I am looking at a 1995 Tioga Montara its the 29/30 footer, it looks good inside and out however I know its 20 years old and I guess any of the systems could break at any moment (stove, fridge, Ac etc) and I am ok with doing replacements as they become necessary, they likely wouldn't all break at once. My concern is more on the engine side it has the Ford 460 with about 130 thousand miles on it...... I think a lot of the miles were highway (going back & forth to Florida) but also those miles would have been towing a car. Replacing a fridge or water heater is not the same as having to replace an engine or transmission or both what is the "service life" on this engine like ? I know that some could have one of these and go 1/2 a million miles but in general am I looking at a load of junk......This may not be a question that can be answered and may require a leap of faith on my part but trying to cross the T's and dot the i's.ThanksBill

You can always have a mechanic look at the rig. Are you sure about the towing as I doubt an older 30 ft Class C would have much towing capacity - they come out of the RV factory pretty much maxed out on weight (at least mine did). If you do go forward spend an addition $100 or so and get the rig pressure tested - should identify potential roof/window leaks - something you should consider on any used rig.

There are more disqualifying factors than a well maintained 460 engine and E4OD transmission. They should be serviceable well beyond that 130,000. Kevin ID's the deal breaker: Leaks! We had a much older E350/460 coach and the engine was solid at a little over 100,000 when we sold it for other reasons. Specifically we didn't want to continue climbing into the cabover bunk.Also, a number of OP's here have ex-rentals they bought with high miles and are getting good service out of them.I'd rather have 100,000 miles of careful use and maintenance on a "Love Coach" than 10,000 miles of abuse and neglect on "Priced to Sell."Love Coach? You'll recognize one. Clean, owner manuals filed, maintenance receipts, little upgrades here and there, tires in date, maybe selling because they traded to new or maybe can't use it any more.

You seem to have realistic expectations. Have the engine cooling system, brakes, including front flex lines and fluid change , compression, transmission and steering/suspension checked and get estimates on replacements/repairs needed to make a decision to buy or not. Make sure that RV generator and converter charger, fridge and dash and roof AC are working properly and no water leak damage. Check awning fabric. If tires are over 4 years old by imprinted date codes, they'll need to be replaced for the safety of your rig and your safety.An old rig can cost $10K+ in repairs the first year to get it fully usable for touring and camping not to mention delays/problems on the road.

My 1992 Tioga had a lot of leaks - the whole back wall was basically rotted out and there were issues in the bunk area as well.

ksg5000 wrote:You can always have a mechanic look at the rig. Are you sure about the towing as I doubt an older 30 ft Class C would have much towing capacity - they come out of the RV factory pretty much maxed out on weight (at least mine did). If you do go forward spend an addition $100 or so and get the rig pressure tested - should identify potential roof/window leaks - something you should consider on any used rig.I know about compression testing the cylinders but who would pressure test the rig for leaks, I never heard of pressure testing for leaks on an RV who would/could do that ?As far as the car towing, I don't know for sure its a guess based on the 1st owner using it to travel to Florida every year about 1800 miles each way for several months and the fact it has a Blue Ox Tow Package on it. ThanksBill

1995 Tioga Montara | Good Sam Community

Bordercollie
Explorer
Mar 27, 2016
You seem to have realistic expectations. Have the engine cooling system, brakes, including front flex lines and fluid change , compression, transmission and steering/suspension checked and get estimates on replacements/repairs needed to make a decision to buy or not. Make sure that RV generator and converter charger, fridge and dash and roof AC are working properly and no water leak damage. Check awning fabric. If tires are over 4 years old by imprinted date codes, they'll need to be replaced for the safety of your rig and your safety.
An old rig can cost $10K+ in repairs the first year to get it fully usable for touring and camping not to mention delays/problems on the road.
j-d
Explorer II
Mar 27, 2016
There are more disqualifying factors than a well maintained 460 engine and E4OD transmission. They should be serviceable well beyond that 130,000. Kevin ID's the deal breaker: Leaks!
We had a much older E350/460 coach and the engine was solid at a little over 100,000 when we sold it for other reasons. Specifically we didn't want to continue climbing into the cabover bunk.
Also, a number of OP's here have ex-rentals they bought with high miles and are getting good service out of them.
I'd rather have 100,000 miles of careful use and maintenance on a "Love Coach" than 10,000 miles of abuse and neglect on "Priced to Sell."
Love Coach? You'll recognize one. Clean, owner manuals filed, maintenance receipts, little upgrades here and there, tires in date, maybe selling because they traded to new or maybe can't use it any more.
ksg5000
Explorer
Mar 27, 2016
You can always have a mechanic look at the rig. Are you sure about the towing as I doubt an older 30 ft Class C would have much towing capacity - they come out of the RV factory pretty much maxed out on weight (at least mine did). If you do go forward spend an addition $100 or so and get the rig pressure tested - should identify potential roof/window leaks - something you should consider on any used rig.

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