Getting ready to retire and hit the road!

SgtSaunders6 · 11-22-2014, 10:47 PM

Hello all... I am about to retire after 20 in the USN followed by another 20 in IT for a school district. My wife Jeanne (retired teacher) and I will be snowbirds kind of.... although we really don't get much snow in Western Washington. We have kids in California, relatives in Florida, Rhode Island, Maine and Alaska and intend to scoot around in our RV between them. We've owned a 78 Dodge Palace class A (our first RV)... then a 94 Brave Class A (loved it), then a class C 26 foot Tioga (did a lot of work on it!). Now, believe it or not we have a pop-up tent trailer! When I retire next fall (2015) we plan on taking the plunge on a new or almost new RV. We've narrowed down to either a Navion or View 24G floorplan and have lots of questions we hope to get some opinions on here.

We've read about folks making the pilgrimage to Iowa to buy their new Winnebago/Itasca. I'd love to hear some thoughts on a few questions related to this.

Question 1... Can we expect the folks at Lichtsinn to negotiate down from the prices listed on their website? Related to this.. is there a better time of year for making a purchase?

Question 2.. For someone who lives a long way from Iowa..did you have any problem getting service after returning home?

The last question... we've heard conflicting information about a used Winnebago/Itasca related to transferring the warranty to the second owner. I'm wondering if anyone here has purchased a used Navion or View from Litchsinn and whether you were able to get the remainder of the chassis and body warranty transferred?

I guess that's enough to get started... thanks in advance for your help and advice!

Tom and Jeanne
Allyn, WA

Chiefbvfd · 11-23-2014, 03:42 AM

Welcome....We have owned Winnebagos since 1994, both new and used. We have very good results from all of our warranty claims on both new and used rigs and from both the dealership and from Forest City. As far as the beast deals. you'll just have to shop around and phone or email Lichtsinn and see if they can make it worth your trip. We did just the opposite as you, we live 180 miles from Forest City, IA and drove 1,500 miles to Arizona to buy our new Journey. You just have to find the best deal for you. Good Luck....

beamisl · 11-23-2014, 03:53 AM

Tom and Jeanne,

Welcome to the forum. Have you gone to any RV shows? They tend to have them everywhere and they have some pretty good deals on end year models at them. Might be able to get a good deal there. Thank you for your service.

Good luck, Lynne

Medico · 11-23-2014, 05:45 AM

Welcome and glad to meet you!

Thank you so much from a grateful nation and from me personally for your service.

Fred1609 · 11-23-2014, 09:25 AM

:welcome:
I would also suggest hitting a few RV shows. There should be more than a few folks here that can answer any questions you might have about a particular model.

Safe and Happy Travels.

t55watson · 11-23-2014, 09:36 AM

The best time of year to buy a RV, boat or car is right now. Between Thanksgiving and New years those sales folks are sitting on their hands. More than willing to make a sale so they get a Jan. commission check to pay their bills.
I hope you enjoy your coming retirement and we may see you in AZ some winter.

Bumps · 11-23-2014, 09:38 AM

Welcome aboard! We are [also] proud Winnebago owners. I think you will be quite impressed by a trip to Forest City. As far as pricing goes, it will all depend on the deal and your circumstances.

Tip: Be patient! As soon as you "fall in love" with the product, emotion can start to trump logic.

BTW, Congratulations on your retirement! WooHoo!

\ken

JohnRR · 11-23-2014, 09:48 AM

:welcome:
Good luck with your choice.

Doug Sage · 11-23-2014, 12:12 PM

Here is my story. I got a quote from Lichtsinn and it was the lowest price I could find. My concern was warranty service after the sale and before I went full time. This was eight years ago. i calculated how much it would cost to drive to Forest City and then drive the RV home and added that to the Lichtsinn price. They were still something like $1,500 cheaper. I finally broke down and bought locally. We had warranty issues and a 2 page punch list. I took it to the local, selling dealer which was Olinger in Portland (now Camping World). They were terrible. Quite literally they had to call the manufacturer for instructions on every single repair. So, it turned out that worrying about being able to get local service wasn't worth it. Once I went full time then the issue went away. Generally people on vacation or living full time in the motorhome will get worked in and receive timely service wherever you are. Outside of warranty, I have come to rely on mobile mechanics because their continuing income depends on their ability whereas a mechanic in a dealership will just move on to another dealer or even another profession. I finally ended up going to Winnebago in Forest City to have the remaining punch list items taken care of and they did a great job and it was free under the warranty. I have been back a second time with the same results. The factory is definitely the place to get work done in a proper and timely manner if you can manage to get there. This doesn't answer all of your questions but should give you food for thought. By the way, I had great service work done by I-5 Uhlmann RV in Chehalis.

MSHappyCampers · 11-23-2014, 04:02 PM

Hi Tom & Jeanne! Welcome to the forum! It's great to have you join the gang!

Sorry I can't help with your questions. Hope the retirement works out good for you!

Thank you for your service to our country!

Good luck, happy trails, and God bless!

Buffalo Bill · 11-25-2014, 09:33 AM

Tom and Jeanne, congratulations on the retirement from a former USN medic, only 4 1/2 years. We bought a used 2013 Via from Lichtsinn with only 2,600 miles on it and got a big discount of the new price. There was 7 months left on the warranty, and we had a few minor glitches that were fixed by the Winnie dealer in Colorado with no problems. We did get a quote from Lichtsinn for a new Via, and the prices were good, but little more than we wanted to pay. The local dealers would not come down that much. We also looked at Lewis in Ohio and they have good discounts. I have heard the Robinson in WA will match other prices, so it would be useful to get a quote for a low price and see if the local Winnie dealer will match it.

We love our Via and downsized from a diesel pusher. Our travels now are mostly off the highway and back roads and this past summer we went around the Olympic Peninsula and down the WA & OR coast. We do not tow and use the Via to sightsee, as we move from one campsite to the next. If you have more questions, post them here or on the View/Navion forum on Yahoo. You may have to register, but there is a lot of great information on that site: https://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/...sations/topics.

cdrprn · 11-26-2014, 04:54 PM

Welcome aboard! Former Navy HM2 '71 to '77 here, although I spent most of my 6 years attached to USMC air wings as SAR. Yes it's a good time to buy right now based upon discounts I'm seeing. When we retired we searched the internet after deciding on the type and size RV we wanted. Point is we bought a "new" leftover from previous year for a pretty big discount ($40+k from sticker). We drove quite a way to make the deal but have had no trouble getting warranty repairs from other dealers closer to home. Winnebago stands behind their products as long as you talk to them for warranty help/advice first. Hit the road and enjoy a great country on YOUR time schedule for a change. Travel safe for the holiday.

2014 Itasca Suncruiser 32H

mgtr · 11-27-2014, 08:59 PM

We have purchased three new coaches from Lichtsinn, and all were at a very good price. There are plenty of Winnebago/Itasca dealers around the country, some good, some bad. They will all be delighted to attempt to fix your coach. As with the car business, motorhome dealers separate the selling department from the service department, and each has to stand alone. They are all busy in the spring and summer, but if you go in late fall or winter, they will see you as a stack of hundred dollar bills, and fall over themselves trying to help.

pyoots · 11-28-2014, 07:39 PM

Tom and Jeanne, welcome to RV adventures. I met a fella who had bought a coach at Lazy Days in Tampa after negotiating with both Lichtsinn and Lazy Days. He was in Forest City to get the bugs worked out of his new purchase. Now Lichtsinn may get a little more aggressive with their negotiating.

Find a reliable Winnebago authorized repair center. My experience with Camping World, the new phony baloney repair center in St. Augustine has been a complete failure. I cannot speak for all Camping Worlds but check out the forums and you will get all the info you need to make an educated decision.

I bought an almost new Vista several years ago and the warranty was honored with no issues.

My experience with Customer Service in Forest City has been better than I expected. Friendly, courteous, and willing to go to extra lengths to satisfy me as a consumer. Work was accomplished to my satisfaction.

Hey, hope this helps and may the angels quide your wheels.

Phil

spanuts · 11-30-2014, 09:37 PM

we have purchase 2 motor home from our local Winnebago dealer they have taken great service care for us. Its nice to just stop in 15 minutes from home for service or questions .we were going to go to forest city for them to go over our punch list that's about 1200 mile round trip.so had our local dealer a go at it first and with 2 different appointment's they fixed er up. Good luck

dogs162910 · 12-07-2014, 03:21 PM

I purchased my new 2014 ERA from Shafer RV in Delta, OH. The dealer did a poor job prepping the vehicle, which resulted in me having to get warranty work done when I got back home to Omaha, NE. I called Leach Camper Sales, our local Winnebago dealer, to get the work done. I had to PAY Leach to do the WARRANTY work, then submit the bill to Winnebago (which they reimbursed me for). I would check with your local dealer to see what their policy is.

SgtSaunders6 · 12-11-2014, 10:10 AM

Well... I found your experience with Lichtsinn to be pretty accurate. They must have more business than they can handle. Their sales person was very hard to get a hold of, always took at least a full day to respond.. and when we finally got a quote it was way above what I got from Roy Robinson here in Washington... so NO TRIP TO IOWA FOR ME (in winter!!!)... which I guess is ok!

Thanks for the sage counsel here! (Always trust your IDC .. I say!)

Thanks.. and happy RV'ing. Perhaps we'll see you on the road this summer...

Quote:

Originally Posted by Buffalo Bill

Tom and Jeanne, congratulations on the retirement from a former USN medic, only 4 1/2 years. We bought a used 2013 Via from Lichtsinn with only 2,600 miles on it and got a big discount of the new price. There was 7 months left on the warranty, and we had a few minor glitches that were fixed by the Winnie dealer in Colorado with no problems. We did get a quote from Lichtsinn for a new Via, and the prices were good, but little more than we wanted to pay. The local dealers would not come down that much. We also looked at Lewis in Ohio and they have good discounts. I have heard the Robinson in WA will match other prices, so it would be useful to get a quote for a low price and see if the local Winnie dealer will match it.

We love our Via and downsized from a diesel pusher. Our travels now are mostly off the highway and back roads and this past summer we went around the Olympic Peninsula and down the WA & OR coast. We do not tow and use the Via to sightsee, as we move from one campsite to the next. If you have more questions, post them here or on the View/Navion forum on Yahoo. You may have to register, but there is a lot of great information on that site: https://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/...sations/topics.

Gordon Dewald · 12-11-2014, 10:32 AM

After looking around we purchased from Lichtsinn. We found the staff very knowledgeable. We were happy with our Salesman Jason, impressed with the Business Manager Hannah, the Service Manager and Assistant Manager Tim and Travis and the Parts Manager Lonnie.

We took our Tour home and found a few deficiencies. We attempted to get the work done locally, but they were booking several months into the future. We decided a road trip back to Lichtsinn was an option. Called and Travis worked us in at a date that was convenient to us.

One of our issues was a hydraulic leak from the area of the leveling pump. The tech did not like the sound of the jacks so the Lippert rep at the factory was called. Following a bit of testing it was decided all of the jacks had to be replaced.

Winnebago did not have the new jacks in the parts department so pulled them from the production line. We go the parts the same day and were on the road the following day.

Lichtsinn provided electrical hookups on paved parking and dumped and filled the tanks while we were there. The owners lounge is very comfortable and the staff treated us like family. Ron Lichtsinn came by on a regular basis and was approachable and easy to talk with. He and all of the staff seemed to care that our needs were being taken care of.

Would we purchase another MH from them, YES. Would we recommend them to other buyers, YES again.

SCVJeff · 12-14-2014, 01:39 AM

I bought a ticket for me and a friend to fly to Seatac and bought the coach you see in the sig file from Robinson. they picked us up, stopped by somewhere for lunch and then to the dealer. They were $15k+ under the best price for the identical coach here 15 mins from the house. Great bunch of folks

Ron Lichtsinn · 12-20-2014, 01:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gordon Dewald

After looking around we purchased from Lichtsinn. We found the staff very knowledgeable. We were happy with our Salesman Jason, impressed with the Business Manager Hannah, the Service Manager and Assistant Manager Tim and Travis and the Parts Manager Lonnie.

We took our Tour home and found a few deficiencies. We attempted to get the work done locally, but they were booking several months into the future. We decided a road trip back to Lichtsinn was an option. Called and Travis worked us in at a date that was convenient to us.

One of our issues was a hydraulic leak from the area of the leveling pump. The tech did not like the sound of the jacks so the Lippert rep at the factory was called. Following a bit of testing it was decided all of the jacks had to be replaced.

Winnebago did not have the new jacks in the parts department so pulled them from the production line. We go the parts the same day and were on the road the following day.

Lichtsinn provided electrical hookups on paved parking and dumped and filled the tanks while we were there. The owners lounge is very comfortable and the staff treated us like family. Ron Lichtsinn came by on a regular basis and was approachable and easy to talk with. He and all of the staff seemed to care that our needs were being taken care of.

Would we purchase another MH from them, YES. Would we recommend them to other buyers, YES again.

Thanks Gordon and Janet for your feedback! Happy holidays to you and your family!