Lou Schneider
Site Team
- Joined
- Mar 14, 2005
- Posts
- 13,256
Just thought I'd post a few pictures of my new-to-me motorhome. I've been looking for a Class C for several months and came across this in the Los Angeles Craigslist. It's a 1992 Hall Chaparall Class A on a Chevy chassis with the fuel injected 454 and overdrive transmission. I bought it from the second owner with 22,000 miles on it - he bought it from his neighbor in 1994 when it had 2,000 miles. A thick folder full of complete maintenance records and manuals came with it.
A front living area with a couch (a full length table is stored underneath), a side table and swivel chair, center kitchen, full size rear corner bed and useable dry bath and shower in just 23 ft. bumper to bumper.
Costs so far have been $7k to purchase, $850 for 6 new tires (16"), $400 to replace the air bags in the front coil springs, $250 to install a hitch receiver, and $50 for an oil change and lube. Oh yeah, and $25 for a new black dump valve - the old one jammed on a piece of debris left over when the black tank and toilet were replaced 6 months ago. So I'm still well under that magic $10k number.
I left Los Angeles on May 3 and made a beeline for Elkhart, IN and the Escapees Escapade. In spite of being in some horrendous weather for a good part of the trip it's proven to be leak free. Now I'm meandering back towards Los Angeles at a more leisurely pace. So far the motorhome has performed flawlessly. In the rush to get to Elkhart I averaged 9.5 MPG towing my Sentra at speeds of 70 MPH -75 MPH. The sloping front end makes a big difference in aerodynamics compared to a slab fronted RV. That combined with good weight distribution and the short rear overhang makes the rig handle more like a sports car than a motorhome. I expect that mileage to improve now that I've backed off to more reasonable speeds.
So yes, good under $10k motorhomes can be found. It just takes some looking and patience.
A front living area with a couch (a full length table is stored underneath), a side table and swivel chair, center kitchen, full size rear corner bed and useable dry bath and shower in just 23 ft. bumper to bumper.
Costs so far have been $7k to purchase, $850 for 6 new tires (16"), $400 to replace the air bags in the front coil springs, $250 to install a hitch receiver, and $50 for an oil change and lube. Oh yeah, and $25 for a new black dump valve - the old one jammed on a piece of debris left over when the black tank and toilet were replaced 6 months ago. So I'm still well under that magic $10k number.
I left Los Angeles on May 3 and made a beeline for Elkhart, IN and the Escapees Escapade. In spite of being in some horrendous weather for a good part of the trip it's proven to be leak free. Now I'm meandering back towards Los Angeles at a more leisurely pace. So far the motorhome has performed flawlessly. In the rush to get to Elkhart I averaged 9.5 MPG towing my Sentra at speeds of 70 MPH -75 MPH. The sloping front end makes a big difference in aerodynamics compared to a slab fronted RV. That combined with good weight distribution and the short rear overhang makes the rig handle more like a sports car than a motorhome. I expect that mileage to improve now that I've backed off to more reasonable speeds.
So yes, good under $10k motorhomes can be found. It just takes some looking and patience.