Considering first RV (class A)

Hi
My wife and I are considering for purchase a 1992 Winnebago adventurer 32'. The unit belongs to friends and has been in their family since 1994. It has usual wear and tear but overall has been well taken care of and shows pride of ownership for its age. Motor seems to run strong and the odometer shows 73k.
I was told there had been a leak in the roof years past and the whole roof had been coated with an apply by mop product and the leaks had stopped. Rained last night and today I was able to check myself and no wet spots. Living in Arizona I almost consider the rain a sign from above telling me "see its fixed,go for it!" ;D

The brakes seem ...... Spongy and I felt like I had to stand on them to get the coach to stop. Not sure how this compares to others so I feel a few other test drives may be in order. Tires I am planning on replacing as they are 6 years old. Prob replace the batteries and do a full maintenance on drivetrain as well.
Overall I feel like this is a great way to get into an rv for a minimal investment and it feels like a benefit to get one with known pedigree. Experience rving a little and if we love it we can always upgrade and probably recoup majority if investment. Other side is we make this our own and put some time and money into it and have a great rig for years to come,
Long I know but this is a new thing for me and I thought maybe some of you had gone through the same stuff and I'm open to any advice you all have.
Have a great day,
Mayday

Welcome!  The term "minimal investment" means different things to different folks, and chances are good that more will go wrong with a 26 year old rig.  But, I don't want to discourage you either... and it is definitely a plus that you know the ownership & maintenance history (at least some of it) on the unit.  Roof leaks and water damage are a huge RV killer, so just make sure you check all the walls, inside cabinets, around windows, all around the floors for any signs of old water damage... stains, soft spots, mold or moisture behind paneling, etc.  It sounds like the roof repair might have been a "let's try this and see if we get lucky" type of thing, and the problem might still exist.

I moved your post to the "Motorhomes" section as I think you'll get more views and responses there on the brakes, and other issues with owning a motorhome of that vintage.  FWIW my first RV was a 1994 Thor Residency (35' Class A) so I'm pretty familiar with that era. 

Welcome to the forum! Where in Arizona are you located?

We live down in Sierra Vista!

Welcome to The RV Forum!

Brakes are an area where I won't take chances.  You shouldn't have to "stand on the brakes" nor should they feel spongy.

What kind of chassis do you have? Chevy chassis used a power brake system called HydroBoost that used hydraulic pressure from the power steering pump to provide the braking assist.  These can feel different than the vacuum boosted brakes that you'll find in most cars, but the brakes should be firm and stop the motorhome smartly.

danajdelarosa said:

We live down in Sierra Vista!

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Hello fellow Sierra Vistian!

Welcome to the forum )

On a 1992 the brakes are marginal at best - the size of the wheels doesn't really allow for what you would call "good brakes".  But "spongy" is bad news. Get them checked out.

As for seeing wet spots, a lot of water can get under the skin without seeing wetness on the walls or ceiling. I'm not saying that's the case here, but just looking for water stains onside is not conclusive.

You didn't mention a price, so I can't comment on the "investment", but replacing tires and batteries, plus a thorough drive train maintenance (and those brakes!) is going to add a substantial amount. As you say, you can sample RVing for far less than a newer one, but you could probably get a 1996-1998 model for around the same price..

Be aware that 1992 was kind of a transitional time for gas motorhomes. The coaches were getting bigger and more comfy, but the gas chassis was not really up to the size/weight, the engine performance mediocre for that size rig, and the 3-speed transmission pretty much inadequate for the weight. Handling and performance and fuel economy are all going to be rather disappointing by current standards.

Spongy brakes would be bad, of course, but you are talking about a medium-truck chassis with hydroboost brakes that are probably right at about their maximum working load so just make sure you're identifying a problem and not a design.

As long as you're a fairly handy sort, I think having an older coach is a good way to start.  Your initial investment will be low and as long as the rig doesn't have any problems that you're not aware of (and have figured into the price), you'll probably find that you're at the bottom of the depreciation curve so as long as you keep it in good nick you're not likely to lose a ton of money on the deal.  If you need to take this to a mechanic or RV tech, however, an older coach will eat you out of house and home because quite frankly old things are just going to break.  Good news is that parts aren't all that difficult to come by, and there isn't anything in there that is all that complicated.  The bad news, though, is that a lot of those easy to find parts happen to have a small house built on top of and around them, so getting to it can be a challenge.  For the mechanicals, everything on the chassis is going to be bigger and heavier than your typical car or light truck and a little bit more physical to work on.

Making sure the rig is sealed up is probably the most important thing -- anything can be fixed if you through enough time and money at it, but water damage quickly gets to be more time and money than the rig is worth.  If you want to be sure, there are a number of places that can pressure-test the coach while spraying soapy water around the outside to see where the leaks are.  You're looking at about $250 for that service which seems like a bargain to me.  Other than that, you're probably around $300/tire and around $200/battery, roughly.  If you don't feel comfortable being able to crawl all over it and ensure that it doesn't have any timebombs, get it inspected as a condition of purchase.

If it checks out, get it, enjoy it, and keep a notebook on board to jot down all the things that irritate you or that you wish you had so you can start building your wish list for the next rig.

Sun2Retire said:

Hello fellow Sierra Vistian!

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Well hi there! We live over in Ranchos Carmela!

Obviously, make sure it is safe! 

But don't get discouraged by everyone telling you all that could be wrong with it.  Sure water coulda.... and the ceiling might of...... but if you drove it and it isn't leaking now and want to try it out - Enjoy!!

Heck, if I listened to all the negativity my kids and I wouldn't have had/are having so much dang fun!!  I hope my kids look back as some of the best memories of their childhood.

Don't overpay though - It isn't worth too much and it sounds like you have throw some money into it.

Good Luck!!