1985 Beaver Marquis

[Bishopl36]

Considering a purchase. What would be a reasonable price for a well maintained one and what should I look for?

 

[donn]

35 year old MH? Good luck finding much. I would guess between 5 and 10K tops. At that age your going to spend lots of money on it.

 

[Rene T]

We call it a money pit.

 

[Bishopl36]

Considering a purchase. What would be a reasonable price for a well maintained one and what should I look for?

Are you saying this about a 1985 Beaver Marquis or an motorhome in general?

 

[SpencerPJ]

Are you saying this about a 1985 Beaver Marquis or an motorhome in general?

All RVs are a money pit, never an investment. I believe the comment has to do with the age. Rarely do people keep up with proper maintenance, rubber brake lines, you name it, if it's got any rubber to it, it is aged out. That said, if you can pick it up dirt cheap, has decent tires (less than 7 years old) and want it as a local weekender, go for it. I'd still ask a mechanic to give you an opinion. I'd never take something that old out of state, things break and it gets really expensive to fix on the road.
edit: I do believe The Beaver would have been higher end quality in it's day though.

 

[Mark_K5LXP]

Any/all RV's. There's a reason RV's you spend $100K or more for new end up on craigslist for $5K 25 years later. It's the same reason you don't see 25 year old RV's running around - they've crapped out and turning to rust in someone's driveway, or in the boneyard. Anything that old running around is on borrowed time, or has been painfully and expensively restored.

Mark B.
Albuquerque, NM

 

[Larry N.]

Are you saying this about a 1985 Beaver Marquis or an motorhome in general?

The Beaver, when new, was a great, fairly high end unit, and the wood cabinets are furniture that, cared for, can retain their beauty for a lot of years, but ANY 36 year old RV, even a Beaver, is VERY likely a money pit. There MIGHT be an exception out there that was very well maintained, but you'd need to be very careful checking it out unless you are ready to spend a LOT of money on it. Tires, hoses, hydraulics, water lines, anything rubber or plastic, caulking on seams (especially roof, but window also), etc. either are ready (or past ready for) repair/replacement or soon will be, unless they've recently been repaired/replaced. Electronics are certainly dated and various systems on the coach may not work right, some perhaps not at all.

And on a rig that old it's likely (though not certain) that there will be water damage to the walls and/or ceilings from leaks in the roof seams and/or window seals. In addition, the engine fan belts, water pump(s), and other accessories, the transmission internals and seals, and much more could be either failed or soon to fail.

So unless you can do a THOROUGH check on everything (or have RV inspectors check out the house stuff and mechanics check the chassis stuff) then be prepared to either do a huge amount of work yourself or to spend many thousands (perhaps 10s of thousands) of dollars on the rig.

It's kind of like we say in aviation that yes, you can buy an old aircraft fairly cheap, but it costs as much, and usually a lot more, to maintain, compared to a new aircraft. Same applies here. Car maintenance is very cheap, comparatively.

So go in with your eyes wide open...

and what should I look for?

Check out the RESOURCES button near the top of the page and go to checklists, where among other things you'll find prepurchase inspection checklists and many other things. In addition, many other parts of that section might be useful to peruse as part of an RV education.

 

[Bishopl36]

It is immaculate.
The binders include all maintenance and additions. This owner has owned since 2003.
I was told roof was solid plastic and needs no redcoat. There are no visible signs of any leaks in ceiling or windows.
I have a 72 and have a limited budget and to make an informed purchase. I am interested in a clean, well maintained and a reasonable price. what I think the Beaver adds is a quality I had not seen in my limited experience.
I appreciate any input to assist me in that.
So I thank you for any knowledge you can pass on to me.

 

[darsben]

Nice looking but still old on a chassis . SO if going for it see if you can get an oil and tranny fluid sample and send it off for analysis to see if any internal parts might be screwed up. Also how old are the tires? Even if they look ,7-8 years is the max years old you want on your rig. A blowout at highway speed could be very expensive if it takes out some parts that are expensive Think water tanks, water heater, propane system who knows what a flapping piece of tire will damage. My blowout cast over $2000 to fix an d I had a hard time finding parts for my rig. Tires can be $250 each for 8R/19.5 so $1500 bucks there. Brake lines should be flushed, Tranny oil changed etc

 

[donn]

Still at 35 years old basically everything is going to need help. Tires alone could cost you clost to 3000 dollars. Major engine work could be close to 10,000 dollars. Even minor engine work you can expect 3000 dollars just for fluids belts and hoses for a major service. Now, the refer, water heater, furnace could all be on their last legs. This is just not a vehicle you want to get involved with. Now if it was a give away, or the seller has already done the major stuff it might be still worth 5 thousand.

 

[Larry N.]

The pictures sure look good, but you need to be aware that looks can be deceiving, and re-read what I said above about rubber and plastic parts, including tires.

have a limited budget and to make an informed purchase. I am interested in a clean, well maintained and a reasonable price. what I think the Beaver adds is a quality I had not seen in my limited experience.

Certainly the Beaver was high quality when new. But with a limited budget you have to recognize that PURCHASING the rig is only the tip of the iceberg. Can you afford to maintain it? Can you rebuild the engine or transmission if they decide to go out, say, a year from now? Do you have the $1500 plus (perhaps twice that) for new tires within the next year or two (even if they are not outdated NOW)? Have you even checked the date on the tires? Don't skimp there because a blowout, as darsben says, can be expensive, damaging all manner of things, potentially several thousand dollars worth.

So IF you are prepared to spend quite a few thousand dollars over the next couple of years (alternatively, parking it for a long time if necessary) for general maintenance (not including the cost of oil, lube, filters, etc.), and you want to chance $15,000 plus (perhaps a LARGE plus) on engine or transmission repair in a year or two, then go ahead and get it. Appearance (without looking under the glitter -- I did that once*) shows a nice rig that you might actually enjoy for a while, but go into it recognizing that future maintenance/repair needs may be more than you can afford. Don't let wishful thinking put you in a bind.

---

* I once had a rig that glittered (it was a Beaver, newer than this one), and I spent many thousands on repairs. Fortunately I could afford it (not comfortably), and got a lot of enjoyment out of it, but finally got tired of all the maintenance expense and hassle (and guaranteed I didn't enjoy the expense that kept me from doing something else), so I went for a different rig.

 

[Mark_K5LXP]

Part of the equation to adopting something like this is the "handyness" of the owner and the desire to have something to putz with. If one isn't intimidated by the idea of tearing into the workings of the chassis or driveline, repair or update plumbing and electric, has carpentry and handyman skills for exterior and interior work, and generally is OK with the prospect that the thing may sit for weeks or a few months between trips to take care of issues can make a "vintage" RV a fun and rewarding endeavor. But if you don't have the tools and equipment to work on a 10+ ton truck, don't know the difference between a P trap and a mouse trap and typically pay others for home and car repairs, then "vintage" quickly turns to "liability" and general unhappiness. It helps to start out with something already in serviceable condition but the expectation needs to be set that it's temporary and how one anticipates dealing with the inevitability of a repair is a significant portion of the anticipated use and value of ownership.

Mark B.
Albuquerque, NM

 

[Gary RV_Wizard]

If you are willing to accept the risks and numerous negatives of buying any 35 year-old motorhome, that one is probably as good an example as you are likely to find. $10k would be the top of the reasonable price range, but whether the seller will be reasonable is anybody's guess. Or some naive buyer might make a foolish offer.

It's always scary when we hear somebody say they have a limited budget but want to buy an old but very complicated vehicle/house that is full of obsolete components. And especially so if you aren't both handy and willing to do a lot of maintenance & repairs yourself (see Mark's reply re "handyness").

 

[OldMarine]

how many miles are on this rig?

 

[steveblonde]

My first thought like Gary said "obsolete parts" that thing is going to be a nightmare, nothing will be available everything will have to be modified, made, adapted to work

 

[Bishopl36]

how many miles are on this rig?

116,000

 

[donn]

Its a mute point.with that many miles it will be nothing but a money pit. Back off the MoHo idea and look at something newer in your price range.

 

[Bishopl36]

Even if it is a 250 hp turbo cat engine?

 

[steveblonde]

A turbo will be $7-10k axle seals, shocks, drums, trans, rear diffs, on a 35 yr old rig - good luck i would run, then take a cab, then a plane and then a boat. It will be a nightmare if anything goes wrong and if its cat its gonna cost you, catapillar sets the price, you drop your pants they are the worst

 

[OldMarine]

116K?...YIKES!! ( remember, one RV mile is equal to about 3 miles in a car in terms of wear & tear) like EVERYONE here is telling you...just don't.