Going from towable to MH

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one thing about owning an older motorhome.  you might go for a trip thinking you have enough money for this or that and suddenly your facing a bill for several thousand dollars just to get back home. we went down east last year in my friends  92 coach and blew his transmition. cost him 2800 dollars and we changed it ourselves in a parking lot. another couple we met had blown a piston and had been in a parking lot for a week with no idea when the parts would arrive for the fix. i can only imagine what the final cost was. i would leave yourself a buffer to account for possible expenses because these things arent cheap to operate.  i personally agree with the policy that when it comes to toys, if you cant pay cash , you cant afford it. good luck in your search.
 
I went from a C to an A. Never had a TT, but pulled horse trailers behind a p/u for many years. Driving either the A or C is sooo much easier than pulling a trailer, especially when it comes to backing.  Just go drive one from a dealership, you might find a deal there, too, and have an someone that wants to keep you happy with your purchase.

As far as buying with credit, we just purchased the new A. Although we could have bought it with cash, I chose to use the trade-in for down-payment and finance the rest. Reason being, these are considered by the IRS as second homes and interest and taxes are deductible ( usual disclaimer here, check with your tax professional).  Interest rates are very low.  The reason to shy away from financing is if it encourages you to buy more than you could afford if you had to buy it outright.
 
Maddie said:
Reason being, these are considered by the IRS as second homes and interest and taxes are deductible ( usual disclaimer here, check with your tax professional).  Interest rates are very low.  The reason to shy away from financing is if it encourages you to buy more than you could afford if you had to buy it outright.
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Depending on your tax bracket, this is equivalent to saying, "I'd rather give $1 in interest to a bank than 39 cents in taxes to my Country."  I'm not fond of giving to the IRS either, but this is pretty simple math.  Old thinking dies hard, but new math can set one free.  In addition, MH loans seldom are lower than what most of us are earning on that money. 
 
from my experience of buying new cars and trucks, they either give you low interest and add the interest charges into the price or lower the price and charge 5 percent interest. i have not seen ever any low interest on used stuff. one truck i leased for  two years . the cost to buy it out at the end of the lease for 7.5 percent was almost exactly the same price to buy a new one at 0 percent.
 
  My experience with rvs hasn't been all peaches and cream either. From flat tires to water leaks to a trunnion bar that just snapped in half,etc,etc.  The only new vehicle I've ever owned blew an engine at 6000 mi.  They are all just machines assembled by humans ,and as we all know there is no perfection to be had there.
  That being said, I'm going to look at a 2000 Winnie Adventurer 35U. Ford chassis, 68k mi., looks good in pictures
::),under $20k. I'll post more later.
 
MI.MARK said:
  My experience with rvs hasn't been all peaches and cream either. From flat tires to water leaks to a trunnion bar that just snapped in half,etc,etc.  The only new vehicle I've ever owned blew an engine at 6000 mi.  They are all just machines assembled by humans ,and as we all know there is no perfection to be had there.
  That being said, I'm going to look at a 2000 Winnie Adventurer 35U. Ford chassis, 68k mi., looks good in pictures
::),under $20k. I'll post more later.
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Go over all the wiring and seals with a fine tooth comb, especially in the engine bay.  Tires are another thing.  Check the date stamp.  Even if the tread is good if the tires are 5 to 7 years old you will be replacing them even if the tread is in good shape.  Your nose is another good one.  Pay close attention to smells inside and outside.  I detected the smell of mold in one rig and after digging a bit deeper found sources of leaks.  Another rig I looked at the engine and it was clean as a whistle but I could smell burnt oil.  After pressing the owner I learned it had a hydraulic leak that was never fixed right.  They just kept cleaning it up.  This turned out to be a bad seal in the hydraulic pump that powered the slides.  Cost of repairs made this a no deal.
 
99WinAdventurer37G said:
I would strongly discourage anyone from buying an RV if it had to be financed.  Our society encourages this bad behavior, which is more like trying to catch a falling object from the sky.  It usually pulls you down, and most everyone I talk to laments about depreciating assets they bought on credit. 

I suggest people come up with the largest monthly payment they are comfortable with, then make that payment to yourself in either a bank account, or a good "no-load" mutual fund at Fidelity.com (for those comfortable with risk) every month.  Keep shopping on ebay, through the items sold, to find out what items are selling for, to continue to keep one focused on the goal and know true market prices.  Find all those other items you have that you couldn't live without, so now you're paying to store somewhere, or haven't used in years, and sell them on craigslist or ebay, for extra money to put towards your new toy.  When you have the money to pay cash, then go get it.  When people have a well defined written down goal, they are many times more likely to achieve that goal.


If one insists on making the unwise choice of financing a depreciating asset, a good rule of thumb is to never finance any more than the NADA low retail value of the same item 5 years old.  The advantage of this is that if the unthinkable happens, this helps to prevent being upside down on the item.  So one could get out from under the yoke of financial slavery at a predefined loss.

As my grandfather taught me, "If you can't afford to pay cash, you can't afford it"

Just my two cents.
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Playing devil's advocate, on the other hand, if you have $500,000 in a retirement account, invested safely (as safe as it can be without being under the mattress) and its paying you 6.0% a year, and you can borrow $100, 000 for a motor home for 10  or 15 years at 3.20%, and you can set up automatic monthly payment from the retirement account, then I'd do it. There's another old adage. If you have the cash, borrow as much as you can for as long as you can.

Just my 2 cents.
 
parttymer said:
Playing devil's advocate, on the other hand, if you have $500,000 in a retirement account, invested safely (as safe as it can be without being under the mattress) and its paying you 6.0% a year, and you can borrow $100, 000 for a motor home for 10  or 15 years at 3.20%, and you can set up automatic monthly payment from the retirement account, then I'd do it. There's another old adage. If you have the cash, borrow as much as you can for as long as you can.

Just my 2 cents.
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This is kind of what we did.  We cashe in a CD that was only paying 1% and are paying it pack at over 10 years at 3%.  We make out in the end.  Why pay a bank if you can pay yourself.  Of course this only works if you have the funds ina retirement account that you can get to.
 
MI.MARK said:
  I guess I did leave out some stats. My better half & I are both retired & will be parttiming by ourselves (hopefully),& sometimes with grandsons now 5 & 10. My father-in-law might also be joining us for some shorter trips.
  The layout while moving will be quite important. I know with the tt there is no room with the slide in. Is it the same with most coaches. Dad would run the gen. on the road to power roof ac, etc. Don't know if thats a good idea  or not.
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Your post here sounds as if you want to carry people in the trailer while moving. This is against the law in most states and I would also say it would not be a very wise thing to do either.
 
  I wouldn't have anyone ride in a trailer while moving. Sorry to mislead.
 
ironrat said:
Your post here sounds as if you want to carry people in the trailer while moving. This is against the law in most states and I would also say it would not be a very wise thing to do either.
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He is referring to carrying people in his yet-to-be-purchased motorhome.  The OP already has a TT that he is thinking of selling/trading toward a motorhome (hence the title of this thread).
 
scottydl said:
He is referring to carrying people in his yet-to-be-purchased motorhome.  The OP already has a TT that he is thinking of selling/trading toward a motorhome (hence the title of this thread).
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I found seat belts in my couch, and dinette area.  But in the MH I would expect someone riding in a MH to get up once and a while to use the head or just to stretch.  I thought the law just required the driver and front seat passenger to use their seat belt.  Are there any states where all are required to be belted in a MH?  It's more like a bus, and I don't think buses have seat belts.
 
Buses in some states do not require seat belts in the rear as the seat in front of them is the padded stopping point for the passenger or so the experts say. But in our motorhomes that is not the case. Most motorhomes do have and require seat belts in the rear. People do all kinds of things, but think about it, law or no law it is not to wise to walk around for any reason in a moving motorhome or moving anything! Just think here, what happens  to you when trying to move about when the RV turns, hits a bump or you have to use the brakes even lightly?
 
one thing i was warned of when i was looking to buy was the fact that during hurricane katrina and i guess now hurricane sandy was the fact that a lot of mh and tt were flood damaged and writen off by the insurance companies. apparently some of these units have been moved around and are being resold to unsuspecting buyers. make sure to check the cargo bays and everywhere for water damage.  i have the 2000 adventurer with 49k and so far so good.
 
99WinAdventurer37G said:
I found seat belts in my couch, and dinette area.  But in the MH I would expect someone riding in a MH to get up once and a while to use the head or just to stretch.  I thought the law just required the driver and front seat passenger to use their seat belt.  Are there any states where all are required to be belted in a MH?  It's more like a bus, and I don't think buses have seat belts.
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It is like being in an airplane.  While seated keep the seat belts on.
 
99WinAdventurer37G said:
I thought the law just required the driver and front seat passenger to use their seat belt.
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Motorhomes fall in a gray area.  They are not commercial vehicles (buses) so they don't fall under those rules, and in many states they are too heavy (over 10,000 pounds) to fall under standard passenger car rules.  As far as buses not having seatbelts, they are built differently and offer a "compartmentalization" effect in the event of a crash... helps keep occupants contained in/around their seats during a crash, except a rollover of course.  Motorhomes "offer" all kinds of obstructions, loose items, and passengers facing various ways that could/would/do go flying every which way in serious crashes.

Law and Safety are often too different animals.  Rear seatbelts in motorhomes often aren't the law but they are VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED in all cases.  It would be VERY easy for a passenger to lose their balance, fall, and/or get injured in some other way while trying to walk throughout a moving motorhome.  See this thread with some thoughts to consider ... Moving around in a moving vehicle - NO WAY!

All that said, just be smart about it.  An occasional short walk to the bathroom or snack cabinet while driving on a straight, smooth road... probably fairly low risk, and many of us motorhome owners have done that.  But there are always unknowns, and stopping to stretch the legs is always a safer option.
 
  Today I gave a once-over look at a 2000 winnie adventurer 35u. Ford v-10, 68k mi. Exterior has normal fading &some ragged edges on decals but no delamination or cracks. Tires are Michelin and excellent,all 6. Interior is above average.The dealer has it at 19900. NADA says 28 to 35k depending on opts.
  Yes, it has seat belts on the sofa and dinette. The rugrats aren't getting off that easy. Besides, they complain if I don't check their belts when they ride with me.
  Any thoughts or experience with this unit or similar? 
 
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is it the one listed on americanrv.com. same price. great looking machine if it is . it is almost identical to my 2000 adventurer 37g. seems like a reasonable price. mine has 49k on the v10. runs great. my mechanic friend says the ford v10 are prone to exhaust manifold cracking due to shutting them off when they are hot. told me to always let them cool before shutting it off. how many hrs on the genny. mine has electric and gas heat. had a little trouble with the thermostat but figured that out. mine is nice to drive, and i am quite happy with my adventurer. i have only had it a year but so far so good.
 
MI.MARK said:
  Today I gave a once-over look at a 2000 winnie adventurer 35u. Ford v-10, 68k mi. Exterior has normal fading &some ragged edges on decals but no delamination or cracks. Tires are Michelin and excellent,all 6. Interior is above average.The dealer has it at 19900. NADA says 28 to 35k depending on opts.
  Yes, it has seat belts on the sofa and dinette. The rugrats aren't getting off that easy. Besides, they complain if I don't check their belts when they ride with me.
  Any thoughts or experience with this unit or similar? 
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I was just about to strongly suggest that you look for a 2001 Winnebago Adventurer, Ford F-53 Chassis, NOT Workhorse.
This is what we have and have found NO concerns with anything!!!
Your 35U should be an excellent unit.
Make sure that the Motoraid dash fan works BOTH on Hi & Lo.
AND, ensure that the unit has the plumbing for heating the hot water tank with the engine water while travelling (maybe all do have this, not sure but an excellent option.
Also, check to ensure that the courtesy lights work. (near the floor by the bath and entrance door).
One thing we liked is that the unit can function completely with the slide closed.  NOTHING is blocked and there is still plenty of room to move around.

I just replaced the refrig in my unit, but it is old enough to expect that.

Also, search for the windshield frame rust problem with Winnebagos. Something to check out before you buy.
I would get under the unit and check out the rear stabilizer bushings.  Mine were toast ...easy to replace and really made a difference.

Let us know how you make out.

Advice:  NEVER buy a unit if there is ONE thing thatyou don't like ... it will be the thing that you 'see' every time you get in the unit.  We shopped until we found one that met our criteria.
Still very happy with our unit and glad we waited for the right one.
 
Staff edit: Remove excess white space
Edit: Fixed quote.
 
MI.MARK said:
Tires are Michelin and excellent,all 6.
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Check the date codes on all 6.  Visual appearance of RV tires means almost nothing if they are nearing 7+ years old.

MI.MARK said:
The dealer has it at 19900. NADA says 28 to 35k depending on opts.
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Do not add in options on the NADA website when figuring prices of used motorhomes.  It's just like a used car.  Options should only be factored into the "sticker" price when the unit is new.

Also remember, the dealer's only objective is to make a profit.  If the unit it priced well below NADA, that could be a warning sign.  Check every inch of that rig and try every switch/function/appliance before considering a purchase.  Look inside cabinets for any water stains or damp smells that might indicate a potential roof leak.  If you haven't already, check out the Library link at the top of the page... there's a "Used RV Buyer Checklist" in their somewhere.
 
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