purchase of older stored motorcoach

Bossandbabe wrote:
Newbie to the forum and rving... We bought a 2000 Tiffin Allegro Zephyr that has not been used much for the last 8 years but we have seen it and it is in a heated shed. We have a mechanic checking it out for us tomorrow. The tires look great but are original. We are wondering if it safe to drive any distance at all before putting tires on it. It has about 50,000 miles and owner says he has used it occasionally for trip to lake.

If the tires are original and have 50k miles on them, then they are 14 year old RV tires with 50k!!!!!

The only place I would drive that (possibly) is to the tire shop! They need to come off NOW.

What kind of tires are best?

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Round ones that fit! :B :B Sorry couldn't resist. Has some to do with what size and what is available in your area. We have Michelins but that is what the coach came with and when they weather checked early Michelin picked up part of the tab.

Some on here swear by several of the off-brands, Hancock and some others. Others complain they would never use Korean or Chinese tires! This big a tire is only built here for this market they are bulky and heavy to gain anything shipping them around.

Key items make sure the tire fits and has the proper weight capacity. Don't get carried away upping the weight capacity you will just pay more and get a harder ride.

Oh on the age look for the DOT code on the tires, it is molded into the sidewall near the rim on one side. Last 4 digits are week and year of manufacture, WWYY so week 3 of 2005 would be shown as 0305.

Good luck hope it checks out good with the mechanic.

For tires we went with Kumho.

Any older MH is going to have age related issues. If you plan to keep a long time things like belts, etc might be done soon. If you can keep it at home drive it to WM, Krogers, movies, etc to build some tight place handling skills. We bought a 15 year old MH and did not venture out more than 100 miles one way for a while. That gave us a chance to learn it and check out the week places. Even inside if the roof did not get attention for 8 years it will need some. We got 18 years out of our frig then replaced the cooling unit.

Hey they do cost a few thousand+ to get road ready but a lot of that will never have to be replaced. Ten years is max on tires per Michelin.

We purchased Toyo truck tires. Very please with them after 3 years.

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Enjoy your new (to you) coach. Your tires are toast. Check with FMCA for the best price on Michelins. IMO, they're expensive but worth the extra cost. There are others, of course but Michelins and Goodyears are the only ones forumulated for RVs. The others are truck tires. Truck tires are generally cheaper. Toyos, Hankooks, Bridgestone and Firestone are well thought of tires too. Your choice as to what you want to run. Just remember, don't sacrifice safety for price.....Dennis

Join FMCA (Family Motor Coach Association) they have a program that you can buy Michelin for a good price. My MH came with Michelin and I have had good service and ride, so that is what I replaced on mine. IMO if other brands were so good why don't the MH Manufacturers use them on new MH's?

Nomadac wrote:
Join FMCA (Family Motor Coach Association) they have a program that you can buy Michelin for a good price. My MH came with Michelin and I have had good service and ride, so that is what I replaced on mine. IMO if other brands were so good why don't the MH Manufacturers use them on new MH's?

X-2

A few things come to mind:

Tires need replacing without a doubt. We have Hankooks on our 2003 Executive and cannot say enough good things about them.

A Zephyr probably has an AquaHot furnace/hwh. It will likely need routine service. Check to be sure it works, as sitting unused can lead to problems such as stuck check valves, circulation pumps, etc.

Verify the fridge is in working order if having sat unused for a length of time.

Does the current owner have good maintenance records? That goes a long way toward peace of mind when heading down the road!

It's 14 years old, so closely check out any slide gaskets and roof sealant to be sure she won't leak when out in the elements. Check everywhere inside for ANY signs of water damage.

Other than that, just check to make sure everything functions. Sounds like a private sale, so any repairs will become your responsibility and should be part of price negotiations.