Hello all . so i caught the rv bug from my brother and spme friends and now im looking around at differant models and sizes .Budget is 20k so you know it will have some years ans miles on it .Heres my quesion . Are there brands I should stay away from ? and what should i look for in older models . thanks in advance . Btw ill be lookong at class c at around 24'.
still a virgin
- Thread starter rudiger
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SeilerBird
Well-known member
Old RVs are all money pits. So get a very through inspection on any thing you want to buy. Plan on spending $12k on the RV and $8k on initial repairs like tires, roof and fluids.
Isaac-1
Well-known member
As Seilerbird said, they are all money pits, just some are bigger money pits than others. I feel the entry level price you are likely to find on a serviceable used motorhome is in the $20,000 ballpark, say $17,500 to purchase and $2,500 to fix the things that have fallen through the cracks. Even then you will still likely have numerous issues that will need attention eventually. Also expect to kiss a number of frogs before you find a prince at the sub $20,000 price point
Simply put a $20,000 gas motorohome is going to be something over 12 years old, there are lots of rubber parts that tend to age out around the 12 year mark, this includes, belts, radiator, fuel and brake hoses, suspension and steering bushings (including steering linkages, ball joints, motor mounts, bump stops...) If these have not yet been changed, expect them to start failing soon. Then of course there is other wear and tear, general upkeep, to contend with. I own a motorhome of this vintage which I bought 2 years ago, and know all too well here lately about unexpected issues, in July mine blew a hydraulic hard line 3 miles from home stranding me on the side of the road ($700 repair), then in August something started going clunk in the front end ($1,300 later it had new upper and lower ball joints on both sides), and last week on the way home 50 miles away the alternator went out, this is the project I have spent my afternoon working on today, I have the alternator and idler pulley out, and need to go to the auto parts store in the morning to pick up a new tensioner pulley before I start putting it all back together.
Simply put a $20,000 gas motorohome is going to be something over 12 years old, there are lots of rubber parts that tend to age out around the 12 year mark, this includes, belts, radiator, fuel and brake hoses, suspension and steering bushings (including steering linkages, ball joints, motor mounts, bump stops...) If these have not yet been changed, expect them to start failing soon. Then of course there is other wear and tear, general upkeep, to contend with. I own a motorhome of this vintage which I bought 2 years ago, and know all too well here lately about unexpected issues, in July mine blew a hydraulic hard line 3 miles from home stranding me on the side of the road ($700 repair), then in August something started going clunk in the front end ($1,300 later it had new upper and lower ball joints on both sides), and last week on the way home 50 miles away the alternator went out, this is the project I have spent my afternoon working on today, I have the alternator and idler pulley out, and need to go to the auto parts store in the morning to pick up a new tensioner pulley before I start putting it all back together.
JudyJB
Well-known member
And just so you know, the real money is not in the engine and the transmission, it is in things like water leaks and systems that need repair, like plumbing and refrigerators. Consider that driving around a motorhome is not like driving around a car or truck--you are driving your very heavy home around and things creak and rattle and flex, so things come apart. (Consider what hitting a chuckhole can do to something like a water heater or a refrigerator!)
And I don't think any brands of Class Cs are much different from any other brands. So shop condition and floor plan. And also get someone qualified to inspect the house systems and things like the roof.
I don't want to dissuade you, but just so you know what you are getting into. You might do better overall to spend a little more and have fewer fixes once you buy it.
And I don't think any brands of Class Cs are much different from any other brands. So shop condition and floor plan. And also get someone qualified to inspect the house systems and things like the roof.
I don't want to dissuade you, but just so you know what you are getting into. You might do better overall to spend a little more and have fewer fixes once you buy it.
