UPDATE on our 1999 Shasta Sprite bought last March 2015: This gem of a Class C has been absolutely great! When we bought it, there was 19K miles on it and we now have 26K and continues to impress. Our cost was $15,000 and so far, we have spent another $1800. for parts/maintenance: new roof coating and new tires, oil change, filters, and topped off the a/c. The coach was in great condition and looks great, especially after we hand cleaned/waxed it with a good cleaner wax..it shines. I went over all exterior windows with a bead of silicon to guard against leaks. The Triton V10 (on the Ford F350) runs smooth and has lots of power which is especially nice when passing or heading up long grades in our Sierra/Nevada mountains.
I'm posting our experience in case someone new is looking at older models and are concerned about reliability. We did not get ours inspected other than what the seller went over when buying. I could see it had lots of TLC, so I grabbed it. We did have a veteran (retired) RV service guy go over the coach from top to bottom and he gave her a clean bill of health. My dad had a truck dealership for many years so I did have some prior knowledge as to what to look for in problems. What's funny is that we have had 3-4 offers from people to buy her..lol. We have been to a few rv dealer lots to see the newer models, but our floor plan and 22' length fits us fine. I have been trying to find a similar gem for 2 people in our RV group (both retired women) and the excellent condition ones sell very fast, especially in the 21-24' length. We do a lot of rv camping into some remote parks and a bit of off road areas (we hike/kayak) and the shorter length has worked well vs something like a 28' for us, but your needs can differ.
Good luck for those looking for a good one..they are out there so be prepared by having your rv inspection person ready and cash talks vs telling a seller you need approval to finance. See you on the road!