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?

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.

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.

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.

X2 never buy with out having an inspection.

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

50,000 mile purchase. | Good Sam Community

16 Replies

John_Joey
Explorer
Nov 07, 2015
Fla904 wrote:
Only problem now is getting the loan company to approve on the old year. They want me to get a 09 or up! Pain in the ass :0

This is the main reason you need to buy older coaches cheap. Only those with cash or a home equity loan will be able to buy it from you when you're done with it.

Also, the older engine is nothing compared to the V10. The 460 was designed for cars/trucks and had a set of Ford quality standards. The V10 was for commercial vehicles and trucks never for cars. Those Ford standards were much higher.

FWIW, a FT'er friend of mine pulling a 5'ver just went over 300,000 on his V10. Thinks he should get another 200,000. :h
Fla904
Explorer
Nov 07, 2015
Only problem now is getting the loan company to approve on the old year. They want me to get a 09 or up! Pain in the ass :0
Fla904
Explorer
Nov 07, 2015
chuckftboy wrote:
Like Valhalla360 said, no reason a ford V-10 won't run for 250,000 miles. I had one and believe me, they're pretty much bullet proof. You'll wear the house out before you wear the engine out.

It might be the v8. Not 100% positive. But from what I've read the v8 is a more reliable engine.
chuckftboy
Explorer
Nov 07, 2015
Like Valhalla360 said, no reason a ford V-10 won't run for 250,000 miles. I had one and believe me, they're pretty much bullet proof. You'll wear the house out before you wear the engine out.
wolfe10
Explorer
Nov 07, 2015
Bird Freak wrote:
And there I was thinking spark plugs were in the heads.:B

YUP, even in a flathead.
Bird_Freak
Explorer II
Nov 06, 2015
J-Rooster wrote:
If you have a Ford V-10 engine in that coach, beware Ford had trouble with those engines especially with the spark plugs not staying in the side of the engine block. That's why I got rid of my 1999 V-10. If that coach had one owner who took care of it should be O.K. if CW was renting that coach out I would beware.
And there I was thinking spark plugs were in the heads.:B
J-Rooster
Explorer
Nov 06, 2015
If you have a Ford V-10 engine in that coach, beware Ford had trouble with those engines especially with the spark plugs not staying in the side of the engine block. That's why I got rid of my 1999 V-10. If that coach had one owner who took care of it should be O.K. if CW was renting that coach out I would beware.
dougrainer
Nomad
Nov 06, 2015
Never heard of a Dutchmaster. Is it possible it is a Newmar Dutch Star? 17 years old and only 50k does NOT mean it is worn out.
the_bear_II
Explorer
Nov 06, 2015
I was searching for a truck to tow our 5th wheel with and happened to see one for sale in a grocery store parking lot. I met with the owner, took it for a drive and then inspected it. It had 65,000 miles. The folks were the second owner and claimed the original owner only used it to tow his boat to the river and back. The current owners claimed they only used it to pull a 24ft TT on the highway. I saw the trailer and the other vehicles they had so the story was very likely. It appeared to be well maintained and service records from a local chevy dealer confirmed it.

I bought it and it now has 114,000 miles with no major failures other than a transmission rebuild. It's rated to tow 10,000 lbs and I used it to tow a 15,000lb 5th wheel so trans failure is expected.

Like others have said well maintained will last.
jerome951
Explorer
Nov 06, 2015
As suggested, have a competent mechanic assess the drivetrain. Try to find a Ford specialist who will know what issues to look for in these engines (e.g. broken exhaust studs, repaired spark plug holes, etc.)

At that age, too, you should probably set aside some $ for replacing hoses (unless the inspection confirmed these were replaced at some point) and all fluids.