Hello from Virginia Beach

The friendliest place on the web for anyone with an RV or an interest in RVing!
If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.

jay357

Member
Joined
Jun 29, 2005
Posts
5
My name is John and Iam currently in the market for my first rv.  I am looking for something inexpensive to take the family on vacations with.  I will have a lot of questions for everyone along the way and hope to gather some much needed knowledge. 
 
jay357 said:
My name is John and Iam currently in the market for my first rv.? I am looking for something inexpensive to take the family on vacations with.? I will have a lot of questions for everyone along the way and hope to gather some much needed knowledge.?

Well welcome to RV Forum, hope we can be of help.  What sort of RV are you looking for:  motorhome or trailer?
 
John,

Welcome to the RV Forum. ?Please join in any of the ongoing discussions, Start new discussions, or ask any questions relating to the RVing lifestyle. ? Good luck on you search for the perfect RV. ?We are looking forward to your questions and participation on the forum.

What part of the country are you from?
 
Carl Lundquist said:
Well welcome to RV Forum, hope we can be of help.? ?What sort of RV are you looking for:? motorhome or trailer?
?

Thanks for the welcome.? Im looking for a motorhome.? I have actually been looking at this one.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1,1&item=4558177890&sspagename=STRK%3AMEWA%3AIT?

I dont know if its a good one for me or not.? I still have alot to learn.? I want to start inexpensively, since this will be my first and Im very inexpierienced.
 
Ron said:
John,

Welcome to the RV Forum. ?Please join in any of the ongoing discussions, Start new discussions, or ask any questions relating to the RVing lifestyle. ? Good luck on you search for the perfect RV. ?We are looking forward to your questions and participation on the forum.

What part of the country are you from?

Thanks for the welcome.  I am from Virginia, but travel as far south as Fort lauderdale, often.
 
jay357 said:
Thanks for the welcome.? I am from Virginia, but travel as far south as Fort lauderdale, often.

Great.  Hope you will be able to join us at some of the RV Forum Rallies.  There are at least two held in the East and several held in the west.  Be sure to check the calendar for dates.

 
jay357 said:
?

Thanks for the welcome.? Im looking for a motorhome.? I have actually been looking at this one.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1,1&item=4558177890&sspagename=STRK%3AMEWA%3AIT?

I dont know if its a good one for me or not.? I still have alot to learn.? I want to start inexpensively, since this will be my first and Im very inexpierienced.

Wow, a 1986 motorhome on E-Bay for your first RV!  I will have to pass on this one, I am a trailerite myself.  However, we have a bunch of motorhome folks here, maybe they will chime in.   

For what my opinion is worth,  you will have to evaluate an engine and drive train, tires (motorhome tires do not come cheap and they have a 5-7 life irrespective of tread wear),  domestic plumbing, refrigerator, stove, house electrics including house batteries, propane system, and sanitary tanks and plumbing.
 
The bidding ended at $5,000 on that Honey and it was bought by someone from Chesapeake, Virginia. Was that you by any chance? The price was sure good, but it's impossible to tell anything about the coach from the photos or the description. I'd want to check it out thoroughly before buying, but at that price it might be difficult and the expectations shouldn't be too high.
 
The Rv is located in chesapeake, which is about 10 minutes from me.  His only bid was $5000 and he wouldnt sell it for that.  Im going to look at it today and was considering making him an offer if it seemed to be in decent shape.  Should I not go this route?  Should I look for something newer?  I was thinking that if I could get it for a little over $5000 than I wouldnt have a lot of money tied into my first rv,  which appeals to me.  I just thought that an older one could still be capable of handling my needs and that th resale would be about as diminished as it would get.  Is it a safe bet to stay away from all the older ones?
 
Well, his Buy it Now was over 8k, I would guess that he is looking for a bit more than a little over 5K.  Gd luck on that.  Good point on the tires.  If you do a lookup on google, get the code info on dating the tires.  Be sure you aren't in for immediate replacement.  As they have pointed out, the tire may be due even if the treadware is good.  The rubber starts going bad. 

Low mileage is not always a good thing, seals dry, things set.  Depends on the duration of inactivity. 

86, in that era there were not a lot of the direct ignition on appliances, some you need to light pilots.  This may have it, might not.  Depending on how it gets lit, means a lot.  Water heater is usually easy, but on outside.  Fridge, my Dometic was easy with a little twist piezo, but the furnace we had in an 87 was a pain!  On the loor, had to stand outside to lean in and it was a bear.  This would be different, but if you look be sure to have these demonstrated. 

Seems to me that around 1990 the PDI stuff was pretty standard. 

Good luck with it and let us know. 

Pictures it looks pretty clean, but the shelf in the fridge is in backwards.  (I think, the tall cutout is in the back, ought to be front.)

 
Hi John,

Welcome to the forum. You'll get lots of answers here. :)

Our son used to live in Chesapeake until he moved to Stafford, VA. He'll be back in that area soon. He takes command of a guided missle destroyer in October. Home port is Norfolk. He'll be commuting to Stafford whenever he can as the family will stay there.

We used to stay in a neat park in Chesapeake. I think it was called Northwest River Park. Very quiet but tight for our 40' American Dream. There were only a couple of spots we could fit in easily. :)

When you look at the rig be sure everything works. Have the owner start all the appliances. The refer will take some time to start cooling so you may have to return to be sure it works. As mentioned by others check the tires carefully. If they are six or seven years old they will need to be replaced. Tread means nothing on tires that old.

Good luck and be sure to let us know what you find.

 
John:

If the coach is close to you I would recommend paying a qualified RV tech to go with you and do a check of the systems for you. Might cost a couple of hundred bucks but could save you much much more and a lot of aggravation later.

Good luck!
 
I may end up in VA Beach on Tuesday!  I am driving some furniture to my sisters in Reading, PA, and debating taking stuff to my daughter in VA Beach.  My son in law is assigned to an LDG in Norfolk.  Nice ride. 

 

Latest posts

Forum statistics

Threads
131,749
Posts
1,384,222
Members
137,520
Latest member
jeep3501
Back
Top Bottom