How long does a motor last in a Class A?
I am in the market for a used Class A, maybe 5-7 years old. I see many many nice units for sale with under 50K miles, most with 30K or so miles. I've read all the excellent posts about Gas vs DP a...
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To take some mystery/risk out of the equation, once you identify a potential coach that you're interested in, pay the $20 and have an oil analysis done by someone like Blackstone Labs. They can tell you a lot about what you can't see inside that motor. This is pretty common practice in the marine industry on higher priced boats. It's not a guaranty, but it IS an additional data point.
As mentioned, Ford V10s and GM 8.1L big blocks both have excellent reputations.
As for buying something that's no longer being made, you need to break the coach down into it's individual systems.
Drive train?...not typically a problem. Parts will be available for those engines and transmissions for decades.
Plumbing/Heating?...not a problem. Those companies are still in business, and a motorhome is pretty much a boat on wheels. Atwood, etc, will be around for a very long time.
Awnings, etc?...common parts across almost all manufacturers.
That leaves things that are specific to a given company...things like you need a matching cabinet door, or an interior trim piece like a window valence, etc.
You can buy those items, but you may need to replace all of the valences in a room, as the original pattern may no longer be available.
I think the risk with buying used coaches from companies no longer in business was primarily around buying a "new" coach, and in effect having NO warranty. Lots of issues with new coaches that haven't been debugged, and not being able to go back to an authorized dealer for warranty work could be a biggie, BUT, I think this problem is pretty much evaporated now. It was more of an issue in 2008-2009ish, when you COULD buy a brand new coach built by someone who went out of business during that time frame.
Jim
As mentioned, Ford V10s and GM 8.1L big blocks both have excellent reputations.
As for buying something that's no longer being made, you need to break the coach down into it's individual systems.
Drive train?...not typically a problem. Parts will be available for those engines and transmissions for decades.
Plumbing/Heating?...not a problem. Those companies are still in business, and a motorhome is pretty much a boat on wheels. Atwood, etc, will be around for a very long time.
Awnings, etc?...common parts across almost all manufacturers.
That leaves things that are specific to a given company...things like you need a matching cabinet door, or an interior trim piece like a window valence, etc.
You can buy those items, but you may need to replace all of the valences in a room, as the original pattern may no longer be available.
I think the risk with buying used coaches from companies no longer in business was primarily around buying a "new" coach, and in effect having NO warranty. Lots of issues with new coaches that haven't been debugged, and not being able to go back to an authorized dealer for warranty work could be a biggie, BUT, I think this problem is pretty much evaporated now. It was more of an issue in 2008-2009ish, when you COULD buy a brand new coach built by someone who went out of business during that time frame.
Jim
