We were inspired by meeting a young German couple with a new baby travelling in a 24 foot motorhome in northern British Columbia. They had 6 months of maternity/paternity leave, flew to the western US where they bought a former rental MH. Planned to sell it near the end of their six months.
We figured we could do it, too, though much too old for the maternity bit. We bought a 4 year old former rental MH from a reputable dealer. There were no significant repair or maintenance costs in the first year or two. I doubt if a private sale a year later would have been very close to the price we paid to the dealer who guaranteed everything was working.