Noob looking for MH advice…. Decisions, decisions!

So I’ve been thinking about purchasing a MH for a few years. My wife and I owned a 40’ fifth wheel about 10 years ago as I was an independent adjuster living in different areas for months at a time. It was a great gig and a ton of fun, especially for a 26 year old! A few years later, I decided that I need to become a company man as we wanted to start a family and have a steady income. Fast forward 10 years and two kiddos later, and we are ready for a new adventure!

We live in STL and plan to take a few 2k mile trips a year and many local weekend trips. We like CO, so we plan to travel there a lot and also East TN and West NC/SC. I’m from Texas and all of my family lives there so we plan to make it down there once a year as well. I’m in to adventure riding, trail riding and we also have a RZR XP4 1000 that we plan to take with us when we can which will be loaded in a 18’ enclosed. Not that it’s super heavy, but since we plan to travel to some pretty hilly and mountainous areas, I plan on purchasing a diesel pusher. My budget is around $35K +/-. I’ve found some older units when look to be decent and ready to travel. I’ve looked thought the library and printed off the check lists and a few other helpful sheets.

I guess my main question is, is one of the units I’m looking at better than the other? I’m ready to pull the trigger, although if y’all think there are better deals out there or if I should save up a few more thousand to get a lot more for my money, I’m prepared to do that. Here is what I’m looking at so far…

2000 HR Endeavor 38 WDS w/ 330 Cat. Approx 100K miles w/ an Onan 7500 KW gen. It’s a repo. I can purchase it for $27,500.00.
It’s a little rough on the outside, although the inside looks good. The owner just drove it 600 miles w/ no issues. Everything is in good working condition.

2004 Damon Ultrasport 3465 w/ 300 Cummins. 43K miles w/ an Onan 7500 KW gen. It’s a repo. They are asking $45K, although I think I could get it for $37.5K - $40K.

I’ll of course do my due diligence and look over the unit thoroughly before taking ownership. With everything being equal, is one brand or price more appealing than the other when taking the year and mileage into consideration? I like the looks of the Damon better, but really like the price point of the HR.

Class A

13 Replies

2gypsies1
Explorer III
Dec 03, 2015
The OP posted almost a year ago. Either he bought something or gave it up.
k9-keno
Explorer
Dec 03, 2015
Jordan I just bought the 2007 Damon Daybreak with the bunks. It is the Ford V10 with 12,100 miles on it. The drive is great on it. I will warn you as I figured out check under both slides for floor rot. These units as well as many built around that time didn't put a drip edge on the slides so the water goes under and wicks in the screw holes and then you have rot. On the bunk slide just tap the black paper looking stuff on outside bottom look for soft spots. On the big living room slide look at bottom on the outside wall under slide. Inside I just may upgrade TV's to lighter flat panel Tv's. Any questions let me know!! And good luck
jwilson32
Explorer
Jan 17, 2015
So my wife, the kiddos and I went to look at a few local units today. They only had a few to choose from in our price range. The diesels were 2001-2003's and not in very good condition. Both had kind of a musty smell too. I'm not sure if it was just a coincidence or if that is common with older units.

They did have an 07' Damon Daybreak with bunk beds. We really like the floor plan and even though it's a gasser, I think it would suit our needs pretty well. Anyone have any experience with this brand and floor plan? How did you like it. How is the build quality and customer service? It has 11K miles and they are asking $49k.
Tom_Barb
Explorer
Jan 16, 2015
frankdamp wrote:
Diesels aren't fully run-in until they've done 50K. When I was a transit driver, some of our coaches had over 400,000 miles on the clock and were still just fine. They were almost all Gilligs with 6-cylinder Cummins motors. A few of the 40-footers had V-8 engines.

AFAIC, mileage is not an issue for the engine and transmission - damned things last for ever if they're properly cared for. A bigger issue for me would be the RV's unique systems, furniture. carpets, etc., but that would be based on hours of use rather than age.

Caveat - I was never in the DP market-place due to price, though we would've bought a 30'DP (a Charleston) if the dealer had been more friendly.

I'll bet your busses did not set around most of the years that motorhomes do.
frankdamp
Explorer
Jan 16, 2015
Diesels aren't fully run-in until they've done 50K. When I was a transit driver, some of our coaches had over 400,000 miles on the clock and were still just fine. They were almost all Gilligs with 6-cylinder Cummins motors. A few of the 40-footers had V-8 engines.

AFAIC, mileage is not an issue for the engine and transmission - damned things last for ever if they're properly cared for. A bigger issue for me would be the RV's unique systems, furniture. carpets, etc., but that would be based on hours of use rather than age.

Caveat - I was never in the DP market-place due to price, though we would've bought a 30'DP (a Charleston) if the dealer had been more friendly.
Tom_Barb
Explorer
Jan 15, 2015
jwilson32 wrote:
So I’ve been thinking about purchasing a MH for a few years. My wife and I owned a 40’ fifth wheel about 10 years ago as I was an independent adjuster living in different areas for months at a time. It was a great gig and a ton of fun, especially for a 26 year old! A few years later, I decided that I need to become a company man as we wanted to start a family and have a steady income. Fast forward 10 years and two kiddos later, and we are ready for a new adventure!

We live in STL and plan to take a few 2k mile trips a year and many local weekend trips. We like CO, so we plan to travel there a lot and also East TN and West NC/SC. I’m from Texas and all of my family lives there so we plan to make it down there once a year as well. I’m in to adventure riding, trail riding and we also have a RZR XP4 1000 that we plan to take with us when we can which will be loaded in a 18’ enclosed. Not that it’s super heavy, but since we plan to travel to some pretty hilly and mountainous areas, I plan on purchasing a diesel pusher. My budget is around $35K +/-. I’ve found some older units when look to be decent and ready to travel. I’ve looked thought the library and printed off the check lists and a few other helpful sheets.

I guess my main question is, is one of the units I’m looking at better than the other? I’m ready to pull the trigger, although if y’all think there are better deals out there or if I should save up a few more thousand to get a lot more for my money, I’m prepared to do that. Here is what I’m looking at so far…

2000 HR Endeavor 38 WDS w/ 330 Cat. Approx 100K miles w/ an Onan 7500 KW gen. It’s a repo. I can purchase it for $27,500.00.
It’s a little rough on the outside, although the inside looks good. The owner just drove it 600 miles w/ no issues. Everything is in good working condition.

2004 Damon Ultrasport 3465 w/ 300 Cummins. 43K miles w/ an Onan 7500 KW gen. It’s a repo. They are asking $45K, although I think I could get it for $37.5K - $40K.

I’ll of course do my due diligence and look over the unit thoroughly before taking ownership. With everything being equal, is one brand or price more appealing than the other when taking the year and mileage into consideration? I like the looks of the Damon better, but really like the price point of the HR.

This will fit your needs

As will This
427435
Explorer
Jan 15, 2015
A 2000 or newer Ford V10 (and likely Chevy 8.1) will handle a 5000 lb toad and the hills as well. With a $35,000 budget and not a lot of miles per year, that might be a better option.

http://www.rvtrader.com/listing/2003-Winnebago-Adventurer-35-U-113447197

http://www.rvtrader.com/listing/2003-Winnebago-Adventurer-35U-113614843

http://www.motorhomeclassifieds.com/307046.html

Yeah, I know, I'm prejudiced with the Winny/Itasca 35U floor plan. We love it, and I chuckle every time I see a thread about not buying the right MH the first time. This is our first (bought 9 years ago) and will be our last (unless it gets wrecked).

If you end up looking at Workhorse chassis, do some checking on the brake recalls for them. If the recall has been done, they are good units also.

Oh yes, with a 2000+ gasser, the chances of a very expensive engine or tranny failure is much less than on a 20 year-old diesel. Check out the price for a new/rebuilt diesel injection pump or turbo some time.
Tom_Barb
Explorer
Jan 15, 2015
We have 3 friends that in the last 36 months have bought entry level coaches, none are happy with the build quality of the couch.
Ivylog
Explorer III
Jan 15, 2015
If you missed this previous post on high miles rigs. 100K is a lot better than the 200K in that one but some of the info still applies. I'm partial towards Monaco/HR as the customer service is very good. They just emailed me a wiring diagram this week that will help me modify a system on my 10 year old rig which I plan on using for anoter 10-15 years.
I like to watch prices on this site as they show you what the units sold for. It's winter and sales are slow so do not get in a hurry. Having said that, the really good deals usually do not last long and with fuel coming down some may be more inclined to keep their rig.
The biggest hit will be the tires so check the DOT date codes as most on here replace before seven years when they know the history of the tires. I'm not one of them
doxiemom11
Explorer II
Jan 15, 2015
We have a 15 yr old unit and the electrical and plumbing is just fine. Never had a problem. I have also heard that Damon is more of an entry level coach and not as reliable as others. Don't know if it's fact or not, just info from various forums I read.