How long can a DP sit until problems Set-In?
I’ve read a number of messages talking about diesel coaches that sat around too long without use. This caused tires to suffer from dry rot, seal problems, fuel problems and all kinds of maladies from...
Forum Discussion
I bought a used DP that had sat around for three years while the original owner came to grips with the fact that his health would not allow him to RV any longer.
My MH has the Freightliner Powerliner VCL chassis. It has some very nice features. Even so, I've had to replace quite a few things that I believe track back to sitting. If you've got the money and the patience you can be well rewarded by buying older.
I'd budget $5-7K for repairs and about one year of fairly regular use before you considered it "reliable."
For example, two wheel bearing seals on the "sunny side" of the parked coach leaked. Those were about $350 each. I paid $400 to have a varmint's nest removed from between the radiator and charge air cooler. I had to replace all 6 tires. I also had to go through the entire cooling system. That was several thousand dollars. All this for a coach on a very good chassis that only had 30K miles when I bought it. There's more but you get the idea.
I've become happier over time. At first, I did not realize how expensive a motorhome was to operate. I thought they would be like my turbo diesel pickup--trouble free for many years.
I would do it again but I would be more realistic about my expectations this time.
My MH has the Freightliner Powerliner VCL chassis. It has some very nice features. Even so, I've had to replace quite a few things that I believe track back to sitting. If you've got the money and the patience you can be well rewarded by buying older.
I'd budget $5-7K for repairs and about one year of fairly regular use before you considered it "reliable."
For example, two wheel bearing seals on the "sunny side" of the parked coach leaked. Those were about $350 each. I paid $400 to have a varmint's nest removed from between the radiator and charge air cooler. I had to replace all 6 tires. I also had to go through the entire cooling system. That was several thousand dollars. All this for a coach on a very good chassis that only had 30K miles when I bought it. There's more but you get the idea.
I've become happier over time. At first, I did not realize how expensive a motorhome was to operate. I thought they would be like my turbo diesel pickup--trouble free for many years.
I would do it again but I would be more realistic about my expectations this time.
