Buying a used Class A Repairs to Expect?
Hi There! I'm looking at an older Class A RV to renovate for a 1-2 year adventure with my family. Right now I'm looking at a 1998 Fleetwood Southwind (30' with a Ford engine and 35K miles.) I co...
Forum Discussion
Labor is the killer when dealing with RV repair shops, the typical shop labor rate runs between $150-$200 per hour depending on where you live, this means something like having new shock absorbers installed (8 bolts to remove and replace total) will cost $200-$250 in labor alone, which is as much as some mid level shock absorbers.
How much it will take to get it on the road depends on what condition it is in now and how perfect you want things to be. If possible I suggest spending a little more on a pristine unit that someone else has already spent money maintaining.
This is what I did a few months ago, I paid $20,500 for a 2002 Safari Trek after shopping for 4 or 5 months and seeing other similar models sell for $5,000 less partly because this one had nearly $10,000 in parts / upgrades alone added to it in the last 2 years. (Tires, batteries, dometic refrigerator, carpet, seating, 400 watt solar panels, 2000 watt inverter, trac bar, safe-t plus, SS bell cranks, flat tv, ...) and even without these it was otherwise in very good condition.
Even with all that stuff I am finding myself spending another couple of thousand dollars on stuff that slipped through the cracks. (replacing marker lights and many sockets, shock absorbers, upgrading to LED headlights, etc.)
How much it will take to get it on the road depends on what condition it is in now and how perfect you want things to be. If possible I suggest spending a little more on a pristine unit that someone else has already spent money maintaining.
This is what I did a few months ago, I paid $20,500 for a 2002 Safari Trek after shopping for 4 or 5 months and seeing other similar models sell for $5,000 less partly because this one had nearly $10,000 in parts / upgrades alone added to it in the last 2 years. (Tires, batteries, dometic refrigerator, carpet, seating, 400 watt solar panels, 2000 watt inverter, trac bar, safe-t plus, SS bell cranks, flat tv, ...) and even without these it was otherwise in very good condition.
Even with all that stuff I am finding myself spending another couple of thousand dollars on stuff that slipped through the cracks. (replacing marker lights and many sockets, shock absorbers, upgrading to LED headlights, etc.)
