buying an old motorhome

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lilcane88

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Feb 18, 2009
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the family and I are back at looking into motorhomes as we just rapped up a $1200 repair bill for one of our race bikes (dirt bikes)... at the local Ingles groccery store there is a 1986 ELITE Coach Corp. ELITE33 for sale. its in decent shape and needs some very minor repairs (seat covers, cleaning etc.) it has 79,000 and has had a recent tune up and new tires. the guy is asking $8000 but would more than likely take $7000 easy.

also there is this motorhome that we are looking at http://greenville.craigslist.org/rvs/1226380947.html

I guess what I'm asking is, is it okay to purchase an older motorhome like this to use about once a week and travel at most 100 miles round trip. Also, what are "red flags" to look for when looking at older motorhomes. all help is appreciated. thanks
 
lilcane88 said:
I guess what I'm asking is, is it okay to purchase an older motorhome like this to use about once a week and travel at most 100 miles round trip. Also, what are "red flags" to look for when looking at older motorhomes. all help is appreciated. thanks
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It looks good to me, and it has a very reliable engine, with less miles than my year 2000 with the same 454. If I couldn't find anything obviously wrong after a test drive and looking both under and on top (the roof), and inside, I would go for it.

And I would be willing to drive it a lot more than 100 miles per trip.

But any older motorhome can be a real money pit. I would say it depends a lot on your luck! And how much of it you can fix yourself.

                                           
        -Don- SSF, CA​
 
For a rig that age, have some money set aside for the inevitable repairs.

I would strongly recommend that you be signed up with some Emergency Roadside Service plan (like CoachNet, Good Sam ERS, etc.) before you leave on any  trips.  Also, check the DOT codes on your tires to learn how old they are.
 
That's a very impressive ad quite honestly, lots of information and the 9 minute video.  To some extent that does show that the sellers care about the motorhome (i.e. they want to show it off, not avoiding some major problem) which could be a good sign.  Nothing substitutes for a comprehensive in-person inspection though. 

Get the details on what all was done on the "tune up" (that term means different things to different people) just for clarification.  The mileage is decent for a rig of that age, not too high but not too low meaning it's been used regularly.  Big ticket items are tires (already new, very good), fridge, roof A/C, and generator if it has one.  See if all those things are working properly, and check every crack and crevice for evidence of potential roof leaks.  Water will ruin a motorhome from the inside out.

If you haven't seen the "Checklist for used RV's" in the forum library, check that out as it's very comprehensive.
 
Sure, as long as you check all the systems out first and make sure fridge, water heater, generator, a/c, etc. work and that the engine, tranny and brakes are in decent shape for the age and mileage.  Hold some money back for repairs, e.g. belts and hoses, complete change of fluids and so forth so that you know where you stand on maintenance items. Helps if you are good at do-it-yourself maintenance too. The new tires are good - that avoids a major expense.

There is a used Rv buyers checklist in the forum library under Checklists.
 
thanks all for the input. Upon further examination of the rig in the Ingles parking lot, it needs a new tire on the right rear axle. (dry rot but still within allowed age for a tire and you cant replace just one tire, so.) and the roof needed A LOT of work. I dont want to fool with that much so I'll scratch that rig. But the 1988 Mallard looks like a solid coach. I will plan to go see it and go over it thoroughly.  Again, thanks for the help.
 
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