Considering a well aged class A

In an older class A it all comes down to how well it was maintained. We bought our 1999 Mountain Aire gasser a little over 2 years ago. We have taken a couple of 3000 mile trips and will be taking an even longer trip next year after we do our usual 3000 mile trip this winter. The people we bought it from were vary particular about the maintenance on the MH. We have had very few issues with this MH. I replaced the ATS and converter and had one roof A/C replaced under the extended warrantee. The original owners had replaced the other one the year before they sold it. The interior was immaculate and the exterior was repainted in 2009.
I would expect that we could get another 10 or maybe 15 years out of this MH as long as we keep up with the maintenance and exercise some reasonable care. While this nice of an old MH might be rare, they are out there.

It is impossible to tell the future of any motor home, either new or used. You can have a complete inspection and still have something major break during the first trip. If you search back through the posts you will see that even new coaches are not free of problems.
RVing is a gamble where you have to weigh the rewards with the challenges that you may face.
If you are mechanically inclined, and also know plumbing and electrical, then you can minimize the hassles. If you have to find and pay someone else for all work done on your RV, then the costs can quickly get out of hand.
Every one of us has weighed the consequences and have determined that the pro's exceed the cons.
The best you can do with a coach that age is get LIMITED protection from an extended warranty.
Without that, I would say that it would be a good idea to keep $10,000-$15,000 in a reserve account for POSSIBLE repairs needed while on the road. After your first few long trips you may have a better idea of whether you have a gem or a lemon.

Mr.Mark and Cranemec have it right... Especially when thinking about something like an 87 through 94 Prevost conversion. Find a good one and know the money you put into it to bring it to 2017 standards you'll likely get back out of it.

I think if you are going to go with something that old, you need to look for a higher end model. Foretravel, Newell, Prevost conversion.
Anything is going to cost money to repair sooner or later. My pops just spent $30,000 on his 12 year old Newell on repairs and updates.

Newsomer,

You don't mention a budget, but if I were you and you wanted an older 'good' motorhome. I would go with the 'Top-Of-The-Line' well maintained older Newmar, Monaco, Beaver, Tiffin, Winnebago, etc., which means you would be looking at a diesel coach. They usually have better construction. Some items may have been updated already.

Good luck,
MM.

Chassis wise, most any modern with fuel injection should be fine- I would worry about the body. I've seen way too many of that particular coach with serious delamination problems. *Any* softness or bubbling of the body or roof is serious.