The wife and I have been dreaming of getting a motor home with the only "must have" being an on-board genny. We also wanted to pay cash and not break the bank. Wife had to retire early, so we sold the truck and TT to rid ourselves of monthly payments, and was looking to spend as little as possible.Today I drove home a 1987 Georgie Boy Encounter 34' Paid $2950John Deere chassis460 Ford w/ auto C6 81,000 miles, but motor professionally rebuilt 11,000 ago ( paperwork proven )Onan Genny ( 950 hrs )2 newer house batteries with dash mounted soleniod cut-off switchesPower/heated mirrorsPower seats2 y.o. Frig ( with paperwork )2 A/C'sNewer Day/Night shades thru-outCentral vacWife loved the slide out pantry:Tires had nice tread left on them, but I will have to check the date codes to see how old they are. No signs of crazing/cracks.Drove nice, shifted good. Oil pressure and temp looked good while I was driving. Amp gauge stayed centered.Now the bad: Rear brake lights/turn signals not working properly. I'm pretty sure it is a ground short of some type. The side clearance lights flash with the turns and dim out when the brakes are pressed. Front turn signals work fine. Drivers power window not working.It has 2 furnace thermostats, which I have to figure out.I know it isn't as nice as most of your guys Class A's, but I think we'll be happy.

That's a great looking coach. Get the few issues fixed and enjoy it. Wouldn't worry to much about the 460. Our previous F53 chassis with the 460 had 116k miles when we traded it and now has over 165k since we've been in contact with the new owners since they purchased it from the dealer where we traded it. Again be safe and have a great time in your travels.

I like the older stuff, a lot. That one looks good. On the lights, I think you're spot on. Worst case you run new wires to the rear. We had to do that on our Flair, simple and easy fix.

Congrats and thanks for sharing. :CMy advice would be, check the roof. Cover joints/seams with Eternabond and/or Dicor Self Leveling Lap Sealant. Address any suspicious areas on the roof to keep it leak free.Change the oil in the engine and generator. Also, have the transmission serviced. Then YOU will know when it was done.It looks like a nice rig. You will get many years out of it.I like the older RV's, they have more class than the new units.Enjoy your travels. You will love the Class A.

Hi--Congrats and enjoy! We drove our GBM for quite a while and loved it! That 460 will do you well. We have always enjoyed our "paid for" coaches much more than the ones that had payment books to go with them. Keep that in mind as you look around and compare yourself to others--most of them are not paid for! Best of luck to you!

Looks great. We have been happy with our older paid for motorhome. I think of it like this. At the end of the days driving we pull into an RV park to overnight. a nice new expensive rig pulls in next to us and someone has to get out and hook up the Poopie Pipe jut like I did. Hey were all in this together enjoy and good luck.

Joined the Class A family, it's an oldie, hope its a goodie!

32 Replies

J-Rooster
Explorer
Oct 02, 2016
You sound very smart to me the way you went to purchase your RV.
BrianinMichigan
Explorer
Oct 01, 2016
welcome to the GBM world
Mile_High
Explorer
Sep 30, 2016
Wow - nice find! That is in great shape!
Matt_Colie
Explorer II
Sep 30, 2016
Jim,

You do not say where in Michigan, but that really doesn't matter much. The way you write leads me to believe that you are literate and have an IQ over 80....
That put you on level above most of the people you would pay to do what the coach needs. You have the books, at ~100$/mh around here, you can buy a lot of the tools you might need and break even before you finish the job.

I paid more than that for a '73 coach with 100+kM on it. In the last 10 years+, I have put work that was the equivalent of 20+K$ into it. If you read my logs, you will identify that was about 6K$ (including two sets of tires) actual cash out of pocket. And all that was for more than 60kM and countless memories.

I do not know your specific coach, but if you have questions that I might answer, catch me here.

Matt
_Sea_Of_No_Care
Explorer
Sep 30, 2016
I'm so glad that u and the DW fulfilled one of your dreams and purchased a RV. So many people just talk about their dreams and never realize them for one reason or another.Attend to those few things with the MH that u mentioned and then get out and build some memories with it. Happy and safe travels!!

Dave
gbopp
Explorer
Sep 29, 2016
John Wayne wrote:
Nice rig with that overhang on the back just watch when turning close to things the back swing out when turning will hit things if your not careful.

X2, find your pivot point and watch your tail swing. You'll be fine.
John_Wayne
Explorer II
Sep 29, 2016
Nice rig with that overhang on the back just watch when turning close to things the back swing out when turning will hit things if your not careful.
darsben1
Explorer
Sep 29, 2016
If you need tires look at Samson 8r/19.5 from Chicago tire. They have a good price and will usually take a lower offer if you are buying multiples. I have run them for 3 years now and am happy with them.
PM if you need to but remember any tire over 6 years old that you have not maintained is suspect. A blowout can really cost over $1000.00 damage to the rig (ask me how if you want)
FordDiesel250
Explorer
Sep 29, 2016
I did the same thing you did. Bought a 1995 Holiday Rambler Endeavor put new batteries and tires and off we went.
MrWizard
Moderator
Sep 29, 2016
Hey Nice coach
For a Great price
Would cost twice maybe three times that here in So Calif