Need advice on 1999 Coachmen Santara 36 MBS checkout...

[dnash333]

1999 Santara 36' Class A, 25K, super slide, Onan, leveling jacks, drivers dr, w/d conn, Coran countertop. $36,000.

Coach is in great shape and below nada low price. 25,000 miles and 800 hours on the generator. Only issue is some vibration in the 70-75 mile an hour range. I little in other spots too. Feels to me like just tire balancing, but I am no Motorhome expert.

I basically offered to buy it today pending having a local dealer give it the once over. Anyone have any advice for what that would mean or what they should charge me for it? They are going to be dissappointed because I was also looking at their new ones. Am a little concerned they will try to say it isn't sound in hopes I would buy one from them.

Advice???

 

[Tom]

Is there any way you could get a tech to do the inspection independent of the dealer? Are you able to check some stuff out yourself? If so, click the Library button above,d select Checklists and click Buying a used motorhome.

 

[Bob Buchanan]

Advice???

I purchased a used '96 Class A a few months back. I made the deal w/down payment, but dependent upon an independent check out. I took it to a local truck service center and had them do a bumper to bumper on the chassis. Having been a full time RVer for about 10 years, the Motor Home stuff I pretty much did on my own. My only screw up was that I didn't hook up to shore water and discovered a hot water tank leak after the sale that didn't show up while using the on board water pump.

The other area that I didn't have someone else check out -- and it caused problems was the hydraulic system for the slide and the jacks. Seems that when I stopped in Laughlin, NV en route to NCal from Texas I noticed that the slide came back in a few inches after being fully extended for several hours. Also, the former owner mentioned to me that the rear jacks were much slower in coming down than the front -- which at the time didn't ring a bell with me. Anyway, it cost me around $600.00 to have that fixed. Both solenoids had to be replaced.

I found a very good mobile RV repairman in the Austin area to fix my hot water tank. I was able to check references to verify that he was OK by several RV park managers and guests. In hindsight, I now wish I had hired this guy to review all of the on board MH systems for me. That's what they are called upon to repair vs. chassis work.

I paid $325.00 to have the chassis checked out -- but that included having a full maintenance done after they said the bumper to bumper checked out OK. I would imagine a mobile repair guy would charge around $100 to do a check out of the MH systems. He could probably do that in an hour or so.

I would never take it to an RV dealership to have it checked out. Far too much conflict of interest there.