's it going to cost you?  Read the contract, Look for exclusions/deductibles, etc.

 

[Gizmo100]

What's it going to cost you?  Read the contract, Look for exclusions/deductibles, etc.

I would also check on a transfer fee...

I would also google American Guardian Warranty Services reviews.

 

[scottydl]

Definitely get the contract (or a copy) yourself to review, and contact the company to make sure the you know what is needed so the coverage would be yours.

That said, a warranty is fine but I'm not sure it's worth much as a part of the sale. Would you have bought it yourself, if you already owned the rig? If not, then you shouldn't pay extra for it, or at least not a lot. Nice perk either way, but don't feel pressured to "pay off" the remainder in addition to the sale price. I can't tell if that's part of the $48k asking price or not. By the way, that's a very fair asking price per NADA values - but tires will be a considerable cost.

Also make sure you learn the history on the rig. Low mileage is great on cars, but can be troublesome on RV's... if that 22k miles was evenly spread across its 12 years of existence, then it might be okay and has lots of life left on that Workhorse! Regular care and maintenance is what you want. If the rig drove those 22k miles in the first year or two, then sat untouched for the last 10 years, you may have a lot more unused/degraded parts that will need to be dealt with. Not that it's a bad purchase, but just more maintenance cost for you to plan up front and possible figure into your offer.

 

[Gary RV_Wizard]

I had an American Guaranty extended warranty on a new 2002 coach we bought. No complaints about the company at all, but your expectations about what it covers are far too optimistic.  There are numerous constraints and limits in any such policy.  Much has been written here about an "extended warranty" and I suggest you Search and read about them.

In any case, what will it cost you to get this warranty transferred, or is that included in the purchase price?  The policy has value, but probably no where near as much the seller would like to think. If you aren't paying for it, or very much anyway, why worry about horror stories?  But if he wants an extra $1000 or $2000, that's another story. You would be getting only about a year worth of coverage, so not worth a whole lot.

What Winnie model is this? 38J is a floor plan and doesn't tell us what coach it really is?  Adventurer, Journey, Tour, etc. I think there was a 38J layout in the Adventurer series and also the Voyage series. Both on a Workhorse chassis.

 

[oldryder]

thx for replies.

RV is a Winnebago Voyage.  I will look at the warranty a lot more closely.  The seller doesn't want any extra over the asking $48k unless there is a transfer fee assuming he is correct that it's transferable.

 

[Gary RV_Wizard]

They are usually transferrable, but there may well be a processing fee (I've seen them as high a several hundred dollars).

His asking price in in the right ballpark for a 2007 Voyager 38J, so he doesn't appear to have increased his price to cover it either. I'd say the remaining warranty is a modest "plus" in the deal, helping to offset the tires it needs.  If the condition is otherwise good, it sounds like an attractive deal.