Bishopl36
Member
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?Considering a purchase. What would be a reasonable price for a well maintained one and what should I look for?
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.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.Are you saying this about a 1985 Beaver Marquis or an motorhome in general?
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.and what should I look for?
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 Do you have the $1500 plus (perhaps twice that) for new tires within the next year or two (even if they are not outdated NOW)?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.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.
116,000how many miles are on this rig?