2002-2007 Chinook Motorhomes

[buellfire]

Good morning,
Thinking about playing around with a mid 2000's Chinook motorhome built on a Ford E450 chassis, they are all molded fiberglass similar to our current Escape 21 and seam to be good value in the used market. Has anyone had one? Was the quality there, so it would be worth a referb? We have been looking at new Coach house motorhome which are molded fiberglass also, but they are north of 200K, out of the budget.

[Jon in AZ]

Can you live with 9-10 mpg (I assume it’s the gas V10)? Are you willing to give up the back seats, airbags, and other safety features of your modern tow vehicle? Are you willing to listen to the soundtrack of a moving RV and its contents as you bounce down the road? Are you willing to deal with disconnecting utilities and finding RV parking spots when you leave camp for a day excursion? Are you willing to do your own service or search for a shop that can handle an over-sized vehicle for routine maintenance?

There are pros to a small(-ish) motorhome, of course. We’ve owned a couple (Toyota Itasca Class C and currently have a Chevy Roadtrek Class B in addition to the Scamp). A lot depends on your travel style. Small motorhomes are better suited to touring, though I’d prefer something more fuel efficient than the Ford V10 (our Chevy gets 18 mpg with the 6.0L and newer 6-speed HD automatic). They’re also nice for towing your adult toys, like a boat, ATV, motorcycle, etc. Chinooks seem well made, and of course the all-molded coach body is a plus.

[parmm]

Those Chinooks are quality units. Hard to find! I didn't like the rear door setup.

[Dave Fish]

Originally Posted by parmm

Those Chinooks are quality units. Hard to find! I didn't like the rear door setup.

S9me friends had a 2005 on the Ford chassis that had a side door, as I recall, it also had a small slide. It seemed like a quality rig. They sold it to another guy in town that was listing after it.

[Jon in AZ]

From what I've been able to read, the original Chinook shut down in 2005. The rights to the name and designs were sold in 2013 and new production started some time later. That would limit your search to 2002-2005.

Is there a specific reason you wanted no older than 2002? Wasn't sure if that was to keep it under 20 years old or because of some mechanical difference. Just curious...

[nancyrnfit]

Our friends bought a well cared for, low mileage, 2003 Chinook, about 3 years ago, and they love it! Personally, I like the rear entrance. When we Scamp with them, and our other friends who have a Sprinter, we gather in the Chinook if it is raining, and there is plenty of room for all of us. They just took it on a 4 month trip around the U.S., and are happy as they can be with it!

[buellfire]

No real reason for limiting the years as the first major change in the e350-450 chassis was in 2008 and again in 2021. I'm thinking about building a adventure rig and having Ujoint offroad upgrade and modify the chassis with a lift and 4wd. here is their link
https://www.ujointoffroad.com/
I don't plan on rock crawling with this truck, just a cool way to transport our toys to the wild, I plan on towing a jeep 2door with the Chinook.

Just starting through the process with hopes of finding one this winter.