Don't Buy and Old Motorhome Unless...

mobjack68 wrote:
...NO ENGINE ELECTRONICS

mobjack68,

I really, Really, REALLY don't want to be a crtic on your decision. You have your reasons and so I say "Well Wishes".

But......

As soon as I started reading that your new purchase is a 1985 model year, I immediately said to myself..."I sure hope it isn't carbureted". This is why.

I owned a 1983 carbureted Toyota chassis for 24 years bought new in 1983, and sold in 2007. One thing I learned about the carburetor. It just can't hold up to the ethanol added into all fuel today. There was a rubbery/synthetic diaphragm that needed replacing every few years because it would loose it's elasticity. That along with the naturally poor drivability until warmed up, lesser fuel economy, and less power. Once that engine went to multi-port fuel injection, they became more fuel efficient and offered more power, 15% more power in the case with our Toyota. Same engine, different fuel delivery system.

Multi-port fuel injection was a hard sell for me in the day, but after my first fuel injected automobile, I was sold on it.

Vehicles get better all the time. Today there are no distributors. Spark plugs last 100,000 miles. This means the engine runs "Optimally" for a very very long time.

When shopping for an older motor home, I say, get one as "least old" as possible to benefit from better chassis techology which translates into more power with less fuel, more reliable and if you care...less poluting. I won't get into the other benefits.

To others reading this....
If getting a Ford chassis, get the V10 with 4 wheel disk brakes, offered some time after 1998.
If getting the Chevy/GM, it seems the current chassis (like the Express) is a good place to start. That was introduced in 1996.

But newer yet is better yet. Changes made in brakes, transmission, and engine got better and better. A 2009 is the first year of the best Ford E350/E450.