Coach life

Yesterday we returned from a 500 mile trip in 100 degree weather in our 1982 Kings Highway. That was a high end unit with all the bells and whistles when new. It now has nearly 180 K miles, the original frig, one original AC, one was replaced that was a mistake. The unit is heavy fiberglass including the roof, 454 Chevy, P 30, Kohler generator. The radiator has been replaced as well as exhaust manifolds. We have never had a parts or fiberglass problem. We like the unit and never wanted another, it is not as shiny the last year or so as at 89 I just don't wax it like in the past, maybe we are just wearing out together. I think it has been maintained better than it's owner. We plan a 2500 mile trip in September and that may be our last longer trip, but the motorhome will be read to go. Do I believe a new motorhome will last as long? No way.

Parts are true problem.
I can't find parts for my 10 years old Fleetwood camper, but parts for 40 years old Prevost are in stock at California dealer.
The commercial chassis share parts with semi-trucks and those can be on the road for 50 years.

The biggest threat to a long life is the disappearing availability of replacement parts, particularly for "house" items. Our Class A wsa 12 years old when we sold it and we'd already run into a couple of "we can't get those any more" comments

Fiberglas is the problem. It starts to delaminate after 25-30 years. In the boat industry you never buy a 20 year old boat without having a router and fiberglas layup experience. Mechanical wise, depends on how long CAT, Cummins and Detroit have parts. Other parts can be machined or adapted.

I don't think they're making coaches now that will last 50 years. I don't think the quality in the production motor homes is good enough and newer, lighter materials will probably not survive the neglect that aluminum and stainless steel did.

Also, it's hard to imagine that the DEF emission engines will last longer than the old coal burners, mostly due to the higher combustion temps involved. And those that are jumping at the keyboard to remind me that truck engines are better now, let me remind you that truck engines don't sit idle for days or weeks at a time.

As to longevity, the large majority of general aviation airplanes are 40 years old and more, The 2 I fly were manufactured in the sixties. The reason (other than new planes are to expensive) is that planes are required to go through an annual inspection where the plane is basically disassembled and put back together with new parts for things that are out of spec. The typical cost of this inspection is $1000-$3000, and is inflated because of the paperwork required by the FAA for all parts. I'll bet most motor home owner spend more than that a year. Of course, planes don't have fridges and water heaters.

Proper maintenance will only get you so far. The initial quality of the coach will be the deciding factor. As with many things, you get what you pay for. Times were people saved up for years and bought a good quality coach. You insisted on quality and you took care of your purchase because you busted your hump to earn/save the money to buy it. It had some value in your life.

Now, with 5% down you can go out an buy some plastic box with a motor - no pain, no real value. You keep it long enough so you're not upside down, put it in craigs list or consignment and buy another.

Oh my! My DP is a 1997 with over 100k on it and so far performs flawlessly. I use it all the time----that being said yesterday I backed my 50 year old 1965 GTO Conv out of the garage and took a little ride. It has 119,000+ on it and also performs well. This car has been maintained but never restored.....You take care of that RV and it will out last you.

Leaks and delamination will be the biggest causes of short life. Leaks can be controlled (never allowed to happen in the first place), delamination sometimes cannot.

Keep them sealed up and they'll last a lifetime, unless they come unglued.

Our current coach is 8 years old, looks 100% like new.

rgatijnet1 wrote:
The life of any vehicle depends on the size of the owner's wallet. Any vehicle can last indefinitely if parts are replaced as they wear out.

X2

Different forms of corrosion (UV, rust, electrical, etc...) will require replacement of items. As a vehicle ages the effects will be exponential meaning so will the cost of repairs.

Just look around in parks and count the rigs that are over 20 years old. Then on those rigs count how many have out of state plates. That will tell you the real world story.

My coach will out last me. Basic maintenance is the key. The only reason we traded our Kountry Star(93) was we wanted something larger and with two slides.

I don't think anybody has been making them long enough for us to find out how long they last. I've seen one of the earliest Newell coaches, more than 40 years old, still in use for full-time RVing, with the original owner, who started very young. There are Flexible and GMC coach conversions still in use after 50-60 years. I regularly seen early Winnebago motorhomes 40-45 years old still in use.

If you are starting at normal retirement age, almost any motorhome, C, A gasser, DP or motor coach conversion, can last longer than you will. It is strictly a matter of care and maintenance, how much money you will continue to put into it, as opposed to spending the money on a new one because you want a new one.

On the other hand, a careless owner can turn a $2,000,000 motor coach into s**** in less tha five years, not including collisions or plunges from a mountain road, which can s**** it even more quickly.

Really not much different from cars. I've worked with guys who kept the car they bought when they finished high school or college through their whole working life, then kept it as a classic after retirement: fifty years or more. I couldn't do this, grew up in Michigan, 1950s cars were rusted hulks after 3-5 winters, 1970s cars lasted no more than 10 years. So out of habit, I tended to keep cars in service 8-12 years, even after moving out of the rust belt. My motorhome is now 12 years old, decals fading, plastics yellowing, but a few hundred dollars a year taking care of things as needed, keeps it as functional as when it was new. Keeping it pretty? That would be a lot more money.