I am considering purchase of a 1996 Beaver Patriot Trenton 300 hp Cat.The exterior and interior are in good condition. There is evidence (staining) of a leak but hours of intense inspection revealed no unrepaired damage. All house systems are operational.The RV lot seller has agreed to an independent inspection of engine/chassis.Carfax VIN# check reveal no known issues.Recalls have been checked.Caveat: The seller has no service records and apparently no history.Asking price is $17,995.Any thoughts before I make an offer (or if I even should) will be greatly appreciated to this RV newbie.Thank you in advance.Tomrecent retiree hoping to hit the road

no service records i would not buy it

That kind of $ for a 1996, 18 years old.... Dunno.... I'd pass.

No service records does when the seller is known does lead one to wonder. How about asking which shop or shops the seller frequented. Then a few questions to the mechanic might be enlightening. Just consider that with a older MH you may need to replace all tires, even if they look good, check the age. Also, batteries. You could be looking at a chunk of change being added to the purchase price. Previously owned vehicles are usually sold As Is, so when you sign on the dotted line the dealer has no further responsibility unless they willfully withheld information. So they know nothing...nothing. If you really like the rig and decide to go ahead shop for an extended warranty. Wholesale Warranties (Wholesalewarranties.com) can give you some prices. They are also good people to work with.

The way i read it The seller is a RV lot NOT a individual so its typical for there to be no records. In my looking and reasearch I found beaver coaches (class A not the older class c) to be a little higher priced. I didn"t look at that old ( 99 up) but most had extraordinary workmanship and solid cabinetry, with a very active group of owners. Guess I'm alone here in thinking if it checks out mechanically it might warrant a "offer" BTW I believe its way too old for a "warrantee"at that price level its buyer beware.

If rig shows signs of prior leaking then have the rig pressure tested to insure that rig isn't leaking - only cost about $100.

Pre Purchase Advice | Good Sam Community

Yankee_Clipper
Explorer
Nov 25, 2014
You pay you money and take the chances. My old rig has worked out pretty well for nine years now, but I can tell in detail every little repair since May, 2006 when we drove it away.
Keep in mind all the rubberized parts, not just the tires, are suspect.
mike_brez
Explorer
Nov 25, 2014
Price seems good to me. I purchased mine almost six months ago without a single service record or any kind of independent inspection. The inside and outside were in very good condition figured the engine and tranny would be also. I'll let you know how it turns out.
VinCee
Explorer
Nov 25, 2014
I think Dale hit it on the nose. Get the dealer to do all of the diesel maintenance, have them pay for the leak test and if they agree and everything turns out ok I think you'll have a helluva rig for the money. Beaver is very high end before you get into the custom build stuff.
sjholt
Explorer
Nov 25, 2014
Maybe the owner serviced the motorhome himself. If so- maybe it is in good shape.
I do all the servicing on mine, but I record everything in the computer and carry printouts in the MH. I've replaced a lot of things and wouldn't consider anything under 20k for mine.
Tinstar
Explorer
Nov 25, 2014
Sounds like a decent price for that coach. It an independent inspection checks out, I wouldn't worry about service records. A clean interior and exterior shows the prior owner took pretty good care of it. I think anything major that is wrong will be found during the inspection. Many times, a leak is around the a/c unit and a new gasket fixes it and there is usually no structural damage from it.
wolfe10
Explorer
Nov 25, 2014
Would love to see anything in writing from Caterpillar or any other engine manufacturer recommending overfilling the crankcase by a GALLON.

Common response by a diesel engine would be to puke excessive oil out the crankcase breather-- leaving a real mess on your coach and toad.
J-Rooster
Explorer
Nov 25, 2014
Tom, I driven Cat motors just about all my adult life. They are very tough and durable. Before I retired from work just to let you know we always overfilled are crankcases by one gallon. This advice came from Cat low oil levels in a Cat will cause bearing damage. I like the price on this coach that you mentioned and IMHO it's worth buying.
doxiemom11
Explorer II
Nov 24, 2014
Where was the leak at? We have had a leak but it doesn't mean the coach is bad. We had a connection on the water heat leak as have many others. Depends on what the leak was from. If all has been repaired and it's mechanically sound, why not.
TrvlnChefTom
Explorer
Nov 24, 2014
The rig is going to the mechanic for prepurchase inspection tomorrow.
The tires are all less than 5 years old via DOT #s and look good.
I have tried to find every Patriot in that year range that has sold and think that if the rig passes muster it is in the correct price range.
It is old (1996) but my daily driver Saab is thirty years old, my duplex is 87 years old and I'm 64 but we are all useable with a little tenderness.
The lack of manuals and service records will be my main negotiating point if everything else checks out.
Thank you everyone for the input I will let you know what happens.

Tom
one hand on wallet other on the door
Colo_Native
Explorer
Nov 24, 2014
Valkyriebush wrote:
I did not know you could get a Car Fax on an RV? Is it the same as a car?

All you need is the vin, ran one on the one I bought.