2002 Adventurer 32V on Ford frame?

clarkgriswold · 06-03-2011, 11:04 PM

I'm looking at a 2002 Adventurer now (32V) with the Ford frame that seems in good condition and the right price. We owned a Ford before in a 35' National but I've heard so much about the WH frame that I'm wondering if it's a mistake to buy the Ford. Any opinions on the WH versus Ford .....or on the 2002 Adventurer 32V?

OneRVer · 06-04-2011, 12:11 AM

I once had a coachmen 36' on a ford chassis. The chassis was the best part of the motor home. Had zero problems and the ride was pleasant.

ron55 · 06-04-2011, 04:56 AM

I have a workhorse, take the ford I would!

num1dgh · 06-04-2011, 07:28 AM

My husband swore by the WH chassis . . . we intended to get the Ford but ended up with the WH and loved it. Very easy to drive, did not sway much at all for a gas coach.

CJ7ole · 06-04-2011, 09:09 PM

I'm happy with mine, but I have nothing to compare it to, other than the old GMC my dad used to own.

Hikerdogs · 06-05-2011, 05:33 AM

We have an 01 Adventurer 32V on the Ford chassis and love it. It has over 85,000 miles on the odometer and I'm sure the chassis will be good for another 85,000 without any major problems.

Tom-NC · 06-05-2011, 08:49 AM

Hi,

We have an 04 33' Adventurer on a Workhorse chassis and other than the recalls have had no problem with it. We like the power the 8.1 liter engine has along with the marriage of the Alison transmission which I think beats Fords Tranny hands down.

There have been 2 Fords before the Workhorse but they were with the 460 Engine so I can't make a comparison with the V-10 engine currently available.

Workhorse is no longer available on new motorhomes although I understand their frame is being use on some motorhomes.

My suggestion would be to try to take a test drive in either coach however I would higy recommend the Workhorse with the 8.1 l engine and Alison transmissiom.

frankdamp · 06-05-2011, 08:57 AM

We're happy with our 02 Georgetown on the F53 frame and V-10. We decided against WH because they were in the middle of the Bosch brake mess at the time we were looking and hadn't come up with the fix. We'd also heard horror stories about Autopark, but hadn't realised that system is only used on WH chassis with the GM transmission.

clarkgriswold · 06-05-2011, 10:36 PM

Does anyone know if ther'e any recalls on the F53 Ford frame on the 2002?

I've heard a few others recommend the WH and Allison and I'd probably go that way but I've run across a 2002 F53 on a MH that seems like a really good fit for our fam and budget. Hmmmmm.....

iragator · 06-16-2011, 03:28 PM

I have heard their are some problems with the work horse chassis but my 2002 Adventure (52,000 mi.) has the V 10 Triton eng. and we've been happy with it and no problems. We love our Adventure and when we look to upgrade so far nothing is quite is good unless you get into mega bucks. I've gotten really attached to the drivers door and our layout. Good luck. ( It is wise advise to try to drive both types if you can.)

goldwingerx2 · 06-16-2011, 09:30 PM

My suggestion would be if you like the floorplan then that is the coach for you. Have only had Ford but nothing against the Workhorse just did not have the floorplan we liked.

doorguy · 06-23-2011, 10:13 AM

I owned an 01 Adventurer 35 U, bought w/12K mi. and drove till 82K. I installed a full Banks system on it right away and that engine never hiccupped one time in all those miles. I pull an 02 Dakota 4X. The F-53 is a strong engine and made to rap out. It was no problem pulling 4K RPM in 2nd towing going up a steep hill. The sound scares the beejeezus out of you, but it is OK. If I ever go back to gas, I would most likely go the Ford, especially now that they have increased the hp. I flushed the tranny every 20K and never had a problem with it either. You will be fine if you go this route.

Barry
04 Journey,39K

Jackm · 07-05-2011, 02:59 AM

If you like the floor plan and the ride is acceptable, you can't go wrong if the price is right. At the end of the day, no one says "Boy, I'm so happy that I went with a Ford/Workhorse chassis". They both have their strong points and drawbacks but the issues are so minor, they're not worth worrying about. Have fun and hit the road.

Jack

mikron · 07-05-2011, 03:57 AM

We are on our 3 rd Ford chassis and have had no problems. We buy by floor plan and take whatever comes with it. In what I have read here on iRV2 I think the WH might be more of an RV chassis then Ford but they both do well for gas units. We added Koni shocks, Safe T Plus steering and rear trac bar and it helped 100%.