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2008 Seneca 35HD questions

Yahoo Message Number: 3725

I have a neighbor wanting to buy a 2008 Seneca 35HD with 14,000 miles. Has the Duramax diesel, 8000 watt genset, and looks in like new condition. The front bumper looks new, and there is fresh paint on the left front wheelwell which leads me to believe it may have been in a minor fender bender. The coach is sitting on a dealers lot, so is not a private seller.

I am trying to give him some unbiased advice.

Questions:

If you are an owner of the 35HD, are you happy with your purchase? And would you do it again?
What are typical dealer add-ons to be factored into the CCC?
What is you main dislike about your coach?
What do you like most about your coach?
The dealer is asking $100,000 for the coach... what is realistic?

The CCC looks a little low if you realistically consider the capacities. for example, the spec sheet "assumes" you will drive the coach with only 2 gallons of fresh water, no black/gray water, and no propane. If you realistically consider the payload, the remaining CCC is around 1500 lbs.

The neighbor is not a "fix it" type.... he is not retired, and will use the coach for 30 day excursions or less.

Any responses will be appreciated.

Denny

Re: 2008 Seneca 35HD questions

Reply #1 –
Yahoo Message Number: 3726
I only paid $105,000 for a new coach with the 6000 gen 18 months ago. I personally think it is a little high.

Where are you getting your GCC.. It should be about 2900 then reduce it by 725 for a full water tank (which I never travel with) and full propane. That leaves 2200 minus the passengers for supplies (food, clothing, linen etc).

Is the dealer selling it on consignment?

Dave Sparke

Re: 2008 Seneca 35HD questions

Reply #2 –
Yahoo Message Number: 3727

Thanks, and no, the dealer owns the coach. The GCC is 2588... then the spec sheet deducts 2 gallons of water at 6.33 lbs per gallon, 0 gallons of propane at 4.34 lbs per gallon. No allowances are made for black/gray/dealer addons. Occupants are at 150# each.

Assuming you are carrying about 35 gallons of fresh water, 25 gallons of propane, a couple adults, 200# of black/gray water, and 200# for a spare tire and dealer addons, I come up with about 1500# of CCC.

Denny

Re: 2008 Seneca 35HD questions

Reply #3 –
Yahoo Message Number: 3728
I thought you were starting off at 1500 but here is what my spec sheet shows.

2998 lbs, then deduct 81 gals of wate (full tank) at 8.33 =675 lbs and 55 lbs for the propane (its only a 16.5 gal tank). There isn't much the dealer would have added, mine didn't add anything and this coach is loaded all factory. Only add on I don't have is in motion sat.

Forgot to add before "We love it" absolutely no complaints.

Dave Sparke

Re: 2008 Seneca 35HD questions

Reply #4 –
Yahoo Message Number: 3729
It sounds good,

I am selling my 2008 36MS with 5500 miles, loaded, dual pane windows, 8000Kw, etc... I am asking 92000.00.

thanks
Mo

Re: 2008 Seneca 35HD questions

Reply #6 –
Yahoo Message Number: 3731
I've got the same machine. 2008, Seneca HD, 35GS equipped with the 8K generator, refer w/ ice maker. I think they were the only upgrades. I bought it new and paid 106+ K from RVDirect. I've had a few little problems with it. The biggest was the rear springs were not properly sized. Jayco took care of it. I had a small leak in the shower which was a poorly installed drain seal. I corrected. The only other serious problem I had was the propane line in the basement. This too was corrected by Jayco. One small problem I had was the battery hold down straps. I corrected that myself. The only ongoing irritation is the headlights and since I don't drive very much at night, it's on my list to correct. You know how that goes. As far as handling and CCC, I can't be too much help. I tow a Fusion which weighs 3K lbs. I don't even know its there. I've taken long trips with full water and partial gray and black tanks. (I run the tires at 98 lbs.) I personally think it handles better with the weight. It seems to me, in this environment, 100k for a used machine is a bit steep. I've got 18k miles. I fully enjoy the Seneca. My wife however, hates camping and would like me to get rid of it. As I tell her; life is full of choices. You can either go or you can stay home. I'm going. So far, I haven't had to travel alone. :)

Hope this helps.

Re: 2008 Seneca 35HD questions

Reply #7 –
Yahoo Message Number: 3732

Nothing wrong with it, just change in plans. I may be ok with a full size van for what I need now, not many overnight stays anymore.
That is all.

I got a left over inventory last year, brand new. Coach looks like new.
thanks
Mo

Re: 2008 Seneca 35HD questions

Reply #8 –
Yahoo Message Number: 3733
I think 100K is way too much money. I passed on many new Senecas and ones with only a couple to 5K miles on them for under 90K...equipped with the big genset, dual A/C, in motion satellite etc.

I ended up with a brand new Dutchmen (not quite as nicely finished as the Seneca, but it has the Duramax etc.) 34H for $60K with dual a/c 50amp service etc. Once I found that one I had my checkbook out to buy at that price. Plus the Dutchmen is a lot taller inside but you lose some storage space down below which I was happy to sacrifice to gain the headroom in the coach.

We love the coach. Like all coaches they are put together like shit and require some level of skill or a good mechanic to keep all the systems operational. mostly little things like bad thermostat, stove sparker, levelers, and a few other silly things. No major failures or issues. I pul a Tracker behind it and don't even know its there even climbing up teh steepeset of grades.

Re: 2008 Seneca 35HD questions

Reply #9 –
Yahoo Message Number: 3734

Thanks for taking the time to respond... how did you know the springs were not sized right. My Dutchmen is a 19,500 lb chassis, whereas this Seneca is described as a 22,000 lb chassis, the difference being the heavier rear springs. How did you convince Jayco to resize... was it a recall??

Denny

Re: 2008 Seneca 35HD questions

Reply #10 –
Yahoo Message Number: 3735


Mo

Do you have any pictures to post. Someone in the group might know someone who is in the market.

Bob Erwin

Re: 2008 Seneca 35HD questions

Reply #11 –
Yahoo Message Number: 3736
Quote
If you are an owner of the 35HD, are you happy with your purchase?

YES, IT IS A GREAT RIG. POWERFUL AND DEPENDABLE DURAMAX 6.6, EXHAUST BRAKE, AMPLE STORAGE, NICE FLOORPLAN, GOOD CONSTRUCTION, WELL DESIGNED COCKPIT, ADEQUATE TANKAGE, AND THE FULL BODY PAINT IS BEAUTIFUL AND EASY TO MAINTAIN. (BTW, DUAL PANE WINDOWS ARE A "MUST" IMO.)

Quote
would you do it again? WITHOUT A DOUBT

What are typical dealer add-ons to be factored into the CCC?

NOT MANY OF SUBSTANTIAL WEIGHT.

Quote
What is you main dislike about your coach?

I WISH MINE HAD SIDE OPENING STORAGE COMPARTMENTS.

Quote
What do you like most about your coach?

53 DEGREE TURING RADIUS MAKES DRIVING A PLEASURE. THE DURAMAX IS VERY QUIET FOR A DIESEL. THE POWER GEAR LEVELING SYSTEM AND SLIDES MAKE SETUP A BREEZE. THE MICROWAVE EXHAUST FAN IS VENTED TO THE OUTSIDE.....A SMALL, BUT IMPORTANT FEATURE.

Quote
The dealer is asking $100,000 for the coach... what is realistic?

WITHOUT A SPECIFIC MODEL AND LIST OF OPTIONS ADDED, IT'S HARD TO SAY. 100K IS CERTAINLY NEGOTIABLE. HERE IS A GOOD SOURCE TO MAKE AN INFORMED DECISION: http://www.nadaguides.com

Quote
The CCC looks a little low if you realistically consider the capacities.

MY CCC IS PLENTY! I HAVE ADDED A 2 AGM BATTERIES, A 2KW INVERTER, SOLAR CONTROLLER, 2 SOLAR PANELS, SPARE TIRE, 9' INFLATEABLE RUNABOUT, AIR COMPRESSOR & HOSE REEL, SPARE PARTS, BBQ, AND FOLDING TABLE & CHAIRS, FOOD, BEDDING, CLOTHES, POTS & PANS, ALL WITHOUT BEING OVER WEIGHT.

HOPE THAT HELPS ~

Craig

Re: 2008 Seneca 35HD questions

Reply #12 –
Yahoo Message Number: 3737

Thanks, Craig. You furnished a lot of good information and I will pass it on to my neighbor. Sounds like you love your coach, which you should....

Denny

Solar stuff

Reply #13 –
Yahoo Message Number: 3739
Craig: (aka xcsds) - Forgive me if you had posted on this.  Can you give us some detail on your experience vis-à-vis
"I HAVE ADDED A 2 AGM BATTERIES, A 2KW INVERTER, SOLAR CONTROLLER, 2 SOLAR PANELS"
Quoting from your response on the HD thread.  For Example:
What was your objective?
What vendors/approx costs?
How was the result, did you get what you were after?
Where did you place the panels, did you go for fixed or tilting?
Do you have any photos?
Kevin (Real) McCoy
("Roscoe Ventura" Jayco Seneca HD SS 34 Diesel 2006; "Toad" Jeep Wrangler Unlimited 2007)

Re: 2008 Seneca 35HD questions

Reply #14 –
Yahoo Message Number: 3740
Denny

I am very happy with my purchase. I bought a new 2008 35 GS at this time last year fully loaded with the exception of the heat pump upgrade for the ACs (which I wish it had) for $96K out the door. That price included a Winegard Traveler HD Satellite dish (for DirecTV) installed. I think the $100K for a used coach is a bit high.

So far (after 7K miles), I am very happy with it. I added Super Springs to the rear and that made a huge difference in the handling of the rig (both empty and loaded). I do not think that these were a necessity, but they sure made a significant difference. My coach was built on an early 2008 model year chassis, so it did not have the up-rated rear springs.

The only issues I have had have been that the ignitor went bad on the fridge, the awning fabric was cut out of square and the awning would not open / close correctly, and I had a spot on the paint job of the coach that peeled (about the size of a silver dollar).

Carefree of Colorado (the awning mfg) was a pain to deal with. They would authorize replacement of one piece at a time ... it took 8 months to get the awning issue corrected ... this was not a Jayco issue. I did not utilize Jayco warranty for the paint issue as my closest dealer is a 3 -4 hour drive. A local paint / body shop did the work for $250 which I was willing to pay to avoid the trouble of delivering then retrieving the coach from the local dealer.

Sam

Re: 2008 Seneca 35HD questions

Reply #15 –
Yahoo Message Number: 3741
then the question i have, i have been looking for used seneca or endura and all the ones i have seen everyone wants top dollar in this econmy 95-110k used. Man if you paid 96k that is a deal. I have even tried for short sales but these pepole are in to deep and they just want to sell them for what they paid for them and dont want to take a loss. If you paid 96k you should loose about 20% the day you bought it that is just the way it is, To many people are relying on kelley blue book for the price that only works in a rel good economy. I have been looking for a bunk house model if anyone has one and wants a reasonable price let me know

Re: 2008 Seneca 35HD questions

Reply #16 –
Yahoo Message Number: 3742
I looked for quite a while and ending up geting a reposessed Gulfstream Ultra. It does not have all the added features of the Seneca, or the Endura's but I got mine two years old with 5,000 miles for $63K. The biggest difference I saw from my RV to these others is I don't have the full body paint, aluminum wheels or fiberglass roof.

Re: 2008 Seneca 35HD questions

Reply #17 –
Yahoo Message Number: 3744
Yes, I felt I had gotten a decent deal. Before I posted the price, I went back to my deal paperwork and I paid $96.2K from an out of state dealer who did collect my state sales tax and who paid for a one-way plane ticket for me to pick it up.

The "local" dealers would negotiate down to their "show" price on a 2009 at $130K but nothing below that. Having had experience with RVs in the past and seeing the "local" dealers treat their own customers and out of town customers the same with respect to service / warranty / repairs, I was willing to fly one way and drive back 800 miles to save $34K.

My only complaint was with the satellite install. The dealer did not try to locate the prewiring for the satellite system so I have an additional hole in the roof (it is well sealed, but it is still a hole). They also chose a location for the dish that does not allow us to have the batwing antenna and the dish deployed at the same time.

From: d lemon
To: kodiakchassisclassc@yahoogroups.com
Sent: Thu, March 4, 2010 10:53:26 AM
Subject: RE: [KodiakChassisClassC] 2008 Seneca 35HD questions

then the question i have, i have been looking for used seneca or endura and all the ones i have seen everyone wants top dollar in this econmy 95-110k used. Man if you paid 96k that is a deal. I have even tried for short sales but these pepole are in to deep and they just want to sell them for what they paid for them and dont want to take a loss. If you paid 96k you should loose about 20% the day you bought it that is just the way it is, To many people are relying on kelley blue book for the price that only works in a rel good economy. I have been looking for a bunk house model if anyone has one and wants a reasonable price let me know

Re: 2008 Seneca 35HD questions

Reply #18 –
Yahoo Message Number: 3745

We had a similar experience. The units we looked at had loans and that kept the price up. We just could not find one with a price we considered to be reasonable. My wife gets the credit, she found a low miles repossessed coach on E-Bay. We drove to the coach, lived in it for two days, and bought it. So the deals are out there. We found RV.ORG a good source of pricing and depreciation information. CARFAX check and going through our "Livability checklist" helped with inspection and final cost (we deducted costs for repairs of missed recalls and other needed maintenance). In our experience folks were building in it at least 25 to 30% uplift in their asking price, except for the folks that were trying to get out from under their loans. The main thing they failed to consider in pricing was depreciation and condition.
Also when I was buying Kelly Blue Book was not a good source for RV pricing, the NADA guide is much better, and you can get an online price with year and condition factored. That or the RV.ORG database has similar info that matches up to NADA well, and includes depreciation information.
Kevin (Real) McCoy
("Roscoe Ventura" Jayco Seneca HD SS 34 Diesel 2006; "Toad" Jeep Wrangler Unlimited 2007)

Re: 2008 Seneca 35HD questions

Reply #19 –
Yahoo Message Number: 3746

Thanks Sam.... I think my neighbor plans to drive the coach this weekend... the dealer has really been hounding him, but all your emails will help him make a final decision. I will let you all know what he decides... and why.

Denny

Re: Solar stuff

Reply #21 –
Yahoo Message Number: 3748
  Craig: Thanks for the detailed answers!
  WOW! Loved the slide show! My only mistake was that my wife was looking over my shoulder and she loved some of the modifications you had made to the "buffet" area and fixtures! I know that gleam in her eye and it contains some "honey do's"
 Everything from the La Crosse Atomic clock and weather radio to the Oxygenics shower head show you have spent a lot of quality time on your RV. It looks like you have thought through a lot of issues and come up with some great improvements.
 The Egos are too cute, and I envy your trip to Alaska ! It is something that is on our "to do" list.
 I was so excited to see the picture of the VENA monitor. Kind of gives you the impression that it is a great system, so I was a bit disappointed at the comment in the caption that said it did not live up the display. I am used to that with my KIB! Most of the time it is not an issue, but becomes bit of a concern when we are boondocking. Inquiring minds want to know how long we have! ;-)
What vendors have you been using for the LED lights, and how have they worked out.
 Love the Trik-L-start! I am going to have to read up on that one.
 Solar: I am thinking about the solar so really appreciate your detailed answers. I was also thinking first about the battery Farm, two being a tad short for even running the furnace through a really cold night without an assist from the generator. 
 The wiring diagram is GREAT. Fantastic. Really clarified a lot of my questions. I blew up the JPG so I could look at it more closely, but I would love to have a copy that has more resolution if you could spare it? Or perhaps you could post to the files section of the Yahoo Group?
 It looks like you got here in three stages - AGM Batteries, Inverter, and then solar.  Is that right?
Kevin (Real) McCoy
("Roscoe Ventura" Jayco Seneca HD SS 34 Diesel 2006;
"Toad" Jeep Wrangler Unlimited 2007)

center
From: KodiakChassisClassC@yahoogroups.com [mailto:KodiakChassisClassC@yahoogroups.com] On Behalf Of xcsdx
Sent: Friday, March 05, 2010 12:23 AM
To: KodiakChassisClassC@yahoogroups.com
Subject: [KodiakChassisClassC] Re: Solar stuff

Hi Kevin....answers to your questions are below:

--- In KodiakChassisClassC @yahoogroups. com, "Kevin \(Real\) McCoy"  wrote:
Quote
Craig: (aka xcsds) - Forgive me if you had posted on this. Can you
give us

Quote
some detail on your experience vis-à-vis

"I HAVE ADDED A 2 AGM BATTERIES, A 2KW INVERTER, SOLAR CONTROLLER, 2  SOLAR PANELS"

What was your objective? When
I bought the coach I purchased the Xantrex 400 watt Entertainment Systen inverter option. It has met that limited need and has performed flawlesssly. However, as I am sure you know, there are times that running the generator for the other 120v appliances, just doesn't work. Late night microwave popcorn, or having toast & coffee early in the morning while others are asleep, just to name a few. I added a Xantrex RS2000 watt sine wave inverter (new on eBay for $1050) to still have the convenience of 120v when boondocking or when generator noise is inappropriate.
The solar panels are Kyocera KD135GX-LPU from Northern Arizona Wind and Sun http://store. solar-electric. com/kyso130wa12v .html at $365. for a 135 watt panel. Great price!
The Solar Charge Controller is a Tristar TS-45 amp unit at $154.00. I just mounted the solar gear so I can't give you a performancee reeading yet.
I replaced the two Seneca "house" batteries with Lifeline 31T AGM's and added two more in the drivers side rear storage compartment for a total bank of 420 amps. $280.00 each
>

Quote
What vendors/approx costs? See
above!

>
> How was the result, did you get what you were after? face="Times New Roman"> I have had the AGM batteries for 3 years now and love them. NO maintenance, NO corrosion, NO gassing, quicker to charge than wet cells....what' s not to like....except for the price. The Xantreex is a wonderful inverter and 100 amp 3 stage charger.

>
> Where did you place the panels, did you go for fixed or tilting? face="Times New Roman">They can be tilted with the AMSolar mounting brackets I chose, but unless you are going to be in one spot for a week, it's not worth the hassle. http://www.amsolar. com/mountsandtil tbars.html They do allow for easy removal of the panel for cleaning which is very handy.
> Do you have any photos? Click below for slideshow ~ (sorry, for some reason this forum dosen't allow me to edit the s)
http://cid-0c1fd01e 198ee7af. skydrive. live.com/ play.aspx/ %5E_%5E_% 20%E2%80% B3Interlude% E2%80%B3% 20%20%5E_ %5E_%20%20% 20Our%20motorhom e%20Jayco% 20Seneca% 2034SS?ref= 1&sa=149754383
Kevin, I am believer in much of what Handy Bob Solar says. If you can get by his ranting style, the is a lot of good information on his blog.
http://handybobsola r.wordpress. com/2009/ 07/22/solar- power-that- works/

Good luck. Craig