a newbie ,can buy 1979 Robinhood Dodge?

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Appliances, water heater, roof and dash AC, fresh water pumps,awnings, converter/chargers and house and engine starter batteries can start dying at about 10 years old. RV generator service often costs $300 to remove generator and diagnose problems, repairs abd parts are extra.Tires cost about $300 apiece and become unsafe after some five years just sitting parked. Water damage can be very expensive. Unless you have a lot of the truck mechanic, electrical, plumbing and appliance removal and replacement skills and RV body repair skills, recommend you save your money and buy a much newer rig that needs nothing for you to enjoy safely and with confidence.

You need to be sure of condition before you buy it, problems tend to be structural in the house even when all the mechanical stuff is taken care of. The house has a lot of materials that age, rubber and plastics, and others susceptible to damage by water, fungus, rodents, insects. You need to know what you are looking at, how to evaluate it. I have more experience with 80s and 90s, see a few good ones and a lot ready for the scrap pile. Also see five year old RVs ready to be scrapped, not taken care of.

how much when you travel? About $0.50 per mile for fuel and an occasional topping off of other fluids. $0 -$50 a day (I average about $30) for a place to stay, and the cost of whatever breaks next. Fixing something major, mechanical or in the house, could cost more than you pay forit. I average about $600 a year on one ten years old, preventive maintenance and little stuff that adds up. This is whether on the road or sitting in storage, it is the weather that does things to the house, not so much the miles.

Hi,

Don't know if you purchased the motorhome or not, but I thought I would give you my experience with my own 1979 Robin Hood RV. We purchased ours from A friend of the families to help them out after the husband/father passed away. It had been sitting for a while, the mice had eaten the wiring, but our friends had said they had everything working and it had been gone through with a mechanic. It turned out that the refrigerator didn't work the front and back hatch both leaked water and add roof and floor damage. It would overheat when driving, that heater had been disconnected, and the windshield wipers didn't work. Over the last four years I have done a lot of the work myself, had mechanics do the work I couldn't, and it is just about ready to get back on the road. Would I have still purchased this RV knowing the problems that had? Yes, because I was helping out a friend. But, otherwise I would've never purchased such an old vehicle. My recommendation is to purchase something newer.

thanks for your professional advice,
could I ask,how about your MH running while those 5 years?
If we do more homework,can make sure to find a good condition old?Class C?

maillemaker wrote:

I am a newbie about RVing and a new driver,4person family(me,my wife and daughter3years and son 3months)
can I buy a 1979 Robinhood Dodge Class C for 3850 usd?

the seller said?
1979 Robinhood Dodge , H/D 440, * Gear Vendor Overdrive*, self Contained, 4..0 Onan gen, Headers, Ice Cold AC, Big 2 dr Ref, Nice bathroom, New Brakes & Bearings, New ft tires , New ft end + aligned, Everything Works, Ready to Go anywhere ,...!!! Got $6,000 in it , take $3,500 ...!!! Last trip to Wyoming no problems ...!!!

in fact,If I buy ,I need pay how much when we need to use it to travel?

Hi Vincent,

My family also has an older RV. We have a 1990 Winnebago Warrior we bought about 5 years ago.

Lots of good advice above.

Firstly, Google "tire date codes" and learn how to read the date codes on the tires. As was noted, RV tires seldom get enough mileage to wear out the treads, and instead age gets them. Manufacturers will tell you 6 years is about the lifespan of tires. Driving on older tires risks a blowout and when these tires blow out if they disintegrate they can cause massive damage to the underside of the RV. I had a friend with a 5th-wheel who had a blowout and it destroyed his hot water heater and took out his black water sewage system.

Always check your tire pressure before you get on the road.

For the RV you are looking at, trust your nose. If the inside smells like rot or mildew, you've probably got a water leak problem that has resulted in rot. It can be very difficult and expensive to rip out what needs to be ripped out to get at rot and fix it.

Look at every single appliance on the RV and make sure it is working or start deducting from the blue book value. Things to check that work:

Oven

Stove

If RV has a built-in propane leak-down pressure gauge, use it to check for leaks by turning on the gas at the tank, then turning it off and seeing if the lines hold pressure while you perform the rest of your checks.

Make sure the refrigerator works on all the modes it is supposed to work on: Gas, 110V, and 12V (if it supports 12V). You won't be able to tell if it is working in all 3 modes (takes too long to get cold, warm back up , and get cold again) so get it in writing that it works in all modes.

Fill up the water tank and make sure that the water pump works and shuts itself down when it pressurizes the lines. If the water pump won't shut itself down that is a good indicator of a leak. If it periodically keeps turning on, it is a good indicator of a leak.

Check all faucets for function.

Check that the water heater works.

Check all lights.

Check batter/water level indicators.

Check that electrical items work when plugged into shore power and when on house battery.

Check that the generator runs with a load inside like the AC running. Make sure the generator can run for at least 30 minutes without shutting itself down.

Make sure the cab AC works. If it doesn't it is old and will have to be converted to the new R134A refrigerant.

Make sure the toilet works.

Steve

I am a newbie about RVing and a new driver,4person family(me,my wife and daughter3years and son 3months)
can I buy a 1979 Robinhood Dodge Class C for 3850 usd?

the seller said?
1979 Robinhood Dodge , H/D 440, * Gear Vendor Overdrive*, self Contained, 4..0 Onan gen, Headers, Ice Cold AC, Big 2 dr Ref, Nice bathroom, New Brakes & Bearings, New ft tires , New ft end + aligned, Everything Works, Ready to Go anywhere ,...!!! Got $6,000 in it , take $3,500 ...!!! Last trip to Wyoming no problems ...!!!

in fact,If I buy ,I need pay how much when we need to use it to travel?

Hi Vincent,

My family also has an older RV. We have a 1990 Winnebago Warrior we bought about 5 years ago.

Lots of good advice above.

Firstly, Google "tire date codes" and learn how to read the date codes on the tires. As was noted, RV tires seldom get enough mileage to wear out the treads, and instead age gets them. Manufacturers will tell you 6 years is about the lifespan of tires. Driving on older tires risks a blowout and when these tires blow out if they disintegrate they can cause massive damage to the underside of the RV. I had a friend with a 5th-wheel who had a blowout and it destroyed his hot water heater and took out his black water sewage system.

Always check your tire pressure before you get on the road.

For the RV you are looking at, trust your nose. If the inside smells like rot or mildew, you've probably got a water leak problem that has resulted in rot. It can be very difficult and expensive to rip out what needs to be ripped out to get at rot and fix it.

Look at every single appliance on the RV and make sure it is working or start deducting from the blue book value. Things to check that work:

Oven

Stove

If RV has a built-in propane leak-down pressure gauge, use it to check for leaks by turning on the gas at the tank, then turning it off and seeing if the lines hold pressure while you perform the rest of your checks.

Make sure the refrigerator works on all the modes it is supposed to work on: Gas, 110V, and 12V (if it supports 12V). You won't be able to tell if it is working in all 3 modes (takes too long to get cold, warm back up , and get cold again) so get it in writing that it works in all modes.

Fill up the water tank and make sure that the water pump works and shuts itself down when it pressurizes the lines. If the water pump won't shut itself down that is a good indicator of a leak. If it periodically keeps turning on, it is a good indicator of a leak.

Check all faucets for function.

Check that the water heater works.

Check all lights.

Check batter/water level indicators.

Check that electrical items work when plugged into shore power and when on house battery.

Check that the generator runs with a load inside like the AC running. Make sure the generator can run for at least 30 minutes without shutting itself down.

Make sure the cab AC works. If it doesn't it is old and will have to be converted to the new R134A refrigerant.

Make sure the toilet works.

Steve

I suggest you read my posts in the topic new RV:
Questions on a 1973 Winnebago Brave D-20

Let me also fill in a little. If 4K$us is all you have to spend, be ready... After you replace the too old tires, expect to have to lay out another 1K$ to fix something.

But, please read my last post to the above thread.

Matt

chiming in with this: hook it up to a water source and fill the water tank to check for leaks and water pump operation, also plug it in to a power source to check converter and AC unit

Welcome to RVing and the forum. My responses to you are based on your self-referral as a "newbie". If you haven't done it yet, take time to review many of the "new to RVing" posts on this forum. There is a fair amount to learn about RVs that will help you make a purchasing decision. You might want to consider hiring an experienced RV Tech. to evaluate the RV you are considering to help determine its strengths and weaknesses. Keep in mind that the most deadly RV "killer" are water leaks, especially if mold develops. The rig should be thoroughly checked for leaks. Request to see all maintenance papers on the truck part and generator. All tires that are over 6 years old should be replaced no matter how good the tread looks. For most RVs, age wears out the tires faster than mileage. Try to determine the Occupant and Cargo Carrying Capacity of the rig. This is the max weight of all people and stuff the RV chassis can carry. Especially with a young family, you don't want to place them in a dangerous situation by driving overloaded. Lastly, forget the seller's math, i.e., how much he put in it and such. All that matters is what the RV is really worth. Let the RV Tech help you with that. Best wishes for success.

Bob

First thing to do is crawl around underneath and check the wiring for cracks, mice renovation and general condition. Then go through the interior checking the roof for soft spots--will be sign of water damage, and also around all the windows. Plan on changing the bed(s). If possible run the fridge, furnace, generator, and the AC unit(s), and hot water heater. Finally take it for a drive and listen for things that do not sound right and see how it handles on streets and on the highway.

As for usage, I am guessing about 8MPG, and approximately $35.00 a night for a full hook up. Look around this site and also http://www.irv2.com/forums/ for what to bring along, especially when traveling with children. and if you have questions be sure to ask. If in doubt take it to an independent rv repair shop and pay them to look it over. A dealer would also work, but they are more interested in getting you to buy one of their units.

The price is about right for all the work that has been done, just plan on buying new tires for the rear as they may look good, but age is the biggest problem with RV tire. look for the date code, it will look like this: 2609 which means the tire was built the 26th week of 2009. Also plan on new rear brakes, shocks, and having all the fluids changes, especially the brake fluid.

There is a lot of maintenance and care needed with a mh, but if you are handy with tools, the vast majority you can do yourself.