Soon2BNewbie wrote:
Hello all! I've got my eye on a 1976 Lindy Motorhome with a Dodge 360 engine. Interior has been remodeled & exterior resealed, 102k miles, new fridge (was 3-way, now only electric), new master cylinder & rear brakes, & new hoses. But I haven't seen anything but pics yet. If all seems well, I'll rent a car & make the drive from Philly, PA area to Michigan to see it before I buy. Asking $1600 obo, because the previous owner took out A/C unit & closed up the roof. I intend to rent a lot & move in, then take the winter to save up for a solar conversion kit for backup to travel & A/C. I can't find an owner's manual anywhere online to see if any of this is feasible with this model. And I don't see any Lindys in the forum, which makes me wonder about the rig's longevity. Would I be making a mistake buying her? Thanks for any feedback.
I've read through your posts since '04 & you guys are a close-knit group, been through hell & back together & it seems to have brought you closer & made you stronger & all the better for it. I'm honored to be a part of your Forum.
Truly,
Meghan ?
Welcome.
$1600 is a good price, unless it's a piece of ****. (New refrigerators cost about half that.) 102K miles is towards the high end mileage-wise for a 1976 motorhome. I'd pay a mechanic to do a compression check on the engine, although your should be able to get at least another 100K miles out of it.
Make sure the floor is solid and doesn't feel soft or spongy. Walls and roofs can be fixed without too much trouble (relatively speaking) but bad floor means you'd probably have to completely rebuild the whole coach.
If you plan on living in it through the winter, even Pennsylvania, you'll go through a lot of heating fuel. Most motorhomes in that era only had 3/4" of foam insulation, with a maximum R-value of 3.75. For comparison, R15 is considered the absolute minimum for wall insulation and most banks want at least R21 before they'll consider a mortgage loan.
You'll also have difficulties with condensation resulting just from breathing and cooking. The humidity will penetrate and condense inside the insulation, further reducing its R-value, which will make it harder to stay warm as the winter progresses and possibly lead to rot in the coach framing. (The temptation is to keep the windows and vents closed tight but in a small space like that you need to get rid of the humidity in cold weather.)
This is all "voice of experience." I lived in a motorhome into the fall and it was hard to stay warm when the temperatures dropped below freezing. (When it dropped into the subzero range, I might as well have been in a tent.)
Good luck and I hope things work out for you.
