"I replaced the roof and no leaks since then"

Mine's past 15 years, but new to me for about a year. We were told about the replacement rubber roof, and also didn't know enough to lift the cab over mattress and see some buckling in the flooring. I do periodically kick myself, and wonder what happened. But it was a good deal, it's serving us, they seemed meticulous in carrying for it, and I'm making good progress on my ROI. Not how I like to think after spending all that money, but then again there's value gained by not over thinking it.

If you can buy one that has very minimal interior staining then take it to an RV shop and have it professionally re-roofed.
Jesseannie

rjstractor wrote:
You have to keep in mind that you're shopping for a 20+year old rig that sells for a small fraction of what a new one costs. You probably won't ever find a rig that old that has never leaked. What's important is overall condition- are there receipts for maintenance and repair, does everything work, etc. If you demand a rig that has never leaked or never had any water damage of any kind than you need to be shopping much newer. Now, I'm sure there are one or two owners of older motorhomes that have had their rigs since new that have legitimately never leaked, but those are the exception.

I agree with this. At some point in 20+ years, someone left a vent or window open during a rain, found a leak and re-caulked, etc. The trick is to look for signs that the leak wasn't dealt with immediately. Does it smell musty, is there mold, is there dry rot (push on the ceiling/wall, do you see or hear any crumbling), etc. And be prepared to re-caulk whatever you buy when you get it home - better to spend time re-caulking what doesn't need to be re-caulked, then to not and have a leak.

You have to keep in mind that you're shopping for a 20+year old rig that sells for a small fraction of what a new one costs. You probably won't ever find a rig that old that has never leaked. What's important is overall condition- are there receipts for maintenance and repair, does everything work, etc. If you demand a rig that has never leaked or never had any water damage of any kind than you need to be shopping much newer. Now, I'm sure there are one or two owners of older motorhomes that have had their rigs since new that have legitimately never leaked, but those are the exception.

I agree with Dutchman. No one replaces a roof unless there was water intrusion. Was that fixed? You won't ever know even if it was fixable.

All class C's will leak. It is a matter of time. A new roof very well may help this problem though for a while. :)

DutchmenSport wrote:
Unlike when purchasing a house, when they say, "new roof" ... which IS a selling factor for a house, it's a RED flag for an RV sale. To me, it sounds like they are attempting to sell the RV like they would a house, as if a "new roof" gives it a better selling value! RV are not houses.

Very good point. :)

I probably wouldn't consider them. I've learned the hard way you can't believe most people. They lie, and will tell you anything for their own cause. If they acknowledge a roof replacement, they know good and well there was (or may still) have water intrusion. I agree, it's an excuse to justify ceiling stains or soft spots. Unlike when purchasing a house, when they say, "new roof" ... which IS a selling factor for a house, it's a RED flag for an RV sale. To me, it sounds like they are attempting to sell the RV like they would a house, as if a "new roof" gives it a better selling value! RV are not houses.

Ask to see the receipts - if your still interested then make any offer contingent on the rig being pressure tested to ascertain whether the rig is air tight/leak proof (cost used to be around $100)

Ask for photos of the roof. If you see patching, then don't bother. If you see a nice clean roof, then go take a look.