Buying older motorhome - what to anticipate ....

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SarniaTricia said:
All the same applies to older Travel Trailers (TT)
I have a 30 year old TT that has been USED and loved and I keep her running down the road at least once a month (only got her in March this year)

My search brought out a lot of trailers, most had been sitting for years.... but the adds all said, towes great, all parts work... then you go and see them and ask, when is the last time it has been moved... oh, 2 years we had it out camping...  :mad: ..... very frustrating....


My favorites are "worked fine last time we used it and running when we parked it".


My favorite- worked last time we used it or ran when we parked it.
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Wow, I'm one lucky guy. 
I seem to be the only guy on the forum that has purchased a 23 year old class A with under 11000 miles in which every thing worked perfect.  It didn't leak, engine and drivetrain ran well and the coach looked like a brand new '85 when we got it in 2010.  The only money put into that coach in the 5 years I owned it was after a big storm when Progressive put a new roof and a new fridge and a/c in it due to a tree top falling on it and the shop it was plugged into getting struck by lightning.
Drove over 10000 miles and camped in it for 5 years(the last year full time)and sold it for $2500 more than I paid for it when I upgraded to a newer coach.

While the good ones may be far and few between, they're out there.
 
Old_Crow said:
Wow, I'm one lucky guy. 
I seem to be the only guy on the forum that has purchased a 23 year old class A with under 11000 miles in which every thing worked perfect.  It didn't leak, engine and drivetrain ran well and the coach looked like a brand new '85 when we got it in 2010.  The only money put into that coach in the 5 years I owned it was after a big storm when Progressive put a new roof and a new fridge and a/c in it due to a tree top falling on it and the shop it was plugged into getting struck by lightning.
Drove over 10000 miles and camped in it for 5 years(the last year full time)and sold it for $2500 more than I paid for it when I upgraded to a newer coach.

While the good ones may be far and few between, they're out there.
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This is very true, my main point to new people or people who are encouraged to buy older vehicles and chuck it all and hit the road is that they have to be SUSTAINABLE.  I'm not yelling it at you, I'm emphasizing that people need to have the resources to cover all unforseen issues.  I have been to place after place over the last 6 years where there are what they call the mobile homeless. Many of these people have enough money to still be able to hit the road but they cant survive a breakdown.  None of this makes them bad people and to me they are a sign of the destruction of the middle class and the fact that people cant live on even $15 an hour and a lot of jobs are less than that.

It's like having enough ammo to survive when the bears are tearing their way into your cabin. You have X amount of ammo so you have X amount of time and then you need a plan B and C to escape.  For example I've seen a video of a couple in a remote area of Alaska who had a primary cabin and a secondary shelter  just incase the primary one burned or was damaged  badly. If it was his only shelter he would be dead in a short time. During the winter he also had extra food stashes away from his primary cabin. He had exit plans B, C and D.

I'm a mechanic and bought tons of used stuff but I'm completely different than the guy who has to pay someone to do everything. I could head out in a $2500 van if I wanted to but if it blew an engine I could say the heck with it and walk in and buy a new one and drive away. It's all about risk, abilities, net worth and sustainablity.
 
Wow, I'm one lucky guy.
I seem to be the only guy on the forum that has purchased a 23 year old class A with under 11000 miles in which every thing worked perfect. 
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Either lucky or you did an excellent pre-purchase inspection. More likely both.  There are indeed some good ones out there, but the odds are stacked against the buyer, especially an inexperienced one.  Plus, it seems pretty clear from the original post that this coach has known, substantial problems, so it's pretty clear it has been neglected.    Old age coupled with neglect does not bode well for future reliability or a tight budget.
 
Little of both, Gary.  Back in '85 I was working as the motor home tech at a busy Chevy dealer in Sun City, CA.  So, in '10, when I went to look at the coach, I did indeed know what I was looking for, and, like QZ, I knew I was capable of fixing anything I needed to. 
Thing is, when I saw the coach, I didn't even try to talk him down, I just wrote a check...it was that good.  Drove it home on a Sunday, left on our first trip the following Thursday.
 
I can apply what I learned having boats my whole life, to buying a motor home.
You buy an old boat, by the time I fixed it up and replaced everything that was broken. I could have bought one in great shape.

The same goes for a motorhome . By the time  you replace all that stuff you could have bought one in great shape..

On the other hand. If your handy, and you can do the work your self. You'll know the ins and outs of you coach so if there is a problem down the road you'll be ready to handle it.
 
:-\ "I can apply what I learned having boats my whole life, to buying a motor home.
You buy an old boat, by the time I fixed it up and replaced everything that was broken. I could have bought one in great shape.

The same goes for a motorhome . By the time  you replace all that stuff you could have bought one in great shape.."

so true so true...uch!!!!
 
Be aware that RVs in that vintage had more WOOD content than later models using more modern materials,,granted most wood can be replaced, but much of it is structural or in a difficult area to get at.>>>Dan
 
Gary RV_Wizard said:
It seems we are talking to ourselves.  The OP still hasn't been back to this website since about two hours after his initial and only post.
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I don't have a problem talking to myself.  Sometimes I need the expert advice.  8)
 
It seems that many first time posters are looking/hoping for confirmation of their idea being a great one. In looking back at the first group many members were brutally honest, telling him the reality of his proposal.  That will often cause them to flee, looking for approval on another forum. 

That's OK though, because many members may be considering a similar project, and the information provided is still true and relevant.  So keep up the good work.
 
It's also possible that he came back to look at the responses WITHOUT bothering to log in with his ID and password, hence no record of him coming back . . .
 
I bought my current MH while being out of the state of the dealer. I had it built and delivered to Mississippi. We were just selling and moving out of Ca at the time.  A few minor issues to deal with, but nothing a dealer has not done before.  PPL is a large dealer and handles lots of resales. A good place to shop.
 
I have not bought from PPL, though while in that part of Houston earlier this spring I had some time to kill so spent a couple of hours walking around their lot.  Overall it was a good experience, no salesmen hassled me, though I did have to fill out a short questionnaire before being allowed on the gated lot.

Overall the thing that surprised me most was the lack of any visible effort to increase first impression sales appeal on most of the coaches.  Many of them had bent, sagging (dangerously) entry steps, broken / loose grab handles, as well as other problems with the entry doors (latches, hinges, etc.).  Some had deteriorating / torn fabric on the seats in what otherwise appeared to be decent RV's, etc. The issues with the steps being so prevalent  that I started stepping over them for fear I would forget if I was in a coach with damaged steps or not when stepped out.

In the end I walked away being very impressed with the condition of my 16 year old coach, which I had previously considered to only be in above average condition, with some wear on the carpet, and isolated clearcoat issues on the paint, etc.

p.s. the other thing I noted there were lots of potential first time RV buyers focusing on all the wrong things, like fabric colors, when shopping for a first coach.
 
A 1999 Gulfstream Conquest VIN 1FDXE40S6XHA06692 MODEL 6313D class C ( BASE WHAT I FOUND ON THE WEBSITE FROM THE MANUFACTOR ) CAUGHT MY EYES. It Has 31k miles . the outside shows the wear but no bad  but inside has so much storage and the slide pull out the cough and the kitchen !!! Asking is $16,500 ( not planning to pay that ). I drove it , easy cake ! but I didn't like to see that nose where the bulk bed is ahead of me when driving. My heart is turn (yes still...) I know my grandsons is looking forward for our trips and they want that bed.... uch ..... what you guys think ????
 
LIVE NOW said:
A 1999 Gulfstream Conquest VIN 1FDXE40S6XHA06692 MODEL 6313D class C ( BASE WHAT I FOUND ON THE WEBSITE FROM THE MANUFACTOR ) CAUGHT MY EYES. It Has 31k miles . the outside shows the wear but no bad  but inside has so much storage and the slide pull out the cough and the kitchen !!! Asking is $16,500 ( not planning to pay that ). I drove it , easy cake ! but I didn't like to see that nose where the bulk bed is ahead of me when driving. My heart is turn (yes still...) I know my grandsons is looking forward for our trips and they want that bed.... uch ..... what you guys think ????
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Average retail on NADA is $13,000 so it is not too far off.

https://www.nadaguides.com/RVs/1999/Gulf-Stream/M-6313-Capri-Hi-Rise-Ford/3039203/Values
 
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