Sticking with the Magnitude

[cbach]

Having gotten all excited about trading the Magnitude off on a sweet new Dutch Star, they sold it out from under me during the deal, it would take 6 months to get a like replacement, and I've since come to my senses. In looking at new high-end Class A's, which I'd loose the value of the Magnitude on after driving off the lot, and looking at the used market for such, which also all come with some BIG $$ risks, we've decided to hold onto what we have for awhile and just enjoy it. We're heading back to the factory for the last round of correction under warranty, then it's all on me to keep her together. The horror stories are universal on RV's, the bigger they are the harder they fall, and no manufacturer is immune. At least I feel that I can handle 90% of anything that goes south on this one, and the chassis is strong, so...

[Chance]

Originally Posted by cbach

......cut..... The horror stories are universal on RV's, the bigger they are the harder they fall, and no manufacturer is immune. .....cut.....

Probably true. It’s hard to imagine that many present-day mansions-on-wheels will still be on the road in 50 years like this little guy.

[Bob Denman]

Sorry to see that they did this to you...
Look at it this way:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HH3ruuml-R4

[Judge]

Glad to hear your'e sticking with the Magnitude. I have come to the same conclusion as well.

After trying to convince my wife to trade it in for a Dynamax or a Renegade, the hit in the trade-in value and resale value later just doesn't make enough financial sense. If we thought we could spend the extra money and have a trouble-free coach, then maybe we would do it but I have seen very few trouble-free coaches regardless of the price tag.

When you really look at the amount of coach your are getting for the money on a quality chassis, it just makes sense to keep it and deal with the issues as they arise. Hopefully once most issues are addressed, it will come down to just some minor things over time. I am also able to deal with almost anything that comes up. Even if I had something major and took it to an RV specialist / restoration place and had to spend $10K - $20K, I would still be ahead of the game.

Plus we really like the coach and the floor plan works for us. We also can't find another Super C with an outdoor kitchen and that is a deal breaker for my wife. Even though it is small on the SV34, having a fridge outside with a sink is just such a convenience. Plus the little cabinet above the sink is great for storing liquor!

I am in the process of getting an appointment nailed down in October in Wakarusa to deal with the cab-over cap issue and a few other minor issues... plus anything else that comes up before the visit. I have requested October 26 when we are on our way back from the Smokey Mountains. I am hoping to hear back this week to get this locked in.

As a result of going "all-in" on the Magnitude SV34, I have completed several more upgrades in the past week:

1) I took advantage of a sale and installed front and rear Sumo Springs. This was a fairly easy upgrade.

2) I installed the Roadmaster Spare Tire Carrier and bought a spare rim for $135 and the same Continental tire. Just got that all completed this week and ready for our trip to Vermont next week.

3) I also installed the Dirt Devil RV Central Vac. This is a great little upgrade and makes it so much easier to keep the entire coach clean from the cab to the bedroom.

4) I ordered a motorized ball valve from Amazon and I will be replacing the manual fresh water tank valve I installed under the coach with the motorized valve so I can dump the water by just flipping a switch as we get close to home. This may be an end of season project.


Good luck with the Magnitude.... I still think it is a really nice coach once you can look past some of the issues.

[Bob Denman]

A motorized ball vlave for dumping the freshwater tank?
I think we've seen that before...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I5FhlzDYl-M

[cbach]

[QUOTE=Bob Denman;248927] Sorry to see that they did this to you...
/QUOTE]


Likely a blessing in disguise. Going to stroke a check to pay off the 'Tude next week, and the thought of having this one paid off instead of borrowing another $250K for a whole new round of issues is calming.

[Bob Denman]

Congratulations on owning the whole Kit & Caboodle!
I'll bet that it feels cooler than "the other side of the pillow"...

[Pete'sMH]

[QUOTE=cbach;248973]

Originally Posted by Bob Denman

Sorry to see that they did this to you...
/QUOTE]


Likely a blessing in disguise. Going to stroke a check to pay off the 'Tude next week, and the thought of having this one paid off instead of borrowing another $250K for a whole new round of issues is calming.

Congratulations on being paid off! I can’t wait. I’ve got about 3.5 years to go although I’m probably going to pay it off next week by switching it over to a home equity loan. Not very satisfying but I’ll be glad to have that title in my safe.

[Judge]

I’ll say one thing about the Magnitude..... it gets a lot of attention!

Every time we camp somewhere at least one or two people comment on it being a great looking RV.

This weekend I’ve had four people stop and comment on how it looks and asking questions about it.

[RickD0]

Haha, I agree it's a head turner. I have XG32 and people stop by the camp saying " I saw you driving in, what a great looking rig". We seem to get that a few times every trip.

[Fish and Dear]

Just curious...why are you dumping your water as you near home? Do you typically dump the water tank when you get home? I'm curious because we rarely dump ours. We use the onboard water so much it is always being refreshed. I do clean it annually, but that's it.

Originally Posted by Judge

Glad to hear your'e sticking with the Magnitude. I have come to the same conclusion as well.

After trying to convince my wife to trade it in for a Dynamax or a Renegade, the hit in the trade-in value and resale value later just doesn't make enough financial sense. If we thought we could spend the extra money and have a trouble-free coach, then maybe we would do it but I have seen very few trouble-free coaches regardless of the price tag.

When you really look at the amount of coach your are getting for the money on a quality chassis, it just makes sense to keep it and deal with the issues as they arise. Hopefully once most issues are addressed, it will come down to just some minor things over time. I am also able to deal with almost anything that comes up. Even if I had something major and took it to an RV specialist / restoration place and had to spend $10K - $20K, I would still be ahead of the game.

Plus we really like the coach and the floor plan works for us. We also can't find another Super C with an outdoor kitchen and that is a deal breaker for my wife. Even though it is small on the SV34, having a fridge outside with a sink is just such a convenience. Plus the little cabinet above the sink is great for storing liquor!

I am in the process of getting an appointment nailed down in October in Wakarusa to deal with the cab-over cap issue and a few other minor issues... plus anything else that comes up before the visit. I have requested October 26 when we are on our way back from the Smokey Mountains. I am hoping to hear back this week to get this locked in.

As a result of going "all-in" on the Magnitude SV34, I have completed several more upgrades in the past week:

1) I took advantage of a sale and installed front and rear Sumo Springs. This was a fairly easy upgrade.

2) I installed the Roadmaster Spare Tire Carrier and bought a spare rim for $135 and the same Continental tire. Just got that all completed this week and ready for our trip to Vermont next week.

3) I also installed the Dirt Devil RV Central Vac. This is a great little upgrade and makes it so much easier to keep the entire coach clean from the cab to the bedroom.

4) I ordered a motorized ball valve from Amazon and I will be replacing the manual fresh water tank valve I installed under the coach with the motorized valve so I can dump the water by just flipping a switch as we get close to home. This may be an end of season project.


Good luck with the Magnitude.... I still think it is a really nice coach once you can look past some of the issues.

[Bob Denman]

Some folks might just prefer to not carry any more weight in their RV than they have to...
(Although I doubt that a Super-C would have any trouble carrying it along)

[Fish and Dear]

I wondered because he said as he neared home. I'm just curious as to how often people drain their water tanks and why they do it when they do it. Ours adds about 400 pounds of water, but we start a trip with fresh tank full and others empty. We might go 4 days before we need to look for a place to refill and dump. Are we using ours enough that we don't need to drain and clean so often? Never have any odd taste in the water other than whatever local municipal supply might have.

Originally Posted by Bob Denman

Some folks might just prefer to not carry any more weight in their RV than they have to...
(Although I doubt that a Super-C would have any trouble carrying it along)

[Bob Denman]

Since i'm "Park Puppy", and have a very limited cargo carrying capacity: I've never put a drop of water into my tank. The need for it just hasn't come up yet...
I'd say to keep the water moving through it on a pretty regular basis, and you shouldn't have any trouble with the quality of your water.

[Judge]

Originally Posted by Fish and Dear

Just curious...why are you dumping your water as you near home? Do you typically dump the water tank when you get home? I'm curious because we rarely dump ours. We use the onboard water so much it is always being refreshed. I do clean it annually, but that's it.

I have. 60 gallon fresh water tank. We typically only use the fresh water tank during travel to our destination, boon docking and once I’ve removed the city water line breaking camp.

I only fill about half way or so for short trips and then fill it for longer trips. We have well water so I am adding some chlorine to it in order to prevent bacteria build up in the tank.

When we get home I usually have at least 1/4 - 1/3 tank left so I dump it and then before the next trip I flush it a little and refill with some added chlorine.

I just like to make sure there is what’s clean and fresh water in the tank to prevent any bacteria buildup, etc.

[RickD0]

Moat municipalities have chlorine added to the water so you are good for a good amount of time. But like was said above if you are adding well water it can go bad within a few days without a few ounces of chlorine. Since I also use a well I drain mine after every trip and then flush it with a chlorine mixture and then dump it again and repeat before we leave the next time.

Originally Posted by Judge

I have. 60 gallon fresh water tank. We typically only use the fresh water tank during travel to our destination, boon docking and once I’ve removed the city water line breaking camp.

I only fill about half way or so for short trips and then fill it for longer trips. We have well water so I am adding some chlorine to it in order to prevent bacteria build up in the tank.

When we get home I usually have at least 1/4 - 1/3 tank left so I dump it and then before the next trip I flush it a little and refill with some added chlorine.

I just like to make sure there is what’s clean and fresh water in the tank to prevent any bacteria buildup, etc.