Looking at 1999 alpine motorhome

[jjwinters]

Hi all!

What do you think about a 1999 Western Rv- Alpine- 40 ft., 7,000 miles. One owner. Apparently he just traded it in on a small class c. We like it and think we can get it for $55,000.
Any ideas?

 

[Ernie Ekberg]

Sounds like a bargain. That low mileage is to be cautioned, though. Have it checked out good. Look for any bodily fluids on the ground. Units that sit for a long time may have issues with seals leaking. Hope it was winterized- unless it was here in Texas- 70 degrees, today

 

[BruceinFL]

Alpines are great high end RVs. Western RV has gone down the tubes unfortunately but there are several businesses based in CA that can fabricate parts. I know because my service center is in the process of acquiring some now for my Alpenlite 5er. Western RV built their own chassis for the Alpine coaches so maybe you should try to contact some Alpine owners to see if there is a service problem. There used to be a Western RV owners group but I don't know if it is still active.

 

[jjwinters]

Ernie,

Before we buy, we would have to have an inspection to make sure of that. My hubby Joe mentioned that he'd want to have the seals checked. But a friend said that even if there wasn't a sign of bad seals now it could all show up later, so that's a worry.
It was supposedly winterized but don't know if they at least started it up on a regular basis. Thanks for the reply, really appreciate it.
Jan

BruceinFL,

That definitely would be a bummer if we couldn't get parts or service. I'll check on that Western RV group and hopefully get more ideas. Thanks for your time.

We appreciate everyone and all the great advice on this forum.

Thanks, Jan

 

[Jackliz]

Hi all!

What do you think about a 1999 Western Rv- Alpine- 40 ft., 7,000 miles. One owner. Apparently he just traded it in on a small class c. We like it and think we can get it for $55,000.
Any ideas?

A coach that is 11 years old and only has 7,000 miles on it????  And with a diesel engine too?  I  STRONGLY recommend a PDI by a good diesel shop for starters.

Regards,
Liz

 

[Gary RV_Wizard]

$55k does not sound like a bargain to me. It's about in the middle between average and low retail (per the NADA RV Guide), which is not a great price in today's market and for an orphan coach.  I'd be looking to pay no more than $47k and try for around $42k.

And check the date codes on the tires. A 10 year old coach should have had the tires replaced 3 years ago, but if it hasn't been in use they may well be the original tires. If so, they will look fine because of the low miles, but they will blow out on the first trip. A set of 6 new tires is a very expensive proposition (figure about $3000-#3500) , so figure that into the purchase price.

Alpine makes made a fine coach, though.

 

[jjwinters]

I think you're right about the price. We're mulling over what to do.

Tires are important, and that would be part of the deal.

Thanks for the reply, Gary, appreciate it.

Thank you to everyone for helping us learn!

Jan

 

[Gary RV_Wizard]

Just do your homework and don't agonize too much. This is supposed to be fun!  But there is a lot of $$ at stake, so go into it with eyes wide open and watch the details.

 

[jjwinters]

Lol, sounds like agonizing is part of the package.

But we'll stay calm and have a good time. 

We are taking a few days off to think and talk.

Have a nice weekend.

Jan