Lichtsinn Motors

Doug Sage · 08-15-2006, 05:58 AM

I am about to buy a new Suncruiser and have received a very good bid from Lichtsinn Motors. Has anyone had direct experience with them who could give me a recommendation? Did they take the time to do a thorough walk through at delivery? Did they quickly fix anything that was found to be wrong at the delivery? Have you had trouble getting home and needing warranty work from your local dealer? What other points should I consider? By the way, how do you get from the airport in either Minneapolis or Des Moines to Forest City? I can't find a one way rental car that I can drop off in or near Forest City.
Thanks,
Doug

Doug Sage · 08-15-2006, 05:58 AM

I am about to buy a new Suncruiser and have received a very good bid from Lichtsinn Motors. Has anyone had direct experience with them who could give me a recommendation? Did they take the time to do a thorough walk through at delivery? Did they quickly fix anything that was found to be wrong at the delivery? Have you had trouble getting home and needing warranty work from your local dealer? What other points should I consider? By the way, how do you get from the airport in either Minneapolis or Des Moines to Forest City? I can't find a one way rental car that I can drop off in or near Forest City.
Thanks,
Doug

The Clock Meister · 08-15-2006, 06:15 AM

Some of our close friends in the local WIT club purchased their rig from Lichtsinn a while back, and were very satisfied with the experience.

I may be wrong, but it seems to me that Lichtsinn will arrange to pick you up at the airport and transport you to Forest City - probably for a nominal charge, but likely less than the cost of a rental car.

I considered using them when we bought our rig last year, but found what we wanted locally and got a reasonable deal on it. We will definitely consider them for our next if we decide to go that route.

Chris

rebelsbeach · 08-15-2006, 06:56 AM

Doug,

One of our members "Big Trace" lives in California and when he bought his coach last year, Ron Lichtsinn had someone meet him at the airport and bring them to the dealership.
He and a buddy both bought Itasca Horizon's and Trace's dad bought a Navion...

Ron Lichtsinn treats his customers with great care and respect and according to Trace's posts here,
does a thorough PDI and delivery process.

You will not be sorry.

Joe-K · 08-15-2006, 11:06 AM

We havn't bought though Lichtsinn's ourselves, but when touring the factory recently, we also took a drive past his lot. I'll certainly say, he's got quite a selection of rigs waiting for buyers.

Also while touring the factory, we learned that the factory builds "open stock" rigs. While 95% of the rigs are built according to dealer orders, Winnebago also builds about 5% of their units for stock. Dealers can then call and see if a unit is available to meet their customers exact requirements. I've got a hunch Lichtsinn can take advantage of that inventory to get the rig you want without having to carry such a large inventory.

FrontRangeRVer · 08-15-2006, 01:01 PM

I've heard nothing but good things about Lichtsinn's.....

I ordered a drawer kit for some makeshift fabrication I was doing on my old '05 Sightseer from Lichtsinns, and they got me the EXACT pieces of matching wood and drawers from Winnebago's factory....Awesome customer service.

Mark

Doug Sage · 08-15-2006, 04:31 PM

Thanks to everyone for the positive feedback on Lichtsinn Motors. The other big queston that I had was about getting warranty work done back home. It is likely to be like pulling teeth to get something fixed? What are your experiences?
Doug

FrankieJ · 08-16-2006, 08:57 PM

Doug, sometimes penny wise and pound foolish is a saying that may apply to RV repair and warranty. I know, for a fact, our local dealer, which has an excellent repair and sales reputation, puts their buying customers first on the list and the others at the bottom of the attention/repair list. The local dealers and sales people are looking for repeat business and one way is to keep the purchaser customer happy. My advice is to try and locate a dealer that comes highly recommended by other Winnebago owners and follow up on their suggestions. Compare prices and weigh the differential of cost vs frustration of warranty and repair work. If you don't belong to WIT and a spin off local club, you might want to look into that also. I have found that a great deal of information can be had by being around other RVers with the same kind of RV and asking a lot of questions. Several times, because they have "been there, done that", they have afforded me insight and information that even the factory could not answer. Just my humble opinion ... FrankiJ

Doug Sage · 08-17-2006, 05:46 AM

Thanks for your reply, Frankie. There is really only one Winnebago and one Itasca dealer in Oregon. I am looking for an Itasca Suncruiser and made an offer yesterday. I was pushed up $5,000 over the price that I can get it at Lichtsinn Motors and they still would not take my offer. The dealer wanted an additional $6,000. This means I face paying $11,000 more or go to Lichstinn and face the risk of the warranty repair hassles with the local dealer. I am still undecided about which way I am going to go. I may try to sell my current RV myself and then see if the dealer is hungrier as we go into fall - or I may decide to go to Lichtsinn.
Doug

rebelsbeach · 08-17-2006, 05:58 AM

Doug, be sure and take advantage of the $3000 instant rebate on Suncruiser whereever you buy.

Regrettably, I feel certain you will suffer "some degree" of dealer punishment from not buying locally, it's just a bruise on the RV industry that occurs...

Even my Newmar dealer in Wilmington has a sign on the wall of the service department that categorizes service customers in priority and while "transient customers" are second on the list after the "bought here" customers, "bought elsewhere" customers are certainly last.

Winnebago/Itasca dealers even receive an award for servicing a certain number (20?) of customers that didn't buy there,but you'd not know that in most dealerships.

All in all....if I didn't have a local Winnebago dealer handy, I'd buy from Ron Lichtsinn in a New York minute....

Doug Sage · 08-17-2006, 06:14 AM

Wow! I wasn't aware of the rebate. I checked the web site and then called Winnebago for details. This is a great deal! I will have to talk to the dealer some more.
Doug

BobH in AZ · 08-17-2006, 06:37 AM

We are going to Lichtsinn Motors on the 24th to pick up a 2007 View 23B.. we will fly into MPLS, and rent a Hertz that we will drop at Mason City.. they will pick you up at Mason City for free I am told. I think Hertz is the only rental that works for this... We will be driving the View back to Phoenix. We have grandkids all over the country now, and decided on the View to run between locations.

Tom-NC · 08-17-2006, 04:12 PM

Doug,
You will not be unhappy with Lichtsinn Motors as I bought my 04 Adventurer from him and have the highest regard for him and his business. He will go the limit for you and treat you fairly. I was there recently for some service work and they gave me some problems but took me in in a timely matter. Two things to consider:
1- When you buy the coach from Lichtsinn it will have low mileage on it and no hot rod will have to drive it to OR. I got mine it had 35 miles on it and I put on 10 of those miles. Therefore I broke it in.
2- You will have problems with dealers servicing the copach in Warranty. I called Winnebago about it and they told me that all the dealers sign an agreement that they have to service ALL winnebagos. The problem is when and it is usually after they service the customers that buy from them. I did find a dealer in NC, Todds RV & Marine that isn't that way and they service me whenever I make an appointment. In fact they will even allow me to stay overnight with electric since they are 2 hours away from. You could always go back to Iowa in your travels and either go to Lichtsinn or Winnebago.

I don't think you will be unhappy with Lichtsinn and Ron Lichtsinn in particular and you could even mention to him that I recommended him. I would not give the dealer in OR the time of day and find another one that will service you even if you have to drive a little further, my opinon.

Good luck with your SunCruiser as I love my 33' Adventurer.

rebelsbeach · 08-17-2006, 04:31 PM

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by BobH in AZ:
We are going to Lichtsinn Motors on the 24th to pick up a 2007 View 23B.. we will fly into MPLS, and rent a Hertz that we will drop at Mason City.. they will pick you up at Mason City for free I am told. I think Hertz is the only rental that works for this... We will be driving the View back to Phoenix. We have grandkids all over the country now, and decided on the View to run between locations. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

BobH, Welcome to the forum and the Winnebago Owners Forum!!

Congrats on the new View 23B, it's a fine coach!

We're glad you jumped in and made a post,now don't be a stranger!!

On the main forum page are many links to different information, be sure and check out the one at the very top.....Our National Rally will be in Branson,MO in July of 2007!!!

dengraham · 08-17-2006, 07:18 PM

Doug,
I agree to the letter what Tom states. I have owned three motorbuses and Ron Lichtsinn is nothing but a fist class act.

wagonmaster2 · 08-17-2006, 08:03 PM

Doug- As most above posts have said, you Will have problems getting warranty work (and sometimes other work also) from a dealer you didn't purchase from. Any selling dealer will be great to deal with, they are getting your money, its the service that causes the problems. The Itasca dealer I purchased from was great to deal for the purchase but closed down 9 months later. When I went to another dealer for warranty work and explained my situation the service dept said "only 3 items can be fixed on one service call and you go to the bottom of the appointment list". In a winter month when the work load should be slow it took 6 weeks to get an appointmen, they kept the coach 3 weeks and did 4.8 hours actual work. A relative purchased from them, got an appointment in the Spring in one week and they did all the warranty work the same day while he stayed in the unit. After trying 2 separate dealers I ended up driving 750 miles one way to Forest City for warranty work and may be facing another trip since 4 of the 12 items they worked on are still not functioning right. Getting warranty work is really a crap shoot. Good luck on your decision.
Wagonmaster2
2004 Meridian 36G

RoadRohrers · 08-07-2008, 02:20 PM

Know this is an old post, but raises a question.

Will Winnebago, with prior approval, allow independent, perhaps local, RV repair technicians do warranty work? Winnebago mostly likely will only pay what is allows for warranty work (kinda like health insurance)and a small markup on parts.

Thanks for your help. Be interesting to find if anyone is still monitoring this thread.

FleetMan · 08-07-2008, 02:43 PM

Doug,
Have you checked Roy Robinson in Marysville, WA? When we were in the market for our present MH, they beat the Portland/Gresham dealer by a significant margin.

Al Spivey · 08-07-2008, 06:09 PM

Go with the deal from Forest City. I bought my 4th Winnie from a dealer in Atlanta and have never had a problem getting work done all over the nation. Just recently had work done in Maine and had no problems. If they are a Winnie dealer, they rate pretty high as to ability to fix most problems. If all else fails, go to Camper World. They do good work on most RVs and don't charge as much. Buy the best deal. Chances of you having major problems with a Winnie are slim and none. I have had 4 Winnies and have never had any problems getting service work done. Good luck and go for the best deal. Time is wasting. Good luck, Al

wagonmaster2 · 08-07-2008, 06:53 PM

RoadRohrer - I have a 2004 Itasca Meridian and never tried getting Winnebago to approve an independent shop for warranty work, but I imagine the problem would be getting Winnebago to ship a part to an independent shop since they won't even ship to a Winnebago owner. I've tried, and all they will say is "Go to your local dealer for the part".
Wagonmaster2