Before we moved to Colorado and started remodeling the new house for LEED certification we bought a 2002 Itasca 22E Class C recreational vehicle. We acquired it and the very end of 2009 as it’s third owner. We had so many wonderful trips in the old RV, visiting parks, getting away to hike on weekends when we were still employed, and taking grandkids around the country.
But now that we have three growing grandkids and two older ones who visit occasionally it seemed to be time to replace our older unit with a newer one. I did plenty of research on various models and found that it is unusual to have both a couch and dinette in a shorter RV model. This layout has served us well allowing for several passengers and sleeping spaces. In fact the Itasca model we own has a different layout from the new one of the same size.
I also wanted the Winnebago quality roof since they use domed fiberglass instead of TPO or rubber. Some other brands use fiberglass and some Winnie’s now come without the fiberglass roof but the model I narrowed my search to was the Minnie Winnie or Itasca 25B with the fiberglass roof. This unit has a couch and dinette and overhead bed just like our Itasca. But it also has a corner bed in the back. It adds 4 feet to the length at 26’2″ instead of 22′. That seemed like a good trade off for more sleeping and storage space for the family. We were absolutely not interested in slide outs that add space while parked. They can be difficult to maintain and are heavy so they limit passengers and gear. This unit has the smaller, E350 chassis just like our old RV but it is not hesitant on the road as the Ford engine is legendary for its longevity and performance.
I had half heartedly looked at Craigslist and RV Trader for this model thinking the purchase was in some distant future but sometimes there is serendipity in life. I happened to look at RV Trader and a seller in Colorado Springs about 90 minutes from here had posted for sale just one day before, a newer model for a price we were willing to consider.
The next day I drove down to look at the rig and it was immaculate inside. A couple had it for a little over two years and although it had over 50,000 miles on it and our old Itasca only has 58,000, I was sure it was what we were looking for. We are the RV’s third owner. I found out from its documentation that it was manufactured for Apollo, an RV rental agency which is the reason it has more than the average number of miles for its age. The owners bought it with almost 35,000 miles which is a common sale mileage for some rental equipment dealers.
I could have held out for a few more options. We are tired of the time it takes to level when we camp so thought our next RV would have auto leveling and this one does not. I was actually hoping for a protected dump valve not one that is just under the sidewall and this model doesn’t have that. Not the kind of thing you learn from a brochure. A full fiberglass cap is an option that this one does not have and they are nice for reducing exterior caulking maintenance.
I offered to buy it on the spot and they asked for a little more so it was sold. The couple was very accommodating and in order to transfer title at our bank with the check in hand they drove it all the way up here for us. I’m absolutely thrilled to have the newer bigger RV. As soon as I organize the storage for all the equipment from the older RV I will clean it up and put it on Craigslist. I’m guessing it will sell quickly.
The new RV will probably have a few things that don’t work correctly and there are several useful modifications that I will want to make but the basic unit is exactly what we need for our growing family; a wonderful distraction.