95 Georgie boy Cruisemaster--to buy or forget about it?

OP was in March of 2016. Wonder if the OP'er is still thinking about buying it? :h

tropical36 wrote:

Mrsmoos wrote:
We are looking for an older used Class A MH. We saw advertised a 1995 Georgie Boy Class A 30' CruiseMaster widebody.
The ad says fuel injected 460 Ford with full Banks exhaust and cold air intake with a Ford WorkHorse Chassis. So we were reading about Georgie Boys and saw the subject of chassis brought up. How do you tell what chassis a MH has? This particular MH has 98,000 miles on it and he is asking $12,500. It has 2 Kyocera 135 w panels w/controller. 5000w Kohler Generator with only 100 hrs and what sounds like a lot of other upgrades/replacements.
SO--Is this chassis a bad or a good one?
Is 98,000 miles too many?
I know its hard to give advice without actually seeing the MH but what would be your reaction if you saw this ad? Any advice would be appreciated!

So this one then...
Georgie Boy
Keep in mind that this wasn't what you'd call a high end unit to begin with, so, I'd say offer $5K and maybe go $6K if it's nice enough and you're most sure you found the bulk of any issues for lessening later surprises.
There's a lot of old coaches around that can be bought very reasonably, so be sure to educate yourself somewhat in this endeavor.

If low retail is $9800 why would you offer him half of Nada value? Also on an older MH maintenance, mod's and repairs are more important than brand.

Mrsmoos wrote:
We are looking for an older used Class A MH. We saw advertised a 1995 Georgie Boy Class A 30' CruiseMaster widebody.
The ad says fuel injected 460 Ford with full Banks exhaust and cold air intake with a Ford WorkHorse Chassis. So we were reading about Georgie Boys and saw the subject of chassis brought up. How do you tell what chassis a MH has? This particular MH has 98,000 miles on it and he is asking $12,500. It has 2 Kyocera 135 w panels w/controller. 5000w Kohler Generator with only 100 hrs and what sounds like a lot of other upgrades/replacements.
SO--Is this chassis a bad or a good one?
Is 98,000 miles too many?
I know its hard to give advice without actually seeing the MH but what would be your reaction if you saw this ad? Any advice would be appreciated!

So this one then...
Georgie Boy
Keep in mind that this wasn't what you'd call a high end unit to begin with, so, I'd say offer $5K and maybe go $6K if it's nice enough and you're most sure you found the bulk of any issues for lessening later surprises.
There's a lot of old coaches around that can be bought very reasonably, so be sure to educate yourself somewhat in this endeavor.

The chassis is a Ford F53. 17,000# GVWR. 3,500 towing capacity.
That old 460 is a very reliable engine and runs great with the Bank kit. The E4OD tranny is a soft shifter and needs a shift kit to make it a durable performer. Fuel mileage is a weak point. The brakes are unjustly condemned but perform admirably if kept to OEM standards. The calipers need to be removed and the slide pins cleaned and re-lubed every 2 years. Like all phenolic caliper pistons, they swell with age and the calipers will need to be replaced with age. I prefer calipers with metal pistons.
My 95 Bounder with 460 was still running great at 140,000 miles, when I replaced it with a 528 stroker engine.
I have an acquaintance with a 94 Bounder 460 that just turned over 200,000 miles on the original engine. It's all about maintenance.

Richard
95 F53 Bounder 460/528

The price is a bit high for the year regardless of low miles and generator hours. If the seller is willing to drop the price a few thousand then maybe but I would want to see the coach and have it evaluated both power train and house.

Mrsmoos wrote:
We are looking for an older used Class A MH. We saw advertised a 1995 Georgie Boy Class A 30' CruiseMaster widebody.
The ad says fuel injected 460 Ford with full Banks exhaust and cold air intake with a Ford WorkHorse Chassis. So we were reading about Georgie Boys and saw the subject of chassis brought up. How do you tell what chassis a MH has? This particular MH has 98,000 miles on it and he is asking $12,500. It has 2 Kyocera 135 w panels w/controller. 5000w Kohler Generator with only 100 hrs and what sounds like a lot of other upgrades/replacements.
SO--Is this chassis a bad or a good one?
Is 98,000 miles too many?
I know its hard to give advice without actually seeing the MH but what would be your reaction if you saw this ad? Any advice would be appreciated!

Ford makes it's own chassis. Workhorse was a stand alone company that had it's beginning with the GM P30 purchase in 1999.
Just sold our 98 36 foot, top of the line, Tropical with a tag axle for $12,500 and just under NADA low retail, if that's of any help. Needed a few things, but otherwise in excellent condition and like no other.

Only 100 hours on a 20+ year old generator is bad. IF it still works, then run it under heavy load for at least 5 hours to evaluate its condition.

I have a 1996 Georgie Boy with the 454 and headers it has 107,000 miles on it and still runs well. Fuel pump was change before I bought it. If it has the 460 in it, it is a Ford not a workhorse. I would offer the Nada price for it. Check the maintainance records, a 460 with headers on a 30 ft MH that probably weighs less than 15,000 lbs and should have very good performance. Check for the usual stuff like water damage, delaminations, make sure everything works especially the generator with only 100 hrs on it.

WHAT do people think of the Vortec GM engine longevity wise? Vintage 2003 Vortec engine with 40,000 miles on her. Thoughts?

Had a 96 Ford 460 FI Cruise Master with the Kohler. Bought it with 35K sold it with 65K and drove it all over the country snowbirding. Kohler generator was never right. F53 brakes are not enough for stopping that coach, and required constant upkeep.

The 460 v8 is nowhere as reliable as the V10 (just a few years newer.) At that price I would pass and look for a V10. That rig will also have 16 inch tires and a tranny that needs TLC not to have problems.

Cruise Master made a very nice coach for the entry level market back in those days.