Currently we have a 5 year old Dutchman fifth wheel and we are looking at trading it in to get into a midsize used gas motorhome in the 30-35ft range. If I were to be looking at used fifth wheels I would probably not look at anything more than 4 or 5 years old due to their shoddy build quality. What we would like to get into is a nicer rig (think Newmar or Winnebago) but my budget is kind of dictating us to look at 2003 to 2006 or so models. If I downgrade to something like a Thor product I can push the year up to a 2010 or 2011. What are your guys thoughts? Would you look at a 15 year old Newmar quality of rig or am I just asking for headaches? Would a 7 year old Thor be a better choice assuming they have both had good care and maintenance records?

IMHO, it all depends on the INITIAL quality of the coach. Well build motor homes will tend to hold up better than the mass produced units. I've seen some beautiful early 90's Liberty coaches and Blue Birds that would put the newer paper-bag buses to shame. I would certainly pick a 15 yo Newmar over a 7 yo Thor.The issue with buying an older coach is mostly in the appliances; fridge, water heater, furnace, A/C units, genny etc. All of these are fixable/repairable with parts readily available until you get to the 25 year mark. Then it becomes hit or miss. Example; I wanted to replace the seals on the fridge doors. Seals not available, need to replace door. Doors only available from salvage lots, seals probably in worse shape than the ones I have. Solution - weather striping.Another issue is simplicity. Numerous slides or large slides, self leveling systems, hydro hot heating, all electric coaches all add complexity along with convenience. More stuff to break.Rig in sig is now 22 years old and still going strong. Original fridge, genny, furnace and A/C units. I spend about $5k a year in maintenance and upgrades.

I think with a used 15 year old MH how it was maintained is more important than the brand. Last year I looked at 3 very nice 7 year old MH's in the ads but when I inspected them in person the owners never were up on the roof to caulk and water leaked inside on one and rotted the inside wall the other two had exterior delamination among other issues. Newmar is nice because it can't delaminate but it can leak and have other problems like any other brand. They all use the same appliances, drive trains and other accessories. There are personal discriminators like large FW tanks and storage bays if you dry camp or maybe HWH jacks are better than some of the other brands but most of the other stuff is pretty subjective.

My 1988 Prevost is still going strong and we are still fulltiming in it since 2000. Buy quality and you and go way back in the years.

Gjac wrote:Newmar is nice because it can't delaminate but it can leak and have other problems like any other brand. .Why can't Newmar coaches delaminate? Are they not fiberglass construction? I have my learning hat on :)

garysol wrote:Gjac wrote:Newmar is nice because it can't delaminate but it can leak and have other problems like any other brand. .Why can't Newmar coaches delaminate? Are they not fiberglass construction? I have my learning hat on :)They are built using a hung wall method as opposed to lamination. Newmar, Holiday Rambler/Monaco, and Travel Supreme/Entegra all use this method. I'm not sure if this link will work but take a look **nope, that link didn't work. You can find the full factory tour link here.As to the original question, I would buy an older Newmar in a heartbeat. We camp with friends that have a 2002 Dutch Star with over 100,000 miles on it; the thing still looks brand new. Ours is 10 years old now. Different friends were over the other day and they asked if we had gotten a new MH. Not a bad question considering its age. :BMy wife and I were out for a drive yesterday, we went by a house with an early 90's Newmar Mountain Aire in the driveway. It still looked good - straight as a string, no decay to be seen from the road whatsoever. I agree w/ Jplante, if it starts as a quality coach there is a good chance it will stay that way. A lesser quality coach will never get better - ever.

How old is too old?... older NICE rig or newer budget rig.

Joatha
Explorer
Oct 25, 2017
I have a 2001 Bluebird Wanderlodge LX. Everyone that goes in it is shocked that its 16 years old. I HIGHLY recommend you go look at older high quality coaches like Bluebird, Prevost (and of the converters) or Newell. I admit I am biased but the Wanderlodge is a tremendous value. I have not had ANY issues getting parts or getting it worked on and its as good on quality as anything ever made.
tropical36
Explorer
Oct 25, 2017
Mondooker wrote:
Bill.Satellite wrote:
My 1988 Prevost is still going strong and we are still fulltiming in it since 2000. Buy quality and you and go way back in the years.

Bill has always been known for the quality of his posts and now his true brilliance is showing through. Look at an 87 thru 95 Prevost and you're setting yourself up for something special. There are some tremendous converters like Beaver Coach, Liberty, Marathon, etc.

Prevost Bus, just no better than that!

Biggest problem we had with staying within our budget and looking to buy in the higher end or bus conversions, was the lack of slides and a suitable floor plan that included 1 1/2 baths.
Mondooker
Explorer
Oct 24, 2017
Bill.Satellite wrote:
My 1988 Prevost is still going strong and we are still fulltiming in it since 2000. Buy quality and you and go way back in the years.

Bill has always been known for the quality of his posts and now his true brilliance is showing through. Look at an 87 thru 95 Prevost and you're setting yourself up for something special. There are some tremendous converters like Beaver Coach, Liberty, Marathon, etc.

Prevost Bus, just no better than that!
tropical36
Explorer
Oct 24, 2017
WAFlowers wrote:
gafidler wrote:
coaches before 2009 seem to be build better than the newer ones..

The story I was told is that prior to 2009/2010 the demand was high and builders were competing on quality and features, not so much on price. Then everything went bad; RV companies were going bankrupt right and left. To sell anything manufacturers suddenly had to compete on price. To do that they had to reduce cost, which reduced quality. It has been that way until recently when sales heated up again.

Or so I was told. Probably just a story to get me to buy well cared for 2008.

I think the story is right on and survival or an attempt at survival during those recession years, was for whatever it took. Couple all that with extras in emission control requirements and the cost aquistion gets even tighter.
I truly believe we got one of the last all around bargains, being old school built and having the last of the slobber tubes for an engine. We keep looking at older coaches in the same price range and even for more worth, but have yet to find one that impresses us enough to say, we could've, should've.
tropical36
Explorer
Oct 24, 2017
I'd take a used top of the line coach with the same book value before a brand new entry level. Like said, engineering and quality doesn't go away with age, but if it's not there in the first place, newness won't help. Maybe with some standard things, but overall, not worth spending extra money.
Now, even if the book values match, the older unit is worth more. Reason being, the depreciation leaving the dealer's lot and whereas the used value should stay the same. In our case, with what we paid, the low book value is still better than 10% higher, more than a year later and retail even more so. Not that retail counts for anything, unless you're a dealer and taking a trade in to make things look good, but just saying for the sake of numbers.
ksg5000
Explorer
Oct 24, 2017
mike brez wrote:
I purchased mine at almost 18 years old and not a single service record.
Everything worked and still does except the dash a/c is getting a little weak.
I will look into that next season.
After about 10k miles only thing was a leak in the rear wheel seal.

Nothing fancy

Nice looking rig!
mike_brez
Explorer
Oct 24, 2017
I purchased mine at almost 18 years old and not a single service record.
Everything worked and still does except the dash a/c is getting a little weak.
I will look into that next season.
After about 10k miles only thing was a leak in the rear wheel seal.

Nothing fancy
ncrowley
Explorer II
Oct 24, 2017
I recommend you go with the old, better built rig. I think you will be much happier with something that is better built. With any used RV, you need to make sure the rig was well cared for. You need to make sure all the required maintenance was done. You need to see if the coach is having problems with paint checking. You need to determine if the owners are the type that takes good care of their things. You should have an oil analysis done.
howdy35
Explorer II
Oct 24, 2017
We have a 1999 National Tradewinds. Happy as a Lark with it. Will recover the roof for the first time this spring. Old coaches can be okay if cared for. Arnold
garysol
Explorer
Oct 24, 2017
Bruce Brown wrote:
garysol wrote:
Gjac wrote:
Newmar is nice because it can't delaminate but it can leak and have other problems like any other brand. .

Why can't Newmar coaches delaminate? Are they not fiberglass construction? I have my learning hat on :)

They are built using a hung wall method as opposed to lamination. Newmar, Holiday Rambler/Monaco, and Travel Supreme/Entegra all use this method. I'm not sure if this link will work but take a look

**nope, that link didn't work. You can find the full factory tour link here. .

Thank You! Great info.