Fixer-upper

My Father-in-Law wants me to sell his MH for him,he's in bad shape and not gettin better.Started out that I was to detail it and advertise,now,he wants me to take care of any repairs that I deem nessissary with him paying for all parts and my labor.In my opinion,it is in very good condition but does need some repairs,axle seal leak,exhaust leak,gen. is hard to start,wiper blades,etc. It is a 1989 Leisure Craft,27ft. bumper to bumper. His opinion is that I should be able to sell it for 8k. He would like to have 6k and me keep anything over. I appreciate his intentions but after researching RV sites and auction sites,6k might be top dollar.Anybody want to venture a guess as to what I might be able to sell it for? It would help me dtermine how far to go with repairs. To complicate matters,my wife seems to think we're going to keep it,and I'll admit to some RV fantasy's my self. I need some advice,Thanks in advance,Jim

Hello:

My humble thoughts.....
Why not give Father-In-Law the Six K he wants and fix the MH up for yourself? This would be the cheapest way one can gain the experience to enable one to determine if RVing is for you guys.
It would help FIL have "piece of mind" and If FIL likes idea, then MH is probably in shape enough to give you guys lots of fun and prepare you for the adventures RVing provides.
And what a reference FIL will provide in resolving future trouble, which will come, even with new units.
And, FIL will get enjoyment from supporting and experiencing your adventures.
Well.... "them there" thoughts are idealistic....and hope that is what happens.

Good luck.... hoping to see more post from you guys, asking the questions we (RVers) all must ask....
How does this work....
How can I repair this....
What can I do to resolve this.....
and the best question of all.......  What is the most adventuress way to get to "wherever"? 

Yeah, $8k is probably top dollar on that vintage. You might sell it quickly or it might take a year or more - selling an RV is a very unpredictable business and many time you end up accepting a very low offer just to move it. The upside is that in that price range, a lot of people can afford it. 

Chances are anybody shopping in this price class will be interested in a fixer upper themselves. Personally, if I were selling it I would do it "as is" and not invest more than $50-$100 in detailing. Just do superficial things to make it attractive and be upfront about any minor problems. You could always say "I can fix the ____ but will have to get $xxxx for the motorhome instead of $yyyy".  If you go the other way and want to advertise it to be in excellent shape, then you are implying that everything works and has an implicit guarantee. I assume you don't plan to guarantee anything, so you end up telling the buyer it is "as is" anyway. Not much difference from his perspective but all the repairs you did drove the asking price way up.

How are the tires? RV tires usually die of old age rather than wear, especially since they sit around so much. Tires need flexing to keep the chemicals circulating in the rubber compound. If the tires are 7 years old or more, they are ripe for failure.  If you are going to spend money making this "right", that's a major place to start and one that any buyer will appreciate. "Tires are new' is a good selling point on any vehicle. [Check the DOT dates codes on each tire - don't rely on FIL's memory unless he is one of those who keeps detailed maintenance records.]

RV Roamer,thats what I was lookin for.The tires look brand new,Michilens even,but are 12 yrs old,cryin shame.Only 18,000 miles and FIL says he only made plumbing operational for 2 trips. I'm afraid there may be several repairs to be made,not because of use or abuse,but because of the effects of non-use.Be ready for more "new guy" questions. Thanks


Mr. Bo,in a perfect world......
..thanks,Jim

My first repair was the furnace,yesterday.The blower made to much noise and vibrated so that you could feel it in the floor.Removed the furnace as a unit and took it to the garage.To get to the blower,I had to slide the combustion chamber/blower assembly out of its sheet metal housing. The floor of the housing was rusted as were the contact points on the furnace and that made for slow goin seperating the two.After I repaired the fan,I sanded the housing floor and furnace contact points.
...Now,I didn't want to spend much more time on this,but,I also didn't want
...to fight it back together
it to rust more
...to paint it
to use grease or oil to make reassemby easier(I know I would have it all over the interior)
..So,I gave it the same treatment I give snowshovels,sat the housing in front of the torpedo heater until it was hot enough to melt wax.Then I rubbed the wax all over the rusty bottom,slow enough to let it melt as I went.That thing slid together so easy,I almost slid it all the way out the other end.Theoreticly,it should'nt rust any more either.Anyway,I just thought I'd share that wax thing with ya.
..And the blower? Mud daubers nests built on the squirl cage,that'll throw em out of balance. Later,Jim

Mud daubers are the bane of RVs - they seem to find there way into any and every opening. It's another artifact of lack of use.

Wow!

Sounds as though you are the man to get this unit working and on the road.....

Also, Gary said something with the words:

RV Roamer said:

Mud daubers are the bane of RVs - they seem to find there way into any and every opening. It's another artifact of lack of use.

Click to expand...

Click to expand...

 
FIL let the unit sit for awhile.....

Your approach to this furnace problem leaves no doubt in my mind that you will be telling us of your "planned trip" in the near future.

BUT, sounds like there will be other items to address, and, please keep up your "feed back" in completing the jobs.... 
My question is what kind of wax? Candle? Naw.... car polish wax.....? Naw.....
You can see i'll be learning from your "FIXER UP" knowledge base. Going to be all good for me.
Later,