Best older motor homes ?

As owner of 6 different motorhomes, I would lean toward the person who suggested looking hard at a good, reliable Class C, large enough to tow either car or trailer, small enough to be economical whehter diesel or gas, prefeaably diesel. We had the biggest Class A on the road at 47' yes 47' although registered as 45' with DD 515 and a small Class B with Mercedes 5 cyl. No comparison in fuel mileage, 6 vs 21. Finally settled on Super C, larger than the Ford 450 or 550 both of which are appealing. Just saw a new one from Four Winds alonside a big Chevy Jayco Seneca. Now have 06 Dynamax with Cat engine because of fuel needs in Mexico where low sulphur is not yet in play and US ordered conversions to engines in 07. For your purposes, ask more questions, get more answers.

BlueBird and/or Wanderlodge

One thing not noted is mileage. In dps and high end gassers more is better than low. The coach can be 10 years old with 10K miles or 5 years old with 50k. The 10K coach may have only done a to and from twice a year but lived in full time. Lots of wear and tear on house systems, lots of sitting on the mechanical side. The 10K per year coach was driven but was was a vacation rig, not lived in, maintained, and stored inside when not in use. 10K coach 1 oil change in 10 years, 50k coach oil service yearly. Just some things to think about.

Thanks Again everyone ! I think that JnJnKatiebug has given the best advice so far. I wasn't really sure what I wanted, But the lower maintenance costs was the residing factor here. I think I'm going to go with a TT, and make further inquiries on that forum. Thank you all for your advice and answers, I truly appreciate you all !

Yeah, it would help to know how you are planning to use the coach as well. Full time, weekends, extended trips during the winter. .

Also, what do you consider "older"? For some, this is 3 years, for others, 20.

I'll +1 on older Safaris and throw older Beaver coaches in there as well because they were basically the same company. We went through the process last year and ended up getting a 96 Safari Sahara. We are currently on the road for 6 months traveling through the south.

These coaches were built right at the beginning and most have held up well provided they received the required maintenance. Other than some PM before the trip and rearranging the living room to fit our needs, the only issue I've had is roof leaks, which were easily fixed DIY on the road.

Just be aware that owning an older coach will get VERY expensive unless you can do all or at least most of the work yourself.

I have owned all types of RV's in the last 45 years but have had a Class A Diesel Pusher for the last 10 years. Motorhomes of any brand cost lots of $$$ for upkeep if they are maintained properly. With that budget I would be looking at a clean used 3/4 gas engine pickup in the $15k to $18k range and a later model 26 to 28 foot travel trailer with at least one slide in the $10k to $12k range. This will give you the reserve you are looking for and with an RV you will need it. With the older MH you could have a $10k repair at any given time.

Haul the bike in the back of the pickup. The TT will have plenty of room for you and your animals. I know from experience,the upkeep on this setup will be 1/4 the cost of upkeep on the MH. Just ask someone who had to replace the radiator in their older model DP, this alone can be $5k to $10k.

For a single person looking to travel and tow a bike first coach that came to mind is a late model Winnebago View. Built on a Sprinter chassis so support is availably, inline 6 cylinder diesel engine so fuel economy would be expected to be acceptable, around 24 foot so getting around should be easy and good towing capacity so pulling the bike on a trailer isn't a problem. Being a Winnebago support for the house side is easy also.

infogeek wrote:

mike brez wrote:

Mike Hohnstein wrote:
https://www.google.com/search?q=bluebird+wanderlodge&rlz=1C1GGGE_enUS473US487&oq=bluebird+wan&aqs=chrome.0.0j69i57j0l4.6197j0j8&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8

Many on this forum are stunted, overlooking the ultimate motorhome.

Money pit.

Aren't they all?? :W

Some more than others. He has 50k and he said he needs some of it for reserve. With that kind of $ you are looking a a early to mid 80s bird with a leaky 6mpg 6v or 8v92. I looked at them hard and it wasn't for me. YMMV

Based on your general description of what you would want/need, I would focus on well maintained gently used class B or C gas motorhomes. They are generally built on a Ford E450 chassis which is more easy to work on than most class A configurations. You can tow a small enclosed trailer for your motorcycle. There are some class B rigs built on the Dodge Sprinter chassis which is diesel and they do get better fuel mileage than a comparable gas rig.

You might want to take a look at this site to give you an idea of floorplans, age of motorhomes and what cost you're looking at. Notice there's a section for Class A's, gas and diesel, Class C's and B's.

http://www.pplmotorhomes.com/

Houston's not too far from you so you might even drove over there to look at some. Good luck!