1999 Chateau Sport--considering buying!

I've been semi-seriously looking for a class C for a couple of years, and have found something near my home that "sounds" good.    It's a 1999 Chateau Sport M28A, on the Ford F450 V10 chassis.    It has 60K miles, asking $15K OBO. 

I talked to the seller and nothing rang my BS detector.  This is what he told me:    He is the 3rd owner after 2 older couples.  Up until the last year it was stored inside (and the appearance bears that out.)  He's had it outside for a year, has made 2 long trips in it with no problems.    He is selling it to buy a larger trailer to live in while remodeling a house.  Tires are 4 years old.    Roof has not been re-coated, but there are no apparent leaks.    The inside has been cosmetically refurbished--flooring, toilet, faucets, etc.   

He claims the only issue is that the Onan 4K generator does not run.  Condition of batteries is unknown.  I saw that the black rubber gasket on one window was pulled loose on the corner, but that is not a huge deal.

These are my concerns:
*age of rubber components on the chassis--hoses, belts, gaskets, boots, etc.  He says he has all maintenance records.    Getting all that replaced could be expensive.
*roof condition--it has to be getting to the point of needing a re-coat, and definitely all the penetrations should be re-caulked.  I'm not sure of my ability to climb up and down a ladder and do that.    So getting it done could be pricey.
*repair/replace the generator--about $4K to replace.
*tires--probably not much more than another year or 2 in them.

Are these realistic concerns?  What else should I be looking at fixing/replacing in the next few years? 

I would like to be pro-active on getting all this stuff done, since I will be a single woman travelling with my grandchildren.  I do have a good auto mechanic and a good tire/front end shop reasonably close.  I've been travelling in a trailer with a friend for a while and understand how all the systems work. 

I don't have enough details to get a NADA price but that $15K sounds pretty high.  It's been sitting in a parking lot with a for sale sign in it for a while.  So I would make him a low-ball offer, most likely, at something like $8K.  Is that nuts?

If I set up a time to look at it, he will move it where there is water/electric available to test all the systems, and I will go over it with a fine-tooth comb.

I'd say more like $10k for an older Class C in good condition. Of course, genset not working isn't exactly "good", but a nice one might bring the $15k if it was. I would assume the Onan can be repaired rather than replaced, but you are still probably talking $1k or maybe even more. Common problems are clogged carburetors and faulty fuel pumps.  Gensets are expensive to work on and repair.

Your concerns are on target, but they apply to every 20 year old motorhome.

"1999 Chateau Sport M28A" is all you need to look it up in the NADA RV Guide, but I can't find any 1999 vintage Chateau motorhomes - just trailers. A Chateau was a model name that Ford used themselves on their vans, so I'm wondering if the "Chateau" may be the base van and the RV name is something else.

The owner said it was 28'.    So given that piece of info, it could be either the M26Q at 27.5', or the M28A at 29.5'.    He's likely going off the model number and not an actual measurement.    I found the NADA listing under "Four Winds" as the brand.    Apparently Thor didn't buy that out until 2010 or there abouts.

I'm going to set up a time to look at it tomorrow.    Should be interesting! 

As Gary says 10K is about all it is worth that is probably why it has been sitting for sale. The Class C's are known for having water leaks in the front over the cab if the roof has not been maintained regularly. The Ford V10 in 1999 was know to have problems with the heads with the spark plugs pulling out the threads when changed. If they have not been changed before it is getting time. Check the maintenance records closely and see what has been done. Hoses, belts, trans and diff. oil changed, radiator A/c there is a potential for alot of money to be spent on a 20 year old RV. Good luck.

15k is a very high price for a class C coach over 20 years old with 60k on the clock. Even at 8 thousand your maintenance will most likely be large. The generator is a major issue and unless you are sure of the problem and the repair, expect a $5000 replacement cost or about. If the roof is original, expect to seal it and look closely to the ceiling areas inside cabinets and around holes through the roof. Check the fridge for proper 3 way power as it most likely will operate on Gas, 110 volt and 12 volt. Look outside at the condensing unit for excessive rust and corrosion. Make sure the water heater fires up, heats and stays lit.

Look underneath the vehicle for any signs of leaking. Around the engine and transmission and at all the wheels. Signs of leakage could signal bigger problems.

Check all the lights, signals etc

Check the water pump, holding tanks and dump valves.

Be sure the converter charger is working when plugged in by checking the voltage at the house batteries when plugged in. Check the battery voltages with no charge voltages applied and if a charge was supplied, let the batteries stand for a short time and put a load on them to get em working then take load off and check the voltage. The best way to do this is to tell the owner not to plug the unit in or start it until you are there. I would think you will need new batteries.

Check all the appliances. Microwave, tvs, antenna cranks up and down properly with a working amplifier circuit.

Drive the vehicle and make sure it feels good.

Check the upholstery for rips stain etc.

Lots of things to be looking at. 8k for the vehicle would be ok if the generator could be repaired. At the age of the vehicle, you can pretty much count on many other repairs even if things check out initially.

Good luck and I hope you look at other purchase opportunities. 15k is a high price to be asking. Even if the condition is very good, age begins to trump that.

Good Luck

Henry

The problem with buying old & cheap is that almost anything could soon go wrong, either immediately or within months.  Even a great 20 year old vehicle+/house is going to have problems.  Could be an expensive repair or just nuisance.    You need to either gamble or have a knowledgeable person inspect thoroughly.

In my opinion condition is everything, only use NADA as a VERY rough guide, you would likely be far better off buying well maintained coach at way above NADA than an average condition coach at way below NADA, as you can easily spend thousands of dollars on deferred maintenance items, particularly if you are not able to do any of the work yourself.  I think you see to have a fair idea of where the likely problem points are, I would not worry too much about the generator, many people simply let them sit too long and the carburetor gums out, a new carburetor is about $210 and takes about half an hour for typical shade tree mechanic to swap out, no sense in paying the $200 per hour Onan shop rate until you check the simple stuff (carburetor, fuel pump, leak in fuel line (air getting in)...).

Having said all that I feel that anyone that is considering buying a 15+ (maybe 10+) year old motorhome really should have basic mechanical ability, maybe not to the level of being able to rebuild an engine, but at least enough to handle simple to mid level repairs, changing oil and other fluids, replacing tensioners, belts, alternators, headlights, etc.

Thanks for the input, everyone.  I will go over the records with a finetooth comb.    It's possible that many of the  potential problems have been addressed, and if not I will take care of it before I hit the road.  Any purchase price will definitely reflect needed upkeep/repairs.

So I looked at the motorhome briefly. 

On the plus side, it has a new water heater, water pump, flooring, sinks, faucets, and toilet.  The tires are 3 years old with 12K miles on them.

The owner before this one had all manner of preventive maintenance done, 4 years and 15K miles ago.  Brakes, rotors, bearings, all hoses, gaskets, and seals.  As best I can tell, everything short of a head gasket.    There is a detailed dated receipt.  That's a big plus.

On the negative side, it needs caulk on every penetration and seam.  The generator doesn't run.  The fridge is in poor cosmetic condition but it cools.

There are zero signs/smells of water intrusion and I looked very very carefully.  It's been stored inside. 

The owner bought it 4 years ago for $9900.  It's on his original registration, which I made a photo of. 

I'm going to meet him tomorrow and inspect with water & electric hooked up.  It won't be hot enough to really test the AC, but at least I'll be able to tell if it comes on.   

Checked with my agent, and full coverage insurance will be $300-$350/yr.

Low retail is 5290.  Avg retail is 6370.  IF and ONLY IF further inspection doesn't show any issues, I'm going to offer $5K and be willing to go up to $5700.

Sounds like you have done your homework!

Roof caulking or crack filling is a critical issue that MUST be done before it has a chance to leak!!!  It is not a hard or complicated job, but must be done.

Two popular methods, depending on the specific location are self leveling caulk for flat, level roof penetrations like vent or A/C holes and Eternabond tape for long seams.

yep I know roof and seam sealing is probably the most important thing of all.  Just about anything else won't cause big problems if it goes.

So I have backed off that motorhome.

On my first look, there was a small amount of water tracks in one of the bedroom wardrobe areas.  The owner looked on top and said it appeared there wasn't a good seal around some of the screws on the ladder anchors.    A few days later I drove by, and there is an obvious area of delamination below there, and also below and adjacent window.    That's definitely a deal-breaker!

It's a shame, because with some TLC this could be a good motorhome.  And it's sitting out in the rain going downhill, for lack of a couple of hours work to seal up some holes.    :-\

I think I will late until later this year and look for a newer version that is exactly what I want.

It wasn't meant to be ......

You will find the right one...Just hang in there..

Very wise move!!  You did your homework well.  This was NOT the RV for you.  You told us why.