50,000 mile purchase.

Fla904 wrote:
Purchasing a 1998 Dutchmaster from camping world. Anyone had experience with them? I keep hearing like a broken record "after 50k a RV is worthless". Is this true??? Can't be.. The rv has 50k on it at the moment, my main concern is the engine blowing while halfway across the country or something else detrimental happening while I'm far away from home. Are these motors reliable? It's the ford gas engine by the way. What should I be looking out for?

On my third motorhome and none of them were purchased with less than 50K miles. My current one is a 2000 with the Ford V-10 that had 52K and I have put about 20K on it the last 5 years with zero drive train issues. 50k is just getting broke on these V-10's. It helps if you can have it inspected and also helps if you could see any of the maintenance history.

I bought my current one at a repo auction in 2010 and only heard it run in the parking lot. Sounded ok and did'nt smoke, was good enough for me.

However, as in any used unit, you need to be sure it's the one you want. Check for any signs of water damage, signs of excessive wear and tear, age of tires. All 3 of mine needed tires right away. All had lots of tread left but were 8-10 years old. Not something I trust traveling long distances. Need to check the condition of your belts and hoses as well.

My V-10 owers manual recommends belts and hoses at 100K but you need to look at the condition due to age. I have not done mine yet and its 15 years old.

Hopes this helps. Will be glad to help with any questions.

Very definitely have someone with good knowledge of motor homes check it out before buying. Also check the age of the tires. It is generally recommended that 7 to 8 year old tires need to be replaced especially of the MH has low mileage and the one you’re looking at would be considered low for its age. If you can find out who owned it before the dealer see if you can contact with them for maintenance records.

I have a 1998 30’ Winnebago Itasca that has 111,117 miles on it. Of those in the 10 years I’ve owned it I’ve driven 58,000 miles. Up until two months ago I’ve only had routine maintenance (tires included).

Dave

X2 never buy with out having an inspection.

On any used RV I would hire a mechanic and a mobile rv repair person to check it over. I would want to know the good, the bad, and the ugly of such a vehicle BEFORE I purchased. I have heard and read too many tales of people trusting the dealer only to get slammed in the face after purchase.

This is only MHO.

Is it the Ford V10 engine ?
I agree with having a mechanic look over the engine and transmission. If gives the thumbs up then buy it have all the fluids changes (engine, transmission, rear diff). Change the engine belt too. then just drive it and enjoy it.

The milage isn't the concern. The overall age is the concern.

Assuming reasonable maintenance, the engine should be good for 150-250k miles. The big issue is you are looking at a 17yr old MH, which translates to around 2500miles per year. Most likely it sat for months at a time with no use. That means all the belts and gaskets had time to dry out. The oil had time to drain off the interior engine parts, did they really keep up on oil changes and other preventative maintenance? You need to be more concerned with the lack of use.

If you have a mechanic you trust, might be worth paying them $100-200 to look over the drivetrain and do a compression check. If it checks out, it will probably be fine...of course there are no guarantees.

The real issue driving the price down is the overall age of the unit. Is the roof in need of replacement, what about the air/con, fridge, furnace, etc... That's not to say you won't get 10-15yrs of use with minimal repairs but as it gets older, those repairs become more likely.

Also by that age, there is the keeping up with the jones factor. It will be obvious to anyone looking that it's a 17yr old MH, so people will not be willing to pay as much for it.

This is not meant to scare you off. Our 5th wheel is a 1997 and we expect to get at least another 5-10yrs out of her before selling. If we wanted to, we could keep her going indefinetly but at some point it makes more sense to trade up to something newer rather than put money into something older that has no resale value.