Turn over / life expectancy

Full-timers,

Since you're getting more use out of your coaches than the seasonal/casual folks, how long do you expect your rig to last before you start looking for a new one? Do you plan to run yours into the ground or prefer to buy/sell on a regular basis?

Which part of the coach would you like the life expectancy for? The LP detector has a life expectancy of 5 - 7 years.

As to engines, are you wanting the life expectancy of gas or diesel? The newer gas engines, properly maintained can go 200,000 plus miles, if long in miles is what you want. Actually, long in time maintenance should be done on engines as well. You can talk about transmissions, etc. etc. 

What does run into the ground mean? Do you mean the tires? RV tires are often replaced based on years not mileage.

I don't think that you can expect a reasonable answer from a generic question as RVS are complex and there are a lot of different coaches and different kinds of rvs. I gently suggest you take some time to read and research RVs so you can ask more specific questions.

However, I think it would be a great, kindly said by me, idea to first research your questions as the forum and the internet has the ability to research previous answers given to previous questions.

Oh, I'm not a full-timer.

One of your questions dealt with when people plan to replace their rig and why.  We use ours an average of 6-7 months per year so are almost into the category to comment.  Certainly closer than to seasonals or weekend users. 

We used to replace when we decided that something would be enough better to justify the expense.  Eventually, we were able to buy something, based on years of RV use, that did not quickly seem like it should be replaced.  We have had our current fifth-wheel for seven years and we come home from each RV show telling each other that we did not see anything enough different, in ways that are important to us, to justify spending money.  Good place to be, I guess.

A difficult questions, as RogerS already stated. Lots of personal perception and preference in there. Once you work your way up to a better quality rig that suits your needs well, there is little incentive to change except styling. New is nice, but remodeling makes more financial sense and in recent years RV remodeling has become common (and a fast growing industry caters to that need as well). So "running it into the ground" is becoming a more common approach than it was 10 years ago. But if you haven't settled into the right choice of rig yet, a fairly early turnover is almost assured.

We are half-time rather than full time, but we have 8+ years on this coach and have no plans to ever buy another.

We were full time for 16+ years and our coach is now 18 years old and we have no intention of replacing it.  We know it inside and out, it has no known serious problems, and most important, it's paid for.

Ned said:

We were full time for 16+ years and our coach is now 18 years old and we have no intention of replacing it.  We know it inside and out, it has no known serious problems, and most important, it's paid for.

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Ned, That is a good thing. I wouldn't be looking for a long time.
Bill

Full-timers,
Since you're getting more use out of your coaches than the seasonal/casual folks, how long do you expect your rig to last before you start looking for a new one? Do you plan to run yours into the ground or prefer to buy/sell on a regular basis?

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I prefer to maintain it until I can comfortably afford something/anything else.
That should be especially true in a motorized RV. Maintenance is a cost that you need factor in and motorized RVs require a lot of upkeep.

I plan on buying my rv this year or latest next year, depends on my situation. I plan to buy a used rig and part of the reason I have been through my training is to be able to understand what I'm looking at. What I don't understand, like the running gear, I plan to have a diesel mechanic and maybe the qualified chassis maintenance facility look at it as well.

Just to set a reference point:
So, I will probably be looking for something like some combination of Newmar, Dutch Star, tax axle, comfort drive, hydronic heating, 2008 or younger. I plan to pay cash and probably around 150k plus or minus. That probably won't qualify as gently used, but it is out about 6 years or 7 years. I would go for older, but the comfort drive is a must have on my list and wasn't introduced until 2008.

I think it is primarily about maintenance and whether or not it was full-time quality rig when originally manufactured. Many say it is about the inside layout, but I think some changes can be made to the older rigs to improve the layout.

Seriously, the run into the ground concept makes little sense to me unless I'm looking at something that has been neglected and ill maintained. Say, heavily rusted out, horrible roof leak and delaminated/rotted out side walls, a blown engine, or at a junk yard. Something like that might be what I think as of run into the ground, in general. But so much can be done with well maintained, upgraded, rebuilt efforts ...especially a diesel, that I find the focus is better to be put on the details of the rigs condition at any point in time.

Taking one small detail, as an example, assuming a Suburban water heater, I would ask the owner some open questions, like do they use an anode rod, when was the last time it was changed, how many have they used over the years, and how often do then drain out the bottom 2 quarts of the tank. Right there is upwards of $1,000 to $1,200 or more to replace the water heater if the specific maintenance and the use of anode rods has not been done for that water heater, even if that water heater is working "today." That is why I can't understand general comments of a rig being in excellent or good condition...Seems to me you have to get very specific...at least that is the way I have been trained as an RV inspector. I'm leaving for a weak of advanced training tomorrow. Again another reference point.

I respect the experience of owners, but I don't think one can assume that means an owner has the specific expertise to know or desire to do all the specific maintenance needed on these rvs, nor the buyer to do the specific due diligence to know what they are looking at beyond, falling in love with their dream possibilities.

I have yet to read a specific limit as to how long rigs can last. A poorly maintained rig or a poor quality rig is always a potential breakdown in progress...and perpetually "run down"

Since 1980 we are on #7, hoping its the last one unless we win the lottery

I bought mine with the intention of keeping it until the wheels fell off, then get new wheels.  I may add another one, but not get rid of this one.  I was thinking about picking up a smaller one for light travels, say 300 mile weekend trips for just me, where plans indicate the unit is just for showers, meals and sleep.  I saw one at a Safari show that was amazing, 4WD, http://earthroamer.com/, however, this one would be an exceptional investment in exploring where few RV's have gone before.

Just food for thought! (Sorry, I just had to)

http://www.rvforum.net/SMF_forum/index.php/topic,82278.0.html

We are only half-timers, but we expect the RV to last at least 20 years, though that assumes both regular maintenance/repair and periodic updates for stylistic reasons. Just like our stick house, we occasionally make changes just for the sake of change (a different "look"). We have yet to actually keep an RV that long, but we are in our 9th year on this one and have no plans to change.

But many folks do not keep their RV as long as it would last. That is often because wants and needs change, e.g. larger or smaller, different layout, or maybe just a more upscale (expensive) model. And some folks change RVs rather than remodel, because it is easier (for them) to make changes that way.

Life's little decisions and big dreams, multiplied or divided by the cost and knowledge to play.

We keep our vehicles, both cars and RVs, forever. We 'sold' a Honda car to our daughter for $1 when it was 15 years old. We did that because she needed a car. It drove like the day it was new.

We kept our first motorhome 15 years before trading it (actually, charged the dealer only $1). We'd have kept it longer, but I failed to adequately maintain the roof, which had a serious design issue. The engine sounded like the day we bought it.

When I read the headline I thought that you were talking about us campers. I was going to say that since I have arthritis I usually turn over several times a night.  My mother and my older brother made it to 83 years. Since I am 77 (Today by the way) I hope that I can made it run longer than that.   

Frank Hurst said:

When I read the headline I thought that you were talking about us campers. I was going to say that since I have arthritis I usually turn over several times a night.  My mother and my older brother made it to 83 years. Since I am 77 (Today by the way) I hope that I can made it run longer than that.   

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Well, Happy Birthday! 

77 is not really old by today's standard. My dad is 86, his dad only lived to 83, but that was 25 years ago.  They live at a nice assisted living facility, where they can do everything for themselves, or have it all done for them.  In their apartment complex there are three women that are over 100 years old.  One of the ladies I see in the dining room every day I'm there, she doesn't use a walker or a cane.  She is very active and participates in many of the games and outings they have there.  If I make it to 100 that's how I want to live.  So her RV didn't last as long as she has. 

May you have many more happy years as well!

It appears to me that the full-time quality later model diesel motorhomes (Newmar, Monaco, Country Coach, Tiffin, etc) with features like tag axles, 400+ hp, hydronic heat, comfort drive, are holding up their used prices pretty well and often in or close to the range of 100K to 150K.

Out of range but trending towards it example: Just saw an ad for a used 2001 Newmar Mountain Aire 40ft 350 hp dp for $53k with 192k miles...with none of the features I just mentioned. The pictures, which look recent, look pretty clean inside and out. They represent they have maintained the engine regularly, though no log, but nothing stated about receipts. And has been used full time and regularly replaced/upgraded/maintained...2 owners.

This rig would be a real good purchase choice, assuming pass on the lack of special features as mentioned above, from my perspective assuming for the moment one accepts the seller's representations at face. Certainly, oil and coolant samples can be pulled and have a mechanic go through it, but if no serious issues were uncovered after inspections, it seems to me it should be a better buy than a lot of other choices out there. 

Based on the pics, if correct, doesn't at all look run into the ground, but as if it could go another 10 years 200k miles if continued to be well maintained.

It just seems to me the chassis engine foundation, combined with a full time quality interior, great maintenance, and no water damage = magic.