looking at a 2002 Mallard 27h by Fleetwood

as the title says, looked at a Mallard today. The unit seems to be in good condition, faded paint but could not find a seam that looked loose or any sign of water intrusion. It has a slide and slide topper/awning which is in good condition. It was powered up so I could test all the systems and all seemed to work great.

The water heater and pump were replaced last yr. The owner had new 30 lb tanks and regulator installed last yr as well.

The only problem I found was a small soft area of the floor under the kitchen sink where the pump is. It is about 6 or 8 inches, roughly square. for the most part it is under the sink cabinet right next to the pump, except for about a 2 in by 3 in area just outside of the cabinet by the wall and the door.

I've read many replies that say run from soft spots, but he said he had the pump replaced because it started running pretty much constantly, only to find the line going from the pump had a small leak so this seems to fit with the soft spot.

Hes asking 5k. The tires are 2013 vintage Marathons.. tread and sidewalls look OK but I think I'd replace them just to be safe.

what do the experts think, should I pass or cut the offering price down for the soft spot and tires?

thanks! 

5k, one soft spot, runs great, you know it needs tires.  What do you have to lose, 5k  :.  If you like it, hard to pass up.

I'd take it, if it otherwise met my needs.  I'm not one to run from any evidence of leaks - it's just something to be investigate and factor into your decision.  You won't find many 16+ year old RVs that have never had a leak.

spencerpj -  that is in fact the issue. I don't want to throw away even 5k, I know that may not seem like much to spend on a TT, but that's what I can afford currently. If I had 5k to throw away I could just finance a new unit and lose it when I drive off the lot.


thanks Gary, I appreciate the feedback

rbTN said:

spencerpj -  that is in fact the issue. I don't want to throw away even 5k, I know that may not seem like much to spend on a TT, but that's what I can afford currently. If I had 5k to throw away I could just finance a new unit and lose it when I drive off the lot.

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Ooookay, I guess I was trying to say that you found what seems to be a great deal, but as with anything used, the wheels can fall off tomorrow. And you are correct, buying new will certainly take a great loss immediately, but if you want to think you are going to buy a 5k RV without some risk, good luck.  I simply wanted to say that it seemed you found a great deal, and although it has risk, I hope it's not such a risk that if you have a problem, it would devastate you, because I think if that were the case, you should reconsider this adventure, because all of us will tell you the the RV, or Travel life is not an inexpensive adventure.  I hope this (or whatever you decide) brings the excitement and adventure you hope it does. 


edit: corrected, originally I thought it was Class C, my bad  :'(.  Still feel it's a good deal, not a fantastic deal for this age TT.

Since the SOURCE of the leak / soft spot is known and the problem fixed, I would not be concerned about it.  You said you had verified all major appliances work.  You know it needs tires.  All good things.

Do you LOVE the floor plan?  That is always a reason to walk if the answer is no.

Can your truck handle the load?  If it is a ? ton, the answer is probably no.

I assume you can afford $500 - $600 for new tires.

If all answers are good, go for it!

Having just recently gone thru the search for a TT in that price range, doesn't sound like too bad a deal. The experts here don't seem to be worried about the soft spot, I don't think I would be either with the explanation. Of course, you know you'll see one way better for half the price within a week of when you pull the trigger, that's the story of my life!

Sounds like a decent deal.

Nothing beats that PAID FOR smell.  ;D

I had a few small soft spots develop in my motorhome after a hot water leak went unnoticed even though I lived in it fulltime.
Ooops!

Ended up fixing the hot water with underwater epoxy because replacing it was going to require renovation I didn't want to do.

Well I never did anything about the soft spots and they never grew or got worse so I figured if and when I redid the vinyl flooring I would fix them, but I never got around to that because I was having too much fun.  ;D

Since you know what probably caused the soft spot and it's been fixed, I wouldn't worry about it.

Nothing beats that PAID FOR smell.

I paid cash for my first RV and then 8 years later, I paid cash for my second RV.
Nothing beats that PAID FOR smell.

Loads of folks tried to tell me I was crazy and needed to dump my cash into a down payment and finance something new, but...
Nothing beats that PAID FOR smell.

I like less stress and living debt free means a whole lot less hassle in life. It also frees up money in the future for maintenance or upgrades or travel and fun!

Your insurance company can offer you road service at a pretty cheap price (well mine is!) and that can free up a lot of worry about tires until you figure out what you are doing about those. Just make sure you travel with a spare. Not having a spare is a real nightmare.

I also traveled with fix-a-flat and actually needed and used that one time when my tire was deflating at a camp. I used the fix-a-flat then drove to a tire place to replace the ailing tire.

Good luck and did I tell you?

Nothing beats that PAID FOR smell.  ;D

I took to long to decide and its sold... on to the next one. But thank you all - great info for next time!

DearMissMermaid said:

Nothing beats that PAID FOR smell.  ;D

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DearMiss... I agree, nothing like not having a payment!