We just adopted a 23 foot 2006 Winnebago View Class C Motor home and we’re thrilled! www.generalrv.com/inventory/112001/Used-2006-Winnebago-View
I use the term “adopted” because we love this thing so much it feels like we adopted it! And I know what I’m talking about. I adopted my own darlings when they were five and six. OK. Maybe getting the View isn’t as thrilling as the day I brought my two wunderkinds home, but you’re getting the idea.
My 23 year old daughter and 21 year old son are fine with my comparing their adoption with that of our new motor home, by the way. They know mama loves them most of all!
The Winnebago View Adoption Saga:
1) While we certainly liked our lovely Jayco Travel Trailer, the first day we brought it home dear husband said “ We should have got a Class C.” while he was unhitching the thing sweating like a pig. Most folks are more than fine with towing and hitching. For whatever reasons (no doubt, laziness) it just isn’t for us.
2) So, we have been looking and researching long and hard for the RV we really want, while still enjoying our travel trailer on many outings. Some folks say it takes three RV purchases to end up with the “right” one. We’re desperately hoping to stop at two. The RV negotiation process is not our idea of a blast, and if anyone thinks it is, I’d seriously love to hear why. Maybe I’m missing something, because to us, buying an RV is like jabbing steak knives into our foreheads over and over and over.
3) We wanted an easy-to-drive large B+ or small C with a diesel engine as my husband likes them, and we don’t embrace hopes that gas prices are going to drop anytime soon. They’re not easy to find (used ones with really low mileage), but we finally found the one we wanted at La Mesa RV, in Mesa, Arizona. This unit also met our other criteria, in terms of floor plan, cabinetry, etc.
4) We drove the View off the lot and headed straight to Usery Mountain State Park (which we totally love), in Mesa, Arizona for the Easter weekend maiden voyage of our View.
www.maricopa.gov/parks/usery Oh Wow! It is so us! This thing is easy and fun to drive. The floor plan was great, along with everything else. And get this, we got 17 + miles per gallon on the drive back to Prescott, even with lots of elevation changes, etc. We’re still keeping track of that, however, as we only went through a quarter of a tank.
5) La Mesa RV, Mesa, Arizona: www.lamesarv.com. We liked them! Considering the process of getting an RV is not my idea of a good time ( I believe I may have mentioned that earlier), they made it as painless as possible. We worked with a couple of different sales reps (nice guys, Steve and Vinnie) and Larry Irwin in Financing is just great. The guys involved with the walk through, office staff, etc. were all good, too, and in general, we drove away thinking “Yup, La Mesa RV is a good place to do business.”
So, yes, we got ourselves a great View. There will be more stories forthcoming, as we’re heading to Montana (or “Montucky,” as my son for some reason calls it) soon, and will continue to downsize our home in Arizona. More on that later.
Happy Tales to you and yours,
Patti
Patti Faustini
Hi Reinita, so did you go camping this weekend? And you make great points about how our RV needs must fit with our family needs. We’re almost down to just the two of us (17 year old son is more than ready to fly the coop!) so the 24 ft Winnie View is working great for us. It may not have been big enough just a year ago, but things change and now it’s just right. Go figure…
Happy tales, Patti
Reinita
Thanks for the response. We have eyed some of those RVs before and think we may be in the market for one when the kids grow up and leave us. For now, we can use all the room we can possibly get. The hybrid travel trailer works well, though we’ve been eying some fivers each time we stop at Camping World.
But the truck we got when we got the HTT won’t pull a fiver. What to do? What to do? We may be in the market for a new TV and a fiver next year.
For now, the HTT will start getting use starting next weekend!
Safe travels.
Patti Faustini
Hi again, Reinita! Great questions! They bring to mind what a friend of mine said just last night: “There is no perfect RV. There’s always some thing…:: And I agree. Yes,the downside of our Class C is we either have to tow a tiny little car or we have to put away the interior each time we move! You’re right, being able to unhook is awesome. For us, though, being able to drive the actual unit won out. We’ll find out how it compares. Who knows? This time next year, maybe we’ll be back in a travel trailer!
Happy Tales,
Patti
reinita
How exciting for you! Congrats. Looks like a great vehicle. We have a hybrid travel trailer and like being able to unhook so we can drive our truck places (to a small lake to fish from our canoe, for sure!).
Curious: How do you handle that? Do you have to break up camp and go, then come back?
Patti Faustini
Thank you, Yvonne! I guess we’re obviously excited! It’s great hearing from you.
Happy Tales,
Patti
Yvonne
Congratulations!