1st post. Shopping for a Class A

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I bought a 2005 Chrysler, $2500, minivan, that does not have the tow package. It rolled over 100k on the test drive.The minivan was in one family from new and has complete maintenance records. Was in the south till 2015. As it is, it's limited to 1800 lbs towing capacity. It's enough to tow my little utility trailer and enable me to get rid of my pickup.

It's not RVing but its has room to take along some, on the road, meal prep stuff.
I have a thermoelectric cooler, butane, propane, & electric hotplates, An 750 watt inverter that can power the hotplate or a little 600 watt burger grill. A 1000 watt inverter generator is coming, $158, Home Depot online.
The RV/Motorhome idea is not forgotten, if the right deal comes alone, but with my new minivan, I'm more ready for a road trip.
 
I knew it would happen. I give up on finding a tow vehicle and buy a minivan.
Now, right here in the neighborhood is a 2005 RWD Suburban with 121k, beautiful leather interior, and very little rust. Only the driver seat bottom needs a little attention. It's not the lowest price one I've seen but it's pretty nice for the money.
Wife says I can't buy the Burb unless I get rid of the van or she gets a new car. Thing is, I really like the minivan.
 
On a recent trip to Washington/Oregon there were lot's of used RV dealers out there. We saw more older MHs on the road. Some $200+ hotel rooms has made me take another look at the RV thing.
I looked at a $2500 MH. Wasn't worth getting out of the car to walk around it.
We looked at a $12k 2001 R-Vision Condor, 91k miles. Not bad, I liked it, but still too shop worn for us.
There's a 1989 Holiday Rambler Limited diesel pusher 130k miles, for $15k. I thought it's a bit high for that old but the ad shows it should be about 1 mile away so why not take a look.
I called and found out it's my neighbor a couple doors away. I've never seen it close but it's been totally wrapped up covered each winter. This RV come from a nicer home than any others we've looked at. Were supposed to go look at it tomorrow. Any advice about a Cat diesel with 130k miles?
 
130k miles on a Cat engine is really no big deal on its own... but remember that maintenance is still key and the rest of the rig also that has much "mileage" to consider.  Find out as much as you can on the prior use, history, & repairs of any rig you consider buying. 

Use NADAguides.com (click on RV section and follow the links) to get a ballpark value on used RV's too, so you know what a good price range may be.  Here's the page for '89 Holiday Rambler motorhomes and it looks like the "Limited" series were the diesels.  Suggested prices for the 37' model range between $8550 (Low Retail) - $10,300 (Average Retail)... but it retailed at over $180k new (which is something to consider)!  That might not be the one you are looking at, it's just the first one I picked.
 
It's 37 ft. I looked up the same NADA page. Price seems high. All I know is it's been covered in winter and it's sometimes not there, so it gets driven somewhere. It's like 100 ft from the street so, never saw it close up. I'm supposed to go over there later today.

Looked at it. Met the nice neighbors. Its old but well cared for but it's still old.
There is another one listed for $8500
 
Conventional wisdom is that a diesel lasts a million miles or more, but that's mostly a misunderstanding. The basic engine - block, pistons & crankshaft -  will indeed last 2x-5x compared to a gas engine, but the rest of what the owner/driver considers to be "the engine" has about the same life expectancy. Fuel & water pumps, starter, alternator, radiator, etc. all wear at about the same rate whether the engine is gas or diesel, so at 130k miles you can expect that all of those either have already failed or soon will fail. Likewise, the air suspension, wheel bearings, brakes, etc. have all had the usual wear & tear associated with higher mileage.

A diesel pusher chassis is generally built to be very robust, but maintenance is still needed and makes a huge difference. And neglect of maintenance on a DP chassis results in extremely expensive repairs.
 
My neighbor must have sold his diesel. It's not there any more.
Well, OK, this RV thing was on the back burner for a while.
Planning our fall 2018 trip has intensified the motel price sticker shock. We did ok in Florida last month, $120 for a suite with a kitchen, separate bedroom & 2 tvs.  Got 32 mpg, 72-80 mph, with my Malibu, getting there & back.
From time to time something interesting will pop up for sale close enough to home easy enough to check it out it.
We looked at a 99 Gulf Stream Sun Voyager. 2 slide outs and a Ford v10. 70k miles, Nice floor plan, nice space, larger tub/shower. Washer/dryer (needs repair), Sofa becomes a queen bed. I'm a tall guy. I always move drivers seats all the way back in anything I drive. Moved the seat back. It was great. Found out it can't go back that far with the slide out retracted. There are some soft spots in the floor in the bedroom on one side of the bed. Small delam outside that bedroom. Smelled clean. I'll watch for price reductions, but this is probably not the one.
Supposed to see a 99  30', Rexhall, 61k, v10, no slides, tomorrow. I think I like the idea of a smaller simpler one. Roughly half the price of the Gulf Stream.
 
Well, no class A. I started looking at cheap used Class A but my search evolved into finding a cheap tow vehicle.
No RV yet, but I did finally acquire a cheap tow vehicle.
I bought a 2004 SWB RWD 6 cyl, Trailblazer for $1250. It's got 177k on it. The body is almost rust free. There's scaly rust on the frame but I don't think it's compromised. The engine sounds ok. It passed the emissions test on the way home. It shifts ok. The trans fluid is brownish but not burnt. Some people suggest not changing very old trans fluid. I'm gonna do it. I'm rebuilding the front suspension. I might be approaching $500 in parts and new tools. There are some small travel trailers that are well within its 5300 lbs towing capacity. I'm shooting for close to 4000 gvw. I have a brake controller I picked up on clearance fot $6, and this vehicle is prewired for it. It's not a rush project, A few hours every 2 or 3 days is still fun. I don't want it to feel like work. If I decide the finished vehicle is up to the task, and the wife agrees, the allowable budget could go up to new for the sizes of trailers i'm looking at.
 
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