# HELP!! Should we buy this 2015 Minnie Winnie 31H??



## MikeyD1

Hi All,

First post and I apologize that this is so long and thank you for reading all of it and helping me in any way possible. This is a very important purchase for us as it is for all of us right. This is our 1st RV and want to be happy. Just FYI I'm a handy/technical guy (I'm in IT work) and can change the oil on this motorhome and the generator oil myself without issue. I'm not afraid to fix the small stuff and don't mind taking things apart to save my self a couple hundred dollars. 

Before I discuss the RV the wife and I have for now decided against a ESP (Extended Service Plan) and have decided to set the monthly $100 aside in a small investment account where it can gain money and we can pull it out any time we need it for major repairs on the RV.

So I'm still new to the site and been researching Class C motorhomes with bunkhouse for my family and I for almost a year now. Well we finally found a great deal from a reputable dealer here in California called Family RV who has 4.6 stars out of 96 reviews on Google reviews and 4 out of 5 stars with 77 reviews on Yelp. The new owner took ownership of the company 3 years ago so I ignore things before that because the old owner didn't seem to care for some things. So the motorhome is a 2015 Winnebago Minnie Winnie 31H with 43,754 miles on it. It was a previous rental and for the most part was in fantastic shape (See below for minor/major damage). They are asking an incredible $39,100 (YES YOU READ CORRECT $39,100). I asked if anything major or reoccurring has happened to this RV such as rebuilt tranny or new motore or anything of the like and was told by our sales lady who seems honest that nothing. It was just time to pull it out of the fleet as it has almost 50k miles and has already paid for it self in rental fees. 
When we first started my research we stayed away from rentals, but as we learned more about them and speaking to owners of some and even a small rental company near my home, we learned that they are constantly on top of any repairs, oil changes etc...the generator doesn't site for more than a couple weeks, the coach doesn't just sit either. Any bugs from when it were new have been worked out and possibly replaced with new stronger parts/updated parts. 
So we went through the entire RV and checked all the below mentioned items. PLEASE tell me if I missed something important. Also there are some concerns with really only 2 things that mention below the bunkhouse slideout and the passenger slide back corner trim. I mention both in detail below as well as provide pics.
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Here is the shutterfly website with my site and pictures: https://2015winnebagominniewinnie31h.shutterfly.com/*

ITEMS CHECKED:
1.) Tire Tread and Date Code = Great
2.) Complete body of motorhome = Great (minor scratch or scuffs)
3.) Roof of coach - Very clean and sealed well no soft spots (See pic)
4.) Ran generator for about an hour straight with AC on = Great (Starts immediately)
5.) Checked heater = Good
6.) Checked Every light and Fan = Great
7.) Checked all receptacles & GFIs with my receptacle outlet tester = Perfect
8.) Checked Engine Oil and fluids = Perfect
9.) Drove Unit - Good (Little noiser than I though it would be but still good, they will also do alignment before I pick it up)
10.)Checked water pump = Great
11.) Checked Propane Stove, Microwave & Fridge = Perfect
12.) Checked TV = Great (Vizio 32")
13.) Checked Tank Monitoring system = Great (all lights working properly)
14.) Checked all Cabinet doors = Good (Found 1 loose cover that they will fix)
15.) Checked manually adjustable mirrors = Great
16.) Checked windows functionality including Driver and passenger electric = Good
17.) Checked floors/upholstery for any damage = Perfect
18.) Checked Coach Batteries = Great (Full voltage and holding charge)
19.) Tested LP and Smoke Detector = Perfect
20.) Checked underneath coach for leaks = Perfect no leaks of anything noticed.
21.) Checked under kitchen and bathroom sink for any sign of water damage = Great (No water stains or damage noted).
22.)Checked Compartments on outside = Excellent (Except for one see pics and below for more detail)
23.) Checked Ladder to roof = Great (Stable and Strong)
24.) Checked sealing around joints and roof line to sides = Good (Everything looked clean with no noticeable over caulking or repairs.
25.) All gauges work and there are no check engine lights etc. = Perfect

Ok so I think that is everything I checked, I may have missed one or 2 things. One thing I forgot to really check was sliding open the windows in the coach. Visually the windows looked perfect, but I forgot to open and close them. Not sure if this is a biggie but just to note.

Ok so small things and damage we noted and they are suppose to fix before we go in a couple weeks to pick it up. I have noted what the sales lady told me on some items and have included pics for everyone to see what I'm talking about.

Damaged Items:

I'll only report the 3 major things we found and if you look at pictures you will see all 3.

1.) Bunkhouse Slide out is stuck and not closing all the way. The sales lady who is helping us is very friendly and I feel that she is honest. She has been at the facility for about 1 month coming from another RV Dealership. She mentioned that the previous family that owned it apparently hit something on the Bunk house slideout and it seems to have misaligned the slideout, so now it won't close all the way and is open about 1 - 2" inches out. She mentioned they will certainly fix this and I myself will test the crap out of it when I go back trust me on that one. 

2.) The 2nd issue found goes hand in hand with the Slideout mentioned above. On the very back bottom passenger side corner, it looks like when they hit the slide something grabbed the trim and ripped it off the corner that it was protecting. It looks like it can be bent and glued back (Which our sales lady said they would do), however to replace the entire trip it runs all the way up the coach and across the roof line, so I'm not sure it would be wise anyways to try and replace the whole thing. What do you think?

3.) The 3rd and final issue is the cargo door on the drive side where the propane tank is located one of the turn knobs got pushed in and it busted the fiberglass on that cargo door. You can see this damage on the door. Our sales lady said she will try to get this replaced but no promise because it's not something that needs to lock and it still closes and stays closed with the other knob. I looked up this door on amazon and it sells for $240.00 . Should I make to much noise about this door or should I worry more about the other 2 items mentioned above?

All in all besides needing an alignment which they are going to do they said and I will drive it again before I hand over full payment and they slide out and corner trim piece they coach is in excellent shape. The damage that was done to the corner trim and is my biggest worry....should I worry about this to much or if they bend it back and glue it on tight is that acceptable? I also contact a local RV repair shop and told them my situation with the slideout and asked if it went out again how much do they charge to repair it. He said if it just got off track they can probably do it in 1 hour and that is $130/hr. He said if it's more complicated and they have to take it apart then it can be 2 or 3 hours @ $130/hr. plus parts. Which to be honest doesn't seem to bad if it fixes any future issues.

So based on ALL this info and a price tag of $39,100 what would you do and please be honest. My wife and I have good thoughts and we have the worse scenario thoughts and want to be sure we are making the right purchase at a excellent price point. If the slideout is fixed and the corner trim is fixed is this good enough you think? I'm not looking to haggle the price any further because it's already below Nada/blue book value and is selling for their wholesale cost. 

Thank you all again for any and all wisdom and insight you can provide my family and I with!


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## McKannick

Well, sounds like you're one very thorough RV buyer, "1st  time" or not! No personal experience with motorized RV's unless you count my '70 VW Westfalia camper bus!  But with trailers, you never seem to notice roof leaks, you only find the long term evidence of them in soft spots in the floor where the "wood" (Elmer's glue and sawdust/wood chips) has dissolved by soaking in rainwater from the leaks. That's the prime reason we're getting rid of our 2006 Gulfstream Ameri-lite trailer. 
As you have inspected throughout this unit as best anyone ever could, if something does show later, no one else would have seen it either. And this price is similar to rental automobiles when they dump them, they've made huge profits from the rentals and are cutting loose dirt cheap.


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