Looking At Buying A 1992 Fleetwood Pace Arrow & Need Some Advice

[kalauver]

Hi all!
My name is Katie and it is my dream to purchase an RV and travel with my family and homeschool. I don't have a massive budget sadly, so I'm looking for a not too difficult fixer upper! I have come across a 1992 Fleetwood Pace Arrow. I have not seen it in person yet, but the photos look decent and the description sounds decent as well. I spoke with the owner on the phone today and got more information and I'm wondering what people's opinions are on this potential buy. Here are the details as well as my questions:

1992 Fleetwood Pace Arrow
Title in hand - no leins
32 foot
454 Motor
Ford
Gas engine
Engine was rebuilt in 2018 and has 7k miles on it
No air bags
generator needs. the starter fixed but otherwise good condition
no leaks or water damage
no accidents
Tires have good tread
Brakes are fine
Hooks up and is "road ready"
"New batteries"
New faucets
Normal wear and tear
They said it needs to be painted and sealed as regular maintenance. This was something they were going to do if they keep it.
$13k

Questions:
How hard / expensive is it to add child anchor locks to the bench seat ?
How hard / expensive /possible is it to add airbags?
Is it possible to DIY paint and seal ?

From what I have read these Pace Arrows are some of the best built RV's out there even compared to 2021 other Class A's today. Does anyone have any info or insight as to if this would be a good buy?

Thanks !

 

[darsben]

First tread condition is NOT an indication of a good tire on a motor home. The age of the tire is most important, Motor home tires age out after 6-7 years depending on whether they were properly taken care of while sitting. They should be covered to protect from sunlight which ages the tire. Also you do not know how the tires were run on the vehicle, did the owner pinch them on curbs, run them with to little air pressure. AGAIN age is every thing tread is not as important. There is a D.O.T code on the inside of the tire that gives the date.
New batteries is an ambiguous term how new is new?.
If the generator needs the starter fixed then the questions on whether it will work become many. A generator of that age that sits varnishes up the jets on the carburetor making it so it does not run and the slip rings become tarnished so that the generator may run but not produce electricity. Generators must be exercised regularly.
Brakes may be fine but how much life left on the pads? Brake fluid should be changed every so often. Usually about every 5-6 years, as brake fluid ages the boiling point goes down because of contamination of the fluid. This can lead to brake fade under panic stop.
The seller is not giving you the information you need.
HAS THERE BEEN A ROOF LEAK?

Lastly are you in a position to inspect the vehicle to ascertain its fitness?
I own a 1990 SOuthwind which is a step down from the Pace Arrow. You will be spending money on repairs unless you can do the work yourself.

The Pace Arrow probably does not have an OBD II code reader in it meaning that it will be harder for you to find someone to repair it economically
You cannot add airbags to the motor home and if someone were to do it for you I would not trust the installation.
I do not what needs to be painted on a fiberglss body, I understand sealing the roof and that is a do it yourself job

 

[crawford 111]

believe it or not this will turn into a money pit my advice stay away or run away very fast. are you gone yet.

 

[SeilerBird]

Living in an RV and traveling around the US is not cheap. That RV is almost 30 years old will be a money pit. You need to start with something that costs twice as much.

 

[kalauver]

These are the answers I was looking for and very much so what I was assuming. I do have a mechanic that was going to look the entire thing over but all of your concerns plus the fact that I wonder if parts can still be found for this make me think it's a no go !

Alright. Back to the hunt. Thanks everyone

 

[Pgh_AL]

These are the answers I was looking for and very much so what I was assuming. I do have a mechanic that was going to look the entire thing over but all of your concerns plus the fact that I wonder if parts can still be found for this make me think it's a no go !

Alright. Back to the hunt. Thanks everyone

I just purchased a 92 Pace Arrow back around the end of June . Everything they say above is right . It can and might turn into a money pit . Mine is and i knew it when i bought it .

But I can do my own work and I don't mind doing it . I enjoy working on this old coach making it better . Im sure that when i get it close to where I'd like to get it I'll have in it as much as i paid for it

And that not counting ANY cosmetic work . Im working on making it comfortable inside and making it Road worthy and Pennsylvania street legal .

Mine didn't have anything major wrong with it just a ton of small stuff that got out of the previous owners hands.

Im taking my leisurely time working on it at will . To me that beats making a huge payment every month

 

[Benson]

I just purchased a '93 Pace arrow "with good bones" I'll be putting a lot into it but I can do most of the work myself. Spend more and get a younger one through a REPUTABLE dealer.....see my bio..

 

[Isaac-1]

I would suggest buying something newer, if you plan to travel, you say this has a Ford 454, something is wrong there, the Ford motor of that era was the 460, the Chevrolet was a 454, either way I would not suggest buying something this old, even if you do have the mechanical skills to repair and maintain it. A 1993 model possibly have a 3 speed automatic transmission which was ok in the era of the 55 mph national speed limit, but does not cut it for highway speeds today, plus fuel economy is going to be worse than if you were to get a Ford 6.8L (introduced in 99) or a slightly newer Chevy Vortec MFI 454 introduced in (97) vs the older TBI 454, not to mention having more horse power. Both of which would have 4 speed automatic transmission, then there is the benefit of having an OBDII diagnostic port which was introduced in 1996-1998 depending on brand.

The list goes on, but I hope you get the idea, this old coach might be ok if you only planned to travel regionally, but is not the best choice for roaming the country.

Ike
p.s. note this comes from someone with a 20 year old motorhome that is about to leave on a 2,000+ mile trip as soon as I post this message.