So should I buy a Vista 35F?

[Bama96]

New to Class A motorhomes. Drove the 35F and the wife loved it. Thought we were going the C Class route before today but not after a test drive of the A. This unit is loaded up with features and the 1/2 bath is a huge plus along with the BIG rear shower. I have read other threads on the 35F and some seem to have the minor issues associated with a new RV but nothing major. This also seems to be the most popular floor plan. Can any current owners give me some insight as far as pros and cons? Thanks in advance.

[edgray]

I suggest you enter "35F" in the search box at the top of this forum. That should return all the previous posts on the subject.

[higgins95]

We have the 2012 Itasca Sunstar 35F and love it so far after 6000 km the only problems we have had are steps and slide lock and both where a quick fix . I used the forum for the slide lock great information on here . Gas mileage is 7 mpg. not towing I have done the CHF look it up on the forum and will be getting a rear Trac bar , but all and all it a great coach .

[SuperGewl]

Just got one and love the floor plan. As usual with any floor plan there can be improvements. There are always the New Car/MH things that were missed or not addressed at the dealer. Lots of underneath storage, I do wish they would have gone to the longer wheel base and added the pantry with the 4door refrigerator. Also just a little more room in the rear bath and a larger than life 40" TV in the living area, but that's just me improving on design. Get it while you can. I have already seen the price go up $5K since I got mine. It listed for $139, no Cab pull down bed (Studio Loft) is all I don't have. Wifey is very happy

[DeWat]

I have the bunkhouse version, the Vista 35B. Found a couple of things that should have been caught in QC, but I guess as the saying goes, closely inspect coaches finished on Fridays since the staff has the weekend in mind. Not only was mine finished on a Friday, it was the Friday before the 3-day Memorial Day weekend, which explained the minor QC things, like the crack in the fresh water tank elbow causing the fresh water tank to continuously leak and the mis-wired aux jack on the bedroom TV (you know you're not paying attention when you can't follow the simple red, yellow, and white plug goes to the red, yellow and white jack). However all-in-all, we have really enjoyed our 35B this season.

[Bama96]

Originally Posted by SuperGewl

Just got one and love the floor plan. As usual with any floor plan there can be improvements. There are always the New Car/MH things that were missed or not addressed at the dealer. Lots of underneath storage, I do wish they would have gone to the longer wheel base and added the pantry with the 4door refrigerator. Also just a little more room in the rear bath and a larger than life 40" TV in the living area, but that's just me improving on design. Get it while you can. I have already seen the price go up $5K since I got mine. It listed for $139, no Cab pull down bed (Studio Loft) is all I don't have. Wifey is very happy

How is the cab heat and noise on extended trips with this Gas Unit?

The one I am looking at has all the options as well. It does have the little studio fold down bunk. Seems to be about the size of a twin bed. Fine for kids but not really an adult bed IMO. Has the 4 door frig and the outdoor TV. MSRP is $139K. Not sure how much room they have on this unit. Most say 30% off MSRP is a good deal. Any opinions on what I should pay? I think we have it at $112,500 right now. Thanks!

[DeWat]

Originally Posted by Bama96

How is the cab heat and noise on extended trips with this Gas Unit?

The one I am looking at has all the options as well. It does have the little studio fold down bunk. Seems to be about the size of a twin bed. Fine for kids but not really an adult bed IMO. Has the 4 door frig and the outdoor TV. MSRP is $139K. Not sure how much room they have on this unit. Most say 30% off MSRP is a good deal. Any opinions on what I should pay? I think we have it at $112,500 right now. Thanks!

$112k sounds pretty good for a new Vista 35B or F that is optioned out. Concerning cab heat and noise... I have not noticed any extra heat when driving the long trips, but then again, I run the genny and both rooftop A/C's when moving for the genny exercise. As far as noise goes, well, it's a gasser. Normal driving is no problem, but it can get a little on the loud side climbing the steeper hills. I came to my Vista from a Thor Hurricane 32A, and the Vista is much quieter than the previous Hurricane, so while the Vista can get loud on the hills, I haven't forgotten what I'm came from.

[mpasso]

I bought a new 35F in 2011 and it is perfect for us. Other than some QC problems from the factory we've been quite pleased with the performance and definitely appreciate the bath and a half design. Had some electrical issues in the first three months and found the basement circuit/relay panel under the driver side was holding water from humidity build up and short circuited some of the wiring. I have done some reading and found a few others had the same problem. Warranty covered it all and it's been perfect since. Gets an average of 6-7 mpg towing. Winnie increased the wheel size to a 22" I believe in the 2012 model but that's the only difference. We are planning to go full timing in the next few years and would be quite comfortable in the 35F.

[garykk]

We like ours, we did have a few problems like the cabinets delaminating but that was all repaired. Have about 11k on it now and no major problems. As others have said, the engine can be loud on hills because it will rev to over 4k at times depending on your speed.
We do have a present problem with the front end right now. I had the front end aligned last year right after we got it as per the manual. This trip I picked up a nail in a tire out in the middle of nowhere and checked all the tires, found that the front tires were wearing on the outsides, in fact a small groove was forming. Stopped at s truck tire shop to have the nail removed ( did not want to pull it out 100 miles away from service) , the nail proved to be a non issue but the tech told me the front end was towed in too much. Been fiddling with it along the way and have changed the tow a little but I suspect its the camber or when the tie rods ends were installed, they were not installed properly. Will find out when we get home.....so.....if you get the unit, have it checked out really good by a good front end shop.

[Bama96]

Originally Posted by garykk

We like ours, we did have a few problems like the cabinets delaminating but that was all repaired. Have about 11k on it now and no major problems. As others have said, the engine can be loud on hills because it will rev to over 4k at times depending on your speed.
We do have a present problem with the front end right now. I had the front end aligned last year right after we got it as per the manual. This trip I picked up a nail in a tire out in the middle of nowhere and checked all the tires, found that the front tires were wearing on the outsides, in fact a small groove was forming. Stopped at s truck tire shop to have the nail removed ( did not want to pull it out 100 miles away from service) , the nail proved to be a non issue but the tech told me the front end was towed in too much. Been fiddling with it along the way and have changed the tow a little but I suspect its the camber or when the tie rods ends were installed, they were not installed properly. Will find out when we get home.....so.....if you get the unit, have it checked out really good by a good front end shop.

Thanks for the info and response. Still dickering but we are close.

[SuperGewl]

Originally Posted by Bama96

How is the cab heat and noise on extended trips with this Gas Unit?

The one I am looking at has all the options as well. It does have the little studio fold down bunk. Seems to be about the size of a twin bed. Fine for kids but not really an adult bed IMO. Has the 4 door frig and the outdoor TV. MSRP is $139K. Not sure how much room they have on this unit. Most say 30% off MSRP is a good deal. Any opinions on what I should pay? I think we have it at $112,500 right now. Thanks!

That's a good price in my book, so goo ahead and seal the deal. The only thing I don't have is the Pull Down bunk. I haven't taken but 1 short trip and didn't notice any excess noise or heat. Actually it was rather quiet when compared to the 03 Suncruiser I had.

[Bama96]

Done deal. Picking it up tomorrow. Now I need some input on Satellites. With three TVs I want to at least have the outdoor TV be able to be on a different channel than the two interior TVs. Anyway I can do that with an In Motion Satellite Dome? With Dish HD?

[Bama96]

[garykk]

That sure is a nice looking one! Full body paint...
Once you get it home check all the caulking on the outside, especially the roof joint in the rain gutter, others including myself have found that there were areas of caulk missing....
Have fun

[Bama96]

Just got in from driving the new Winnie 35F 5 hours down here to my place on the Gulf Coast. All I can say is WOW! This thing drives like a dream and it is very comfortable. Great power and absoulutely no complaints. Wife is happy and I cant wipe the big smile off my face. First time I have ever driven a Class A besides the normal 10 min test drives before buying. I am glad we got the Winniebago. Great quality product and look forward to learning more about the new coach. Thanks again for all the forum members comments and help.

[mpasso]

Very nice! Looks like the same full body paint and color as mine. I noticed some differences in the exterior of yours from my 2011 model. What year did you get? The basements doors/locks on yours are designed differently and I have to say it's an improvement. Wish they had used that design on the 2011s. The Vista 35F definitely has all the comforts of home. I wish you many years of enjoyment!

[Bama96]

Originally Posted by mpasso

Very nice! Looks like the same full body paint and color as mine. I noticed some differences in the exterior of yours from my 2011 model. What year did you get? The basements doors/locks on yours are designed differently and I have to say it's an improvement. Wish they had used that design on the 2011s. The Vista 35F definitely has all the comforts of home. I wish you many years of enjoyment!

We got a 2014. Very happy with it and surprised how quickly I learned to get comfortable driving a coach of this size. There a few very things that need to be corrected but the items are minor. The storage room is huge and the latch/lock system is solid. I am here at the beach but all I want to do is sit in the Winnie and tinker with everything on it.

[ETnRvr]

Regarding the cab heat, we noticed a lot of heat coming in from the windshield through the upper cabinets. I pulled the back of the cabinets out and put some foil backed roll insulation across the upper portion of the windshield. It made quite a bit of difference especially when parked.

[artgpo]

Have seen 2013 35Fs for $99,000, full body paint and all the options. Think it was a Camping World. That is somewhere very close to dealer cost.

[Bama96]

Originally Posted by artgpo

Have seen 2013 35Fs for $99,000, full body paint and all the options. Think it was a Camping World. That is somewhere very close to dealer cost.

I think 2014's are a tad more after a bump in factory pricing for the new year. I saw the invoice and my price was around $500 under their cost. It was a struggle to get this to sell a unit at that price since it had only been on the lot for 20 days and this is the most popular floor plan they sell. I think we did well on the price but its too late to worry about that now. Time to enjoy it.