Have you bought a ten year old or older rv?

We bought a used Beaver Contessa 40' DP in January 2012 with 31,000 miles and have put only 11,000 on it since then. Only minor repairs except for the frig cooling unit and tires when we bought it. We love the lay out and have thought about trading for new, but don't really want a payment.

Ours is 10 years old. 50,000 miles ,, love it ! Bought it at 12,000 miles, had it for 7 years.

purchased my 94 American Eagle 2 years ago with 140000 miles. when looking for a mh I didn't even consider anything newer than a 97 mainly to avoid dealing with a electronic engine. I can repair just about anything mechanical or electrical except the Allison without hooking to a computer. to date the most expensive single item was a passenger window motor/regulator $500 last month. so far all the systems work with no problems

I bought my Prevost conversion when it was 32 years old, but that was a project.
Still quality can't be beaten. I had to replace steel holding tanks and redo interior, but drivetrain was usable and I drove it 100 miles home before replacing 20+ years old tires and brake chambers.
Motorhomes have limited life as technology changes a lot and newer engine offer better HP and mpg. Finding mechanic who knows 2-cycle Detroit is getting difficult if you don't DIY, but in the mean time I bought 1965 Airstream trailer from my neighbor, so I know the original price.
I redid the floor and some fabric in the trailer, polish the aluminium exterior and after 2 years resold it for what was twice the 1965 price.
The water heater, electrical, sinks, shower were all original 1965 and working well.
Furnace and converter were replaced by neighbor so they might be only 30 years old.
Aluminium pedestal on the toilet corroded, so I put plastic toilet in it.
I bet the trailer will make somebody happy for few more decades.

I purchased a 2004 3 years ago. I plan to keep it for another 10 years at least. I wanted a quality diesel pusher between 36 and 40 feet long. I needed to go back in years in order to afford one. It is FAR from done. It only has 36K miles on it. We are doing upgrades as we go. For example, we have replaced both TVs. Unfortunately, we had the sidewall checking issue so the sidewalls are being replaced and the coach repainted in January at Newmar. However, the fact that we are putting money into it to have this done shows that we think it will be around for a lot longer.

My older RV 2002 has had new paint last yr, new roof w/15500 AC's, new exhaust manifold, new lift pump new, fuel pump, new hydraulic pump, new shocks, all new heater hoses, new turbo charger, new muffler, and always maintained per yearly requirements.Has 94K miles drives like new and will go another 13 yrs. we love the floor plan and the Newmar company is great to help w/ anything we need or questions asked. Today's resale value about 60K and if i sold it someone would get a great MH.

Our first MH was a 1988 Xplorer 36' DP, we bought in about 2009... put an exhaust system & an idler pulley on her.loved that bus!!!!
our next is a 2001 National Tradewinds 37' DP that we bought in 2009... we have put only about 25k miles on her.... no issues, other than expected... fluid & filter changes, light bulbs, etc......

I'm happy with our '96 Safari. The reply about maintenance and initial quality hit the nail on the head. Safari was a high-end bus when they were in business (before Monaco) and the fit and finish even after 20 years is still good. The original owner took very good care of the Sahara (I have all the records).

IMO, the key to owning an older rig is the ability to do your own minor work. I farm out the engine Mx but fix all the little naggers that naturally happen on an old bus myself. If I had to pay some joker $120 an hour to fix the toilet spring, I could not afford to do this.

Also, the older buses had more character. I look around most parks and see nothing but "paper bag buses".

Purchased my 18 year old klunker last year with no service records or a independent inspection. Flew down to florida picked it up and took it on a couple week vacation. Once home changed oil and filter,fuel filter. changed tranny filter and the tranny fluid to transyand. Put another 6k on it this year and still no problems. I don't know were some people think you need to dump 6 or 10 thousand into a used unit after purchase.
Still looks pretty good for 18

We have owned our 98 American Eagle for almost 7 years and 40K miles of travel.

The coach will be 18 years old in March of 2016.

All of the appliances still work, drives like a dream, large tankage and much less complex electronically than newer DP's.

Never had a trip that required a stop for repairs except for replacing the Allison shift pad this September. 2 hour stop at an Allison shop and we were back on the road.

The Eagle was the flagship for Fleetwood/American Coach in 1998.

Look at flagships, don't be afraid of a 10 year old that was the top of the line and has been well looked after.