Newbie questions on buying a used Class C
I am an absolute newbie and would like to get an RV without making a major investment. I do not mind old, but I would very much prefer not to get into a fixer project. I am currently looking at t...
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My general advice, for what it's worth, is to be more concerned with the condition of the house part of the RV and not quite so worried about the chassis. I don't mean you should ignore the chassis condition or check it out, of course; but typically problems in older RVs, especially ones that are hard and expensive to repair, are to the house part. In particular, check very carefully for water damage to the walls and ceiling, and see if the caulking has been well kept up.
Water damage to the sides generally takes the form of delamination, for smooth-sided RVs, where the outer skin comes separated from the wall structure because the thin plywood it's adhered to has disintegrated. If the framing is wooden, it is often the case that it's at least partly rotted as well. Many would say run from any RV that has any signs of delamination; I don't go nearly that far, especially when you're looking at old and inexpensive units, but certainly go in with both eyes open and expect any damage you see to extend further and be somewhat more severe than it appears at first.
Also check out all the systems in the RV--the stove, the fridge, the furnace and air conditioner, the generator (if it has one), the water heater and water pump, the converter/battery charger, and so on. Anything that doesn't work properly can be repaired or replaced, but the costs can add up pretty quickly.
The chassis is basically a beefed-up van chassis. If you look up common difficulties with Ford van chassis for that era you'll have a pretty good idea of the sorts of things to look out for. I think they're generally pretty reliable and trouble-free. Double-check whether this engine is fuel injected or not, and think about how much you want to tinker with carburetors if it is not. I think it probably is, but apparently it's right about the era when things were being switched over...and rather often motorhomes get built on chassis from the previous model year.
NADA is not too helpful for determining values for motorhomes as they have very low sales volumes (compared to cars, at least) and their value depends quite heavily on their condition. If this is in generally good shape and has a sound structure, $8500 does not sound out of line to me. Lazy Daze is one of the better makers of class C motorhomes. If, on the other hand, there are significant structural problems, $8500 may be $8000 or more too much to pay.
Buying a motorhome from a private party is not much different from buying a car, in terms of how the transaction proceeds. You need to call your insurance company and get a binder for the vehicle (which usually doesn't cost anything, in my experience). You hand over your cash to the seller, they sign and hand over the title. You take the title and the bill of sale and a pile of money for taxes to the DMV and they issue you the paperwork needed. The exact details of this second part vary some from state to state, so check up on exactly what is involved for California beforehand, but it's usually fairly straightforward, to the extent that anything at the DMV is straightforward.
Water damage to the sides generally takes the form of delamination, for smooth-sided RVs, where the outer skin comes separated from the wall structure because the thin plywood it's adhered to has disintegrated. If the framing is wooden, it is often the case that it's at least partly rotted as well. Many would say run from any RV that has any signs of delamination; I don't go nearly that far, especially when you're looking at old and inexpensive units, but certainly go in with both eyes open and expect any damage you see to extend further and be somewhat more severe than it appears at first.
Also check out all the systems in the RV--the stove, the fridge, the furnace and air conditioner, the generator (if it has one), the water heater and water pump, the converter/battery charger, and so on. Anything that doesn't work properly can be repaired or replaced, but the costs can add up pretty quickly.
The chassis is basically a beefed-up van chassis. If you look up common difficulties with Ford van chassis for that era you'll have a pretty good idea of the sorts of things to look out for. I think they're generally pretty reliable and trouble-free. Double-check whether this engine is fuel injected or not, and think about how much you want to tinker with carburetors if it is not. I think it probably is, but apparently it's right about the era when things were being switched over...and rather often motorhomes get built on chassis from the previous model year.
NADA is not too helpful for determining values for motorhomes as they have very low sales volumes (compared to cars, at least) and their value depends quite heavily on their condition. If this is in generally good shape and has a sound structure, $8500 does not sound out of line to me. Lazy Daze is one of the better makers of class C motorhomes. If, on the other hand, there are significant structural problems, $8500 may be $8000 or more too much to pay.
Buying a motorhome from a private party is not much different from buying a car, in terms of how the transaction proceeds. You need to call your insurance company and get a binder for the vehicle (which usually doesn't cost anything, in my experience). You hand over your cash to the seller, they sign and hand over the title. You take the title and the bill of sale and a pile of money for taxes to the DMV and they issue you the paperwork needed. The exact details of this second part vary some from state to state, so check up on exactly what is involved for California beforehand, but it's usually fairly straightforward, to the extent that anything at the DMV is straightforward.
