What is good (or bad) mileage for a Class C?

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Rev Ron

Member
Joined
Jan 16, 2025
Posts
18
Location
Dalzell, SC
I'm looking at purchasing a used Class C motorhome. I've ran across a 2022 ... with the 7.3, not the V 10 ... Azdel siding, I hate delamination ... bunks for the grandkids ... relatively new tires, so I don't have to pay out for these, yet. However, it has 45k miles, so it's been used a good bit in its 2-3 years of existence. I am told it has not been lived in. $60k. Is this a lot of miles & usage in this time frame? I'm sorry I am having to get used to this $ figure, much less paying more. Yet, am I better off to pay more $15k ... for a year older, but 8k miles & 7.3 & Azdel? I want to be able to jump in and drive, instead of fool with my bumper pull. I also want it to be dependable. What is your experience and advice? Thanks!
 
Those powertrains are good for ~200k so condition, not miles, would be my concern. Especially if the only two things they have in common are type of siding and powertrain. Keeping in mind, "Trust but verify", especially if shopping at an RV dealership..If you're unfamiliar with the the MH side of RV's and ready to pull the trigger on one, spending a grand or so on a professional inspector could save you a ton of misery down the road.
 
am I better off to pay more
My first priority would be to pick the one I liked the best, because it's like adopting a cat. You're all-in for whatever happens and it's easier to deal issues with if you didn't wish you had something else. While it may be true the chassis is "good" for some number of seemingly far reaching miles, the service intervals for truck chassis come relatively quickly, and with frequent intervals. 50K could be one that suggests some fluid changes and component service or replacement. If you're handy then these might be easy boxes to check. If you're toolbox only has credit cards, then there's a time, convenience and cost element to that. There's an opportunity cost of where the purchase price is coming from. I would think last on the list is the fallacy that money, low miles or recent vintage buys reliability. It's my opinion that a vehicle that has miles on it got that way somehow, one with few miles on it has yet to prove itself. But, I fix all my own stuff and don't have to wonder what has and hasn't been done to it. I defer to my first comment, because even if you like few digits on the odometer it will be quickly overcome if you don't like traveling in it.

Mark B.
Albuquerque, NM
 
We bought a new 2023 and we travel about 6-8 moths out of the year we have 10,200 miles.

45k miles is a lot in 3 years IMHO. I don’t know how you do 45k miles and not live in it.

Also, if you’re seriously considering this one get it inspected.

We thought buying “new” would mean we could just get in and go with a reliable “new” rig. We’ve had nothing but trouble and always wonder what’s next? We’re out on the road now and are having issues with one of the slides not coming all the way in. We’ve had the black tank fall off, the leveling system fail, the generator fail, our list goes on and on.
 
We bought a new 2023 and we travel about 6-8 moths out of the year we have 10,200 miles.

45k miles is a lot in 3 years IMHO. I don’t know how you do 45k miles and not live in it.

Also, if you’re seriously considering this one get it inspected.

We thought buying “new” would mean we could just get in and go with a reliable “new” rig. We’ve had nothing but trouble and always wonder what’s next? We’re out on the road now and are having issues with one of the slides not coming all the way in. We’ve had the black tank fall off, the leveling system fail, the generator fail, our list goes on and on.
I was thinking a rental maybe.
 
Could it have been a show model that never got purchased? Dont know how else it could have that many miles and not been lived in.

honesty isnt always top priority when selling an rv so it is healthy to be skeptical. Get any rv you are seriously considering inspected by an nvria inspector. Costs a bit but will save yo money and headaches in the long run. Home - NRVIA

It is very unlikely that you will just be able to get in and drive any rv no matter how new.
 
a tad over 1000 miles a month, and not been lived in? What? were they commuting with it? Or loading up the kids and going for weekend runs every month?
I would have to see the maintenance records.

When we got the Dancer, it had 37k in 17 years. In the 7 years we've had it, we doubled it's mileage and it still sat most of the time.

Without seeing the maintenance records, it will be hard to figure out the kind of wear and tear it has experienced.
 
3000-6000 miles/year is typical for an RV. 10,000-12,000 is a lot. 15,000 is heavy travel, like maybe a traveling sales rep. There is no way to drive that much without spending a lot of time in the RV. Whether or not they call that "lived in", this rig is well used. Have you actually seen the rig with your own eyes, inside & out?

That said, 45k miles isn't a big deal to the engine, tranny, suspension, etc.
 
Friends, thanks so very much for your sage thoughts! I had not even thought about it being lived in ... and yes, with those miles, somebody has spent a lot of time in it. I will move on to others. Besides, for $10k more, I can buy one with 10k miles or less on the odometer, even if it is a year older. I am insisting on the 7.3 engine and Azdel siding. I cannot handle the whole bubble delamination thing. Comments and experiences on these are welcome, too. 7.3 vs the V 10? Azdel vs traditional siding? Thanks!
 
Water infiltration into an RV is a problem regardless of the siding material. Azdel is probably better than traditional siding but I wouldn’t base any decision just on this one issue especially if you are buying used with some reasonable budget in mind. Even rigs using Azdel will likely have many wood products used in the construction of other regions. The important thing is to do regular maintenance to prevent water from getting into ur rv. I get up on the roof every 6 months and check things out. Until you figure out what to look for a good rv tech can do this for a fee. There is no bullet proof rv when water comes into the picture.

I have the ford v10 in my rig. It is a great engine. It does rev high when going up hills but I actually like engine noise (grew up in the motor city). It is a tried and true engine.
 
15,000 miles is about what I put on mine as a full timer in constant travel mode. I would like to know what the seller means by it not being lived in because that does not make sense. Was it a rental???

Also relatively new tires means it is on its second set, which means it was driven pretty hard to wear out set of tires in that number of miles.

Definitely get it inspected. Not sure what getting older one would mean unless it had a lot fewer miles.

However the v10 is a great engine! I have put 213,000 miles on mine in 12 years! Told by Ford corporate quality guys I should get 300,000 to 400,000 miles on it. So far, just replaced spark plugs and coils.
 
15,000 miles is about what I put on mine as a full timer in constant travel mode. I would like to know what the seller means by it not being lived in because that does not make sense. Was it a rental???

Also relatively new tires means it is on its second set, which means it was driven pretty hard to wear out set of tires in that number of miles.

Definitely get it inspected. Not sure what getting older one would mean unless it had a lot fewer miles.

However the v10 is a great engine! I have put 213,000 miles on mine in 12 years! Told by Ford corporate quality guys I should get 300,000 to 400,000 miles on it. So far, just replaced spark plugs and coils.
How many full transmission services in that time? That's what seems to sneak up on high mileage MH's.
 
How many full transmission services in that time? That's what seems to sneak up on high mileage MH's.
None, other than once had transmission fluid drained and replaced. Never had any transmission problems at all, just did that as routine maintenance.

I worked on a training project in 2011 & 2012 with Ford quality team, and they were the group who got all defective parts replaced by dealers under warranty, so I trusted their judgement, though I had already bought RV before I told them about it.
 
I have the ford v10 in my rig. It is a great engine. It does rev high when going up hills but I actually like engine noise (grew up in the motor city). It is a tried and true engine.
I agree that v10s main shortcoming is the noise it makes. You have to keep adjusting the radio, for example. Also, putting it into cruise control mode going downhill is scary because it literally screams at you when it downshifts. I never use cruise control for that reason--just hate the noise, though no performance problems.

Ford made that engine for almost 30 years, though they did make tweaks to it every couple of years. It was made for medium-duty trucks where the driver did not care about how he/she treated the engine because someone else owned the truck!
 
Now, talk to me about the 'rental' situation. I've ran into another possibility in my search... a 2025 Class C with 15k. The salesman says it came from the factory, never been titled... used as a dressing room for the movie industry... not really sleep in... but there are 700 hours on the generator. I take all this with a grain of salt... but still, it's not lots of hours... & if it's not smoked in or have pet odors,.. thoughts? Is there a place like Carfax that will tell me the history?
 
None, other than once had transmission fluid drained and replaced. Never had any transmission problems at all, just did that as routine maintenance.

I worked on a training project in 2011 & 2012 with Ford quality team, and they were the group who got all defective parts replaced by dealers under warranty, so I trusted their judgement, though I had already bought RV before I told them about it.
Ford wrote the torqshift transmission oil and filter change recommendations, didn't they?
 
Now, talk to me about the 'rental' situation. I've ran into another possibility in my search... a 2025 Class C with 15k. The salesman says it came from the factory, never been titled... used as a dressing room for the movie industry... not really sleep in... but there are 700 hours on the generator. I take all this with a grain of salt... but still, it's not lots of hours... & if it's not smoked in or have pet odors,.. thoughts? Is there a place like Carfax that will tell me the history?
How does an RV with no title ( and therefore no tag) accrue 15,000 miles?.
They all come from the factory.
There's no carfax for MH's but a used RV without a title should set off an alarm.
 
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