Happy Friday, Autopians! We’re headed into a three-day weekend here in the US, the unofficial start of summer, and I bet, despite the high gas prices, a lot of folks are going to be hitting the road. I know we saw quite a few RVs and trucks hauling boats getting a jump on the festivities today, including one very special vehicle that inspired this Showdown. But more about that in a minute.
Yesterday, we looked at two pairs of cars that needed some work, and it wasn’t even close. The twin red Alfas took home a solid win. The mismatched Renault Fuegos didn’t stand a chance, despite the fact that the “good” one of the pair runs fine. The automatic transmission didn’t help its case, but I think the biggest problem was that it’s a Renault Fuego.
But you know what? I’m going to be contrarian here and side with the minority. I think I could be more successful building one good car out of the two Renaults. And there’s a good chance that the parts car is a manual, which means everything is there for a swap. And everywhere you go, you have a good chance of someone saying, “Holy shit, is that a Renault Fuego?” Besides, the lead photo in the Alfa ad is giving me serious “Come play with us, Danny” vibes.
Speaking of “holy shit is that a…” moments, I had a good one today. Check out what we saw cruising along Interstate 75 today:
A GMC Motorhome! It was taking it easy, rolling along in the right lane, and looking downright majestic doing it. I immediately knew what I wanted to find for today’s Showdown. I knew I wouldn’t find a decent GMC Motorhome in our price range, but I thought I could find a cool old RV or two. I think I did all right. Let’s check them out.
1975 Winnebago D19 Brave – $6,500
Engine/drivetrain: 318 cubic inch OHV V8, three-speed automatic, RWD
Location: Newcastle, CA
Odometer reading: 59,000 miles
Operational status: Runs and drives well
If you’re around my age, this RV probably reminds you of the coolest Tonka truck of all time, the Tonka Winnebago. (And if you’re like me, you desperately wanted one, but never got one.) The GMC Motorhome gets a lot of attention these days, but this Winnebago shape is more likely what springs to mind when someone says “classic ’70s motorhome.” This is the nineteen-foot D19 model, with a seriously short wheelbase. It looks a little goofy, but charming, especially compared to gigantic modern RVs.
Like most Winnebago RVs, the D19 is Dodge-based. It’s powered by a 318 V8 and a Torqueflite automatic, a sturdy combination. It probably isn’t the fastest thing in the world, but you don’t buy an RV for high-performance driving. It doesn’t have many miles on it, as you would expect from a vehicle that only sees occasional use. It runs well, the seller says, and it has new tires, so it should be ready to hit the road.
For a fifty-one-year-old RV, it looks decent inside. There’s some wear, but I’ve seen a lot worse in newer RVs. It has what looks like new click-lock flooring, but everything else looks original. The seller hasn’t had it long and hasn’t bothered to test the generator or any of the appliances, so you’ll have to check them out yourself.
It’s all original outside too, and again, there’s some wear and tear, but nothing major. The seller says the previous owner fixed some small leaks in the roof, but it’s all watertight now. I bet you’d turn some heads rolling into an RV park in this thing.
1987 Fleetwood Bounder – $8,000
Engine/drivetrain: 454 cubic inch OHV V8, three-speed automatic, RWD
Location: Grants Pass, OR
Odometer reading: 36,000 miles
Operational status: Runs and drives well
But maybe a nineteen-footer is a little smaller than you need. Maybe you’d like some more room to breathe inside. This Fleetwood Bounder is a little newer than the Winnie, and maybe not as cool, but it’s got an extra eight feet of length. Take it from someone who has gone camping in a 13 foot trailer, and then a 16 footer: a little extra length can make all the difference.
This one is on a Chevrolet chassis, with a 454 and probably a Turbo 400 transmission. The ad lists the mileage wrong; it looks like the seller misread the odometer and included the tenths place. It actually has 36,700 miles, not 367,000. The seller says it runs well, but doesn’t elaborate.
In an RV, you have a lot of things doing double duty: your dining room table is also your bed platform, your kitchen sink is usually your only sink, and the shower is often the whole bathroom. It’s an impressive packaging job, but a little extra space is always welcome. In this case, it seems like the extra eight feet are dedicated to a separate bedroom, with what looks like a queen-sized bed. The seller says the mattress is new, too. It looks like a 1970s Howard Johnson’s inside, but it also looks comfy.
Thanks to the low mileage, it’s in good condition, and more importantly, clean. There are a few issues, though: the refrigerator doesn’t work, and there is some minor water damage from a leak. The seller thinks the leak is fixed, but they’re including some more roof sealant just in case. The outside looks good, but the first photo I showed is the only exterior photo in the ad, so I don’t know any more than you do about its condition outside.
You could spend a hundred grand or more on a modern RV and blend into the sea of identical campers at the RV park, or you can drop less than five figures on one of these, spend a little time and money fixing a few minor things, and have something really fun and interesting. You’re going to spend a fortune on gas anyway, and have to find a place to store it, so why spend more on something boring? Which one would you rather road-trip in: the shorty Winnebago, or the comfier Fleetwood?
Neither! But I guess the Winnie so I can pretend to be Lone Star.
I’m picking up the outline of a, Winnebago?
Don’t forget the “I Heart Uranus” bumper sticker.
“this RV probably reminds you of the coolest Tonka truck of all time, the Tonka Winnebago.” To me, the coolest Tonka truck was the small SUV with the tires you could take off from the late 70’s or early 80’s (or was that from Nylint?). Looked kind of like a first gen Suzuki Samurai with T-tops
They’re both pieces of shit, but at least the Winnebago has that old school Tonka toy character.
I’m way too young to have had one as a child, but I remember the toys in thrift stores and rusting away in grown children’s basements. I always thought they were the coolest thing, and despite not growing up in that era- that classic profile will always be the OG trailer park RV.
While the front end is clearly the most un-aerodynamic thing ever made, at least I wouldn’t actually be driving it anywhere with today’s gas prices.
I do want to try hustling one around a curvy road though. That short wheelbase clearly means it can handle.
Twenty feet or less makes you legal on most roads in federal parks.
Better to think about before you find you can’t park or drive.
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I would shop by smell. Whichever one smelled less offensive would get my vote.
if they smelled the same I would buy the one with less vacuum lines in the engine bay.
In reality I would rather tent.
True then we can play the guessing game. Are there more pine trees in the forest or pine tree air freshenersvin the RV?
I bet there are more bears in the tent than in the rv
The Winnie is probably more worth the time to restore or upgrade. It’s a classic at this point and would be right at home at a Tin Can Tourists Vintage RV and Camper rally. It would take a lot of work though.
Small is fine with me. We camped our family of 5 in a 16′ 1966 vintage camper with a 13’x8′ box. I always told people it “slept 5 uncomfortably”. We have a 2007 23′ Airstream Safari now, but the kids are adults now and don’t camp with us anymore. If you are doing camping right though, you are not spending time in the camper except to sleep, use the facilities, and maybe make some meals.
At minimum, these need a bug-bomb and a deep cleaning.
Ideally, they should be completely gutted. As others have said, I can smell them from my screen and just looking at the pictures makes me itchy.
I chose the Bounder for the extra room and the Chevy powertrain.
It’s like we’re twin brothers from another mother!
As for the task at hand, honestly, I’d take the $8000 and buy plane tickets and make hotel reservations.
But sticking to the rules, I’ll go with the Fleetwood. More room for the meth lab. Plus, as others have pointed out, the 454 has some value outside its current captivity.
I’m not the RV type, but forcing myself to choose, I’ll go with the Winnebago for nostalgia. They’re eyesores, but classic RV style to me. If I had to actually live in one, I might consider the longer Bounder, but the little Winnie is enough to get me to a campground where I don’t have to spend too much time inside it. That 318 seems like it’d struggle up hills, though.
And now I’m humming the theme from “Stripes” after seeing the GMC.
The Bounder has a BUILT-IN COFFEE MAKER. Also, the table on the ‘baego has its finish worn off around the edges, which indicates a LOT of use.
Mechanics always tell me rvs with more mileage tend to be better maintained.
I’m pretty sure Mark hit “post” and then immediately left for the weekend. I can smell the interiors of both of them from here. The mattresses and the carpeting would have to immediately go, whichever was chosen. I guess I’ll take the Fleetwood. It looks slightly better inside and the extra room would make it a better auxiliary storage unit should I park it and never drive it, which would be likely.
Mystery door 3 for me. Since you removed it as an option, I guess I’ll vote for the newer, cleaner (but it still will never feel clean) RV that doesn’t have a seller who hasn’t checked the appliances. But, yeah, I wouldn’t actually spend on either of these.
Noping this one out. What? “That’s not allowed”, you say? Under duress, I’m voting for the Brave. They were all over the roads (and campgrounds) when we were road tripping when I was a young lad. It has more character than the Bounder.
This may be a controversial take, but that Winnebago is one of the ugliest things to ever grace American roads. I’ll take the Fleetwood and the seller can keep the mattress.
“but you don’t buy an RV for high-performance driving.”
You know what site you write for, right?
Yeah the one that no one buys anything for high performance driving.
Can we still write-in a vote for the Saturn instead?
Big Block is useful for me after, or if nothing else, neither are wonderful, but the Bounder is still nicer in the end.
I would probably look at the 95 Pace Arrow for the same money as the Bounder though.
Mark taking revenge on everyone who picked neither last week.
I had the Tonka Winnebago, which was another artifact of the post-Vietnam era of non-military themed toys, so I voted for the Brave without looking. In reality I’d find the money for a GMC or a Vixen, or, since I don’t even want to get an Airbnb because the whole point of a vacation is getting away from things like cooking and cleaning, stay in a damn hotel and request full daily housekeeping services.
Hotels and interesting places aren’t always even in the same area code.
I’ll take both of these over the mystery choice. In a world of 200,000$ RV’s these are cool.
I’ll be Brave and pick the Winnebago today. Also, the wife agreed today so I’m voting twice!
Well this is unexpected. I spent most of the week ranting about how much I hated that stupid Saturn, but I’ll take the Saturn if the alternative is two ancient RVs. Can we bring it back as an option?? Please??!!
Honestly, both of these gross me out. I’m not sure what it is about old motor homes, but even the nicest ones seem nasty. These need the borrow the “ick” badge from the thousand dollar Buick featured earlier this week.
I’d rather sleep in the Saturn than these.
I’d rather sleep on a park bench than in either of these.
Obviously the Saturn is a huge upgrade in sleeping accommodations over these things.
Mark – if you bring back the Saturn as a third choice today I swear I will never mock, insult, roast, or otherwise criticize any Saturn ever again!
Mystery car please
Is a “new” mattress really a selling feature to people?
I would burn the mattress and buy a new one even if you claimed it was “new”.
Same here. New mattress and new tires were the first “mods” I made to my RV before I even went on my first trip. I have no idea what kind of pornography was done on the old and I didn’t want to find out.
Isn’t using either one of these going to be rather difficult due to the age rules of most RV parks?
Anyway, the Bounder looks better for a nominal increase in costs so that one.
I’m going with the Winnebago, just because it reminds me of the one my uncle had when I was a kid. His was either an Indian or a Chieftan (can’t remember which, but I think I can be forgiven for that considering I was like 4 at the time!).