New member from Texas

[Gregg W]

We were forced out of our house about a month ago when our landlord sold the house we were living in and the new owners were not interested in renting. We couldn't afford to rent anywhere else. By luck I stumbled on a used 1993 ultrastar class A motor home for $800.

It's in pretty good shape considering. Drivable, although marginally. Interior is in good shape, the previous guy who lived in it must have been pretty meticulous. We have water, after fixing a couple of minor leaks, electric, sewage. I still need to fix the hot water, refrigerator and hydraulic leveling but my wife says it's the best $800 I ever spent.

I'm sure I'm going to have a lot of questions in the coming weeks as I'm still not sure where everything is or what some things do.

 

[IBTripping]

Welcome to the Forum. If you're willing to DIY, an older rig can be a comfortable home. Feel free to ask any questions. Lots of knowledgeable members on this forum.

 

[edjunior]

Welcome Gregg, from the southeast side of Texas. Good to have you aboard the forum, though it probably could have been under better circumstances. That is it is, it's a nice looking old rig, and it sounds like you have a pretty good handle the issues. I hope you are able to get them addressed quickly. And be sure and come back here with any questions. There is a wealth of knowledge here...someone will be along with an answer. Again, welcome, and hope to see you down the road.

 

[PJ Stough]

First thing to check if you are planning on driving for more than a few miles, and even then, check the date codes on the tires. Motorhome tires age out before they wear out. Somewhere around seven years is considered the life of a motorhome tire.

 

[Nonantech]

We were forced out of our house about a month ago when our landlord sold the house we were living in and the new owners were not interested in renting. We couldn't afford to rent anywhere else. By luck I stumbled on a used 1993 ultrastar class A motor home for $800.

It's in pretty good shape considering. Drivable, although marginally. Interior is in good shape, the previous guy who lived in it must have been pretty meticulous. We have water, after fixing a couple of minor leaks, electric, sewage. I still need to fix the hot water, refrigerator and hydraulic leveling but my wife says it's the best $800 I ever spent.

I'm sure I'm going to have a lot of questions in the coming weeks as I'm still not sure where everything is or what some things do.

Congrats on your great deal. Hope you enjoy it. You might find a cheap small fridge to run on a generator or shore power for now. RV fridges are $$$.

 

[Matt_C]

Gregg,
Come ahead and ask questions. Many of us here were born knowing everything that matters to RVing.
(Sure we were!)
Not just the tires that age out, suspect all the rubber parts. This means coolant and brake lines. The corrosion inhibitors in the coolant are probably depleted. The brake fluid has probably absorbed water. Those are both simple things as those fluids are easily replaced when you have changed out the hoses. The fuel lines are most likely not alcohol compatible and will cause you unending grief until they are replaced.
All of the above is probably less than a 2K$us job if you do all the work yourself. You will learn a lot and be rewarded with reliability.
I second the cheap residential reefer. If you want to travel with it, get a dirt cheap inverter at Hazard Fright or the like to run it. Put the left over 1K$us in the kitty for other things.
What does this guy know about old coaches? Look at the picture in the sig. That's a '73 w/180K on her.
Matt

 

[Gregg W]

We have a little mini-fridge we had for a couple of years before we bought the RV. It's about half the size of the RV's but it's come in quite handy. We have it plugged in outside sitting on the patio.


Ok, first question involves house batteries. My RV didn't have any when i bought it. I'm pretty sure you need them to start the generator. Is there anything else that's affected by their absence when I have ground power hooked up?

 

[Gary RV_Wizard]

In an old coach like that, the original converter/charger (produces 12v from 120vac shore power or generator) would have used the house battery as a sort of ballast to stabilize voltage and absorb electrical noise. Chances are that is has already been replaced in a 1993 model, though, and newer units don't need that battery help.
Will yu never drive this coach anywhere? You really want at least one modest size battery for that. And yes, most coaches of that vintage start the generator from the house battery.

 

[Gregg W]

Thanks Gary,

When we first moved onto the lot we didn't have power for the first couple of weeks. In 90 degree heat it was pretty miserable. At some point I tried to start the generator but when I hit the start switch nothing happened. Later I read that the house battery was needed to start it. The "stabilizing voltage" thing makes sense.

We don't plan on driving this beast around anywhere, just park it and live in it for a while. I was just wondering if it was in my best interest to cough up the bucks for a battery.

 

[Reinigm]

We were forced out of our house about a month ago when our landlord sold the house we were living in and the new owners were not interested in renting. We couldn't afford to rent anywhere else. By luck I stumbled on a used 1993 ultrastar class A motor home for $800.

It's in pretty good shape considering. Drivable, although marginally. Interior is in good shape, the previous guy who lived in it must have been pretty meticulous. We have water, after fixing a couple of minor leaks, electric, sewage. I still need to fix the hot water, refrigerator and hydraulic leveling but my wife says it's the best $800 I ever spent.

I'm sure I'm going to have a lot of questions in the coming weeks as I'm still not sure where everything is or what some things do.

Just curious. On short notice, where did you manage to park it?

 

[Gregg W]

Just curious. On short notice, where did you manage to park it?

I spent a couple of weeks trying to find a place. RV Parks around here won't allow an RV that's more than 10 years old. Although it doesn't look too bad for it's age, it's not in pristine condition. That didn't help. We have pets so that severely narrowed our options. It quickly became apparent that I was going to have to find a privately owned lot. I got lucky and found a place in a sort of "trailer park" subdivision to rent. Our landlord so far, has been a nice guy, supporting our move and helping set things up.

 

[Kirk]

Our landlord so far, has been a nice guy, supporting our move and helping set things up.

I am very familiar with Granbury as we parked our RV with friends out on the lake when we were fulltime. Still have freinds in that area and we live in Mesquite.