Looking For a Winnie In All the Wrong Places

duramax · March 12, 2015, 12:43 PM

With apologies to Johny Lee! I am still searching for that elusive Winnie. Very difficult. You may remember I missed out one good possibility. I check a bunch of websites and use Search Tempest every day. A few pop up but they have been sold or beyond restoration. I would like to find a Chieftain 26 RB. 73 to 76. I don't mind doing the usual repairs: brakes, maybe new appliances or ones that need some work, update the interior, major tune up, probably some wiring and electrical repairs. I do not want to do body work or paint. So many are really just parts vehicles. They are cheap to buy but need too much work. Yesterday I saw an ad on Yuma Craig's list. a 76 Chieftain . The right length. He wants to trade for a van. I called him up and after a bunch of questions it turns out it needs a bunch of work. Generator is toast, interior is very bad. Appliance's may not work. The photos in the ad are not current. He would sell it for $5000!!! FIRM. Up to that point I was willing to drive from Tucson to check it out. But every question had an answer of more problems, I would pay this top dollar for a real nice one. So many of the ones for sale have been rotting in a back yard for 5 to 10 years. I'm anxious and becoming depressed. If I see one more with a description like ( perfect for Burning Man) I will scream. Usually have a purple hippy interior! The strange tghing is that if you want a Classic Airstream or say a Barth there are some good one's out there. They may be high priced but some are as new. I do not want an Airtsream! I need my Classic Winnie! HELP!

LJ-TJ · March 12, 2015, 01:59 PM

Patients my good man. All good things come to those who wait.

duramax · March 12, 2015, 02:33 PM

lj-tj: I know you are right. patience is a virtue and I guess I am not virtuous! The last 3 classics I bought took less than 3 months. But there was lots to choose from. Seems that so many of the Winnies have turned to dust! What a shame. Back in the 760's I was a Good Sam club President. I remember when one of the members bought a new Chieftain. We were all drooling over his unit. I think it was a 75. There is one behind a farmhouse close to where we live. I stopped to see the owner. He is a trucker and was on the road. His wife said it was no good. I may go to see him when the snow is all gone. Sounded like the roof may have a leak. Depends on how much damage was done. Being in a farm yard usually means mice. Where I live if you get mice in an RV the insurance company will send the unit to a place that fumigates the whole unit. If it is too bad they write it off. I have seen almost brand new 5th wheels go to scrap auctions! Health concerns over that disease that mice carry. Very serious. Mold is also a concern.

LJ-TJ · March 12, 2015, 03:54 PM

Hey Mate I was just pulling your leg. Every few months I go hunting for Classic Winnebago's 66 to 78 and post them for the gang here. Over the years I've seen some pretty sweet looking old Classic Winnebago's for some pretty fare money. The only thing I like to caution the guys about is while the $500.00, $1000.00, $1,500.00 dollar bago looks good on the surface by the time you get done fixing all the little knit picky things,putting $1000.00 dollars worth of tires on it to get it home, your into five times more than what you paid for it. Some times the guys get so discouraged they just give up and quit and loose their investment. We know not everybody has $5000.00 or $6000.00 thousand dollars sitting in the bank to bankroll one of these rigs that's why we're here. We're POOR. We have to fix everything our selves. So we pitch in and help the rest of us poor people out so we can all have fun.

Then when we're up and running and looking fine. We wonder what the Rich people are doing for fun. Glad to have you aboard.

khantroll · March 12, 2015, 05:57 PM

Hi Duramax. I just thought I'd chime in. I bought my winnebago a little less then a year ago. Like you, I searched all over the area. One big difference I noticed compared to other vintage vehicles, is that you don't generally have the range you do for other classic cars. What I mean is that it's one thing to trailer a 57 chevy, another to move a winnebago. Add to that the fact that my location is not a vacation spot, nor historically a rich area, and that I wanted a larger one, and you can see that it the options were few.

I didn't have a large budget, so I knew I'd have to take a project or a bargain. Most of the ones I looked at were bad, or bad and over priced. I looked at 6 prior to making a purchase, but the two examples that come to mind were an non-running one that I would have had to cut down trees in order to remove, and another that was price at 5000 and need a completed interior overall and brake work.

Eventually, I bought one for $600. She's most definitely a project. I took the RV Checklist with me (which anyone looking at ANY kind of RV, but especially a vintage rig, should), and I found one spot of wall rot and the roof needed work. She ran, drove, and stopped, and while her tires were out of date by the code they were/are in serviceable condition.

As I've begun working on her, I've found three more spots of rot that I can't believe I missed, and that will have to be addressed. One of her brake boosters needs overhauled as well, not to mention the couches still need recovered.

I've said all this so I can share my takeaway on the search for one of these girls. I am emotionally attached to mine, and the memories of finding,owning, and repairing her. But, if I had it all to do over again, and knowing what the next year would have in store for me, I would definitely have waited for a much more sound rig.

They are out there, and with work and faith they can be found.

P.S., I know this post is a little rambling, but I just wanted to show you that I've been there, and tell you a little of what can happen if you get a hold of project rig. Good luck!

tiinytina · March 12, 2015, 06:32 PM

Then again you could upgrade that to a 84 Tiffin... allegro...http://phoenix.craigslist.org/evl/rvs/4877185257.html just sayin......

duramax · March 12, 2015, 07:17 PM

Thanks for the replies. I am fortunate to be in a position to spend whatever I have to ( within reason). This will be both a project to keep me "off the streets" and a second RV. We have an 08 Dynasty that is our main RV. When I was looking for a unit to use in Mexico ( the Dynasty would fall apart on the bad roads) I ended up with an 88 Bluebird. I spent 2 years working on her and it was a beauty. But my health started to give me problems and I sold it. Put the $$ in a savings account and it is still available for another unit. My health recovered and I am ready to rock and roll. I am not as talented a some on this site but I am an old hot rodder. I built a shop in Mexico and it is fully equipped so working on the new Winnie will be a breeze . Especially compared to using a 3/4 impact and 3/4 drive sockets with cheater bars to work on the Bluebird. I have owned 2 440's but it has been years . This will be my "Classic Car". I usually drive to Tucson for RV parts but all the mechanical stuff is available in Mexico. Upholstery is inexpensive as is labor. I haven't figured out how to post pictures in a thread but when I do will show some of our old Bluebird. BTW: We started out RVing by renting a tent trailer for our honeymoon. Could not afford to travel any other way. We got the big and have been RVing ever since! Tina: That is one strange Tiffin. A classic Winnie has nicer lines. I would consider that a downgrade!

Rickf1985 · March 12, 2015, 07:18 PM

NADA of 10-12 huh? Too tired to look that one up but I tend to doubt it.

khantroll · March 12, 2015, 08:24 PM

I am dubious as well, but then again, NADA values tend to be way off the mark for certain vehicles.

That being said, it is a nice coach.

duramax · March 12, 2015, 09:16 PM

NADA often makes no sense. When I sold my Bluebird I had to find a cash buyer as NADA showed a value of about $7000 even though most were selling for 5 times that figure. banks wont finance over NADA value. A 76 Winnie 26RB shows $8550 to 10,300. I have no idea where they got that price. I have yet to see one advertised at anything near those figures. I know that on late model RV's they use auction prices and reports from dealers. But non popular vehicles like Foretravels are difficult to price. Non would be found at auctions and not that many are sold. In those cases they often just take a depreciated value from new. The prices in the dealer NADA is not the same as what we see online.

DaveVA78Chieftain · March 12, 2015, 09:35 PM

http://reno.craigslist.org/rvs/4905000813.html

Dave

duramax · March 12, 2015, 10:36 PM

Dave: Surely you jest. Like Wow man!In one of my posts I mentioned The Burning Man Winnie. The cool purple and polka dots is a little much for this old guy. I wonder if they just painted the cabinets I think the ceiling as well. I appreciate your post but I will pass on that one. maybe it would have been great before they hippied up the rig. The body looks OK in the pics. I cannot tell if the front peak is without paint or it might be a shadow. I also found one with 25,000 miles but there are no pics. Claims the body is in good condition. Asking $5000. Does not list the length. I will call in the am.

Rickf1985 · March 13, 2015, 06:53 AM

Hey, paint can be repainted! Don't pick on us old hippies too much, I still have my long hair, well what is left of it and it is just a tad gray. W% W% Do have to admit, the purple and dots are too much though. Beads for doors now............... :)rotflmao

M & J · March 13, 2015, 01:07 PM

Look beyond the decor and cosmetics and seems decent.

duramax · March 13, 2015, 03:36 PM

It does seem not bad. But if the cabinets have been painted as well as the ceiling that would be a deal breaker. I would almost bet that it has been basterdized. Usually they make room for a lot of hippies by removing some cabinets or furniture. I would prefer one that has not been altered. Even if the interior needed some work. I have seen some SOB Classic units where the owner was a good carpenter and built new cupboards that were great.

DaveVA78Chieftain · March 13, 2015, 09:13 PM

Reference that post (compaired to my 78 27ft Cheiftain)
The kitchen counter / stove area is painted over original
Cabinets above them are painted over original
They pulled out the dinet and installed a couch. Many later model rigs have a removable table in front of the couch like in that arrangement.
From the little I can see of it, Rear Bath area is painted original. Closet is to the left of toilet in picture. Sink then shower/tub to the right.
Bunk beds forward of bath are in their original position. Overhead cabinets above beds are there (painted)
Fridge is in it's original location
Generator has the large access door rather than the dinky door mine has. Much easier for maintenance.

So, the original bones are still there.

Dave

duramax · March 14, 2015, 08:12 AM

I missed this one by less than 24 hours. Saw it in the morning but was sold by the time I was able to call. I really want a 26 ft. but this one is exceptional. If I find the longer unit in this condition I would papyal an immediate deposit!

http://spokane.craigslist.org/rvs/4923142042.html

Oz · March 14, 2015, 10:01 AM

You'll find it. I know it's getting hard because spring is just about here, but you'll find it.

duramax · March 14, 2015, 10:33 AM

Thx for the encouragement. That last unit restored my faith that some decent units are available. But they are elusive. I use Craigslist but if you use Search Tempest or all of Craig's list there are a lot of dead links. I also find that their lists are incomplete. To use the real Craigslist and do each state and city is tedious! Not too many forum members post their units for sale. I guess they are keepers. Back in December when I first started looking I was open to a bunch of different Classics. I included Barth, Airstream, Superior, Avco and a few others. Not many Superiors around, Avco's are too fancy, Barth's are OK but not a Winnie. Airstream's are mostly owned by those who think they and their units are Elite! Although Winnies may not have the construction of some of the above they are a true Classic. The first real mass produced MJH's. And still around. We toured the Winnie factory back in 1980 and was impressed. They had real engineers. Made almost every piece including window frames. Only MH other than a Bluebird that passed the school bus rollover test.

LJ-TJ · March 14, 2015, 03:10 PM

Awwwww Nuts. Man that was a beauty. See,see I told you they were out there. It's kind of like looking for Big Foot. ELUSIVE. The funny thing a bout Winnebago's from other rigs is back in the 70's everybody had one. Or that's the way it seems because just driving down a country road and with someone getting their mail they always smile and wave. If you stop for gas or if your coming out from supper someone always wants to stop and talk and inevitable when they were a kid their Dad had one or there Uncle or there neighbor. Keep at her mate she's just around the next corner.