What older motor homes are the best?

^^ To counter your counter...

While many slide floorplans may not be fully functional with slides retracted (in)... on many models you may only need to bump out the slide a small amount for something like a quick bathroom trip or dinette access while stopped.  Even if I do want to fully extend slides, it takes about 30 seconds and operates on battery (no shore power needed).  It's the most minor part of our setting up & breaking camp.

I used to be ambivalent about slides until I owned an RV that has them.  Now I can't imagine going back.  But I can understand all of your points as well... that's why it's nice that there are so many styles of used models out there on the market!

My first trailer had no slides. My second had opposing slides. On that one, I could access the bathroom and bedroom, but nothing else. On the class C I have now, everything is usable with the slides in, but can only walk around the curb side of the bed, but it is still completely usable.

OverTheHill said:

One of the biggest issues I see with older motor homes is many of them do not have slides. I see this as being a big issue. If you do not have a slide, why not?

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IMO, unless your living in a coach, slides are not needed, a queen bed works just right without slides same same living room has plenty of space for a couple without a slide.

We've owned both without slides (3) and with slides (2).  Now that we've had slides we'd never go back to no slides.  You don't trip over one another as much and it doesn't appear as cramped looking.  It's definitely more comfortable to have more spreading-out room!  We know some people who refuse to have slides (they've never had them so don't know what they're missing) and their motorhome seems very cramped and closed in when we go inside it even though it's a very high end coach.

ArdraF

One opposing view I would be an example of.  I am in pain with every step.  So with no slides, I can reach things easy and don't have to take needless extra steps moving around the coach.

This one caught my eye. Are there problems getting parts? https://www.rvtrader.com/listing/2007-Blue-Bird-WANDERLODGE-450LXI-121929922

Personally I think it looks good, but you should be aware that CAT is no longer building engines for onroad application, in fact they pulled out of that market almost 10 years ago.  As a result some people are reporting that it is starting to be difficult to find CAT certified diesel mechanics to do service on their diesel pushers, as fewer and fewer big trucks with CAT engines are left on the roads every year.  This of course is a situation that will only get worse as time passes, having said that there are plenty of people still running old orphaned Detroit Diesel engines, and they manage to get them serviced.

OverTheHill said:

This one caught my eye. Are there problems getting parts? https://www.rvtrader.com/listing/2007-Blue-Bird-WANDERLODGE-450LXI-121929922

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Wow - Dick Van Dyke beds.  I haven't seen that for a few decades.

The bed would be any easy thing to fix. This is the only MH I've seen with twin beds.

I have no concerns about CAT engines. 100's of thousands of them out there.

kdbgoat said:

My first trailer had no slides. My second had opposing slides. On that one, I could access the bathroom and bedroom, but nothing else. On the class C I have now, everything is usable with the slides in, but can only walk around the curb side of the bed, but it is still completely usable.

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Same MH here, just a year earlier model. We also lose access to one of the closets next to the bed, but the main closet and other side remain accessible. Everything else is accessible and I have no problem taking a bathroom break while going down the road while the DW is driving.

The 319DS has an excellent floor plan IMHO for the size rig that it is. It's our first MH and we love it!

And the Schwintek(?) slide mechanisms are much better than the earlier types.

I heard that slides leak and/or bring water into the camper.  Is this true?

Yes, when they aren't properly maintained. The same for any other penetration into the RV, whether in the roof or sidewall.

Peggyy said:

I heard that slides leak and/or bring water into the camper.  Is this true?

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I've heard roofs leak too, skylights, vents, antenna's, etc.  I wouldn't call it a maintenance issue on the slides or the roof as the rule, rather more the exception.  Almost all the issues I have heard were from brand new units that have factory design or assembly issues. 

With that, you only hear of the failures, not the successes.  We have had 4 rigs with slides and never had a leak from a slide or a roof.  2 slides, 4 slides, full wall slides, toppers, no toppers, etc.  We have even owned some of the same models that others have had trouble with.  In general, slides are a great feature for those that like the expansive space and chance are good you won't have trouble with them.  If you do, get on the issue quick with the manufacturer.

OverTheHill said:

And what do you think about slides vs non slides?

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Since I don't plan to live in it full time, I am specifically NOT interested in a Class A with slides - especially after reading this article I linked at the end of my post.

There's enough to maintain on an older Class A - I just don't want to worry about leaks and safety. 

https://axleaddict.com/rvs/RV-Slide-Out-Dangers

Everyone certainly has the right to prioritize what's most important to them when selecting an RV, however after owning motorhomes with and without slides, we wouldn't be without them. I detected a fair amount of a Chicken Little mentality in that article, and I'm quite sure that the sky isn't falling as much as the author would like others to believe.

Kev

Kevin Means said:

Everyone certainly has the right to prioritize what's most important to them when selecting an RV, however after owning motorhomes with and without slides, we wouldn't be without them. I detected a fair amount of a Chicken Little mentality in that article, and I'm quite sure that the sky isn't falling as much as the author would like others to believe.

Kev

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To each their own.

As a single woman who will be traveling alone most of the time (hopefully one of my adult sons or my best friend who wants to get time away from hubby) will join me occassionally, I don't want to worry about anything I don't have to.  And I'm focused on finding a very high end, older motorhome without slides. 

slcinwa said:

As a single woman who will be traveling alone most of the time (hopefully one of my adult sons or my best friend who wants to get time away from hubby) will join me occassionally, I don't want to worry about anything I don't have to.

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If you don't want to worry, then perhaps you want to re-think RVing... these things are wrought with maintenance projects, tire issues requiring constant inspection, wiring that can corrode/malfunction, appliances that can quit working, roof inspections and other potential leak areas, etc.

I'm being a bit sarcastic in that I don't think you should abandon the idea of RV'ing.  Just understand that everything has risks, and consider how likely those "worst case scenario" slide situations are to happen.  Since being crushed by a forward-moving slide in a 60mph front-end crash is probably the most serious, I'll address that with the following points:

- Driving a motorhome, you are quite unlikely to be involved in a serious crash.  Several factors reduce this risk (read on).
- RV's are driven much less than cars, to/from a destination and then you park there for days/weeks at a time.
- RV's are driven recreationally, often by folks who are retired or on vacation (or both).  Not as daily drivers.  "Hurry" is not usually a factor, which can cause vehicle crashes.
- RV's are driven more on highways/interstates (versus city traffic situations), where crashes are much less likely.
- RV's are driven most during the daytime hours in light traffic, not often during bad weather conditions or at night when visibility or impaired drivers are a risk.
- On average, RV's are driven slower than cars and with more space between vehicles.  If a crash risk does exist, you have more time to respond & avoid it.
- Even if you DO hit something head-on (such as a vehicle in traffic), you will be substantially higher, heavier, and moving slower.  I.E. you will "win" the crash battle.  Similar to how school buses are one of the safest vehicles to ride in.
- About the only roadside item that would cause a sudden 60mph stoppage would be slamming into a bridge abutment or similar.  Pretty unlikely unless you are impaired or asleep.

As Kevin mentioned, that article is quite fatalistic without sourcing a lot of data or discussing anything I mentioned.  Visit & inspect lots of RV's and talk with some more veteran RV'ers before you make a purchase decision.  If a non-slide RV is right for you, then go for it!  Even though it's got a 2013 date, that article sounds as if it was written 20 years ago when slides were not all that common and not well understood/used.

Learning how to inspect any used RV prior to purchasing, and educating yourself on care/maintenance of these rigs (as well as being a part of a forum like this for constant access to information/sharing) will greatly decrease your stress and increase your enjoyment of the RV lifestyle!  ;D

Thank you!

I bought a very old, remodeled used Apollo and drove it across country (after replacing the trans) while towing a little Nissan in 2000.  It was not without it's challenges, but it was a very memorable trip. 

I'm pretty handy myself (built my own garden shed and deck at my house) so am not afraid of tackling things. 

I appreciate the insight and knowledge of everyone here and am looking forward to learning lots more.



PS - I still don't want anything to do with a motorhome with a slide. 

Going old to avoid reliability issues without slides is like buying a 68 Buick and expecting it to be trouble free because it doesn't have fuel injection and you read an article that fuel injection has issues and is expensive to repair.  You face more reliability issues with age than complicated technology.

That article just proves anybody can get published on the internet.  There are benefits to not having slides if you like your coach to be more usable while underway, but don't fear the slide.  They can make for a very pleasurable floor plan when parked.

I understand your opinion. 

I just disagree that buying a very high end older Class A is like buying an old Buick to avoid fuel injection.

  :

Safe travels!