Looking for Advice on purchase

[RGRoadTeam]

Hello. I am new to the whole RVing experience. We are hoping to purchase our first RV this week. It is a Meridian 42E 2016.

I haven't actually laid eyes on it as it is being delivered to the store. Being almost 2 years old I was wondering what are some of the things I should be aware of on the walkthrough and test-drive. We are getting a normal mechanical inspection of course but there are so many bells and whistles to check I was hoping to get some input from some of the more seasoned community members on some of the normal issues associated with this model so I can be more focused when I do the walk through.

I have downloaded the owners manual and am trudging my way through it and have looked at quite a few videos etc. Trying to do my due diligence to avoid any pitfalls but the best advice is always from someone who has already traveled down this road

[BBBEEBOP]

Wow! That's a big unit for a first timer, Good Luck, where do we begin to talk about your PDI

[TonyDi]

They always say, "buy your third RV first". Looks like you did. Congratulations. My best advice is to video the PDI. There will be times in the future when you'll need to know how to do something, and won't remember how. The video makes a great reference for that.

Happy Trails!!!

[SuperGewl]

If this is a new unit then make sure the owners manual is there. You should get a big black Winnebago satchel full of goodies and 2 full sets of keys.
I would schedule a 3 to 5 day trip camping somewhere close the first weeks you get it.
Don't be afraid to ask questions of the others in the campground.
The 3-5 day camping trip it get your self and significant other/s familiar with the MH. All you are going to need is the basics, linen, towels, potable water and sewer hoses, maybe 50 feet of cable for TV and your personal clothes.
The one thing I would do before putting anything in the MH is take it to get weighed empty, exception is full of Potable water, fuel and propane. This info will be needed later after you get your stuff(junk) in it and start to complain about its handling and or ride.

Sorry back t the PDI, the camping trip, unless you have room in the yard to completely set it up, is to allow you to check out every thing on it and make sure it works properly. If it doesn't, add it to the list of repairs for the dealer. All of this goes for new or used.

The Owners manual should explain how to operate every aspect of the MH and you need to go thru this from front to back to check everything out properly.
Some of the biggest areas of concern is proper Leveling, the proper order of events. Is it deflate air bags then level then deploy slideouts or what?
The other things concern the important stuff, how to get SAT and or TV stations to each TV and program them.
Then onto the fun stuff, the tanks. How to properly empty them and how to fill the Potable water tank. Oh what fun you are going to have.
Don't waste your money on a bunch of stuff that this person says you need or that person says you need. What you really need is about 20 foot of top quality sewer hose( 2 15' sections is good) and about 20 feet of potable water hose( 1 5' and 1 15' will do) Make sure its RV/Boat Potable (drinking)water hose, not the average water hose you use for your garden.
a lot of the other things you can get as you need them. Remember you are just starting out and not sure what you really need and what you really want.
During the PDI have them sow you exactly where the Engine(chassis) battery disconnect is and the House battery disconnect is. Also where the fridge icemaker filter is and the cutoff for it.
There is a lot more stuff to do but the list just goes on and on, you could actually take full day in a great PDI checking out everything but most only last a few hours. That is for the seasoned RV'r. We take them home and start to play with everything and just make a list to get things fixed.
don't worry we are here to help and so is the Owners Manual.
Have fun get out there and use it.

[KD4XR]

We are on our 2nd MH and still consider ourselves novices. Wed bought a 2006 Itasca Horizon which was 8 years old when we bought it. We were very nervous about purchasing and older MH. Like you, we did our due diligence and we thought we were ready for a PDI. Wrong! There were so many inter-related systems to become familiar with, the PDI became overwhelming. I'm sure your choice of MH, being only 2 years old, has far more high tech stuff than ours. So be prepared to be overwhelmed. A previous post suggests videoing the PDI. Great Idea. I wish I had though of that.

Our dealership had a campground on-site so we spent 2 days full time in the coach while staying in their campground. We checked out all the bells and whistles and got familiar with how to operated things. Of course, we had full hookups, and for the most part everything worked as expected. We knew there would be times when we won't have hookups but figured that would be way down the road. Wrong again! On the way home we stopped for the night in Rest Area and realized that we hadn't covered how to operate things while on generator power. Make sure to go over operating things when you don't have water, sewer, power, and cable TV hookups. Managing your house battery power, water, LP gas, storage tanks can be a challenge.

There are so many big thing on your MH you can easily loose sight of the little things. Blinds, faucets, door knobs, switched, lights, screens, roof vents, rain sensors, and awning wind sensors. Living in your MH for a couple days will give you an opportunity to test all those smaller items.

Then there's the freightliner chassis!

Good luck with your new MH and welcome to the community. Safe travels.

[Duner]

Run all the slides in/out a few times and listen for any unusual sounds and smooth operation, especially the big slide. The Lippert/Schwentek slides from earlier years have been very problematic. Not sure about 2016.

Good luck and enjoy your new coach,
Bill

[BVThunder]

Originally Posted by Duner

Run all the slides in/out a few times and listen for any unusual sounds and smooth operation, especially the big slide. The Lippert/Schwentek slides from earlier years have been very problematic. Not sure about 2016.

Good luck and enjoy your new coach,
Bill

The 2016 Winnebago slides are not problematic unless you get a bad day on the assembly line.

[RGRoadTeam]

Thanks All. Some good stuff in there. I was thinking of using one of those rv inspector companies like Premier or Lemon Finders. (looking for BBB accredited inspectors). Has anyone used one of those and more importantly did it provide value for you?

Considering the cost of the purchase tossing a couple hundred for someone "qualified" might be a good idea. I just worry I will get back cosmetic things rather then structural/mechanical.

[dickb46]

Hi RG, I'm confident you are off on a great journey with your choice of your mh.
We've been in this life style since '86 and are on our 5th mh and each has been a learning experience.
The most recent (3 months ago) is a 2003 Journey; our first diesel pusher and there was 10 times s much to learn in that transition.
A 3-5 day shake down cruise is a real good idea but expect to be spending 8 hours a day reading those books! Our new coach wasn't brought to us, we traveled 1400 miles to get it and drove it 1400 miles back home. That was 4 hours driving a day and 8 hours reading.
Don't let minor stuff become a major headache, most of the time it isn't a problem but lack of understanding the system.

dick&linda
2003 Journey and loving it

[oakcreekeric]

As a suggestion...

While I can't imagine there will be much wrong with your 2016 unit.. there is always the possibility.. Maybe you can get the VIN # ahead of time and contact WBGO directly and see if they will share any warranty claims made..

Also.. another suggestion... see if you can speak to the previous owner..

Good Luck !!

[Forza Tom]

A couple of things you may want to consider if you don't have are electrical connection adapters.

I assume your unit will be 50 Amp. You will cant the capability of plugging into 30 Amp when its the only thing offered in the campground. This doesn't happen often.

Also make sure you can adapt to plug into you regular 20 Amp household plug or you won't be able to keep the unit going when its at your home.

If the cord on board isn't long enough to reach your preferred plug in place at home make sure you have heavy duty extension cord.

So in addition to you 50 female to 30 mail adapter you will want a 30 female to a 20 mail.

I wouldn't wait to get these you will likely need the right away.

Hope that helps

[Skip Y]

Congratulations! I'm sure you'll love the lifestyle. As you can see, RVer's are a great bunch and are more than willing to help. On top of all the great advice already provided, I suggest you consider joining RV owner clubs (WIT) and then attend local chapter outings and also the Grand National Rally in July, There you'll get personal responses from 'expert' owners.

Skip Y
2010 Journey 40TD

[OLYLEN]

On a unit that has been sitting, the batteries, both house and start. Start should be fine but house are questionable as running them to zero is the norm. And they will/could be out of warrentee.

LEN

[RGRoadTeam]

Well things did not go as planned. I started getting suspicious when I was not able to get our Salesman at camping world to provide certain data (build sheet) and the deposit that I theoretically made never posted to my account. I called the CampingWorld where the RV in question actually resided and to my surprise they had no knowledge about the "deal" or that they were supposed to be transferring the unit to the other store In fact they were never contacted from my salesman.

Well needless to say I am shopping around again a little wiser for my experiences.

Good news is I am now going to be doing a test drive of a 2014 Winny Tour42QD. The floorplan is almost identical just a nicer coach even if its used. Only 1 owner and the Carfax and Service records look good. Hoping all the major bugs were worked out and it will be smooth sailing.

Setup a certified inspector for after the test drive to tear into it and hopefully find nothing serious. I figure the $500 for the inspection will pay off.

Hard part now is figuring out do I want an Extended Warranty or do I bank the money and self insure.

AGWS is looking for about 8k for a 6year 60k Exclusionary but no consequential. I also seem to see quite a few negative comments about them denying claims. But I try to think usually people don't go out of their way to post positive but will write up a storm on a negative

Goodsams I was told is more of an insurance package then a warranty but need to check into it.

Wholesale Warranty's wanted around 10k for a 4 year Exclusionary with Consequential. Best coverage but pricy. Think they use Viking as an underwriter.

Still shopping around to get some prices then guess I will make best choice and see what I can negotiate.

If anyone knows of a reputable company I can call might save me a little hassle? I don't mind shelling out the money for one. I just want to make sure when I need it I am backed up by them not fighting to get what's owed.

[oakcreekeric]

Sorry to hear of your troubles.. that kinda sucks..

Moral of the story, stay away from all Camping Worlds !!

My two cents.. bank the money and self insure... You're buying a 2014, and if you do your diligence, you should be able to insure a solid purchase..

Do yourself one favor.. Check out the slide mechanisms on that year.. I recall that year having issues with the shwintek slides.. but I could be mistaken.. I'm sure someone on this thread, or if you start a new one, will be able to brief you on the positives and negatives on that year..

Good Luck !!!

[GG1]

I sent you a private message please check it